“You’re going to do what?” I gasped with bemused confusion as he rifled through the cabinets like a detective searching for an essential clue. Surely I had misheard him.“I’m going to start brewing beer,” came his determined reply. “Where’s the rubber gloves?” Nope. I definitely heard him right.
Beer? Brewing? In my house? What’s he getting us into now? I half chuckled, half mused to myself.
“Trust me,” he said with a smile as I handed over a pair of my brightly pink colored rubber gloves. “It’s gonna be awesome.”
Ever notice how those simple words never really inspire a real feeling of comfort? And hey, don’t get me wrong. I like beer as much as the next girl. I went to college. I knocked down a few suds in my time. But making beer at home? That just seemed wild. Outlaw. Nuts.
What’s more, and I’m sure you can relate, I instantly saw my house flooded with endless weekends of marathon parties where old men relive their frat boy glory days with keg stands and non-stop beer pong tournaments. No, thank you. And let’s be clear, I would not be doing any keg stands. (Again.)
Turns out home brewing beer isn’t just a fly-by-nightmdash—and seemingly misguided—brainchild of a man navigating a third-life crisis. Nor is it just a passing fad. My husband was on to something cool.
And you know what? I was right to trust him.
Through our adventure in home brewing, I’ve learned there’s a lot more that goes into beer than I ever imagined. Subtle flavors and notes extend far beyond the basics of hops, yeast and grains of run-of-the-mill, big brand beer. My husband loves to experiment and play with specialty recipes and ingredients, even creating beers for changing seasons. Or moods. Everything from coffee to cloves to blueberries are fair game. Even chocolate—sign me up!
And while the wild frat parties never materialized, we have found it to be a great reason to get people together. Friends look forward to our tasting nights and my husband just loves showing off his latest creations. Especially when it comes to this time of year and Oktoberfest, or as he calls it, “the most wonderful time of the year.”
Home brewing has been great for us. Have you or your man ever tried your hands at home brewing? What kind of beer did you particularly like or have success with?