A Moment To Think

I’m excited about my eventual upgrade to a real fermenting environment, but I sure am going to miss the smell of beer in my closet.

Reflecting on my first homebrew

As I mentioned yesterday, I finally cracked open my first bottle of hombrew.  What a great experience.

The Beer

The first beer I brewed was an American Brown Ale.  I was a little skeptical because I’m not very into American hops, but I’ve had some in the style I’ve liked so I decided to give it a shot.  The final product is a little unbalanced when first opened — it starts surprisingly sweet (malty) and then morphs decisively into a (not too) bitter hop taste.  After it sits a little, though, this juxtaposition mellows and the flavors blend together better.  It’s not perfect, but it’s tasty and a damn fine feeling of accomplishment.

The Process

I’ve been thinking about learning to brew for some time now.  I bought books, I read online, I looked at the starter kits.  I felt like I needed to know before I started, but then one day I had enough and just bought a starter kit and some of the necessary supplies and jumped in.  If you’ve followed my stories for sometime, you’ll know that this is how I tackle things I feel are a challenge, like hockey.  No matter how much you prepare, you’re going to make mistakes, so after a certain point of preparation and thinking about something, I need to just do it, consequences be damned.

The Partnership

In this endeavor, I was not alone.  I think I could have brewed the first batch by myself, but I had one of my best pals by my side.  He had been thinking about brewing for a while, but he’s a big fan of being very prepared and wanted to make sure everything was right.  With brewing, things like temperature are really important and to do this just right, you need a decent amount of space and, depending, some specific equipment. I didn’t care, just throw the beer in my closet and I’ll do my best.  One of the best feelings of this brewing experience has been the additional bonding time with a great friend — and knowing there is more to come.

The Lessons

- Just do it.  Seriously.  If you want to try something, do your research, but don’t let anything stop you from trying.  I was totally prepared for my first batch of beer to be terrible and that would have been just fine, because I enjoyed the hell out of the process.  The brewing itself, learning all the steps, talking with my friend, all of that.  The fact that it’s pretty tasty is just a satisfying bonus. 

- I am surprisingly patient.  Beer can take a long time.  I thought I’d go crazy waiting to crack open the first bottle from the moment the first pot of water started to boil, but somehow I didn’t really start getting crazy until I put the first bottles in the fridge a couple of days ago.  I don’t know where that came from.

- Accomplishment.  It feels really good to get shit done.  It also feels really good to learn a new skill.  I know this, but it’s always eye opening to do it again.  Why is that?

What’s next

Sorry wallet, this hobby is here to stay.  I already have my second batch, a Saison, fermenting away.  We didn’t get a chance to brew again this weekend, but I plan on getting a pipeline started so I always have new beers coming.  Even if I don’t move up from brewing small batches in bottles, I’m in love with my new hobby.

Then again, how hard is it to love beer?