OK, My Turn

I've thought about this a bit. Nearly everyone else has weighed in on this, so I might as well, too.

Budweiser ran an ad during the Super Bowl, I'm sure you know. They've been criticized for the tone of the ad, I'm sure you know.

If you read my blog you know I'm a homebrewer. If you know me, you know I happen to like Bud. It's actually a very good beer. I've always said the problem is not that Bud is bad. It's all about choice. Their are times when what I really want is an American pilsener. Just not all the time.

However, I have to partially agree with the ad. There are some in the craft beer community who are entirely too pretentious. I love playing with fruits, spices, herbs, flavors. Your beer doesn't have to have these to be good.

There's plenty of room in my fridge to have both Budweiser and an artfully crafted microbrew.

Am I Bad?

I have a Mr Beer fermenter. It's a concession to my physical state. I can't lift a big fermenter any more, so I have to make smaller batches. It's worked well for me.

I also just ordered a Mr Beer American Ale refill for it. The kits  make really good, not spectacular, beer. I needed something quick. It was on sale. It was on a site where I get a cash rebate. It just seemed to make good sense.

Of course , me being me, I couldn't leave "well enough" alone. So, to the regular ale I added, 1 tsp coriander, 1 tbs orange zest, 1 tbs cinnamon, and 1/3 cup molasses. My intent was to boost the alcohol slightly, and make this a heartier tasting ale, for the cold winter.

Did I succeed? We'll find out in a couple of weeks. Am I bad for using a kit? I don't think so. I've said for years, if you make a wort and use yeast. you're a homebrewer. All the rest is choice.