We held our first brewing class a few weeks ago, and I was surprisingly not nervous about leading it. Granted it was a beginners class, really designed to keep things simple and fun, but it has been a long time since I’ve done an extract batch, partial boil. Plus I am about as introverted as you can get. Especially around people I don’t know. Fortunately, I know enough about my personality, to be able to kick myself into “extroverted mode”, but its still challenging.
So, on to the class. Our two attendees show up, and we begin. The class is about three hours, but the time flies by. We have great engagement from all involved, and the sharing of our favorite hobby flows both ways. We teach them, and they impart knowledge to us. Everyone walked away from that class having learned something, myself included. We finished the class with handshakes all around, everyone feeling great about the experience, and everyone wanting to get together for another class in the future.
I’m reminded of why I love craft beer and homebrew. Just taking complete strangers, and putting them together to not even drink beer. Just to make it. Suddenly everything else about the world takes a back seat to this moment in time. All this energy boils to the surface, and you can see how passionate we are about what we do. The thing that always amazes me?
The sharing. Brewing together becomes a social forum for personal stories, funny brew days, tips and experiences we’ve had that help others. Now, mix in a little homebrew tasting and the sharing becomes next level. We add the sensory experience of taste, to the smells of boiling wort and hops and the intellectual sharing of stories and ideas and you have found a social nirvana. It happens every time.
Love to brew yourself? Don’t forget to share it. Invite your friends. Expand your social circle. Include some new faces to your next brew day. Let the craft bring people together.
Never brewed before, but enjoy beer? Make friends with a homebrewer and get yourself invited to a brew day. The experience will change your appreciation for beer in general, and you just might find yourself with a whole lot of new friends.
