Remodeling my kitchen for the last 5 months has sucked but I’m near the end and I just had a very happy epiphany.

I can make beer again.

It’s not that I was physically unable — it’s just that my bride isn’t exactly fond of the smell of boiling malt and hops. Personally I love the smell but I’m not the only one who has to live in the house. Then I thought about the fact that I put in a killer range hood. It’s one of those stainless steel ones that has more power than I ever thought a range hood could have. It’s so strong that you can feel the wind from it outside of the house and the event that’s pointed toward the ground is over 12 feet in the air. Yeah, that ought to suck all of the smell out.

For now it wouldn’t really matter though because she’ll be in China on a business trip for a while but I figure this pretty much gives me the rights to brew whenever I want.

So I’m thinking of brewing one of my favorite styles — Oktoberfest. Golden amber and sweet with a hint of nuttiness and mostly finishing hops — Hallertauer if I want it to be authentic to the style or I could use the Mt. Hood if I want a hop that’s just as good but domestically produced. “Embrace your inner beer geek” keeps going through my mind.

Or maybe I should try a late season Mai Bock….