Talkin' Shit About A Pretty Sunset

"1 cup macaroni
1/2 cup processed cheese sauce
2 frankfurters, sliced
1 teaspoon grated parmesan cheese

"Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Bring large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain. Heat cheese sauce in microwave, 1 minute. In 8 x 8 inch baking dish, combine cooked pasta, cheese sauce, sliced frankfurters and Parmesan. Stir and serve."

This is a recipe that every freshman in college can put together without effort: it's the recipe for Mac' 'N' Cheese. The reason I clipped this from the 'net is to prove a point: making beer is as easy as making macaroni and cheese for Tuesday night's bachelor dinner. You simply boil water, put the ingredients in, stir, let sit, and enjoy.

I got my brew kit about a month ago---with the idea that I would improve my whiskey-making skills by first brewing beer---and making it was about as hard as making the above college staple. Granted, it takes some sterilization skills (basically, scrubbing bottles and buckets), and you gotta co-opt a friend to help you hold the bottles steady while you siphon the raw brew in, but the mixin' and stirrin' is straight up mac' 'n' cheese no-nonsense.

My next goal is to search my town high and low for cheap, dark malt so I can make 50 bottles for under 9 bucks. If anyone has any thoughts on where to find it, let me in on how. I hear MOM's in Rockville is the place.

The upshot is there'll be no more 8-dollar six-packs for me. It's fresh brew from here on out. And all of this was done in a one bedroom basement apartment with a wife, 2 dogs and a cat!