The first time I tasted a beer, I thought it was disgusting. Little did I know it would one day become a great passion of mine. It takes a lot to brew a batch of beer. It is an art and a science, and it takes a lot to master it. However, practice makes perfect, and that goes for creating a tasty beer as well; it takes patience, cleanliness, and a ton of practice.
The Beginnings
It’s funny thinking back to how I got into beer in the first place. I was in my mom’s backyard with a few friends over. I had a couple of weeks left before I left for college, so naturally, I had to practice my drinking. We had an eight-foot beer pong table that I bought specifically for college – it was the official length for beer pong tables.
I thought I had a pretty decent shot, but the game would tell me otherwise. One by one, my friends sank their ping-pong balls into my cups, which meant it was time to drink. We were college students, which meant that we were poor. Not having much income meant that we purchased whatever tasteless light beer was on sale.
I watched as the ball flew through the air and landed in the cup, splashing beer onto the table. I removed the cup from the perfectly formed triangle of solo cups and brought it toward my lips to chug. It was disgusting. I just kept repeating to myself, “It’s an acquired taste.”
Not All Beer is Bad
Beer pong became a staple at parties during my time in college. And cheap, light beers were the go-to choice for players. However, at this one party, someone brought a beer that was not your usual crappy beer.
We were playing a “hygienic” beer pong game. The cups were filled with water, and the can/bottle of beer in your hand had to be drank whenever the opposing team sank a ball.
I grabbed a fresh can of this “unknown” beer and pulled the tab. The sharp sound of CO2 escaping the can is heard throughout the room. I raise the can to my nose. Roasted caramel tones hit me. “This is different,” I said.
Little did I know that this experience would slingshot me to try as many beers as possible. The following 10 years had me entering one brewery after another with the goal of tasting every craft beer in the world.
Time To Get Crafty
Beer became a huge part of my life, so I took on the task of making my own. After a decently sized starting investment, we were in business.
My brewing process started with malt extract kits for beginners. This was a simple way of starting, but it was very limited. After a few brewed batches, I wanted to have full control of my beer, so I moved over to all-grain kits. The difference was that you get more customization with the all-grain process because you mix and match grains to create a specific flavor profile.
Beer after beer I brewed. The fermenter was never empty. I enjoyed waking up on brew days, preparing everything, and spending 8 hours brewing, transferring, and cleaning everything. My only issue was that I could never get the flavor I wanted.
Practice Makes Perfect
In order to nail something down, you need to practice, and I rarely did that. I would make a beer, but I wanted to try a completely different recipe on the next batch. Although I was still practicing the craft itself, I rarely perfected my recipes.
Of all the beers I crafted, I only highly enjoyed one: a pilsner. I can’t remember if it was created by mistake, but I wrote down enough notes to recreate it. The next few batches I brewed just got better and better. Every batch had a minor tweak to it until I created what I thought was the perfect pilsner.
It was the first batch of beer that I was proud of and one that my family enjoyed as well. Although it took several renditions, I learned that I had to practice and tweak my recipe to make it perfect.
Conclusion
It’s funny how I went back to my roots. My beer journey took me from tasting cheap, light beers to brewing a light beer myself. Although I experimented with different styles, such as sours, darks, amber, etc., it all came back to a pilsner. But that’s not the real lesson here.
We often get frustrated when our creations aren’t perfect. What we need to remember is that with practice, small adjustments, and consistency, ‘perfect’ becomes achievable. Keep at it, and let me know what you’re trying to perfect in the comments below.
