I had considered brewing my own beer for quite some time.  But for some reason I never set out on that journey.  Perhaps I didn’t see a great deal of excitement in the venture, with craft beer offerings being created everywhere one turned.   Maybe it was the thought that my own offerings would be poor in comparison to all the options I had at my disposal.  It could simply be that I harbored trepidations about exploring unfamiliar territory.

All were admittedly, excuses to not brew.

And then I had Zombies take Manhattan.  This is a cherry cyser that has been barrel-aged.  The important element in this concoction is that it is a mead.  Which means, at the base level, this is an alcoholic beverage brewed with honey.  A cyser is a style of mead that is honey and apple juice blended and fermented. And this beverage was unbelievable.

And this taste became my catalyst towards brewing.

I’m now getting pretty proficient at the process and have developed  a few recipes that I plan on testing out and concocting.  I’m currently brewing a clover honey/agave nectar/red raspberry/ghost pepper mead which is going to turn out amazing!  I just made a quick batch super hopped variety that is super tasty.  I have a lineup of maybe ten different recipes that I’m going to concoct in the next few months.

Yet, on a random stop at Pizza Boy, I decided to pick up a braggot(mead with hops/malt) from Sam Adams just to see how it tasted.

And shockingly, I’m blown away.  I had tried to think up all of these crazy ideas of flavors and concoctions and ways to dress up mead, and this one was so simply all about the honey.

Sam Adams Honey Queen – This is brewed with clover honey, alfalfa honey, and orange blossom honey and has hops added to  it.  The sweetness of each honey and taste differences of each varietal come through nicely on the palate while the hops lend floral and fruity aromatics to the drink.  The blend is so masterful that this ambrosia nectar almost makes one swoon with each honey laden swig.  It would be shabby of me to not also mention, the price was around 7 dollars.  A steal as a purchase and an absolute pleasure as a drink.  Amazing. 9/10

As I’m drinking this it causes contemplation.  Maybe I’ve focused on the wrong elements?  What I loved about that cherry cyser was that it is made with honey, and the uniqueness of the experience was found in the core of the drink.

So much attention is given to the hops in a beer that virtually no one discusses the malts in the beer.  But without the malts and careful preparation of wort, it doesn’t matter how many hops are laid atop the base, the end product won’t be good.

Often in fitness it is said “Core strength is the most important!”  There is likely great validity in this.  Without a strong abdominal and lower back structure, how well supported is your physique?

How about your internal core?  Is it a solid foundation for how you approach the world each day?  Do you support it with literature, spirituality, or intellectual nurture?  Do you dress up your exterior to compensation for the interior?

What about seeds that are planted in the earth?  Don’t those weak and poor of shell and structure produce poor plants?

What about the food you consume?  Doesn’t the cheap, mass produced, fast food truly make you feel terrible inside?  Infusing your core with poor materials produces poisonous results.

The point being, through my enlightening experiences with mead, I find cause to evaluate my core.  Am I focused on the essentials in me that cause an end product to be palatable, honorable, and pleasing to my fellow man?  Is my beehive heart producing honeyblood that pumps decency through my veins?  Am I masking inadequacies with flashy dress and eloquent speech?

Am I, at the core, who and what I claim to be?

Are you?

Humbly yours,

J