My awesome wife got me a starter homebrewing kit as an early birthday present, which means that shortly I’ll be brewing up my own beer. It’s exciting. I’ve become something of a beer snob over the last few years as my tastes have changed and as I started realizing all the many different flavors and types of beer you can find, rather than simply picking up whatever was cheapest. It’s something you do as you get older, I suppose.
A beer tasting with Brooklyn Brewery brewmaster Garrett Oliver and a viewing of the excellent documentary Beer Wars made my choices even more obvious. I’ve always been all about supporting the little guy and finding out that Anheuser-Busch owns the majority of beers in the supermarket (you likely have no idea how many brands they import- everything from Stella to Kirin to Tiger) and that they love to lean on their little competitors usually makes it a clear choice to me what I’d spend my money on. When you realize what real beer should taste like (hint: not watery) it’s incredibly hard to go back.
For the record, my current favorite breweries are Samuel Smith, Brooklyn Brewery, Dogfish Head, Troegs and Sam Adams. That Sam Smith Taddy Porter might be my favorite beer of all time.. either that or the Brooklyn Local 2. Although I generally pick up a really hoppy beer or a good nut brown.
Anyway, so while I really have no idea what I’m doing with this I can’t wait to find out. Now I’m on a mission to get a massive boiling pot and bottles. The kit I got (a Brewer’s Best Equipment Kit) came with a starter brew kit that will make a Nut Brown ale, usually my go-to beer.
Looking forward to reading up much more on this and hopefully passing anything I learn on to you.