Buds and suds

We've all seen those American college movies where the new students are walking around campus at the start of the year, succumbing to the seductive charms of the social and academic clubs on offer.  Whether it's the acapella society; the chess club; or the debating team, they all want you as their new recruit.

Sure these college clubs are about academic credits, but they're also about making friends in a new place - and that doesn't come easily to a lot of people.  Indeed, as this New York Times article explains, there's an added degree of difficulty to making friends once you turn 30.  Eek!  Some days we feel like being collegiate, and other days we crave our anonymity.  So in the competitive and densely-populated movie college campus that is New York City, how do you find people who like what you like? 

Of course, one easy strategy is to be open about your interests.  Tell people the places you like to go, or the things you like to do, on the off chance they'll like it too. 

Allow me to use beer drinking as a topical example.

Tonight after work I ventured to the Lower East Side and joined the ranks of the New York City Homebrewers Guild as they convened at The Burp Castle, their self-proclaimed (and aptly-named) Temple of Beer Worship.  This is all true.

Now at the time of going along, I wasn't a card-carrying member of the Guild, but a good friend of mine is, and I went along tonight as her guest.  She's a home brewer hobbyist, and has treated me to some delicious beers over the past few months.  Having scoured the online discussion boards and Youtube channels to improve her brewing prowess, she found out about the NYC Homebrewers Guild and bravely signed up.  Since then, she has been encouraged by the camaraderie of the group, and the willingness of its membership to share their expertise with her, and to come together over a general love of good brews.  These were my people.

The Guild meets every third Tuesday of the month to discuss brewing techniques and to share some of the fruits of their home labours with anyone who is keen to try them.  Tonight's meeting was called "SMASH", standing for Single Malt And Single Hops, which dictated the sorts of brews on offer.

Within about 10 minutes of being there tonight, I had signed up.  I paid my $25 annual fee and got my Homebrewers Guild souvenir t-shirt (Men's size M, definitely for sleeping in).  I settled in and we listened to a couple of commercial brewers from Brooklyn talk about their product, which we also got to sample (only a couple of sips at a time, but they were still very diverse and really interesting flavours).

We didn't stay late tonight but I had a really great time with the NYC Homebrewers Guild.  I found everyone we talked to was very kind and well-informed about their tasty beers.  They didn't even seem to mind that I was a trespasser in their ranks (even momentarily).  The fact I'm a girl probably helped, I think.  By and large the Guild is a very masculine, heterosexual enterprise and so this straight, single girl was definitely in her element!  Here's to having plans on the third Tuesday of every month!