llazy_llama
Well-Known Member
I'm just curious to see what made people decide to start brewing beer in the first place. Did you know someone who brewed? Did you drive past your LHBS one day and think, "I could do that!" Was it a Mr Beer Christmas present?
For me, believe it or not, it was quitting smoking. As you probably know, smoking numbs your sense of taste. After I quit smoking, BMC beers just weren't cutting it anymore; I needed more flavor. I tried some of the Michelob ambers, and they were okay... far from great. For a while I drank Guinness, but bottles and (*shudder*) cans were terrible compared to Guinness on tap. What I needed was a Kegerator, so I could get that same taste at home. I surfed around the internet for a while shopping for one, but at 500+ dollars, it just didn't seem worth it. A co-worker told me it would be cheaper to just build my own from a used fridge or freezer, so I thought I'd check it out. "Well, hey," I thought, "why stop with the keg? Why not make the contents as well?" I ordered the Mr Beer kit online, but quickly realized that 2.5 gallons of beer wasn't going to last long in my household. So here I am now, still completely new to the hobby, waiting for my tax return check to come in so I can order my real brewing kit, and get started for real.
Until then, I'll just have to lurk the forums and sample the joys of homebrewing vicariously through the seasoned vets here at HBT.
So, what made you start homebrewing?
For me, believe it or not, it was quitting smoking. As you probably know, smoking numbs your sense of taste. After I quit smoking, BMC beers just weren't cutting it anymore; I needed more flavor. I tried some of the Michelob ambers, and they were okay... far from great. For a while I drank Guinness, but bottles and (*shudder*) cans were terrible compared to Guinness on tap. What I needed was a Kegerator, so I could get that same taste at home. I surfed around the internet for a while shopping for one, but at 500+ dollars, it just didn't seem worth it. A co-worker told me it would be cheaper to just build my own from a used fridge or freezer, so I thought I'd check it out. "Well, hey," I thought, "why stop with the keg? Why not make the contents as well?" I ordered the Mr Beer kit online, but quickly realized that 2.5 gallons of beer wasn't going to last long in my household. So here I am now, still completely new to the hobby, waiting for my tax return check to come in so I can order my real brewing kit, and get started for real.
Until then, I'll just have to lurk the forums and sample the joys of homebrewing vicariously through the seasoned vets here at HBT.
So, what made you start homebrewing?