Recently, I have been trying my hand at homebrewing as a hobby. It’s been a little half-hearted on my part, truthfully, but I have been lucky enough to have a very enthusiastic partner in the endeavor. We’ve gone thru the process twice so far, I can safely say I have no idea how anyone does it without help. There is so much cleaning, sanitizing, boiling, heavy lifting, temperature checking, and tedious bottle filling involved that I am not ashamed to say I’m glad it’s just about too warm to brew anymore until the fall. Maybe brew day wouldn’t be so difficult for me if I could just learn to stay sober while it’s done. But, let’s face it – what could make you want a beer more than making beer? Aside from all that, however, there is definitely a certain smug self-satisfaction involved in drinking your own brew. Every bottle I had from the first batch was a “pinky out” affair for me. The second batch will be ready in a little over a week and I think it’s going to be even better than the first, so I’ll have to pull out all the stops. I may even light a candle or two to set the mood.

– Tiffany Blair