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I brew my own.
Thank you Keith for posting my letter from last year. I am in my second year of home brewing now.
Some of the best beer the world will never know was cooked in my garage, incubated in the darkness of my guest bathroom, bottled at my kitchen sink, krausened in my basement pump room, and shared among a few close friends.
Each batch of home brew is unique, and the very last bottles of my great brews are jealously hoarded. Big Head Irish Red, Slap Your Mama Pale Ale, and Breakfast for One Oatmeal Stout are nothing but empty bottles waiting to be filled again and pleasant memories of the great beers I have known.
It is always a surprise when I open the first bottle of a new batch of home brew, especially when I made up my own recipe. The Cranberry-honey Ale I made before Christmas had an unpleasant bite when I tried it in January and so it was forgotten beneath cases of tastier California common, Krolsch, and something I simply called #10. However, last night as I was looking for a couple of beers to take upstairs after work, I happened on the forgotten case of Cranberry-honey Ale.
Do you know something close to magic happened since I last visited this brew? The bite left and a spritzy ambiance rose to prominence. My Cranberry-honey ale earned its spot in my home brew hall of fame. Of over half a dozen brews in the pump room, this is the one to ration!
Not everyone will find even my best home brew appealing, especially if your taste is for the major name brands: light, filtered, pilsners, which dominate the American beer industry. Imported beer and micro-breweries offer a wider world of beer and ale enjoyed by many home brewers. Consider a Shiner Bock, New Glarus Staghorn, Widmer Brothers Wheat, Gray’s Oatmeal Stout (to die for!), Sierra Nevada pale ale, Sand Creek Woody... the list is nearly endless. These are the types of fun beers I like to make, taste, and enjoy.
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