Happiness is a Cold Homebrew

I’ve always tried to keep my personal life out of this blog, and for the most part I will continue to do so. However, I choose to open up this one time here for a very specific reason: the art of brewing, its study and practice, has become something much more than a hobby for me. In the wake of a devastating break-up and the associated aftermath that comes with such a thing, brewing has become my refuge, my sanctuary. It is the one thing that can soothe the savage beast, so to speak.

To that end, I am never happier than when I am munching on a bit of freshly-milled grain before adding it to the strike water, or slowly draining the first runnings from my mash-tun, or taking down every bit of information I can for post-brewing study. Drinking the beer itself has become almost an afterthought, as the consumption of alcohol in any great quantity typically leads to moodiness and ill-advised phone calls. For me, brewing is the means to the end. The tasting is just a test to see how well I was able to brew a particular style, and often the impetus to brew it better the next time around.

This past weekend, I had the good fortune of brewing with my best friend Jessie and his good friend Lauren down in Raleigh, North Carolina. I can’t begin to tell you how much I love Raleigh, and how much I wish I was able to live there year-round. The brewing culture in that town, and the great craft breweries that seems to spring up there like delicious, hoppy weeds make it a great town for beer-lovers. Unfortunately I’m stuck here in VA, at least for the forseeable future.

At any rate, the long and exhausting brew day was worth every single mile of the trip. Brewing with Jessie and Lauren, teaching them the principals of creating an all-grain beer, and seeing the light bulbs click on as they got a handle on the new techniques and vocabulary associated with all-grain gave me more joy than nearly anything in recent memory. I remember it was just a few months ago that I had the same reactions, the same realizations, and it was a great feeling to pass on what little knowledge I was able to offer. Though the wet weather was less than ideal and poor Lauren’s kitchen was an absolute disaster area by the end, the report of a vigorously bubbling fermemter the next day made it all worthwhile. Hopefully the beer will turn out great, and I’ll hopefully be posting the recipe with photos of the brew day here later this week. 

Jessie is a skilled homebrewer himself, and will likely be making better beers than me in short order. He’s also the kind of guy that will send text messages saying things like “honeysuckle saison…think about that shit for a minute.” So you think about it, and your mouth begins to water for a beer you’ve never seen or tasted anywhere else, and then your brain starts to hurt as it tries to come up with a way of creating such a beer. Nevertheless, creativity is half the fun of brewing, and the dude has got it in spades. Plus, it’s always great to have an extra set of capable hands to help out on brew days.

Speaking of which, I have to say that there are far too few women who take up “this thing of ours”, and it was refreshing to brew with a girl who really knows her stuff. Lauren is no amatuer, but a real beer-lover and an excellent brewer. It feels sexist to point out such a thing, but it bears mentioning because I honestly believe that it’s a hobby that anyone can enjoy, regardless of gender. With the explosion of craft beer amongst women, and the endless variety of recipes that can be created through homebrewing, it stands to reason that many women could soon be wandering the ailes of our local hombrew shops. And that can only be a good thing.

Thanks again to Jessie and Lauren for a fantastic weekend and a great brew day. There are so few things in this life that make us truly happy, and when we have the chance to indulge in them, we should take the time to be thankful for the opportunity to do so.