This might be a lengthy post. I've never been overly good with apologies, so I wont offer any.
Today I'm going to brew beer. It's a problematic brew. No more than 2.8% abv and the task is to make it more than just drinkable. It's to be a 2.8% beer that's good enough to grab you by the bo***cks and get you back for another.
I like a challenge because I'm a grafter. No half measures - if somebody pays me to do a job, I hit it hard and don't just get it done. I get it done properly. It's how I was brought up and it's what makes me tick. I have no time for inefficiency and incompetence.
Those that don't know me well probably see me as the quiet chap, a man of few words. That couldn't be further from the truth. I have plenty to say. Most of it stays in my head these days, I soak up everything and give away little. I don't like hurting people's feelings but, by the same token, I don't always say what people expect to hear. That leaves me in a tricky position - shoot from the hip and ruffle some feathers, or keep my opinions to myself?
My oldest friends expect me to do the former. Mark wont just rock the boat, he'll bloody sink it. Perhaps I've mellowed with age.
Anyhow, I'm rambling. I think the point I'm trying to get across is that I prefer to have my own ideas rather than follow the crowd. I've always been a bit different to the mainstream. If you think about people who have made a real difference to the world over the generations, most of them have done so by going against convention. By challenging the rules. You don't get great without thinking differently.
That's why my brew today is going to be different. I'm going to approach it from a different angle. There's every chance I will fail, but failure is not one of the things I fear. Can a 2.8% beer be any good. Can it really drag you back, kicking and screaming for more? Hell yeah, just you wait..
