A Good Problem To Have

I’m in the midst of a bottle shortage. I’m going to run out of bottles, friends! There’s a few options. Fortunately, they’re all acceptable. The only real obstacle is my own inability to compromise.

What the fuck?

This is a blog. Sorry, peeps. I need to stop writing like I’m at work. Basically, I need some more bottles. Will the world end? No. So then, it’s a pretty sweet problem to have! I think this is usually called a “First-World Problem.” As with any problem, let’s look at the causes of this problem.

Causes of the Beer-Bottle shortage:

1. I only use Sam Adams bottles. Everything else, I recycle.
2. When I give beer away, I don’t ask for the bottles back.

With that, it’s logical to immediately implement these solutions:

1. Start using other bottles. Do you care? Probably not. I like New Belgium Bottles too. So, I’ve started buying them as well. Is it really a big deal that I’m using mis-matched bottles? I hope not. I DO think presentation is a big part of brewing good beer, but I think I’ve made it too important. I’m not that good of a brewer yet for this to matter.
2. I gotta start asking my beer-drinkers for the bottles back. Sounds cheap, but I’ll live.

That still doesn’t stop the shortage. So, here’s my favorite part. These are some sweet solutions…

1. Start drinking a lot more. Nothing about this solution sucks. I’m going to get fat, that’s obvious, but oh well. I’m pushing 40, so big fucking deal. Right now i have a 12-pack of Boston Lager in the beer fridge. It’s a good start.
2. Buy a few cases of blank bottles. This solution actually sucks. Did you know that purchasing and shipping a case of brewer’s bottles is the same if not more than purchasing a case of beer? It would be completely asinine to buy empty bottles, then! You’re going to use those empty bottles again and again, so what’s the difference?

How cool is this hobby? The biggest problems I have can be solved by drinking more beer.