When I started seriously homebrewing, 1 year ago, I didn't realize the hold that it would take on my mind, heart and soul. I mean I started brewing 10 years ago with a Mr. Beer kit (don't mock me) and it was not good so I stopped. Now, I dream about brewing. If I have downtime at my day job I think about the next brew day and what I will be brewing. I think about competitions and what I can do to make the best homebrew competition beer I can. It's not just an obsession, but it's a HUGE passion.
I'm an IT guy by trade, so that makes me a problem solver / troubleshooter. I love process. I love learning different disciplines to making a great beer. What a certain hop will do or how it would compliment this other hop along with grain bill. What flavor a certain malt would bring to the palate. I guess I can basically explain it like this. Beer is to a brewer as food is to a chef.
My dream is that some day I will get paid for my passion. I want to be able to wake up in the morning, go to work and brew the best beer I can for the masses. May it be for an already established craft brewery or eventually opening up my own. That may be a possibility, I guess anything is possible, or it's just a fleeting fantasy.
My point here in this post today is, if you enjoy a good craft beer. Sit down and think about the process that made that beer great. The people behind it. The passion that keeps them brewing it time and time again. Maybe then, you will go out and buy a beginner homebrew kit and brew your first batch and appreciate that craft beer that much more and keep supporting the smaller breweries. Be warned, though, if you're like me brewing that first batch might be that catalyst for a life long passion for the art.
This is just my 2 cents.
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