Brewing For All?

 

Is homebrewing for everyone?

I was watching a gardening video on YouTube recently and the host was going over a list of items to be avoided at the local big-box garden center. 

More than once he emphasized that the purpose of big-box stores is not to help you become a better gardener or even to supply you with the best plants and tools available. But rather to sell lots of everything both cheaply and conveniently. 

Then he said something that burrowed into the cynical, lizard part of my brain and took up residence. That if you are a beginner and are relying on these big-box stores to grow beautiful, lush plants, you are setting yourself up to fail. And you have two choices, lower your expectations... or perhaps gardening is not for you.

So what does this have to do with making beer? Two things... One: I harken back to the reason I began my YouTube channel in the first place. I had begun to make beer at home and a co-worker was curious about the process. I made a short video to outline the basics and then I invited him over to see how it is done. I was making simple extract batches on my kitchen stove at the time which is simply boiling water, opening and adding a can of liquid malt, cooling it, topping off and tossing in a packet of yeast. About halfway through the process he looks worried and says "this looks complicated!" and he never asked another question about making beer after that. 

At least that guy realized that as much as he liked beer and as much as the initial idea appealed to him, that this hobby wasn't the correct fit for him.

Second: Within days of watching that gardening video and hearing those words I read a couple of questions posed on a Facebook homebrewing page and another on a homebrewing forum. Both from newbie brewers who were reaching far beyond their skill level and with every answer they received a new term or process was mentioned that neither of them knew of or had heard about. And these were not super advance terms being used either. Things like "racking", "pitching" yeast, or even the word "wort". 

 It is difficult to try and help someone who doesn't even have the basic building blocks of knowledge such as language to understand what it is you are suggesting. These folks either need to lower their expectations or sell their equipment because it appears homebrewing is not for you!

WHERE'S THE BEER

PART TWO

After much prodding, probing and more lab work than a lab rat is used to it turns out my lymphoma is stage 2. BUT! since I am not exhibiting symptoms my Oncologist has decided to hold off on treatment in lieu of close monitoring and regular testing.

That's the good bad news. The bad bad news is that a routine stress test lead to a heart cauterization which revealed 4 blockages in my heart totaling 80% to 90%  blockage. One of them the Cardiologist calls the "widow maker". Such a warm and fuzzy bedside manner the man has. Bottom line is that in just over a week they will cut my chest open and take blood vessels from my arms and legs to bypass the damage. 

My brewing days are suspended indefinitely. 

 SMASH!

SINGLE MALT and SINGLE HOP

I don't know who needs to hear this but if you are adding a crystal malt or adjunct in addition to your base malt it is no longer a SMaSH.

Similarly if you add different hop to your hop schedule... Magnum at :60 for bittering and then Citra at :10 for flavor and aroma... it is no longer a SMaSH.