Judgmental neighbors

I had an ok 3 tier, gravity fed system going. Only problem is its along the fence line of my bible thumping neighbor. Last time I brewed she peaked her eye through the crack of the fence, asked what I was doing and after I answered her she said "what great memories your daughter will have." what a condescending *****! I wanted to choke her with my bare hands. So I'm planning on welding a 3 tier system on wheels so I can get as far away from that as possible.

Brew out front for all the world to see and do it close to them. While listening to 80's rock..

mtg4772 said:

I had an ok 3 tier, gravity fed system going. Only problem is its along the fence line of my bible thumping neighbor. Last time I brewed she peaked her eye through the crack of the fence, asked what I was doing and after I answered her she said "what great memories your daughter will have." what a condescending *****! I wanted to choke her with my bare hands. So I'm planning on welding a 3 tier system on wheels so I can get as far away from that as possible.

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Just tell her Jesus turned water into wine. I hate judgmental Christians. They give the rest of us a bad name.

Wear a devil costume and listen to death metal next time you brew.

snccoulter said:

Brew out front for all the world to see and do it close to them. While listening to 80's rock..

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80's rock? OK, to be more specific about 80's rock...try Motley Crue...Shout at the Devil.

Or death metal.

Did you tell your neighbor she was condescending? I certainly would have.

That's a shame, but there is no shortage of people like that in the world. I'd probably move a bit more away from the fence and just ignore them. No sense inflaming the relationship with the neighbors. No good would come of it.

The sad thing is they will likely repress their daughter, supress her individuality and creativity, fill her world with rules, and restrictions, and guilt. Then one day they'll wonder what she's doin on the stripper pole with a crack pipe in her mouth.

I was just brewing with a buddy last night. His wife, and my girlfriend and another friend were having ladie's night and I knew he was going to be home with the kids, a boy and a girl, I think they're 5 and 3? Something like that.

Anyway I had taught him to do ag for Christmas. And figured last night, since our ladies were out, and he was stuck with the kids, it'd be great to hang out, try his first batch of beer, and brew.

The kids hung out most of the afternoon with us, alternating between riding bikes, and coming over to help "Daddy and Mr Mike" stir the wort (even if it didn't need to be stirred.)

And we ordered pizza and watched a kids movie with them while we were waiting for hop additions or the mash to be finished.

His Daughter, the older one, even drew me a picture.

His daughter evidently helps him bottle, drawing little pictures on the bottle caps for whatever beer he's brewing. (2 hearts for a two hearted ale clone, a shamrock for a Guinness Clone. )

I betcha dollars to doughnuts that his kids, WILL have fond memories of days like that where Daddy and his brewing friends hung out with them and they helped.

Probably much more than your neighbors kids will....

Ignore it.

A few things,
1. I like your set up, it looks pretty sick.
2. Who cares what she says, making beer is legal, enjoyable and for me at least it always feels like a science experiment. Lol.
3. You could always ignore her until she gets the hint.
4. You could have fun with her, get as close to the fence as possible and listen to the guys above me, play some screamo/death metal, maybe make a circle with candles, wear black with red trimmed robes and have lots of spooky looking books with you haha.

But ya that's lame, I love when people make judgments on others... Good luck with your mobile 3 tier set up.

Revvy said:

I betcha dollars to doughnuts that his kids, WILL have fond memories of days like that where Daddy and his brewing friends hung out with them and they helped.

Probably much more than your neighbors kids will....

Ignore it.

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I have good memories of when my dad said I could help him rekey someone house, or make a new dead bolt for the key he made ( he used to be a locksmith btw. ) or when he was working on the boat, truck, something else I felt like I was helping when he said " Alex make yourself useful and get me a socket wrench, a 6mm socket and a beer. "

How about the "BEER IS GOOD" song from Psychostick....

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I'm with snccoulter and revvy. You are who you are. Don't rearrange your life for someone who is going to judge you regardless.

Regarding the "impact" this will have on your daughter, I'll echo Revvy's sentiments above. Quality time with one's kids doesnt always mean doing kid things. How many of our fondest memories are from helping dad change the oil in his car? Or helping him build the family room tv stand? Or helping mom make lasagne or cookies? (not intending to be sexist here, but these are my memories...you get the idea) .

Also, it is important to me that my kids understand where food, including drinks, comes from. Not the store where we buy it, but the idea that it originated from somewhere and that there is a process involved. We get our meat from a local farm and the kids know the farmer and have visited the animals. We grow a garden evey year and the kids are involved with planning, planting, watering, harvesting, and eating from it. My kids know I brew beer, know the basics of what's involved, and have tried sips of each one (my son is partial to hoppy beers!). Basically, I want my kids to understand that food and drink are not some magical entity that just appear in some large supermarket and that they should pay attention to where it all comes from. Beer is no exception.

Sorry for the off topic tangent.

JLem:

I say that your response isn't of topic at all. Part of the joy of brewing is the getting in touch with the process f nature and our ability to work with those processes to make stuff we can use and enjoy.

Just don't give a sh*t what the neighbor thinks. F**k her. She's the tool and you should cheerfully carry on with your brewing. If she has any more stupid comments, give her a wave and a "mmkay, thanks!" and ignore her.

JonM said:

Just don't give a sh*t what the neighbor thinks. F**k her. She's the tool and you should cheerfully carry on with your brewing. If she has any more stupid comments, give her a wave and a "mmkay, thanks!" and ignore her.

