Hooch and hospitality: serve your brew at dinner
TL;DR: served my hooch wine at dinner with friends, was a total banger.
We had some friends over for an impromptu spaghetti dinner, but I had a few hours to prepare and make it nice. We crushed bottles of Malbec and Kindzmarauli (Georgian semi-sweet red wine) and topped off with a hard Georgian alcohol called chacha, and then I was "out" of wine... until I remembered my homemade Welch's Red that I'd made six months ago. It initially tasted awful, so I jokingly offered it to my friends. They accepted -- and it was fantastic! It was strong and tasted distinctly like a box of grape juice, but it honest to god tasted like wine. Everyone seemed happy with it (even my wife, who can be a harsh critic of my hooch).
Proud and buzzed, I found a small bottle of mead I made when we moved out of our old apartment over a year ago. I basically took whatever honey I had left and mixed it with water and let it sit. It too was a banger, on par with any bottled mead I've had. We ate, drank, and talked for hours over this stuff. I also served the last bottle of my homemade beer, which was a hit when I first made the batch and retained its title last night.*
Why am I writing this? Here in the US, homebrewing is seen as a niche hobby for enthusiasts, and hooching a desperate attempt for prisoners. The truth is that there really isn't a difference. You truly can make some fine beverages with which to entertain your loved ones. In southern Europe, many people grow grapes in their yards and ferment wine in their kitchens. The wine might not be the highest quality, but it serves its purpose: to bring people to one's table. I encourage you to invite your friends (and in lieu of any, your neighbors or random redditors from your r/hometown page), cook up some pasta, and serve your hooch. Embrace the southern European tradition of long, late dinners with endless pitchers of your best homemade brews.
*Though not hooch by definition, my methods were of hooch quality. Made my wort in a stockpot, fermented for a week in some growlers, and carbonated in some plastic bottles I bought from amazon. I originally bought a 10 lb bag of grain but received 20 lbs instead, and hops are dirt cheap here. I think the whole batch cost maybe $5 and I ended up with 8(?) bottles of a lager with a sweet, almost honey-like taste. You really don't need a lot of fancy equipment to make beer, just a stockpot, nylon straining bags, plastic juice containers to ferment in, and cheap plastic bottles (or recycled beer bottles). If you're thinking about it, just go for it. Your beer will taste better than any light beer from the store, at a minimum.
Happy hooching!