The Start

I have a couple of friends who home-brew, but it had always sounded like a complicated and laborious thing, reserved for the sort of people who can follow a recipe to the letter. Me, I'm more of a "Bit of this and some of that" style cooker. And I always had the impression you needed an orchard full of fruit and a big cellar. Plus, all that to-do with yeast starters and racking and the right temperature seemed like a big fuss. Then there was the squashing of large amounts of fruit (which I'd have to buy, not having a garden) and the months of patience and the risk of ending up with something vile. All together it seemed like something I just shouldn't get in to.

But said friends kept insisting that homebrewing could be really simple, and that mead, my favourite drink, is both simple to brew and forgiving. And though it would be nice to have a cellar or something like that, mead fermentation doesn't mind daylight, so my north-windowsill would work fine.

So that was the start. I got some equipment, discovered that I live close to the National Dutch Beekeepers Organisation (which means an easy supply to high quality, well-priced honey) and decided to just give it a go. Am I going to end up with something tasty? Time will tell.