The Pursuit of Hoppiness

Homebrewing: The beer is just a bonus

I got started brewing my own beer three years ago, thanks to an unexpected Christmas present from my wife. Truth be told, the thought of making my own beer had never crossed my mind.

After opening several boxes, containing beer bottles, large buckets, and other random items I had no idea how to use, I questioned whether or not making your own beer was even legal.

A quick Google search later, I realized my fears were unfounded.

Then as I began to read through guides, learning about the various techniques and factors that can make or break a batch of homebrew, I felt overwhelmed. I felt intimidated.

Brewing beer requires paying close attention to things like temperature, specific gravity, yeast cell counts, and sanitization. Heck, I still don’t fully understand yeast cell counts and the impact it has on a beer.

Since then, I have learned a lot and feel far more comfortable with common terminology spouted from a brewers mouth.

Perhaps more importantly, I’ve learned more about myself as I was forced to troubleshoot a stuck sparge or a broken piece of equipment in the middle of a brew day.

I’ve gone out and purchased tools I never thought I would own. I then used those tools to convert a deep freeze into a three tap kegerator (more commonly called a keezer). It took hours of research, planning, self-doubt, second guessing, and implementing, but after a few nights of work in the garage, I had something I built on my own for serving the beer I make.

A few weeks later, my wife and I built a serving bar for parties and weddings out of old pallets. We spent hours crafting something that neither of us had any idea how it would turn out, but we have created something we are proud of.

To me, brewing beer is about more than mixing grain, water, hops, and yeast and drinking it a few weeks later.

Brewing beer is about learning. Learning about the chemical reactions and the impact of even just a few degrees can have on the finished product — a fact that still boggles my mind.

Learning how to connect a CO2 bottle to a regulator, then a 4-way manifold, and finally to repurposed 5 gallon Pepsi kegs. Then adjusting carbonation levels to account for the temperature of your beer and beer line length for the perfect pour with just enough carbonation.

I’ve learned a lot about myself, too. I’ve learned to be patient, and not rush things (looking at you, fermentation). When you rush something, the end result is close to what you had hoped for, but far from what it should have been.

I’ve learned how to troubleshoot a broken handle on our BBQ grill, instead of looking at it and having no idea what to do. Or if I’m being really honest, I’ve learned to have confidence in myself when trying to figure out what to do.

Because of, well, beer, I’ve become a better person. I’ve become more confident in my capabilities as a man; as a father who wants to teach his kids how to build and fix things.

Not to mention the number of genuinely nice people I’ve met while at breweries, talking to brewers, and from the Steel City Brewers club.

At the end of the day, a 5 gallon batch of beer I made with my own hands is a simply a bonus. Cheers!

On Tap: Instead of highlighting a single beer this month, I want to ask that you visit PDub’s Brewing Company in Pueblo West. If you recall, we featured the new brewery in an earlier column. I talked with head brewer and owner Brad Schoolland about chasing his dream of owning a brewery, and the excitement he had for the future of his brewery was contagious.

Unfortunately, Brad was involved in a horrible car accident last month that has left him hospitalized.

Visit the brewery, buy a pint, and support a local brewer.