It's been nearly five years since I posted on this blog about anything remotely close to that delicious fuzzy beverage we love so much. Mostly because I have been busy building a career, having kids, maintaining two homes all while trying to be a decent husband during the hours that I am home. Understandably and sadly, my home brewing equipment has been sold off and if someone asked me to batch sparge right now I would probably have to look up how to do it in my 'Joy of Home Brewing.' The location of this book at the moment escapes me. One more unfortunate casualty of a full life. This is not a plea for pity but is a fairly accurate reflection of the last 4.5 years of my life.

There was a time in my life when all I could think about was starting a beer bar with  my uncle and best friend where we would serve the finest craft beer available in Montana. It WOULD be served in the proper glassware, at the proper temperature, through clean lines from a keg holding beer at the peak of its quality. I'm not sure if those days are gone or sitting on a lonely ledge somewhere, seriously considering a final step off. I find it amusing how we go through these stages in life that include things we really want to happen that don't and conversely, things happen to us that we never wanted. I had endless passion and energy in my 20s- no kids, no wife, no big time responsibilities and had time to pack my head with all of these ideas and things I hoped to accomplish in the next 5-10 years. Then life just sort of...happens. Hardly realizing that time has passed, I found myself married, a homeowner with a baby on the way and freaking out because I was behind on the getting the walls painted for the baby's new room.

Back to beer. I am still a proud member of the ZCZ (Zoo City Zymurgists) Home brewing Club in Missoula (longest standing home brew club in MT) though mostly as a fringe member since no one can count on me to actually brew a batch of beer anymore. Hell, they can hardly count on me to show up for two meetings in a row! Craft beer has been and will continue to be a big part of my life but the joy I get from craft beer has fundamentally changed. The product is still great though less impressive as craft beer becomes a commodity (everyone, I mean everyone, brews a decent IPA). I find myself more drawn to the culture and the people involved than in the past. Still maintaining that craft beer people are the best people, this theory has been proven time and time again and not just in MT. All over the country, there is a culture associated with craft beer that can't be duplicated. The bluegrass festivals and sleepy ski towns come close but nothing beats watching a few people sitting at a table, smiling, sharing stories over a beer at your local craft brewing establishment. Long live good beer.