Let me introduce to you...

Folks, I recently brewed my first batch of beer and that is the label that went on the bottles. (Thanks, Comer!)

I've been wanting to make beer for a long time and I finally made it happen about two months ago.

The beer recently finished carbonating and I had some friends over last night to try it. I was a little nervous as this was my first attempt at brewing beer and I decided not to try any beforehand and went in blind to share the same fate as my brave friends. The first time I had a bottle of homebrew my friend handed me the bottle and said, "It's got a pretty weird aftertaste, but you get used to it after a while." That was an understatement. It tasted like Ajax and mildew. It was atrocious. With that in mind, I would have been happy with, "This isn't too bad," or something along those lines. So I broke out a few bottles, poured everyone some of the beer, clinked glasses and held my breath as everyone took a sip.

Well, it turns out that the stuff was pretty good. Not just "not terrible" or merely "drinkable," but it was good. Like, "Hey, Dave, can I grab another bottle?" good.

The brew was actually in the ballpark of what I intended it to taste like! I made a porter and it had the roasty chocolate malt sweetness and the slightly bitter hit and coffee notes from the black patent malt that characterize the style. There a few things I would want to change, but we're talking fine-tuning. A little more body, a touch more hops, etc.

It was SO satisfying to see my friends enjoy a beer that I had crafted. It was even more encouraging to have them be amazed that my first effort came out so well and be so excited to try my future brews as I grow more comfortable and skilled as a brewer.

It was a fantastic night in a lot of ways and I look forward to seeing where this new venture in my life leads me.