Nyle Parchim.

Nyle Parchim

ASSISTANT TO THE MILL MANAGER,

WEYERHAEUSER COMPANY

CAMPTI, LOUISIANA, USA.

Plenty of papermakers will tell you they know a little something about beer. Nyle Parchim can tell you how he makes his own. Parchim has been a TAPPI member since 1987, and a PIMA member since 1990; he received PIMA's 1995 Brookshire Moore Superintendent of the Year Award; and he's been home brewing since 1995.

"I got started when my son and I were in a hobby shop together, and I picked up a magazine called Zymurgy. I found out that zymurgy is the science of fermentation and brewing. The magazine looked interesting, so I bought it and took it on vacation with me. When we got back I went to some home brew stores and bought all the materials I needed to get started.

"On my job, I don't get a chance to do much on the machines anymore. But when I started brewing, I noticed a lot of similarities between brewing beer and making paper. Anybody can get the materials and equipment; but by adding skill and artistry, you get to create something unique. You solve problems; you do the same kind of troubleshooting, technically; and really it's just by gut feel sometimes that you find out what might work. Then, when you've done all that you can, you're still up to the whims of the yeast. How you treat the yeast a lot of times determines how the beer will come out--even though it's the same strain of yeast, if you change the temperature, or don't have as much food for it, it changes the beer. It's kind of that way with making paper and managing your people. If you don't treat them right, then the results may not be what you expect.

"The easiest thing to use to get started is to buy malt extract--home brew shops supply it. When you make beer, you basically boil the malt extract with some hops. After boiling, you cool it; put it in a glass jug, or fermenter; and then you let it ferment with yeast. There are two different kinds of yeast: one that ferments at a warmer temperature, for making ales; and one for making lagered beer, which uses a little cooler temperature.

"The type of brewing I do goes a little bit further. I'm an all-grain brewer; I start with grain and make my own malt extract. You can make thousands of different beers from a single grain, because you have different strains of yeast, different temperatures, variation in the amount of grain or the type of hops ... all of those affect the flavor of the final beer.

"I never realized how much I'd come to know about brewing when I first read that magazine. I've found others in the paper industry that are into brewing. It's rewarding to get a chance to make something unique out of ordinary materials, that everyone can pretty much enjoy and appreciate."

If you know anyone in the pulp, paper, converting or allied industries with an unusual hobby or interest, we would enjoy sharing that person's story with our readers. Contact: Jan Bottiglieri at Solutions!, [phone] or [e-mail]