How it all began

Adam over at Beerbits2 blog had the great idea of having a homebrew blogging day dedicated to reflections of early or fist experiences with homebrewing. With all of the reflections and scrutinizing over my current beers, it's great to think about how far I've come and how much I've learned.
Probably 7 years ago I bought my dad a homebrew kit from Northern Brewer and a Kolsch kit which was described to me as a good option for new homebrewers. My dad's first several batches were very good, and in my limited beer knowledge, I knew I wanted to brew beer once I moved into a space that made it possible. A couple years later I started brewing with a Kolsch kit.
I don't remember how good or bad my first beers were, I just remember being so anal about everything and stressed out about the details that my wife asked me if I even enjoy brewing. After a few batches, and realizing that a few mistakes here and there didn't ruin my beer, I started to relax.
For me the best thing about brewing has been learning about beer. When I started out brewing, craft beer wasn't something I knew much about. I knew I didn't like the terrible crappy beer I drank in college, but I had yet to delve into this new world of craft beer. I drank Leinenkugals most of the time, and a Summit Pale Ale if I was feeling especially adventurous. It was homebrewing that really introduced me to styles and breweries. I would pour over the catalogs from Northern Brewer and read about all the kits, then go out and pick up some beer of a certain style so I could decide if I wanted to brew it.
Bearded Brewing started when I started getting BYO magazine and seeing all of the cool homebrew labels. As my friends started to like my beer, and I brewed enough different beers, I wanted to mark the bottles for them to be able to differentiate between what the bottles were. I designed the Bearded Brewing logo and a new component of brewing started for me. I love the whole process; from researching about a style, to crafting the recipe, coming up with the name and concept, designing the label, making and finally drinking the beer.
Homebrewing for me is about having a creative outlet, being able to create something that others will enjoy and I will love. Stumbling onto the blogosphere and finding this whole world of nerds (I mean it affectionately) like myself has been awesome.
Since I started blogging, reading other blogs, and interviewing brewers, I've learned so much more. My move to organic and sustainable brewing has been largely based on what I've learned from the interviews I've done and the articles I've read on other blogs.
I could go on, so I digress. Thanks Adam for the idea to blog about this. Its great to reflect on how it all began, it gives me a good perspective on where I'm at, and where I want to continue to grow as a brewer.
Salud!
The Bearded Brewer