Advice for a brewer who doesn't drink

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thisisjohnbrown

thisisjohnbrown

Active Member
Joined
Dec 31, 2011
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Location
Portland
Edited November 19th, 2012
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To save you the time of reading all (currently) 27 pages, let me recap:

1. I am accused of being a troll - I am not
2. Most people think I should at least taste the beer - I still do not
3. The general consensus is that people wouldn't like me at meetups

No need to continue posting to this thread, as the majority of posts are now about how stupid the thread is and that it is too long and that it should die. I agree.
********************************

Alright, I've been lurking around the forums for over a year, and been brewing about as long, and I am ready to make a confession, because I want to know how to proceed.

I am 30, and I have only drank alcohol 4 times in my life, three at 15, once around 2 years ago, and never beer.

My personality is that I think something is interesting, and research the hell out of it to learn as much as I can, and then move on. My wife wanted to know what beers go with what foods, so I started reading about beer pairing, and then about the styles, and then about the process, and then about the details of the process, and eventually, after talking about it with friends for a year, decided I wanted to try it.

I have brewed 37 batches (I keep meticulous notes), all based on science and best practices. My wife and brother are my alpha tasters, and I smell the ingredients, but I have never tasted any of it. I get feedback on a recipe, and modify it based on what that feedback is.

I approach it as a grand experiment, my bottling name is Sobeer Brewing, as in sober beer brewing. I put codes on the bottles and built a website, and people can rate the beers and give feedback on them and request branches with changes after putting in those codes. I have had beer parties where I serve several beers to get friends and colleagues together. I brew every other weekend.

I know this all sounds crazy, and maybe it is, but apparently it fits my personality, because everyone who knows me accepts it as just an extension of me.

If you're still reading, that's impressive, because here's my question: How will other brewers take this if I start telling them?

I hand out in the brew shop and chat, and they offer me beers the have on tap and I either politely decline or (if she's with me) accept and give it to my wife and ask her opinion so I can tell them. I want to go to meet ups, but I have an anxiety about telling them all this when I don't drink with them while talking about this great hobby.

Am I destined to be on my own island, or will the community accept me for my oddity?
 
I don't drink at all, I just don't like the taste of alcohol and one of the four times I have drank when I was 15, I fist fought a friend of mine and didn't like who I became.

Obviously I don't have to drink until I am belligerently drunk, so at this point, it's just become part of who I am, a non drinker.
 
Well you wrote all that drivel up there without telling us WHY? why in the hell would you do all the work and not enjoy the spoils of your labor? do you need attention? are you a control-freak? the only reason i brew beer is because i f-ing love it.
So seriously, WHY don't you drink beer? there has to be a reasoning behind it, because obviously you don't object to other folks drinking beer...

sincerely,
dontunderstand
 
I would wonder why you don't even taste what you're making. I've seen plenty of wine tasters take a sip of wine, swish it around in their mouth, and spit it out so they can just taste without drinking. Why don't you do the same? I imagine anyone would think it was a bit strange, but if you make good beer I guess it really doesn't matter. Do you just not like the taste of beer, or is there some other reason why you don't taste what you're brewing?
 
To each his own. I'd have a hard time getting the motivation to get involved in such an extensive hobby without knowing first hand how the fruits of my labors taste to me. You only know what your tasters are telling you. I've been interested in cooking all my life and cook dinner for my wife and I about 5 nights a week...I ALWAYS taste test anything I make because I don't want to feed the wife or my guests something that doesn't meet my high standards. Same with brewing for me.

Just out of curiosity, and you don't have to share if you would rather not...why don't you try a beer? I know people who don't drink typically fall into 3 categories: 1. religious conviction 2. Family history with alcoholism 3. health issues preventing them from drinking 4. Don't want to become someone who abuses alcohol like so many young people these days. I'm just curious. I just find it hard to believe that if you fit into one of these 4 categories that you have brewed 37 batches of beer so far.

EDIT: I guess I posted too late you had already answered that question. Just FYI, low ABV beers (around 4%) 1. do not taste like alcohol 2. Will not get you drunk...even if you have no tolerance to it, why not just try a sip of each beer you make just to know how it tastes? Granted if you have never had beer all beer will probably taste terrible to you...beer is an acquired taste. I don't know anyone who at 16 when they had their first beer thought "Oh man this tastes awesome!"
 
While personally I think this is a little odd I say more power to you for enjoying the brewing aspect and rewarding the people you know that do drink the fruit of your labor! I would think that if you are brewing good/great beer, knowledgeable about best practice and have something to contribute I could not see why a group would not be interested in what you have to offer.

Cheers!
 
Well, it wasn't drivel, it was me trying to explain a bit about who I am and my process.

But, that's a good point, regardless.

I go out with friends all the time to bars, and people love to drink beer and talk and hang out. I love my friends, and want to be a part of that, but don't have a desire to drink. So it's a way for me to be with them and I can still talk about beer and give them some of my own. I hear a lot of brewers talk about how much they love when they give a beer to someone and they flip over it. I have the same reaction. I love when people drink my brews and enjoy hanging out with them and making them part of my process.
 
