Making Beer

For most of my life I have pretty much despised the taste of beer. Except for somewhat rare occasions, when it's been fairly hot, and the appeal of a very cold brew seemed yummy. My beer drinking has been confined to not wanting to turn down an offer from someone trying to be hospitable.
About the year 2000 I made an attempt to drink myself stupid. I started drinking way to much in an attempt to drown my sorrows. In the end I was too responsible for that stupid idea to actually work. But I did develop a taste for a few very specific styles of beer. Namely Blondes, Hefewiezens and some Begium Ales. Pilsners are too weak and empty for my taste and IPA's are extremely nasty (bitter), I just don't understand their appeal at all. Porters can be yummy but after a few swallows they seem to overwhelm my taste buds.
Being the bookaholic that I am, I started reading more about beers. The idea of making my own started to become more appealing. Not because I thought I could do something that no one else had. But because it can be an extremely technical adventure yet allows for artistic expression. The idea that I could make something that we humans have been making for thousands of years was also very appealing, kinda getting in touch with my fellow man and forefathers and mothers.
As much as I was interested though it just didn't happen for quite some time. I knew the initial outlay of cash for getting everything needed was going to be more than I seemed to have laying around.
Then one night I went to dinner with Lori, Sally and Ardell. It was a little Italian place on Evergreen Way. A few doors down was a little beer making shop called Homebrew Haven. I don't recall anymore how it came up but I made a comment about always having wanted to try my hand at making beer. The next family Christmas celebration saw me getting a gift certificate from Sally for Homebrew Haven for $50.00. It kinda obligated me into taking the plunge and getting the rest of the gear. It took awhile as I bought items a little at a time until I had everything I needed. Including a DVD called Basic Brewing: Introduction to Extract Home Brewing. I must have watched the DVD 10 times before I finally fired up my propane banjo cooker and made my first batch of home brew.
At the time I'm writing this I'm enjoying the fruits of my labor. I was originally thinking I would end up giving most of my beer away to friends that enjoyed beer more than I do but that just ain't gonna happen. As it turns out, the beer I made really does taste damned yummy. It was just a generic kit from Homebrew Haven called Wizard's Wheat. It's supposed to end up being a quasi Hefeweizen. Mine doesn't "look" to much like a Hefeweizen but it tastes fairly close to one.
Today I went out and bought another Wizard's Wheat kit. I'll definitely be brewing another batch within the next few weeks. I was a little worried that I would end up with a few hundred dollards worth of brewing equipment that I'd never use again. Now I know I'll be using that equipment enough to justify the initital cash outlay. Yummy :)