Over the past 6 years, I've learned a lot about good beer.
Craft brewing in the US and abroad has seen a boom, skyrocketing the meager number of breweries in the US from around 200 in the 1980's to 1759 in 2010. Though overall beer sales were down nation-wide last year, craft beer sales were up 15%, and import sales down 10%. What do these rough numbers mean? US beer drinkers want good, palatable beers in a variety of styles, and the US craft beer movement has answered that call.
Along with any industry seeing that kind of growth comes people like me, an amateur, trying to replicate that esoteric microbrew you found in that back of the shelf at the grocery store that made your taste buds go wild. Designing and brewing good beer isn't rocket science, it takes the simple skill of reading directions, paying close attention to details (or not), and more than anything...patience.
I started this blog for 2 main reasons. First, to put everything I know about brewing down on the Interweb to organize my thoughts. But also, every time a homebrewer makes a great beer, 10 others wonder "Can I do that too? Is it hard?" Kind of like when an angel gets it wings, but is too drunk to fly.
Now there is an almost unending list of books and resources on learning how to brew, and this is just another one, and in no way peer-reviewed. I'll include links to books and sites that dive a little deeper into each aspect of the process. The nice thing about a blog, however, is that it has the ability to change with the times. I'll be posting tips, new products, cool gadgets, beer related news, and of course my search for that perfect recipe. I am a believer that no one can really become a "master" brewer (certainly not the homebrewer) because what we thought was science changes, we learn new things about these techniques, people debunk myths, and new styles are born all the time. I am just another guy who likes to sit back and enjoy a good beer, and this is one way to do that.
The first thing on the agenda for this blog is outlining all the parts of the brew process, from the 100,000 ft view down to the minutia that makes your homebrew yours.
Craft brewing in the US and abroad has seen a boom, skyrocketing the meager number of breweries in the US from around 200 in the 1980's to 1759 in 2010. Though overall beer sales were down nation-wide last year, craft beer sales were up 15%, and import sales down 10%. What do these rough numbers mean? US beer drinkers want good, palatable beers in a variety of styles, and the US craft beer movement has answered that call.
Along with any industry seeing that kind of growth comes people like me, an amateur, trying to replicate that esoteric microbrew you found in that back of the shelf at the grocery store that made your taste buds go wild. Designing and brewing good beer isn't rocket science, it takes the simple skill of reading directions, paying close attention to details (or not), and more than anything...patience.
I started this blog for 2 main reasons. First, to put everything I know about brewing down on the Interweb to organize my thoughts. But also, every time a homebrewer makes a great beer, 10 others wonder "Can I do that too? Is it hard?" Kind of like when an angel gets it wings, but is too drunk to fly.
Now there is an almost unending list of books and resources on learning how to brew, and this is just another one, and in no way peer-reviewed. I'll include links to books and sites that dive a little deeper into each aspect of the process. The nice thing about a blog, however, is that it has the ability to change with the times. I'll be posting tips, new products, cool gadgets, beer related news, and of course my search for that perfect recipe. I am a believer that no one can really become a "master" brewer (certainly not the homebrewer) because what we thought was science changes, we learn new things about these techniques, people debunk myths, and new styles are born all the time. I am just another guy who likes to sit back and enjoy a good beer, and this is one way to do that.
The first thing on the agenda for this blog is outlining all the parts of the brew process, from the 100,000 ft view down to the minutia that makes your homebrew yours.
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