BrewingSuds

Every month in the brewosphere there is an event called Fermentation Friday.  A different home brewing blogger “hosts” the event which means that they pick the topic and post a round-up of all the various Fermentation Friday posts on the last Friday of the month.  This month’s Fermentation Friday is hosted by CNYBrew.com.

This is my first time participating in the Fermentation Friday event and the topic this month is:

“Remember why we brew?”

This is not an easy question to answer.  Of course I could take the easy way out and simpyl say “I like beer”.  Well it’s true I like beer, and it does make me a jolly old fellow, I think the reason I brew goes much deeper.

In order to spare you a full psycho analysis I think I can sum up my ever increasing desire to brew into 5 simple reasons.

1. Brewing my own beer gives me a sense of self sufficiency
2. Brewing my own beer allows me to create a beer that I am proud to share with friends and family
3. Brewing forces me to slow down and think about the present instead of worrying about the future.
4. Brewing is something I enjoy doing and it gives me a craft to hone my skills in.
5. Brewing allows me to experience a never ending variety of beers that I could not otherwise experience.

Self Sufficiency (And a little resourcefulness never hurts either)

Brewers, and I know I am generalizing, are a self-sufficient lot.  We see a problem and we come up with a solution, many times utilizing only what we have on hand.  We don’t panic and freeze until someone else comes along to solve the problem for us and we cetainly don’t try to solve the problem by simply throwing money at it.

With that self-sufficiency comes resourcefulness as well.  Since I’ve started brewing I’ve noticed that I know come up with much more creative solutions to problems rather than running to the store to by something to fix it or dumping the problem on someone else.

The best things in life are free…

Brewing allows me to create something that is able to be enjoyed by others.  In my real life I am a systems analyst which means I get to express absolutely zero creativity in my job.  No breathtaking paintings, pleasing musical tones or anything like that – just endless streams of numbers.

When I sit down to brew though my inner artist comes out and helps me create a beer that is worth sharing.  The biggest enjoyment though comes from spending time drinking my beers with friends and family.  Any time you can sit back, relax and spend time with family and friends is priceless and the more you can do it the more satisfying life will be.

Patience is a virtue…

I live life somewhat fast.  I am always rushing to finish what I am doing so I can rush to start the next thing just to rush to finish so I can rush to start so I can rush to finish.  You get the point.  When they say life is a rat race, they aren’t kidding.

Brewing forces me to slow down and focus on the present – it gets me off that hamster wheel.  Whether I am brewing beer, washing bottles or filling a keg I find that I am focused 100% on the task at hand and not thinking about the next 5 items on my to-do list.

The mental clarity that this has given me has been amazing.  Often I find that I usually solve one of life’s problems while brewing and that solution is hundreds of time better than if I had spent time consciously thinking about it.

Life’s too short to be miserable…

Brewing is something I enjoy doing.  I wish I had something wise to put here but the long and short of it is that I find the process of brewing to be very enjoyable.

Brewing also helps me relieve stress (and I’m not just talking about the drinking part either).  When I brew my conscious mind is so focused on creating a good batch of beer that I forget about the bills, the commute and hassles of working for a living.

For me, brewing is a zen like experience that helps me achieve a relaxed state of mind much faster than anything else I can think of.

Variety is the spice of life…

Finally the last reason I brew is so I can expand my horizons.  I live in rural Wisconsin (north of the frozen tundra even) and finding a variety of new beers to try is very challenging.

By brewing my own beer I can experience any style from any part of the world simply by following a recipe.  This kind of freedom to expose myself to new beers has led to a passion that has spilled into other areas of my life.

Since I started brewing I have found myself hungering to try new experiences – whether it be a new restaurant, a new style of cuisine or even a new adventure to some distant location.  Prior to brewing I was content to live within my comfort zone but now I have just have to continuously expand myself.

So there’s my story.  Now it’s your turn – why do you brew?