SALISBURY — Beer lovers rejoiced on Saturday in Salisbury during the annual Brewfest at Bell Tower Green. 

Brewfest featured dozens of regionally crafted beers for sampling by the guests in the park, but one station offered something unique. The Salisbury Homebrewers Club might not brew on the same scale as larger commercial brewers, but what they lacked in volume, they made up for with variety. 

Brent Bigger is the president of the organization that traces its roots to 2010. 

“We have had a lot of comments today that people love our tent,” Bigger said. “We have more beers than anyone here. We have 10. I think part of it is because you are making it in small batches, five gallons at a time. You put a lot more love and care into that than the big commercial vats of 150 gallons at a time.”

Bigger explained that while the scope of operations vary, a lot of considerations are consistent. 

“You’ll know right away if it’s a bad batch,” Bigger said. “It won’t taste good … the key is to sanitize, sanitize, sanitize. Keep everything clean throughout the entire process.”

Bigger was joined by several fellow brewers on Saturday, including Howard Kessler, another member of the club, which continues to grow as more people find out about it. 

“A long time ago, there weren’t a lot of brewers around,” Bigger said. “Josh Davis, our founder, got a bunch of friends together that enjoyed brewing. It went from there.”

Events like the Brewfest are a good way to grow that membership. 

“We have a lot of people, in fact we have a sign up sheet today if anyone is interested in joining,” Bigger said. “We usually get 5-10 people every event. We call them up. About half of them might show up to a meeting. 

“A lot of different new members keep coming. We usually keep all the old ones, cause once you start it’s hard to quit.”

Bigger has realized that there are more small time brewers than he previously expected.

“There are a lot of closet homebrewers out there that you might not know about,” Bigger said. “They have the kits and it’s kind of fun to make your own beer. Someone might give it to them as a Christmas present. Then it kind of goes from there.”

Pretty soon, they develop a palate, after finding out which flavors they like the most. 

For Kessler and other beer drinkers, flavor profile is seasonal.

“Depends on the time of year,” he said. “I’m an IPA (India Pale Ale) guy, but that’s during the summer time. I quit drinking those usually during the fall, when I switch to scotch ales and porters, things like that.”

Different styles of beer can take different times to brew. 

“Just depends on the beer,” Kessler said. “If you want to do an Oktoberfest or lager and do it right, you start in March or April. You keep it til September … With IPAs, they have new yeast today that can be done (much faster).”

In his time brewing, Kessler has honed his craft.

“We have a small brewery that we made from the ground up,” Kessler said. “We had vertical tanks using gravity flow for the various stages. Winter time makes it hard to boil the big tanks because the wind blows the heat away. We are now using horizontal tanks and all electric. Electric is good because it is direct heat. When you are cooking with gas you have to heat the pot that then heats the beer. When you have direct heat it’s a lot more efficient.”

Much of what the brew club has learned, it has gleaned from downtown Salisbury brewmaster and New Sarum co-owner Andy Maben, who Bigger described as a great mentor. 

“We have all of our meetings there every month,” Bigger said. “The master brewer and owner there Andy Maben will educate us through different facets of the brewing process. He mentioned the three-day beer. We did not even know you could do that. It’s just fascinating to work together on that level and to have someone with that much experience. He puts us under his umbrella and takes care of us. It’s a family. It’s great.”

As Bigger put it though, the best part about brewing beer isn’t the beer but the budding friendships. 

“Part of it that makes it so much fun to be a home brewer is the camaraderie of the community and the craft beer industry,” Bigger said.

Kessler agreed, acknowledging that he isn’t getting any younger, so many hands make light work.  

“Brewing together, lifting 30-40 gallons of water is heavy,” Kessler said. “We protect each other’s backs by doing everything together.”

To learn more about the Salisbury Homebrewers Club, ask to join the Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/groups/SalisburyHomebrew/.