Tuesday, February 25, 2014

The other side of the glass: Is brewing beer the next extreme sport?

I found this article that says brewing could be the next extreme sport.
http://www.craftbeer.com/brewers_banter/is-brewing-beer-the-next-extreme-sport

I (Dayna) was an assistant brewer at Witch’s Hat Brewery in South Lyon for over a year. (If you haven’t been there yet, please make the trip!) I have done everything this article talks about – and while mashing in the grain to start the brew day off is important, that is only a small percent of the work that it takes to produce a good beer.

Many people are in awe when they hear I worked as an assistant brewer. Even my chiropractor who asked me, “You can lift a full keg?!” To which my response was, “only a few inches, but yeah.” (I am 5’2” and 110lb.) (Yeah, I know most ladies wouldn’t disclose that information, but I find it amusing.)

In the industry we always joke about the fact that we are really just glorified janitors. Everything has to be clean and sanitized to produce the best beer possible. There is a lot of lifting of hoses and parts, a lot of cleaning chemicals in use, and a lot of documentation of the process each batch undergoes. I don’t know if all of this means that brewing beer is an extreme sport, but the flip side is that beer seems to be necessary for many extreme sports to exist. I mean, what is a marathon run if you can’t run into the beer tent at the end?!


Saturday, February 1, 2014

The women are drinking the beer!

Here is a fun beer story passed down from my mom (Dayna’s mom). I emailed her an article about how craft beer was becoming the drink of choice for women.

My mom sent me this story in response to that email:

“It goes way back, you see. I remember my Grandma Poppy enjoying a beer when I was around 7 years old. It was a real treat for her. I remember when I was at Grandma Poppy’s house, my mom would always get her a glass (yes, she liked it in a glass) of beer.

My mom always enjoyed beer too. She and your Grandpa would always drink a Strohs at night after dinner.

Now look at us! You are ready to open your brewery and I am excited to help (and sample) as we carry on the family tradition of women enjoying a good beer!”

Here is the original article that started this whole discussion. Enjoy!
http://www.northcoastbrewing.com/blog/craft-beer-replaces-wine-as-young-womens-drink-of-choice/