Jump ahead a few decades, and my best friend never knows what to get me for Christmas. She says I pointed at a stack of MrB kits on a showroom floor and smiled, but I don’t remember that. Well, when she went back to get one they were all gone so she hunted all over town and finally got the last one at a department store. I remember laying all the equipment out and following the directions exactly and thinking, “Wow, I’m going to make beer!” Then my LBK overflowed during fermentation and I posted my very first (panicked) post to that forum asking what to do. I immediately got several replies telling me to clean the lid with Star San (what the heck is that?) or boiled water, and not to worry. As I waited as patiently as I could for the bottles to carbonate, I started lurking on the forum and learning.
When time passed and I finally cracked open and poured my first one, I stood leaning against the kitchen counter and tasted it and thought, “This tastes kind of like cider. But it’s beer. I made beer!” I looked at it and sipped, and looked at it and sipped, and started making plans for the next batch.
Jump ahead another few years and my beer no longer tastes like cider. People ask for it. My brudders and nephew brag to their friends about their little sister’s/aunt's beer. I do a lot of all-grain now, and I usually keg instead of bottle. My best friend often wonders what she unleashed. She thought I would make what came with the kit then that would be it.
I love this hobby.
