Driftwood lead brewer Fukushima actually started homebrewing with the idea that it would, in fact, help him in his efforts to get a job. After befriending Driftwood’s owners and sharing his homebrews with them that he had been perfecting for a year and a half, they approached him when they were ready to hire their first employee. “I had already developed a relationship by going in there and getting yeast from them and asking questions about brewing,” he says. “I brought in some samples that may have been a bit basic but I think they could see that I had an understanding of balance and why a beer’s drinkable.”
For Murphy, who’s actually a beer writer in her spare time, brewing will happily remain in her kitchen at home. Nonetheless it’s something that she heartily recommends for others. “While I don’t necessarily want to be a professional brewer,” she notes, “I think anyone who has an interest in beer and would like to know more about beer should at least brew an extract batch.”
Hail to the Chief
It’s inspiring as a craft beer drinker that President Obama—who could presumably have any beer in the world, if he wanted it—decided to try his hand at homebrewing. There probably isn’t a better time, in fact, to follow his lead. “I think it’s easier now more than ever,” Tofte says, “with the Internet and so many other resources and opportunities, like magazines and Youtube. The [brewing] technology is better and the products are better. It’s like anyone can make good beer now.”
And how can you beat the satisfaction of sharing something that you’ve made by hand with friends or family? Enjoying the fruits of your labor yourself is one thing, but making that shared experience of drinking a beer together more personal is something special. “When someone really enjoys a beer that you brewed,” Murphy says, “and you have an in-depth conversation about how it’s made and how you came up with the idea, that’s a great feeling.”
