We May Love Beer in Lubbock, But You Can’t Easily Brew Your Own Here

I like beer. And, I live in Lubbock. So, that's kind of a requirement to live here.

We've got a great beer culture here in the Hub City. Between Two Docs, The Brewery LBK, and others, there is no shortage of quality suds on The South Plains. Because of that, you'd assume that there is a thriving homebrewing community, since all of these great breweries had to start somewhere. And, to satisfy those of us who enjoy dabbling in the art of zymurgy (that's a real word...look it up), you'd think that Lubbock would also have a great Homebrew Supply shop that enables us to indulge our fusion of science and alcohol.

You'd also be wrong.

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For that, you need to make the 2 hour trek north to Amarillo.

Seriously? Amarillo has a Brewing Supply shop and Lubbock DOESN'T?

Yep.

As a homebrewer, I've had the itch to get back to my hobby for quite a while. I took inventory of the gear that I had, and looked up a recipe to brew (I'm going to try a nice Amber Ale). After an online search, I was quickly disappointed to find that Lubbock had no means of allowing me to "follow the science".  Undaunted, I discovered Amarillo Brewing Supply, and decided to trek north.

I did not catch the name of the proprietor, but she was incredibly helpful, and had literally everything I needed to get brewing. I replaced some of my outdated gear, and loaded up on malt, hops, and yeast. I'll be a beer brewing fool this weekend.

As great as that little shop is in Amarillo, I am shocked and disappointed that Lubbock can't support a homebrew shop as well. There are enough beer lovers and science geeks here to make it happen and keep it in business. i COULD purchase ingredients online, but part of the beauty of a homebrew shop is the ability to decide for yourself what you need, to be able to smell the malt and chose your hops and yeast on the spot, and enjoy the comradery that the joy of sharing a beer with someone who enjoys the art as much as you do brings. The fact that a town like Lubbock, with such cosmopolitan dreams is so woefully lacking in something with definite hipster cred is a travesty.

Otherwise, I have no problem burning gas up to Amarillo every couple of weeks to get my beer geek fix.