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bighorn_brew · 06-09-2012, 02:14 AM

I hear you OP....I live/work on/in the reservation and not a lot of beer geeks around these parts, although the local grocery store does maintains rexpectable Montanan, pacific northwest and western influence, with the occasional Midwestern offering and usual BMC products. When I was brewing outdoors today I made the effort to conceal what I was doing just to void the hassle of walkers, drive by gawkers and alley way winos. Lots of people I work with(work in health care, with N. Americans) just would equate brewing beer with bathtub gin....unfortunately..l

Bradzukie · 06-09-2012, 02:15 AM

I get the whole alcoholic thing here in Tennessee. People in the bible belt are very judgmental in general.

neomantra · 06-09-2012, 02:25 AM

Yeah, you should remind people who scold you that by following that logic anyone who cooks food is a gluttonous overweight fat ass.

If anything I drink a *lower* quantity of beer now that I homebrew and have access to quality craft beer. You can have a couple great beers and be pretty well sated in all senses of the word, which is way better than drinking a ton of crappy beers where you're left only with the desire to run to the bathroom. So cheers to homebrewing, drinking good beer, and your new job!

**bwarbiany** · 06-09-2012, 02:41 AM

I sometimes get the same thing... Like when I told my wife that I was going to build a 6-tap kegerator to replace my 3-tap kegerator... "Seriously, do you really need *that much* beer around???" Uhh, yeah, I do. It's not that I'm going to drink more, it's that I'll have more variety on tap at any given time.

Being here in CA, everyone's pretty much cool about it at work. Inviting them to my place to drink off said kegerator certainly helps :-)

**smh** · 06-09-2012, 03:14 AM

I always find it funny since many brew lower alcohol beer so they can get a great taste and not get drunk. The most common reaction I get is that we're making swill that can't possibly taste good. This is often from newfoundlanders who remember homebrew that was made from basically anything that they could get their hands on. The rest of the time it's people who can't imagine putting the effort in when molson canadian will do.

I had an interview last week, and given that I'm a scientist, I make no qualms about telling people I brew. Many people use yeast daily in my field for research, so it's not frowned upon. Interestingly, many people still working in labs, and even more of the old-timer scientists still brew in the labs as a bit of distraction from the disappointment that research can bring some days....

**Whippy** · 06-09-2012, 05:34 AM

Get really wasted and tell them to shove it!

Seriously, though, who cares!? If these people don't like you and your wife, why even hang out with them? My advise is to find more accepting friends. I am SURE you are not the only beer nerds in Tuscon!

Colorowdy · 06-09-2012, 06:42 AM

Not at all. I'm going a pipelayer in Colorado kind of a hero.

downtown3641 · 06-09-2012, 12:51 PM

I've had no issue at all. But, we're in an area where the craft beer culture is starting to spring to life in conjunction with a great and growing wine culture. People are getting used to the idea of alcohol as a craft and not a means to a stumbling end.

I know a lot of people who brew. All of my coworkers know I brew. I even used the fact that I brew as an icebreaker at a training. One of the higher-ups in my agency was at my table and expressed a genuine curiosity about the hobby.

I also make it easier on myself by sharing a very genuine enthusiasm for craft beer. My coworkers and I like to have gatherings at out local craft beer bar. I often get asked for recommendations. I think, outside of the idiots whose opinions should be ignored, most people will get the right impression if you show the right kind of interest in your hobby.

Josh_K · 06-09-2012, 02:46 PM

Congrat's on the job!

I'm in the north Mississippi/Memphis, TN area and I used to catch a lot of flack for brewing but not so much lately. At work, my boss brews too so we spend a lot of time comparing notes. People that we work with just kind of laugh about it. I haven't gotten any criticism to my face at work but I do live in the south, afterall, where people love to save their criticisms for when your back is turned.

I get a lot of interest in it at my church. I've handed out a lot of homebrews to people that I worship with and even helped a buddy from church brew his first batch last weekend.

Overall, I would say I get a pretty positive reaction from people about it.

seand · 06-09-2012, 03:02 PM

Beer culture has been about getting blasted for a long time now. Maybe that's starting to change, but only for a subsegment. When I'm in Europe I love being able to get all kinds of non-alcohol beer and have no stigma around it. Forget about that in the US. The assumption is that you drink beer to get drunk and there's no reason to have it otherwise.

So when I tell people I homebrew... the image it creates is often moonshine and drunken mayhem. If they have homebrewed... it's a whole different story. "What styles do you make?" "What kind of equipment do you use?" "Where do you get your ______ from?"

I just keep it to myself largely.