Don't worry about what others think.
People who brew are just people.
Now, back to the question chumpsteak asked. Why don't you drink beer?
If there is a sound reason, then I understand. If not, why wouldn't you taste what you make? You don't have to get drunk or sit have three or four beers in a night, but it's hard to make something that is taste based if you never taste it. You can try and replicate, but it's tough if you don't taste it.
Ever heard of a great chef that doesn't eat the things he cooks?
 
thisisjohnbrown said:
I go out with friends all the time to bars, and people love to drink beer and talk and hang out. I love my friends, and want to be a part of that, but don't have a desire to drink. So it's a way for me to be with them and I can still talk about beer and give them some of my own. I hear a lot of brewers talk about how much they love when they give a beer to someone and they flip over it. I have the same reaction. I love when people drink my brews and enjoy hanging out with them and making them part of my process.
Click to expand...


Did you ever watch that movie "40 year old virgin"? I would think that talking about beer without being a beer drinker would be similar to how it would be talking about sex with the boys as a virgin. "breasts...they feel like bags of sand" :D
 
if you've never had beer, how do you know you don't like it? all alcoholic beverages are not created equal.

my advice...drink your beer. if you don't like it..hey, whatever...but why not at least try it?
 
Jayhem said:
Did you ever watch that movie "40 year old virgin"? I would think that talking about beer without being a beer drinker would be similar to how it would be talking about sex with the boys as a virgin. :D
Click to expand...

Yes like been teach sex ed by a catholic priest
 
Jayhem said:
Did you ever watch that movie "40 year old virgin"? I would think that talking about beer without being a beer drinker would be similar to how it would be talking about sex with the boys as a virgin. :D
Click to expand...

Ha ha. This is actually how I used to be. They would talk about what they were having, and I would just nod and say stupidly ridiculous things like "Yeah, how bout them hops, amiright?" or "Yes, it has a distinct beer aroma."

But now, I actually know what I am talking about, from a strange standpoint, and they respect my thoughts. Because I read about it so much, I know what they should be getting with their meals and I know their likes and dislikes from past experience, so I can make recommendations.
 
atom said:
if you've never had beer, how do you know you don't like it? all alcoholic beverages are not created equal.

my advice...drink your beer. if you don't like it..hey, whatever...but why not at least try it?
Click to expand...

Honestly, it's inertia. I have a beard. There are times when I want to shave it off, but my wife likes it and it makes me distinct. So I keep it because I like it most of the time and don't want to throw everything off.

If I started drinking beer around my friends who have known me for a decade, I would lose a bit of what makes me me. Maybe that's stupid, but I have to believe that everyone has certain things they do/maintain because of the people around them. We live in a society.
 
thisisjohnbrown said:
Ha ha. This is actually how I used to be. They would talk about what they were having, and I would just nod and say stupidly ridiculous things like "Yeah, how bout them hops, amiright?" or "Yes, it has a distinct beer aroma."

But now, I actually know what I am talking about, from a strange standpoint, and they respect my thoughts. Because I read about it so much, I know what they should be getting with their meals and I know their likes and dislikes from past experience, so I can make recommendations.
Click to expand...

If nothing else, you should sample your creations along the way. Yes, even the hops. Even a shot glass of the finished product would be enough for you to get a personal perspective. Subjective matters are different to every individual.
 
thisisjohnbrown said:
Honestly, it's inertia. I have a beard. There are times when I want to shave it off, but my wife likes it and it makes me distinct. So I keep it because I like it most of the time and don't want to throw everything off.

If I started drinking beer after my friends who have known me for a decade, I would lose a bit of what makes me me. Maybe that's stupid, but I have to believe that everyone has certain things they do/maintain because of the people around them. We live in a society.
Click to expand...

drink a beer...we won't tell anyone...
 
I can understand not drinking the beer (well, no, I can't...but that's not the point) but tasting and drinking are two different things. 2-3oz of beer is more than enough for a taste and way less than enough to have any effects as a result of the alcohol.

Like said above, I don't want food from a chef that doesn't taste what they make. Your vegetarian cook friend, I think she should get a different job, honestly.

You make a product you don't like and refuse to consume. Like you said, it's all science. No love. No passion for the final product. I make the beer I want to drink. I try to make it exactly that way I want it. If I took a survey and averaged out how everyone else wants my beer to taste I'd end up with distinctly average beer.
 
You need a different hobby. Find something thats truly rewarding to you and not just other people. Now if your old lady gets super horny when she drinks your beer, then i understand your motivation, but honestly if you are really working hard at brewing you should focus that energy on something that pays off for you more. Or the alternative is man the hell up and start drinking your friggin beer.
 
thisisjohnbrown said:
Ha ha. This is actually how I used to be. They would talk about what they were having, and I would just nod and say stupidly ridiculous things like "Yeah, how bout them hops, amiright?" or "Yes, it has a distinct beer aroma."

