# Any particular reason you DON'T homebrew?



## grahamfw

I'm trying to figure out why the rise of consumption of good craft beer doesn't seem to necessarily be getting more people into the hobby. I did a big brew at my local homebrew supply shop Saturday (LHBS) and had a great talk with a lot of people who came by. It definitely helped that there was a brewery 30 feet away that started a tour near the end of our brewing.

What keeps you guys from brewing? Seems like most of you like doing things yourself and perhaps have a least a bit of space for it.


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## jeepdiver

I do brew but haven't in a while.  Number one reason is time.  Finding 4-5 hours to brew is getting hard.

And since there is so much Good craft beer around it is easier to find something I want to drink than it use to be


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## daveomak

Between blowing up bottles and the prep boiling over on kitchen stove.....   Just figured because I was so good at drinking it didn't mean I could make it.....   that was 45 years ago....


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## shimsham

I suck at the sanitization part.  Last time I brewed we called it Hair of the Cat Ale after finding a couple of stray cat hairs in the carboy.


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## aeroforce100

I usewd to, but without a basement it is hard to find a place cool enough to brew in the Summer that stays below 70F.  Yes, I tried a dedicated closet, Son of fermentation chiller, etc, etc.


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## java

I just started brewing (2 batches) It does take some time to make a couple cases.

Doesnt take as long to drink them. It is kind of fun though,. We also make wine and hard cider.

It all goes good with some good smoked food!


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## eight433

Would that be stray hair from a cat, or hair from a stray cat? One sounds bad. The other sounds way worse haha

I've tried it, but bottling always turned me off. Since I've went to draught beer at home, I am thinking of giving it another try so I can keg it and adjust the carbonation levels without counting on the hopefully still active yeast and priming sugar.


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## Bearcarver

Alelover is a member here who has been brewing for 22 years. I would ask him questions about brewing if I needed answers.

Link:

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/u/38709/alelover

He's a Great Guy too!!

Bear


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## padronman

Well let's see.  2 kids.....full time job....Scuba Diving......smoking meats.......hmmmm what else? 

I used to brew some 15 gallons a week with my 2 buddies.  We kegged in Cola Syrup can's and had 5 taps each on our garage fridges.  Won a couple ribbons at the Del Mar Fair (San Diego) but just ran out of time. 

Also I love in San Diego.  We as a city are #2 best brewing cities (behind Portland Or, but not for long)  and as such I have access to AMAZING craft beers.  I have easily 30 Beer places within a 15 mile radius that I can visit for a pint or a couple of growlers.   Stone, Mother Earth, Societe, Rip Current, Green Flash, Ballast Point and I could go on and on.  Hell Rip Current is a mile from the house and we often walk down to their tasting room and enjoy a couple pints of amazing brew. 

As an aside.....if you guys haven't tried Ballast Point Grapefruit Sculpin you are missing out on IPA perfection 
	

	
	
		
		



		
			






Scott


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## bama bbq

I routinely brew 5 gal all grain Ale batches. It's easy, I enjoy doing stuff myself, and like good beer.


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## thackman

Ive been brewing for many years now, and still brew at least once a month.  I have quite a few sour beers ageing along with the more normal stuff like pilsners and IPAs.  Its getting harder with my daughter turning 2 soon and a second kid due in just under 2 months.  Oh well that's life... at least everyone is healthy.


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## padronman

ThackMan said:


> Ive been brewing for many years now, and still brew at least once a month.  I have quite a few sour beers ageing along with the more normal stuff like pilsners and IPAs.  Its getting harder with my daughter turning 2 soon and a second kid due in just under 2 months.  Oh well that's life... at least everyone is healthy.


Sour beers as in Lambic style?

Scott


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## thackman

Yep.  As in Oud Bruin, Kriek, Lambic w/ currants, and also a few brettanamyces ales.


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## capt7383

As long as were talking beer. I fell in love with shocktop twisted pretzel beer. Unfortunately its seasonal. Any suggestion for a craft beer with similar flavor profile?


