You Know You're a Brewer When ...

... things start smelling to you like Pacific Northwest hops, rather than citrus. I have an orange-scented reed diffuser in my office, to help cut down on the locker-room odor that would otherwise build up given my habit of laying sweating cycling clothes out to dry--one of the hazards of being a bike commuter. The diffuser works great, so well that there are days when I walk into my office and am pleasantly surprised by the pleasant aroma of freshly peeled oranges upon opening the door. At least I used to be surprised by the aroma of oranges, because now it's the aroma of Cascade or Amarillo hops that my brain thinks it's sensing--almost like opening a bottle of a fine West Coast IPA--which isn't a bad surprise at all in the middle of a work day, even if it is just a fleeting tease of the real thing.