While I was waiting for my computer to start, I had no idea where this piece was going to go, only that I had to write it. In the end, this seems as good a place as any. I would ask, kind reader, one small favor. Please share this, with as many people as you can. I would appreciate it, and you would be doing a GOOD THING. Thanks.
I'm just starting to re-read "The Complete Joy Of Homebrewing", by Charlie Papazian, for the umpteenth time (I don't know the real number, but it's big.) There's a lot I don't know. But, one thing I do know, absolutely, for certain, is that there's a lot we don't know. That has always been true, and probably always will be.
When people first started to brew, they didn't know yeast existed. They used a "magic stick" to stir the wort. The yeast hiding on that stick thus inoculated the wort, made beer, and people were happy. Some of the yeast returned to the stick, and it was ready for the next brew day.
My point is, a lot is made of knowledge, and knowledge is good. But, don't lose sight of the fact that great beers were made by people who had little idea what was really happening.
I have made decent beers from canned kits, where all you use is the can, yeast, water, and time. I have made decent beers from carefully constructed, all-grain recipes. And I have done most of the stops in-between.
The larger point is this: we are all homebrewers. If you open a can from Mr. Beer, ferment, and enjoy the resulls, you're a homebrewer. If you spend hours working on a recipe, getting the grain bill and hopping schedule just right, you're a homebrewer. Don't look down on others, or up to others.
We're all onthe same journey. And, in the end, we're all covered bt the same dirt.