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^ yeah, this too in addition to what I wrote earlier.

If God had wanted us to go naked in the world, he would have had us born that way.....

Beer is proof that God loves us! (I think a Ben Franklin quote)

dfc said:

Just tell her Jesus turned water into wine. I hate judgmental Christians. They give the rest of us a bad name.

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Agreed...she sounds conflicted

JLem said:

Regarding the "impact" this will have on your daughter, I'll echo Revvy's sentiments above. Quality time with one's kids doesn't always mean doing kid things. How many of our fondest memories are from helping dad change the oil in his car? Or helping him build the family room tv stand? Or helping mom make lasagne or cookies?

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Well said. I'm sure a there are varying opinions on how to handle the situation but I would definitely keep this in mind.

JonM said:

Just don't give a sh*t what the neighbor thinks. F**k her.

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THIS is actually the first thing that came to mind!! :rockin:

I have a 4 year old daughter. Not only is she around on most brew days I have taken her with me to the LHBS. Not because I want to teach her these things at 4 (although I wouldn't mind) but because I usually brew on the weekend.. and my Daughter is by my side on the weekend. The guys at the LHBS are a great group.. she actually likes going to the "Beer Store." She asks for her piece of candy and asks me typical 4 year old questions. She even got so comfortable that she asked if she could give one of the guys a hug.

She's in and out of the kitchen on brew days but she already knows what not to mess with and when to stay out of the way. I love how she asks what everything is and that she knows what some of the ingredients are called without me saying. Being 4 she may not remember these days later on (although I pray she does)... but I KNOW I SURE WILL and I wouldn't change them for the world!!! Especially not based on the *****ebagery of a condescending neighbor.

On the bright side, that's one less person you will have to share your beer with. : )

cswest said:

On the bright side, that's one less person you will have to share your beer with. : )

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hahaha +1!!!

So many great responses. Thanks for the awesome feedback. This neighbor is nice for the most part, but she definitely crossed some sort of boundary with that comment. She confides in my wife often and apparently the doctor wants to put her on anti-depressants. I reminded myself of this when it occurred and just gave her a smile. I'm moving on and very excited to build my 3 tier system on wheels. I'll post a pic when I'm done.

cswest said:

On the bright side, that's one less person you will have to share your beer with. : )

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Couldn't have said it better myself!

Revvy said:

I was just brewing with a buddy last night. His wife, and my girlfriend and another friend were having ladie's night and I knew he was going to be home with the kids, a boy and a girl, I think they're 5 and 3? Something like that.

Anyway I had taught him to do ag for Christmas. And figured last night, since our ladies were out, and he was stuck with the kids, it'd be great to hang out, try his first batch of beer, and brew.

The kids hung out most of the afternoon with us, alternating between riding bikes, and coming over to help "Daddy and Mr Mike" stir the wort (even if it didn't need to be stirred.)

And we ordered pizza and watched a kids movie with them while we were waiting for hop additions or the mash to be finished.

His Daughter, the older one, even drew me a picture.

His daughter evidently helps him bottle, drawing little pictures on the bottle caps for whatever beer he's brewing. (2 hearts for a two hearted ale clone, a shamrock for a Guinness Clone. )

I betcha dollars to doughnuts that his kids, WILL have fond memories of days like that where Daddy and his brewing friends hung out with them and they helped.

Probably much more than your neighbors kids will....

Ignore it.

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Absolutely agree here. My kids love brew day, they know that I'm going to be outside for several hours, I'll let them help, and they can run around at will.

Burn the bible in your front yard

Quote Scripture. "When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, "Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her." John 8:7 She is not any more righteous or less sinful than you. She is not perfect and she can't be perfect. Only the Lord is perfect. Have a Blessed day, Praise the Lord and brew some beer.

anteup said:

quote scripture. "when they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, "let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her." john 8:7 she is not any more righteous or less sinful than you. She is not perfect and she can't be perfect. Only the lord is perfect. Have a blessed day, praise the lord and brew some beer.

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+ 1.

These threads are starting to make me realize there are a few good things about living in NY. Around here, we ignore each other and rarely even know our neighbors' names!

I read one post where the neighbor spied on the guy for the whole brew. Pretty much hours. Then started telling other neighbors that he was cooking meth.

It takes all kinds to make the world go 'round. All kinds.

LOL...Now the Meth thing is classic!!

Revvy said:

I was just brewing with a buddy last night. His wife, and my girlfriend and another friend were having ladie's night and I knew he was going to be home with the kids, a boy and a girl, I think they're 5 and 3? Something like that.

Anyway I had taught him to do ag for Christmas. And figured last night, since our ladies were out, and he was stuck with the kids, it'd be great to hang out, try his first batch of beer, and brew.

The kids hung out most of the afternoon with us, alternating between riding bikes, and coming over to help "Daddy and Mr Mike" stir the wort (even if it didn't need to be stirred.)

And we ordered pizza and watched a kids movie with them while we were waiting for hop additions or the mash to be finished.

His Daughter, the older one, even drew me a picture.

His daughter evidently helps him bottle, drawing little pictures on the bottle caps for whatever beer he's brewing. (2 hearts for a two hearted ale clone, a shamrock for a Guinness Clone. )

I betcha dollars to doughnuts that his kids, WILL have fond memories of days like that where Daddy and his brewing friends hung out with them and they helped.

Probably much more than your neighbors kids will....

Ignore it.

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Once again, