Monday, October 19, 2015

Mediocre Breweries

So I just got back form another road trip and visited a new brewery. A normal thing I enjoy to do. The odd thing about this place is while chit chatting with folks, like I often do, One guy who claimed to be friends with the owner (old school pals). Right none of that is odd, what is, according to this "pal" the owner isn't interested in making a great beer. Whaaat? I know right a brewer not interested in making a great beer? I'm interested in drinking a great beer! Anyway, the owner just wants to make a middle of the road beer that anyone can enjoy.

I guess that is a goal. A beer anyone can enjoy. Someone has to do the grunt work and make a beer for the folks who don't want the great one. I guess the issue I have is the image. The image of a sell out. Whats wrong with a sell out? well nothing at all. I can't blame anyone for working their butt off to build something and then someone come to them with a check, the check, the one they have been waiting for. The millions that in their eyes makes it all worth it. It erases the problems they may have been having, the neglect they may have shown to someone they love. You can't blame someone for selling out to the man! Can you?

Beer is beer but I feel craft beer becomes an art. An art that allows one to express themselves in knowledge. Knowledge that if I use this yeast in this way with these ingredients at this exact temp for this exact time frame I'll end up with a drink worthy of the gods! That's my craft beer experience but I'd still sell out!

Tuesday, October 6, 2015

Why don't you brew your own beer?

We get asked this all the time, "Why don't you make your own beer? I'm sure it would be great."
Anyone who knows A & I know we enjoy going out to the Tap houses trying new beers. We are the beer snobs of our friend circle. Honestly I think we are both proud to say that these days.

At least once a week we get together and hit up @BigStormBrewing , @SilverKingBrew or one of the great places that carry a ton of the locals like @JohnnysFillin and @TarponTavern (trust me the list of locals for us is much longer but I cant name them all). So weekly we are enjoying a brew or two.
I get the pleasure of traveling part of the time for work, so I get the opportunity to visit those far off tap rooms like @ConfluenceBrew, @515Brewing and @FireTruckerBrew to name only a few of the most recent ones.

I have a passion that's developed for beer. I love the stuff, even the bad ones. To think someone poured their heart and sole into making a batch of deliciousness out of water maybe hops and malt, threw in some oddball stuff and took their valuable time to pick through various forms of yeast to find one that burps just the right amount to make perfection.

Why would I even try to step on the toes of this process by making my own brew? The first dozen batches would be insulting, it would be an assault on ones palette, a disgrace to the craft. Yeah eventually with enough practice maybe we turn out a brew that competes with the artists of the craft brew world. I'm confident if our hearts were in it we would.

But why? Right now I can sit back after a day of working drive within 5 miles from my house, meet up with good friends and enjoy a pint (or more) of perfection. No more work than that. No sweat, no tears and no mistakes. Yeah we don't get the recognition of having our names on a can. Who cares? I get my recognition by knowing my few bucks are going to support something someone absolutely loves to do. Something someone cares enough about to fuss over which yeast has the right burp, which malt to use and from what region of the world or country, which hop and when or how many times to throw it in.

It's amazing and at least for now we're going to enjoy sitting on the customer side of the bar.

Enjoy!