Too much? Nah...

My cold stash, 4-6 deep.

 Sometimes I think I'm a little too into beer. I mean, check out my stash. It's getting a little out of control. I think at last count I had about 120 bottles in my apartment. People who don't know me very well might think I have a serious drinking problem after seeing that number. Trust me, I'm not. At most, I'll have 3 beers after work a couple times a week because, hey, apparently drinking beer moderately actually lengthens your lifespan!

Anyway, I love, love, love beer. (Quality, not quantity. Except when I'm in Rolla.) I get into a new beer style about every two months or so it seems like. My beer journey went somethin' like this: German Wheats, then schwarzbeirs, then dunkelweizens, then pale ales, then brown ales, then IPAs, then fruity beers, the stouts, then the occasional scotch ale, then Belgian ales and now sour beers. And I know what people might think after reading that last one, "WTF is a sour beer? Sounds disgusting!" Well, admittedly, sour beers aren't for everyone. I'd just like to say that most of them are actually quite tart and sweet and the 'sour' portion of the name comes from how it is fermented (I won't get into the nitty gritty, but it's through spontaneous fermentation in a barn in Belgium, no joke). If you would ever get a wild hair and want to try a commercial version, try a Lindeman's Lambic. Yeah, it's expensive, but it's worth it.

My storage stash.

To get to my point: I hope this all-consuming hobby can turn into a career. I listen to podcasts at work about brewing (without them I would fall asleep of boredom) and I have been accumulating a small library all about making better beer. I've learned so much since I've started just a few months ago. Once I get to the point where I can consistently make great beer, I look forward to entering competitions. Maybe I'll even go back to school and get a degree in Brewing Science, who knows. Either way, I'm pretty excited about the small possibility of having a future in the beer industry. Wish me luck!

Next brew day? Pale Ale / IPA double brew day with my dad and Pastor Rob. I'm teaching Rob to brew this Thursday. Should be awesome!