My dad, first brewer, now vintner

I think we sometimes tend to pronounce someone a geek based on what they're interested in-- gaming, science fiction, fantasy, that sort of thing --but I think the one thing that all nerds really have in common is not what they're into, but how deeply they're into it. I would argue that the real signifier of a geek is the possession of at least a slightly obsessive personality, a tendency to delve really, really deeply into the things they like as opposed to just a bit like a normal person.

By that standard, my dad is definitely a geek. He may not care much at all about video games, Tolkien, or other stereotypical nerdy interests, but when he develops a fascination with something, he goes all out. He must learn everything about it, outfit himself with the optimum equipment for the practice of it, and make it the primary occupier of his free time. He even manages to keep them in his life even after he develops a new one, too, though the current one tends to take precedence. Gardening, motorcycles, ham radios, and cooking have all interested him in turn, but right now, my papa is totally obsessed with home brewing. His setup has taken over nearly the entire basement, and currently he has gallons upon gallons of beer of every variety in fermentors, carboys, and freshly filled bottles in various places around the house. Apparently he's becoming quite good, and has been told his output is remarkable for someone who has only been brewing a little over a year.

Now he has branched out into the making of wine as well. In the last few months he has gone through six winemaking kits, each yielding around twenty-five bottles of maturing juice made from some of the most interesting grape sin the world. Today I helped him put two six-gallon carboys through a filtering process and poured another into clean wine bottles. The other day I helped my mom place foil sheaths over the necks of some bottles that were ready to be racked, dipping them in boiling water for a few seconds so the foil would tighten and conform, and printing out adhesive labels that identified them and actually made them look quite fancy. Unfortunately they won't be remotely drinkable for at least a year, but I'm very interested to see how they turn out.

He's also agreed to bring up a selection of his home-brews when he comes up to help me move, so if all goes as planned, you lovely souls there to help me out will be rewarded with delicious homemade beer to refresh you after your efforts!