My days of the week are all off because of the MLK holiday on Monday but we can combine Booze Tuesday with Family Wednesday easily with the topic of “homebrewing”.
Many, many years ago I purchased a homebrewing kit from a BJ’s Wholesale Club (I think they still exist even though Costco has taken over) as a Christmas present for my brother. He was always interested in making his own beer and I figured why not?
The starter kits are quite simple. Literally just some plastic buckets/containers, some tubing, and a bunch of little accessories. I’ll never forget his first attempt at brewing. We tried it together in my parents’ kitchen over the holidays and did we ever make a mess and make the house smell like a brewery. Then we spent a long time trying to fill bottles and cap them securely. I’m sure Mom was thrilled. And did the final product actually taste like beer? Sure. Was it good beer? Not really but we were in our 20s then so we drank it.
Fast forward 30 years later. My brother has this homebrewing art down to a science. I can honestly say everything he’s brewed in the past decade he could easily package and sell if he wanted. They are that good. It obviously took him time to experiment, discover the right ingredients, etc. But I really look forward to each time he brews which is usually summer and wintertime around the holidays.
If you are interested in homebrewing, go for it! You will make a mess and make a half drinkable beer in your first few attempts. Maybe now that the internet is available (as it wasn’t when he started) you can even follow all the advice available and make a more drinkable beer sooner than later. Here is a site that lists some of the best “starter kits”.
Or here’s another good overview:
Cheers!!
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