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## padronman

ThackMan said:


> Yep.  As in Oud Bruin, Kriek, Lambic w/ currants, and also a few brettanamyces ales.


I love me a good Lambic....mmmmmm

Scott


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## padronman

capt7383 said:


> As long as were talking beer. I fell in love with shocktop twisted pretzel beer. Unfortunately its seasonal. Any suggestion for a craft beer with similar flavor profile?


I despise Wheat beers so can't help ya there.  
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





     My wifey though loves them......go figure


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## thackman

capt7383 said:


> As long as were talking beer. I fell in love with shocktop twisted pretzel beer. Unfortunately its seasonal. Any suggestion for a craft beer with similar flavor profile?


I don't really care for shocktop or wheat beers in general. But given that it's a non hefeweizen wheat beer there might not be much to choose from depending on where you live. Try visiting a local brewery and asking what they would recommend. 
Just my  $.02 
If I was to drink a wheat beer right now it would be a Berliner Weisse.


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## padronman

Most people in my circle also like Blue Moon.  It's another wheaty beer.

Scott


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## john sand

I haven't searched for stats, but I think that homebrewing is booming.

I've got an APA in the fermenter, one conditioning, and an ESB in the keg. Warm weather means Belgians!


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## mike5051

I've thought of home brewing, but bottling/storing seems like more trouble than it's worth.  My favorite beer is Heineken so my taste buds are askew anyways.

Mike


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## ajbert

Too many other "hobbies" to try and pick up another for me.  I don't have enough time in the day to truly focus on most everything I'm already involved in and I'm retired.  Plus, I can pick up a 30 pack for less than $20 that will last more than a few days.  I guess I just don't have the time to brew my own and wait for it to be ready to drink.  More than a few years back I got into micro brews but being in the military we moved around a lot.  I got tired of trying to find another micro that I liked and went to a macro that I already liked.


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## addertooth

I used to be a hard-core brewer.  I was doing all-grain brewing back in the 80s, when you had to make your own equipment (as inexpensive commercial equipment didn't exist back then).  Came up with some recipes which are still used today by some of the microbrews in the region.  Then, I moved, and subsequently married a woman who couldn't stand the smell of fermenting beer, she also didn't like giving up the closet space; I got out of the habit of crafting beers.  Eventually all the brewing equipment was sold or lost in subsequent moves.  Every now and then I run across one of my old hydrometers or vinenometers, and smile.  But I realize it is unlikely the hobby will be picked up again.  I tend to do a hobby only as long as there is something new or different to do.  By the time I got out of it, the boundaries of what could be done had been fully explored, and all the ground-breaking techniques had been developed.  I had pioneered the reverse-mash process (for people who preferred lighter tasting beers) and using nuts in beers (back when everyone believed the fat from the nuts would cause the beer to go rancid), and developed the techniques to make these processes work.  Perhaps when I retire the hobby will be picked up again, but for now the time (and space) does not exist to follow the craft.  Best of luck to all you home-brewers, it was a fun hobby.


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## aceoky

aeroforce100 said:


> I usewd to, but without a basement it is hard to find a place cool enough to brew in the Summer that stays below 70F.  Yes, I tried a dedicated closet, Son of fermentation chiller, etc, etc.


Not hard at all search "swamp coolers" for home brewing (you may need to add some ice bottles for the first three days to keep temps in range but worth it IMO)


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## mneeley490

I did it years ago. Stopped for 2 reasons:

1. My daughter was about 6 or 7 and liked to be involved in everything in the kitchen. So I let her help me make some IPA over spring break. When she went back to school, the teacher asked the students what they did over break. So of course she raises her hand and says, "I helped my dad make beer!" Yeah, we got a call from the principal about that one.  
	

	
	
		
		



		
			






2. I wasn't heavily invested in equipment. I was using one of those "Mr. Beer" kits. Don't laugh, it made some pretty fine beer. So when the holidays rolled around, I tried making a Christmas spice ale. It turned out ok, but the spices permeated the plastic barrel, and never went away. Ruined the next two batches of lighter ales, so I tossed it.


