Photo By Sgt. Amber Bohlman | Standley shows what the hopped wort looks like after it has been boiled and the liquid...... read more read more
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GUANTANAMO BAY, Cuba — The sound of laughter and cheerful conversation flowed from the garage of U.S. Naval Station Guantanamo resident, Bob Schaffeld. It appears like any garage until the door swings open, and the smell of barley and hops wafts through the air; instantly your sense of smell comes to one conclusion — beer. This isn't an ordinary man cave; it’s a place where creativity brews.
Refrigerators line one wall, sinks line the other, and directly in between are steaming stainless steel pots filled with grains and berries cooking into a concoction that will soon become beer.
Schaffeld said for years he had expressed interest to his wife about wanting to learn how to brew beer. Finally, she relented. She purchased a homebrew starter kit for his birthday in 2008; a passion was born.
Brewing beer takes hours; it’s an art. To master the art, a brewer must ensure the beer is at the right temperature throughout the process and concoct the right recipes to excite his taste buds and those of his beer connoisseur friends.
“I love the creativity. I don’t drink beer to get drunk. I like sour beers; beers that can take one to two years to be able to drink,” Schaffeld said. “More of the creative side, not so much beer for drinking but just coming up with a recipe, kind of like a chef kind of thing.”
Lt. Cmdr. Loren Standley, Schaffeld’s friend and an administrative director, agrees with Schaffeld that the Art of Brewing is only limited by a Brewmasters imagination.
“There is no limit to what you can make beer out of,” Standley said.
Schaffeld wants everyone to know that his garage is always open for those who are interested in the magic that goes on within.
“People drive by, and they stop and come in. People kind of just come out of the woodwork,” he said
There are about five or so men who get together; they jokingly think of themselves as the Brewmasters of GTMO. They are able to look at the creative side of each beer as well as enjoy the different tastes and the company of those who also enjoy a good brew.
“Everyone is invited. The thing about beer is that it brings all walks of life together,” said Petty Officer 2nd Class Danny Rodriguez, corpsman. “I’ve never met one person who doesn't enjoy a beer. It doesn't matter what your status is. Two people can come together, and enjoy a beer together and have a good time with it.”
The Brewmasters of GTMO are a prime example of a hobby evolving into a passion and now possibly becoming a dream come true.
“Thanks to Bob and Stephen Prestesater, Morale Welfare and Recreation food and beverage is in the process of trying to open their own microbrewery here,” said Mike de Andrade, MWR hospitality director.
| Date Taken: | 01.30.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 02.04.2015 09:18 |
| Story ID: | 153476 |
| Location: | GUANTANAMO BAY, CU |
| Hometown: | LOS ANGELES, CA, US |
| Hometown: | NAVAL HOSPITAL BEAUFORT, SC, US |
| Hometown: | ST. PAUL, OR, US |
| Web Views: | 244 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Creativity brews in one man's garage, by SGT Amber Bohlman, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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