I come from a very big family. I have a lot of siblings (some full, some half, and some step). If you come from a big family, you know that there a lot of get-togethers and lot of reasons for celebrations. I grew up in a very strong Irish-Catholic household, so celebrations were always synonymous with beer and wine, but mostly beer. It wasn't just something to drink; it was an experience.
In my family, beer is not a method of getting drunk. If you're drinking to get drunk, you're missing the point of beer. Beer is good. It is meant to be savored and enjoyed. It can almost be a conversation piece when someone brings a beer to a party no one else has tried. Everyone takes a sip and comments on its flavor, aroma, texture, and (most importantly) whether he/she likes it enough to buy it for themselves later.
After I graduated from college, I began to take pleasure in discovering new beers for myself, and ultimately sharing these discoveries with my dad. My dad has always been the ultimate beer connoisseur, and like any son, I guess I try to live up to his image.
I started home brewing for a couple of reasons: to save money and for ownership over the product. A friend of mine has been experimenting with it for some time and had been trying to convince me that I should try it for a while. It always seemed like a lot of work to clean the materials, brew the beer, ferment it, and then bottle it. Not to mention that this whole process takes about a month. Who wants to wait that long for beer? It just seemed easier to go to the store and buy it. However, I finally decided to give it a try in August of 2010, when I realized that the cost, if I stuck to it, would ultimately be less if I made my own. For the cost of about 4 or 5 quality six-packs, I can make about 8 six-packs. I also wanted to experiment--making my own beer just seemed really cool. Think about the possibilities. The ability to experiment with my own ingredients and to try different recipes really began to appeal to me. So, in September, I made the initial investment in a beer brewing kit, and made my first batch. I was hooked. While it is a long, tedious process, it is worth it to be able to say "I made that." Think about that conversation piece when you have friends and family over.
A few months and batches have gone by since I started, and I can honestly say I don't see myself stopping anytime soon. The first batch I made was an Irish Stout that came completely from a kit. It turned out great, but it was ultimately nothing special. Since then I have experimented with my own recipes and I have to say the results have been rather nice. The point of this blog will be to chronicle my attempts at making my own beer. I will post recipes, and even some tips and advice, but ultimately it will be a record of what I am doing. I am not an expert. I have some experience with it now, but I don't have all the answers. All I can offer are my opinions and experiences, which might prove to be helpful to you in your endeavors. A lot of the knowledge you gain about home brewing comes from doing it; you have to find out first hand what works and what doesn't. You can't be afraid to fail. I'm not going to lie; it helped a lot that my first batched turned out to be very good, but I have had some disappointments since then, and those disappointments have only made me want to make better beer.
I hope you find this blog to be interesting and useful in your own attempts at home brewing.
Until Next Time,
RHSC
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