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## uechikid

Haven't in a couple years but, I just got home from the brew store with ingredients for two 10 gallon batches.  Going to brew the day after thanks giving.


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## dirtsailor2003

I used to brew until I had kids, and a real job, and land to take care of! 

Maybe someday I'll brew again. Wife says I have too many hobbies as it is!


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## daveomak

I tried brewing back in the 70's....  had bottles blow up....  had stuff boil over on kitchen stove....     tried 2 batches... finally gave up....


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## bryonlr

I buy my beer at the store, but corn juice is another subject.  :)


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## gpb11

grahamfw said:


> What keeps you guys from brewing? Seems like most of you like doing things yourself and perhaps have a least a bit of space for it.


I don't homebrew.  Takes too much time and trouble in contrast to the cost and availability of excellent locally produced craft brews at reasonable prices.

That said, I used to homebrew twenty years ago.  I had a lot more spare time, I drank a lot more beer, there were far fewer craft brewers, and I lived in a small town with little availability of decent beers.


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## mummel

Oh no.  I was thinking about this exact topic last night and now I randomly found this post........  My smoker is packed away for the winter.  I'm making biltong to scratch the itch but I thought hey, wouldnt it be great to make my own beer haha!

The last thing I need is another time sink and a drain on my wallet.  Waaayy too much stuff sucking me dry already haha!  But in all honestly, is making beer in anyway cost effective?  I cant recall, but I think 24 Yuenlings costs around ~$19 in my area and I can immediately sit on my deck chair and crack it open.  What would the ingredients cost for a decent 24 pack of craft beer and how much time would it take to prepare?

Sure its a hobby and all, but I'm just curious if its worth it in time/money.  Thanks!!


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## gpb11

As true for most hobbies, it isn't as much about the financials as the sense of enjoyment one feels.

It's been a LONG time since I brewed as noted above, but out of curiousity I glanced at Northern Brewer website: http://www.northernbrewer.com/brewing/recipe-kits

Looks to be $35-$45 for ingredients to make approximately two cases depending on the chosen style.  That doesn't count the requisite brewing & bottling equipment or the losses from any batches that go bad (which happens sometimes).  

So it seems a fair bit cheaper to homebrew than to buy many craft brews, but not staggeringly so.  I can get good craft beers at around $13-16/12pk here, so I'm paying around $10/case for someone else to do all the work.


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## donr

I stopped brewing because I found I liked brewing better than drinking beer.  Had so much I had to give it away.  Don't really drink anymore so I doubt I'll take it back up.  Sister has the equipment for the occasional batch of wine.


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## mummel

I found this site.  Pretty cool.  But it seems like the clear consensus is that home brewing is a hobby and you should forget about what it costs.

http://www.homebrewtalk.com/

I did stumble onto a device called Picobrew, a Kickstarter project.  Looks sick.


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## brekar

I don't because I live in a house with a wife and 4 kids under the age of 6. I however have a buddy that grows his own hops, and brews his own beer, makes stove-top shine, etc. I'm the friend who hunts and fishes with a wife who is a phenomenal cook who like canning, so often as not I benefit from his skills as he does mine. Win - Win for everyone...


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## smokin phil

.


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## uechikid

mummel said:


> I found this site.  Pretty cool.  But it seems like the clear consensus is that home brewing is a hobby and you should forget about what it costs.
> 
> http://www.homebrewtalk.com/
> 
> I did stumble onto a device called Picobrew, a Kickstarter project.  Looks sick.


Well, that's true with most hobbies.  But with making beer, you get to enjoy the fruits of your labor.  Seriously though, the big expense is getting the equipment, once you have that you really can save money (the ingredients for the two 10 gallon batches I mentioned above only cost $90).  And the equipment doesn't have to break the bank.  One can get a starter kit with all the basic equipment and ingredients for one 5 gallon batch for under $100.  After that, you just need ingredients.  That being said, one could spend thousands of dollars on equipment was well.


