bernerbrau
Well-Known Member
So I've been brewing for about 3 years now.
Last month I'm sitting at my kitchen counter, studying a glass of my Oktoberfest with an intensity normally reserved for open heart surgery, taking occasional sips and furrowing my brow. My wife walks in and asks me what's up.
I say, "I can't figure out what the defect is in this beer."
She takes a sip, and shoots me a confused look. "What makes you think there's anything wrong with this beer?"
And that's when it hits me. I ask for it back, smell it, take a few more sips, and suddenly it dawns on me. I have actually brewed an enjoyable beer, to style, without defects.
Then this past weekend I'm in Chicago with my mom and siblings. I pass around a glass of my latest IPA and get generally good reviews. Then it gets to my sister, the die-hard Yuengling drinker. I wait for her to wince, say "not my thing" and pass it on.
Instead, she says, "you know, after you get past that initial harsh bitterness, it actually tastes really good." Then after a few more sips she says, "you know, it's really not that harsh up front after all. This is weird. I hate IPAs." She keeps the glass and I have to pour another.
Before I know it she's asking for the recipe. She doesn't even brew.
So what about everyone else? Let's hear it, HBT. When was the moment when you realized your noob days were long behind and that you had hit the big leagues?
Last month I'm sitting at my kitchen counter, studying a glass of my Oktoberfest with an intensity normally reserved for open heart surgery, taking occasional sips and furrowing my brow. My wife walks in and asks me what's up.
I say, "I can't figure out what the defect is in this beer."
She takes a sip, and shoots me a confused look. "What makes you think there's anything wrong with this beer?"
And that's when it hits me. I ask for it back, smell it, take a few more sips, and suddenly it dawns on me. I have actually brewed an enjoyable beer, to style, without defects.
Then this past weekend I'm in Chicago with my mom and siblings. I pass around a glass of my latest IPA and get generally good reviews. Then it gets to my sister, the die-hard Yuengling drinker. I wait for her to wince, say "not my thing" and pass it on.
Instead, she says, "you know, after you get past that initial harsh bitterness, it actually tastes really good." Then after a few more sips she says, "you know, it's really not that harsh up front after all. This is weird. I hate IPAs." She keeps the glass and I have to pour another.
Before I know it she's asking for the recipe. She doesn't even brew.
So what about everyone else? Let's hear it, HBT. When was the moment when you realized your noob days were long behind and that you had hit the big leagues?