(k)nurture: For the Chic Home Brewer... although I'm probably the one and only

While my husband and I enjoy drinking and especially trying new beers, we hadn't put much thought into home brewing until a recent trip to the Pacific Northwest. We flew to Seattle, rented a car and drove the Pacific Coast Highway down to San Francisco while trying to stop at as many local breweries we could find along the way. When we happened upon the Rogue Brewery in Newport, Oregon we were so inspired by the beer (which is now my new favorite) that we fantasized about opening our own brewery. So here we are... daydreaming about opening a brewery, but not having the first clue about how to brew beer.

When I purchased a Groupon for a home brewing introduction class at Brewmaster's Warehouse near Atlanta, I had no idea the can of worms I was opening up. After attending the class, where I was the only girl in a sea of grungy men, we had decided to try it. It didn't seem like a big investment of money, so we figured, why not?

The process itself isn't hard at all, there are plenty of websites with beer recipes and with the help of the beer geniuses as Brewmaster's Warehouse we had all of the supplies and ingredients we needed. We dedicated a lazy Sunday afternoon to our first attempt. Hence, we named it McFindley's First Try IPA. Now this ordeal is not for the impatient. Believe me, I am the QUEEN of impatient, and it was unbearable waiting a week for the beer to ferment, then another two weeks for it to condition, and then yet another two weeks for it to carbonate. Whew! It was rough, and then after all that waiting was the huge looming probability that our beer just plain sucks. Luckily for us, it didn't. It was quite tasty and quite hoppy- which did not go over well with the majority of our friends, who we forced to try it.

Now, I do love beer, but I'm not a flannel-shirt-wearing tom-boy. I needed to find a way to make this chic. So why not take pretty pictures along the way and make adorable tags to label our beer? Being a beer snob AND a woman is something of a rarity I guess, so I figured I needed to embrace it!

Since our first attempt last August-ish, we have brewed two more varieties- McFindley's Pumpkin Ale and McFindley's Royal Porter. We gifted the beer to our male relatives for Christmas- and it was a hit!

For all those chickies out there who "don't drink beer"- give it another go 'round. You really are missing out. I have an even better appreciation for it now that I know what goes into making it. So cut your man some slack and get on board.