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## hopvol

Been brewing for over 20 years. If anyone has any questions about brewing I'll be happy to answer.


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## mummel

HopVol said:


> Been brewing for over 20 years. If anyone has any questions about brewing I'll be happy to answer.


I just bought a Mr Beer kit to try it for the first time!  Are these kits any good?


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## hopvol

mummel said:


> I just bought a Mr Beer kit to try it for the first time!  Are these kits any good?


I’ve never used a Mr Beer kit but I've heard of them. When I first started I used extract kits that consisted of crushed grain, dry malt extract, liquid malt extract, hops, and yeast. With those you did your boil or brew. You can make a pretty decent beer with extract but nothing like all grain. All grain is what I have done for the past several years. I crush my own grain and brew exactly as a brewery would, just on a smaller scale. This gives me the ability to brew a beer just as good as any brewery. Often times I try a beer I really like and I start working on a clone recipe. Usually within a few tries it’s hard to tell the difference between what I brewed and the store bought one. From what I understand the Mr Beer kit has basically everything in a can, sort of like a beer concentrate you mix with water and ferment, no boil or actual brew. I don’t want to sound critical but I can’t see that being very good. I would compare it to a just add water soda extract compared to a CocaCola. It may be drinkable and it may give you an idea if you want to continue the hobby and upgrade. Usually when people are first starting out I recommend a starter kit like the one linked below and at least a seven gallon stainless steel pot.

http://www.northernbrewer.com/brewing/beer-equipment-starter-kits/deluxe-brewing-starter-kit

Also, a great book for beginners is How To Brew by John Palmer. You can buy a copy or read the entire book online. Hope this helps. Cheers!

http://www.howtobrew.com/


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## dirtsailor2003

mummel said:


> I just bought a Mr Beer kit to try it for the first time!  Are these kits any good?


My Cousin has been using one for about 8 years now. It makes decent beer, and doesn't take much effort to get it done. I was given one and have made cider with it, but not beer. I used to home brew for many years, but all from scratch. Its a good starting point to see if you like the hobby.


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## mike5051

HopVol said:


> I’ve never used a Mr Beer kit but I've heard of them. When I first started I used extract kits that consisted of crushed grain, dry malt extract, liquid malt extract, hops, and yeast. With those you did your boil or brew. You can make a pretty decent beer with extract but nothing like all grain. All grain is what I have done for the past several years. I crush my own grain and brew exactly as a brewery would, just on a smaller scale. This gives me the ability to brew a beer just as good as any brewery. Often times I try a beer I really like and I start working on a clone recipe. Usually within a few tries it’s hard to tell the difference between what I brewed and the store bought one. From what I understand the Mr Beer kit has basically everything in a can, sort of like a beer concentrate you mix with water and ferment, no boil or actual brew. I don’t want to sound critical but I can’t see that being very good. I would compare it to a just add water soda extract compared to a CocaCola. It may be drinkable and it may give you an idea if you want to continue the hobby and upgrade. Usually when people are first starting out I recommend a starter kit like the one linked below and at least a seven gallon stainless steel pot.
> 
> http://www.northernbrewer.com/brewing/beer-equipment-starter-kits/deluxe-brewing-starter-kit
> 
> Also, a great book for beginners is How To Brew by John Palmer. You can buy a copy or read the entire book online. Hope this helps. Cheers!
> 
> http://www.howtobrew.com/


Thanks for the links HopVol!  I am interested in getting into this hobby, not like I need more hobbies!  
	

	
	
		
		



		
			






Mike


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## slysmoke

So I started out with a Mr. Beer kit several years ago. Brewed a few of their recipes, and joined their forum at http://community.mrbeer.com/. 

After a while, and reading the forum, I started to experiment with adding hops and other add-ons from their site to see how it affected the recipes.

Then they changed the forum, and alienated most of the users, so we moved to http://www.beerborg.com/forum/index.php?sid=35eee9a2ce797d53a643a25138ea7f6d 

where a bunch of longtime Mr. Beer folks still hang out.

