I had brewed beer in college and just recently picked it up again. I have a good friend that wanted to give it a try and we have been doing now for a couple of years.

Our last batch was an oatmeal stout, which somehow turned out just about as good as any I have tried. Living near Portland Oregon, I live in an area where people are well informed on good beer.

I am luck I have my friend that does all the lifting and takes over when my back wont let me, its been a lot of fun and a good reason to hang out and drink a beer.

I did it for about 8 years. I started with just a simple concentrate kit. But in time, I eventually graduated to looking for the perfect barley and grains. Getting that perfect Yeast and to me finding some of the hoppiest hops I could get my hands on.

I had a good setup up, 3 Carboy (5 gallon glass jars) and an number of fermenting vats. At my peak I had about 150 24oz brown jars. I bottled each of them and made my own labels.

I concentrated on IPAs and Porter/Stout styles. Over time, I found that I could make some really excellent beer.

I finally stopped, primarily because of the work involved in cleaning all the bottles and making sure all the equipment was properly sanitized.

But I still remember tasting with pride some of the different beers that I brewed.

he left it in the boot of his car to ferment....let's just say moonshine had nothing on this sucker. One sip and you were on your back.
Needless to say he didn't try it again.
Some things are better left to the professionals.
Kylie

I think...I'd rather sample the microbrews than brew my own. Seems more of a hastle without the same reward. Now I have friends that do make their own wine and I never turn down an invite to their wine tasting or an offer of 2 bottles of wine. (I don't generally share with hubby either).

Is there a comparable sommelier of "beer"?
I was not aware if there was but I think I would do better at that job than the sommelier.

Ron - did the Sommelier tell you that anyone with training can become one or do you also have to have a genetic 'taste bud' for the job? To me it seems that one would need s certain pallet for that.

Total wine knowledge and appreciation needs to include a complete understanding on how one tastes wine.

Each character of a wine will hit different parts of your tounge and present different results.

Then there is the identifying all the traits of a wine.
Thats where you will here people talk about tannins, oakiness,
currants, tobacoo, chocolate, mint and so so much more

There are kits that you can purchase that can help you understand all of those characters.

I've studied all of that, but honestly, my major emphasis when I 'teach' wine appreciation is that the individual's
own taste, identification is much more important thatn what is documented in wine manuals.

Your own taste is what really counts.

And yes, it can take time tasking different wines, styles, etc to understand all the pieces.

But, drinking and enjoying wine is so much more important!

Love your insight.
You are right...you can train and recommend but in the end, it's about what one enjoys.

Of course, if paired properly....one's tastes of enjoyment can be expanded. It's so true that some wines pair much better with certain foods.

Fun thing to train in!