There are many reasons to brew beer, sharing is just one of mine. It’s all well and good to pay someone else to make your beer for you, but there’s a certain pleasure in sharing anything you’ve made with people you care about. I love creating recipes, I love (of course) drinking beer, I even kind of enjoy cleaning bottles; but sharing my beer, sharing my knowledge and my passion for brewing, that’s the best part of brewing.
I got into the hobby when a good friend gave me a gift certificate to my friendly local homebrew store, which just happened to be Austin Homebrew Supply, and talked me into trying homebrewing. I dove in headfirst and bought a full set of brewing equipment, and brewed a 5 gallon batch of ginger beer the same day. Since then, I’ve gone from extract to all grain brewing, and from brewing kits to designing my own recipes. I’ve had some disasters...my youngest son once added cat food to a beer. The Little Friskies Tuna Porter will not make anyone’s “Best Beers” list! Every single batch makes me happy. I bring my beer to parties, give it as gifts at the holidays, and even brew special batches for friends that are coming in from out of town. I discovered I loved brewing so much that when I heard there was an opening at Austin Homebrew Supply, I immediately applied and got hired on the spot. In the years I’ve worked at AHS, I’ve enjoyed sharing my love of beer and brewing with every guest that enters the store, and any day I’m at work is a great day for me.
I have a pretty sweet gig. I get paid to talk about wine, beer and cheese all day long! I especially like working with guests that are just starting out. I enjoy sharing in their first rush of enthusiasm after finding a new hobby. Most of all I like finding out how their first batch finished and helping them with their next brew. Every day, I get to help introduce people to the best hobby in the world (in my opinion).
