A thought occurred to me lately: one of my doctors knows that I homebrew and essentially hinted that he would love to try some.  I know that he likes decent beer and really is an appreciator of wine.  For that reason, I took him a homebrew. Loving to share my brews is truly one of the reasons that I brew the beer.  Of course, it doesn’t hurt to get a buzz going ahead of opening a brewery in a few years.  But honestly, the joy of sharing beer and seeing appreciation for it is why I do it.

So back to the thought…  The thought/encouragement that I have for the homebrewers out there is to pick your spots.  I’m sure many of you can testify to the reality that not everyone appreciates a good homebrew.  Why?  Because those same people don’t generally appreciate good beer.  I’ve shared my homebrews with many people on many occasions.  It’s notable how many people come out of the woodwork when they find out free beer is involved.  Oftentimes, it’s the macro drinkers who are the first to ask.  I like to tell myself they are asking out of an deep-seated and unconscious desire for good beer, having been deprived their whole lives.

The truth is quite different from the above premise.  In fact, I told a young woman that I homebrewed and she expressed interest, only to follow up with “Does it get you f#@ked-up?”  I wasn’t too keen on sharing in that case.  Think about it: would you have a $5-15 dollar bottle of beer you’d share with someone knowing that they were just copping a buzz?  Why not your homebrew, too?

I guess my point is this: don’t waste your homebrew on those who won’t appreciate it.  All of us get excited about our concoctions.  We love our beer fiercely, and sometimes this skews our perception and tells us that everyone else will appreciate it.  However, I’m selective about who I share my beer with because I don’t simply want it to be a means to the end of being inebriated.  Plenty of time, a lot of effort, and some cash flow go into my beers…I want someone to know that when they drink it.

What about the other homebrewers out there?  Do you guys pick your spots or have a story to share about under-appreciated homebrew?