I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about ‘tude lately. Specifically, ‘tude in and about the brewing industry. This isn’t in response to anything in particular, just some general thoughts.

I like to think I’m a fun-loving, easy-going person, which hopefully will be reflected in Twin Leaf. I mean, of course we want to make awesome beer, and serve tasty munchies in our restaurant, but the most important thing to me is that Twin Leaf is a fun place to be. I want it to be fun for our customers, and fun for us as the owners. That’s the whole point! Otherwise, I wouldn’t bother opening a brewery.

Some people (from what I’ve read on the internet) seem to think that beer is a very serious thing. It’s a very serious beverage, made by very serious people, and purchased and consumed by very serious customers. Buh?? I’ve met a lot of brewers and beer fans, and most are very un-serious people. And I wouldn’t want it any other way!

Being snobby and pretentious is just not something I see as fitting to this industry. Geeky, fun-loving, and silly? That sounds more like it.

Why did we all get into this in the first place (beer fans and brewers alike)? Because we like beer. We like to drink beer. Some of us like to make beer. It’s fun, it tastes good, it gives you a pleasant buzz (and sometimes a wicked hangover). We like to talk about beer with other beer fans and brewers. We like to experiment with flavors, try new things, check out every brewer’s interpretation of every style out there. It’s a blast.

So then, why so serious? I’m mean, of course I take beer and brewing seriously… but not too seriously. Yeah, we totally spent thousands of dollars to attend brewing school, we absolutely geek out to no end about the science behind the flavor, and we definitely spend much of our time obsessing over every minute detail of every beer we make, completely unsatisfied unless it’s 100% perfect. But we don’t do it because we think we’re the shit and everyone should love our shit because it’s an art and it’s complicated and all that shit. We do it because it’s fun.

So, as a wise man once said: Relax. Don’t worry. Have a homebrew. Or a craft brew. Or you know what? Shotgun a Keystone Light. I’m not ashamed, I dig a Keystone Light now and then. Sometimes it’s fun to drink “crappy” beer. And I like to have fun.

Life is short. When it’s over, it’s over; you only get one. So drink beer and be happy. It’s beer!