I now understand Mr. Beer has reopened the forum, and the community seems to be getting back to the level of knowledge sharing it used to have.

I also note via emails I still get form Mr. Beer they have started adding the option to add specialty steeping grains to their recipes, which was the second step in my evolution, so hopefully there is some good info on how to best utilize that option on their forums now.

I eventually switched to doing all-grain via brew-in-a-bag (BIAB), but due to too many household projects haven't brewed in a while.

As HopVol said, the Palmer book is a great way to understand exactly what is going on in the brewing process.

Also, if you happen to have a Home Brew Store in your area, it's worth a trip there just to poke around, ask questions etc. Maybe eventually start buying extracts and hops from them for your own recipes.

The Mr. Beer fermentors (Little Brown Kegs LBKs) make great simple fermentors for small experimental batches as well.

Good luck, have fun and remember, at the end of the day, you're making beer!


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## hopvol

mike5051 said:


> Thanks for the links HopVol!  I am interested in getting into this hobby, not like I need more hobbies!
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> Mike


I hope you enjoy it. SlySmoke brought up a good point about talking to the people at your local home brew store. I know at least one store here in Nashville that does home brew classes for beginners. I'll also add, check out your local home brew club. The club I'm in does Big Brew Days a couple times a year where we all get together and brew. We eat, drink, and make a day of it. Its a great opportunity for beginners to come out and help or just watch and learn.


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## tjdcorona

I have thought of it and looked heavily into it before I put it aside. Like people have said - theres so many good brews around, and I enjoy going to a brewery and discussing beers with the people.


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## roger47

jeepdiver said:


> I do brew but haven't in a while.  Number one reason is time.  Finding 4-5 hours to brew is getting hard.
> 
> And since there is so much Good craft beer around it is easier to find something I want to drink than it use to be


I agree.  It is time consuming but can be very rewarding.  I started home brewing way back in the 1960s (I'm 70 years young) and the reason for the home brew was to get a decent brew.  Back then, we only had the large regional breweries Molson's, Labatte, Carling etc. (Canada) and they pretty much held the monopoly.  The beer was crap, and still is so to get a good beer, you had to make it yourself. When the craft brewers got going, I found that I couldn't make as good a quality as they so I gave up making my own due to what you said, time consuming.  Why make it if the micro/cottage  craft breweries are making it for you.  San Diego is the place to be.


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## normonster

Wow, this is a crazy old thread that keeps getting the Walking Dead treatment...haha

I brew. A lot. I have a big stainless 15 gallon rig but if I were just going to dabble I'd have started differently. Below is the advice I give to people who are thinking of brewing but want to start with something more than extract or Mr. Beer.  

Small batch brew-in-a-bag all-grain brewing in small steps.

________________

Cheers! I hope someone out there finds this useful.




*Phase One:*

BeerSmith (moble ap or PC version)

3 Gallon Kettle

BIAB bag to fit (if you scale up later, this is your hop bag)

Auto Syphon

Scale (tenth gram accuracy – hops now, water additions later)

Refractometer

FG Hydrometer

5L wine bottle or equivalent (Capable of fermenting 1.25 gallons with headspace for krausen)

Airlock

(2) 2L flip-top growlers/bottles

Corn Sugar for priming, grain for recipe (pre-milled), hops for recipe

Starsan

PBW

Whirlfloc


*With this setup you can mash and boil 2-2.5 gallons of wort on your stovetop (need at least 1.25 gallons of boiled wort), chill the boiled wort in your sink, transfer wort and ferment in the wine bottle, then transfer to the growlers and prime for carbonation.  You end up with 4L of finished beer in two growlers. Not to mention you can do this in your kitchen.


