Oh yeah, I totally forgot to tell you how my first batch of homebrew turned out! You’ve been on pins and noodles waiting for an update, yes? Well, just in case you forgot, about a month ago I brewed up some robust porter, my first excursion into homebrewing in about 7 years. And the result? Success! Yep, it turned out pretty damn good. A nice warm copper brown color, thick cream-colored head, and a fresh, slightly sweet taste. Awesome. I’m drinking one right now, in fact.
I’ve been sampling a lot of microbrewed porters over the last few months, and of course my first beer doesn’t match the intensity of some of the craft-brewed delights in the market, but nevertheless, it’s a tasty brew! And the fact that my initial attempt wasn’t a colossal failure is extremely gratifying, cause I now have a comfortable knowledge of what level of care is required in novice brewing, and more importantly, the sanitizing process. And understanding what amount of cleanliness is the right amount is extremely valuable to an obsessive fellow like me, who could easily find himself going far overboard in the cleaning routine.
Reminds me of back when I was in high school. There was this dude who clearly had a case of hard core obsessive compulsive disorder, and he used to spend a tortuous amount of time washing his hands in the mens’ room sink. All the time. I hated it for the guy, cause you know he was entirely too aware of how unnecessary was this repetitive task, yet that horrid hiccup in his brain wouldn’t allow him to stop. Poor dude. I hope good things happened for him. I hope he found himself a nice lady. Perhaps a lady with a tendency towards excessive sloppiness. Maybe their opposing traits would cancel each other out, and the two could focus on better things, like making out on the beach with the waves crashing over and under them, or running hand in hand through wildflowers, or anal, or whatever it is that lovebirds do.
But anyway, where we were? Yes, the beer. Well, I was so pleased with my first batch that the very next day I brewed up another – a batch of weizenbier. A golden-colored wheat brew for the upcoming Springtime afternoons of day drinking. I bottled it up the following weekend, and I shall sample my creation in the very near future. I look forward to good things, friends. Good things indeed.
Bottling Weizenbier
So, what else? My little brother called me recently on his way home from work to tell me about a great package store a few miles down the street from my house. From the outside, it looked like the kind of place you’d frequent for lottery tickets and cigarettes, but don’t judge harshly, said my bro. Just check it out. You’ll be stoked, he said. I gave it a visit that same night, and was not disappointed. For such an unassuming place, it had a really damn amazing selection of craft beers. I already had a full stock of homebrews to drink, but I couldn’t resist picking up a couple of six packs…
For instance, you ever seen this one? Lucky Beer from China. I forked over $13 for a six pack just so I could own a beer bottle in the shape of the Buddha…
Lucky Beer
And, then there’s Stone Brewery, of which this package store had a fine selection. Always topnotch stuff from Stone, but you can only imagine the joy I felt when I discovered that they…make… THIS!!!
Stone Levitation Ale
I must confess to feeling a pang of pride when I realized that my fridge was already so crammed with homebrews and assorted craft ales (no food) that there wasn’t enough room for both of these new six packs. Damn, I don’t have the money to buy another house, but I guess I’ll have to so that I’ll have another refrigerator to store this extra beer. I can’t really think of a better solution.
Oh, I was also alerted to the news that there’s a new Craft Beer and Wine store in Atlanta. Can’t wait to give it a visit and likely frustrate the staff with my endless stream of queries.
Yes, it’s been a dandy beer month, my friends. A dandy damn beer month. And here’s to May bringing even more beer-fueled joy.
Cheers.
