From 2005 to 2012 I was an avid homebrewer and stuck the Laughing Dragon label on just about all of my concoctions. At the height of this activity I was often starting a new batch every week! Driven by my involvement in historic recreation, I brewed a variety of beers, ales, wines, meads, and even a few things that would be classified somewhere in-between those designations. I even got into cordial-making (though not distilling, as that was still strictly illegal as an at-home activity).

During this time I was involved with my local homebrewers club as well as heading the "kingdom"-level guild within the Society for Creative Anachronism. I won several competitions, was ranked in the "inter-kingdom brewers guild", and taught numerous classes about brewing styles and techniques.

I still whip up a new batch from time to time but don't have nearly the same amount of time or space for this hobby as I used to. However, I do still frequent the numerous Finger Lakes wineries and microbreweries, so perhaps I will see you about on the wine trail.