*Phase Two:*

Mini fridge (tall enough to fit your fermentation vessel with airlock)

Inkbird temp controller (2 stage)

Reptile heat-mat (or propagation heat-mat or whatever source of heat you want to use)

Second 5L wine bottle

Second airlock

Two more flip-top growlers

Maybe a cheap Corona grain mill, but buying pre-milled at this rate of consumption is totally fine


**Now you are set to control the temperature of your fermentation and double you production capacity. With a 2 week fermentation window and a 1 week bottle refermentation you could add a third set of fermenter/airlock/growlers and set yourself up with 2 growlers per week with weekly brew days, and you can make a wide range of styles and not have to worry about what you’ll do with 5 gallons of Russian Imperial Death Water. Not to mention that if a recipe does go awry, you can dump and not lose much in the way of cost.


*Phase Three:*

Download Brew’n Water (and read all the notes)

pH meter

pH meter calibration/storage solutions

Pipette

Lactic Acid (go EASY on additions here…start with half what is specified in Brew’n, measure and adjust further)

All chemicals for water adjustment listed in Brew’n Water (Gypsum, Calcium Chloride, Baking Soda, etc.)



***Now you are not only controlling the temperature of your ferment, but you are also in control of your water profile. It can be tailored to support certain styles and their characteristics.


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## Central PA Cowboy

Yes. I used to homebrew, but stopped when I realized I was spending right around the same amount of money to make my own beer vs. buying very good beer. I loved it, but financially didn't make any sense. Now, I work PT at a brewery and love every second of it.


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## normonster

Derek717 said:


> .....stopped when I realized I was spending right around the same amount of money to make my own beer....



Yep. It is a hobby for sure, not a way to save money.


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## Civilian

Question:


grahamfw said:


> What keeps you guys from brewing? Seems like most of you like doing things yourself and perhaps have a least a bit of space for it.


Answer:


brew14me said:


> Started out as a hobby, became a passion and now is an obsession.
> Definitely a lot of fun.


Just don't have that much time right now.


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## Jim McDonald

grahamfw said:


> I'm trying to figure out why the rise of consumption of good craft beer doesn't seem to necessarily be getting more people into the hobby. I did a big brew at my local homebrew supply shop Saturday (LHBS) and had a great talk with a lot of people who came by. It definitely helped that there was a brewery 30 feet away that started a tour near the end of our brewing.
> 
> What keeps you guys from brewing? Seems like most of you like doing things yourself and perhaps have a least a bit of space for it.


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## Jim McDonald

Well, actually, I thought I'm only one step away from moonshine..so, i built a still, actually two. Missouri allows you to make 200 gallons of moonshine per household of two adults....so, i buy beer, but cook and ferment, distill grain etoh. Cost effective! And best of both worlds!


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## zwiller

Never saw this thread...  As a long time homebrewer (25yrs and BJCP) and father, it was also tough finding time to brew so I went ape and started pushing every envelope to whittle down the (all grain) brew day.  I can get a 6G batch done in well under 3 hours and close to 2.  The old school 90m mashes and 90m boils are over.  30m mash/30m boil/15m batchsparge.  Remainder of the time is getting water up to temps and cleanup.  A good propane burner is essential (outside).  The ultimate time saver is extract.  Extract can make awesome beer, the key is to do full boils and not top off.  2 other things to get you to a good start: Use RO or distilled water over tap as it is likely better for the process and always pitch yeast into cool (low 60's) wort.  

Yes, my avatar is my own...


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## hb99

I've been brewing since 1994.  I've brewed 8 batches already this year.  (My wife doesn't drink).

I was going to brew a Hefe Weizen today, but didn't feel like it after getting up.  

I racked a batch of Hefe Weizen to a carboy and washed the yeast for reuse.  It's my second HW this year.  I plan to brew another one then blend them before bottling.  Probably later this week.

I have my own kitchen in the basement and several storage rooms, a 2 tap kegerator, a keezer and a SOFC.  I have over 20 kegs and 20 carboys.  I lived in Germany for 9 years and brought back about 15 cases of beer when I left there in 2004.  I also have about 300# of grain on-hand and about 18# of hops in the freezer.

I also make ciders and meads.  I have some bottles that are over 20 years old, many over 10.

As mentioned earlier, if anyone has any questions feel free to contact me.  Always glad to help.

Did I mention I also smoke meat?  LOL!  

Bill @ [email protected]


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