After stirring in the yeast to begin the fermentation process, the scent is divine. It’ll be a good month before its drinkable. Then, I’ve noticed, offering up one’s own self-brewed beer makes a great conversation piece.

Brewing a small batch - about twenty 12-oz bottles worth - of what I think will be a blonde ale. Currently stirring the wort.

I conditioned the same recipe of beer at two different temperatures, one batch around 65-70 degrees and the other around 45-50 degrees. It blows my mind how it can be the exact same recipe, yet taste so different based solely on that temperature during the final stages of fermentation. It’s fascinating. If they did this in college chemistry classes, kids would never skip class.

My first fully brewed beer - and it turned out better than I could have ever imagined. I’m hooked.

I’m about to bottle my first ever self brewed beer, a lighter lager brewed with lemon, honey, and coriander. It’s been fermenting two weeks and I’ll ferment it after bottling for another two before it’s completely done. Here’s my first sip of the incomplete beer… oh boy!