Sunday, February 24, 2002

Come to think of it, and we're way off the topic of home brewing at this point, but this really identifies the meaning of "the devil is in the details". Here's an interesting thing: I have an old BMW 318, and my brother-in-law has a Dodge Neon. If you read the piece of paper the dealer taped to the window at the dealership, you'll find little difference between the cars. I have a 137 HP 1.8L 4-cylinder engine, the Neon has a 150HP 2.0L. Power windows, brakes, steering, yup. A/C, etc. included. The feautre list is identical. So what makes the Bimmer worth, give or take, twice as much? I've raced both, and frankly once you learn how to drive each, they're very competitive. Depending on the track, the Neon is actually superior. With the Dodge, you're getting equivalent "features", and equivalent or better track performance. What's the difference? The answer is quality. In the Dodge, you feel like you're driving a cheap, disposable piece of metal. The BMW feels like it was built to be driven. It doesn't squeak or rattle. There's a perceivable different when you use it. Most everything is like that. I've used software, computers, home appliances, that were cheaper. And they felt it. There are plenty of over-priced brands out there, adding cost purely for the name on the receipt, but there's also truth to the "you get what you pay for" cliche. 3:20:24 PM

The funny thing about beer is it's all the same ingredients (for the most part). Malt barley, boil it for a while, add some hops, and add some yeast. In a [very] superficial sense, there's no difference between what goes into Budweiser and what goes into Guiness. That, of course, is like saying there's no difference between a Dodge and a BMW. At the base level, the design is pretty much the same. It's the details, and how the parts are used that makes the big difference. 3:06:00 PM

I've been home brewing for a few months now, and it seems like logging it would be a good thing. I've been brewing from kits, and have found a basic "this is beer I want to drink", but now it needs tweaking. I'm a fan of beer. It's tough to define "beer" for me - I like a wide range of brews. I'm a huge fan of Guiness, but my regular is a local micro-brew from Ipswitch. It's a golden ale, a little on the sweet side. It's in stark contrast to Guiness. So the target brew starts from True Brew Amber. It's on the hoppy side, close to Sam Adams, but with less character. It's not a bad beer, but it needs something - I'm just not sure what yet. 3:01:14 PM