And so it began....

For many years I wanted to get into homebrewing and in the fall of 2007 it became a reality. With a handful of gift certificates, I picked up a Deluxe Starter Kit from Northern Brewers, an 8-gallon brew kettle and a few extract recipe kits. I looked at many options before choosing this kit and retailer, and IMO it was the best value and I'm glad I picked up the bigger kit w/ glass carboys, etc.

Similar to when I got into telemark skiing, I jumped right in w/ my investment without any previous experience or knowledge. Sure I drank and loved beer and had even taken a few simple brewery tours, but I didn't know anything about the process. I picked The Complete Joy of Homebrewing by Charlie Papazian and admittedly was overwhelmed by some of the detail, esp. ones related to sanatizing. Getting into something new can often cause anxiety and I certainly was anxious in the days leading up to my first batch. I took lots of notes to help remember the procedure, read blogs and chatboards and consulted a few folks I knew had homebrewed before. It all seemed like a big to-do, but with just a little prep work and focus, homebrewing really is quite easy.

So, over the next 1.5 years I have brewed 15 batches and I'd have to say that brewing your own beer is a pretty rocking hobby. It's fun, challenging, scientific, creative and the options are endless. No matter what you think you know, there is always more to learn and different things to try.

I intend to get this blog up and running with all my previous batch details, photos, general brewing procedure and then keep it current with aspects of my record keeping that are lacking in my notebook - mainly tasting notes, research and thoughts as I continue to expand as a homebrewer. Thanks for reading!!