But now, I actually know what I am talking about, from a strange standpoint, and they respect my thoughts. Because I read about it so much, I know what they should be getting with their meals and I know their likes and dislikes from past experience, so I can make recommendations.
Click to expand...
You can get all the feedback from others, but unless you taste the product in all of its stages, you'll still be brewing blind. You don't have to drink, but tasting is important. There are so many subtleties even between something as simple as your choice of base malt, a couple of degrees in mash temperature, a few degrees of fermentation temperature, etc. You should be tasting your beer every step of the way and learning how it develops.
 
thisisjohnbrown said:
Interestingly enough, I have a friend who is vegetarian who cooks at a regular restaurant, so she understands how I feel. But I understand your larger point.
Click to expand...

10 years ago, I was still a vegan working a second job at a pizza place in Jersey. I allegedly made a really good cheesesteak, despite the fact that I had never tasted it. So I understand in that aspect.


I find myself enjoying the brewing process as much as I do drinking the product so I can sympathize, but if I didn't drink beer, I probably wouldn't brew it.

But to each their own.

Edit: inaccurate statement removed
 
Gameface said:
No love. No passion for the final product.
Click to expand...

I do have love for it. I do have a passion. I fret over my efficiency. I DIY my equipment because I want better stuff and can't afford the expensive stuff. I spend 6 hours every other weekend brewing, and countless hours reading this forum. If that's not passion, I don't really understand what is.

I truly, truly enjoy it. That's why I want to talk to other brewers.
 
Most of us brew beer because we like the process of brewing and the product we are making. I don't find it to odd that he doesn't drink it and just like the process. At least he shares it. If he dumped it I would call that bat **** crazy. I would at least recommend tasting it and spitting it out like wine tasters( which I have never understood why they do that) that way you and better understand the product better.
 
thisisjohnbrown said:
If I started drinking beer around my friends who have known me for a decade, I would lose a bit of what makes me me..
Click to expand...

You weren't a brewer before you started brewing. Didn't that change who you were? Why would drinking a beer be any different? Hey, it's your life. Do what you want, but there's no way you're going to convince me that you being a "non-drinker" can define your life any more or less than becoming a brewer did. I've had quite a few friends who were "non-drinkers" until they started drinking, and the consensus is that they considered their previous selves a bit silly for not drinking just for the sake of not drinking (as did everyone else).
 
If I started drinking beer around my friends who have known me for a decade, I would lose a bit of what makes me me. Maybe that's stupid, but I have to believe that everyone has certain things they do/maintain because of the people around them. We live in a society
Click to expand...

While I get that you are at the ripe old age of "30", I think you need to understand that if you are maintaining this status of who you are for the benefit of others you need to reflect and understand that people evolve over time. Just because you have not had a drink in 10 years the people who know you will not think less of you if you then decide to sample your own beer. If they do then it's time to find a new circle of friends.

Just because your wife likes your beard does not mean you should live with it if you decide one day that you hate it.

While I respect your position and what you are trying to convey, I am beginning to feel as though you might not necessarily be content with the choices you are making because they are being made for the benefit of others and not yourself. Time to step outside the box:fro:
 
If you don't want to drink, I wouldn't encourage you to drink, as many here have. Then again, don't expect to be able to discuss taste with anyone that tries your beer. You can listen to what they have to say, but you will have no way of explaining taste to them without having tried it yourself. You might think you know what it should taste like, but you won't. If that's still okay with you, brew on.
 
I get it, sort of. Lots of people who "create" things do it for the satisfaction that it brings to others.

But the first rule of being a person who creates food items is to taste what they are making.

I say keep it up but just expect that it's going to a be a hard sell amongst a group of afficianados.
 
Just some more thoughts (because I have a long rational for everything):

If you drink your beer, and you think, "this is a bit thin" or "not bitter enough for an IPA" or "too sweet," you know to fix that. So do I, the same way most of you do. Because you read about increasing the mash temperature or adding more hops to the buttering addition or checking your gravity to see if the yeast is done. That knowledge came from many other people as well as your own experience.

If my wife or brother tell me something is off or what they like or dislike, I know how to adjust.
 
GilaMinumBeer said:
I get it, sort of. Lots of people who "create" things do it for the satisfaction that it brings to others.

But the first rule of being a person who creates food items is to taste what they are making.

I say keep it up but just expect that it's going to a be a hard sell amongst a group of afficianados.
Click to expand...

Agreed on the first part, I understand the second, and I absolutely wouldn't want to go up against pros.
 
thisisjohnbrown said:
But you may have come across a webpage that has a lot of neat areas in your city that you could forward on to them.
Click to expand...
Coming across it and hunting it down with a passion are two different things. Next thing I'd be doing is color coordinating their cloths for them.



Edit to say:
Yeah, my wife dresses me. :drunk:
 

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