J2 Brewing exBEERience

Quaff the fresh! Love this place!

J2 is no longer doing brew sessions. We had our session scheduled for this Sunday and they called my husband saying we «probably» could get our money back. Since then, we have not been able to get ahold of anyone to get a refund… we have friends that have gift cards that were not informed they were closing.

For anyone who has ever wanted to learn how to home brew, this is the place to start. I did my first brew session 7 months ago and it was so informative that I decided to join their Brew of the Month Club. Since then, I have done 7 more sessions and a corporate event there. These guys know their stuff and they are doing what they love. I was that annoying guy who had a million questions and they had an answer for everything. Their help, combined with some suggested reading, and I think I’m ready to do some brewing from home. I just know that without the experience I got from J2, I would have screwed up batch after batch at home.
Our company signed up for a corporate event at J2 a couple months ago and the dozen of us who went had a blast. Not only is it fun to learn how to brew, but the atmosphere is great and the beers they have to sample are delicious.

Our brewmaster was extremely informative, the smells are hoppy and mouthwatering, and the beer selection is vast. Did this for a bachelor party and it was a hit!

Have you ever wanted to brew you own beer, but thought it was too complicated or mysterious? Are you already an avid home brewer, but hate the clean-​up work associated with home brewing operations? Well…
If you are already familiar with a Brew On Premises (BOP) operation, that is precisely what J2 Brewing is. If you are not familiar with the term, quite simply, a BOP is an establishment offering customers the opportunity to learn how to make their own beer, and brew it right there under the watchful eye and tutelage of the proprietors, Jeff Harlan and Jeff (Jonesy) Jones (J2). Both have a deep well of brewing experience, and are giving you, the customer, the ability to come in and brew your own. They provide the equipment, supplies, and knowledge to get you through the process successfully!
You can purchase a couple of different brewing packages, depending on the type of beer you’d like to brew (traditional ales, heavy stouts and porters, etc.). You can choose one of many award-​winning recipes developed by Jeff and Jonesy themselves, or consult the «clone» book and attempt to make a popular favorite already in production. Regardless of which type of beer you decide to brew, your experience will include about a three hour brew session, where you will mash grains and perform a boil and hopping. After your beer (wort) has cooled, you will move it to a fermentor, pitch the yeast, and wait about two weeks for the magical fermentation process to take place in their special fermentation room. Understandably, you will make an appointment to return to perform the final priming and bottling of your beer. Your effort will yield two cases of 22 ounce bottles! Take them home, put them in the fridge to chill, and voila’ you’re a brewer! Pop a bottle top and enjoy, or share with your friends and family. Really, how friggin’ cool is that???
Okay, I am a beer geek. A beer geek you ask? Well someone who loves CRAFT beer, loves the CRAFT of beer, and loves to CRAFT his/​her own beers! And even though I brew my own beer at home, my wife bought me a membership in the J2 Brew of the Month Club for Valentine’s Day. What an awesome gift! Each month J2 features a different brew recipe. Club members make an appointment to brew their beer, then return and bottle it for the trip home. There are a number of benefits to club membership, such as receiving a Brew Master’s shirt after your sixth brew. I will tell you though, from my perspective, the biggest benefit is not having to clean up after your brew day! Home brewers know exactly what I’m talking about.
Another benefit, quite honestly, is the camaraderie amongst brewers. J2 makes it fun. They take the mystery out of the art of brewing. They love what they do and it permeates through the entire business! Come in alone… with your wife/​husband or girlfriend, with a few fella’s from the office… with whoever you want to spend a few quality hours with and have fun.
For my home brew friends out there, J2 is another exceptional resource in the area for purchasing supplies. They have equipment, grains, hops, yeast strains, and kits available. Oh, and if you’ve never tried the Speidel Braumeister, you need to come in just to check this baby out!
So now you only have one question to ask yourself… are you exBEERienced???