My appreciation for beer began in Germany. I was stationed there in the US Army in 2001. I had only been there a few days, when I bought a six pack of a well known American beer (rhymes with butt wiper) from the shoppette by my barracks. I hadn't even made it to my room before I got several disapproving looks from my fellow troops. My roommate took one look at the beer in my hand, laughed and said "FNG!" while shaking his head. That was the last American beer product I purchased during my time there.
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| SGT James Lane, US Army |
I then began to broaden my beer horizons. Tasting my first Hefeweizen was mind blowing. There was so much flavor! I was hooked! I began sampling all the different styles of German beer I could find. My love affair with Hefeweizens almost caused me to fail a height and weight test. Eventually my beer travels led me to Kreuzberg where I reached beer nirvana!
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| Kloster Kreuzberg Germany |
For those of you who are unfamiliar with Kreuzberg, I'm sorry for your loss. Kreuzberg is the home of a Monastery where the Monks brew and sell their beer on site. You have to make the trek up a giant hill to reach it (no small feat in the winter of Germany). Once your weary legs reach their taproom you are rewarded with a Kloster Kreuzberg Dunkel that is barely carbonated, has a dark amber hue, and a faint butterscotch taste. You sit down, thinking that you will never leave this taproom, and you will just live here. However, four pints later your face hurts from laughing and carrying on with your friends, and you are ready to slide down the hill on your belly like a cartoon penguin. There was something peaceful and joyous about the atmosphere in their taproom. It was this beer that ultimately led me to become a home brewer.
Fast forward to June of 2012: I got married to a courageous woman whose passion for life warmed my heart and made my head spin. As a wedding gift, I received a Irish Stout beer kit. It was an Extract beer kit. I purchased a brewers starter kit at a local homebrew supply store and with the aid of my brother Chris, we made our first batch of brew. I don't think we let it age in the bottle for longer then a week before it was gone. The brewing bug sank its teeth into me, and I've been brewing beer ever since.
As of today, I've brewed around 30 batches of beer. I've acquired more patience and appreciation for the process then I had when I started brewing. There is something magical and therapeutic about brewing. Staying present in the moment and the process, realizing the parts of the process that are in your control and the parts that aren't, grounds me.
Please join us on our path to brewing great beer, honoring the sacrifice of our fallen brothers and sisters in arms, and spreading benevolence to mankind. No matter who you are, or where you are on your journey...there will always be a seat at our table for you.
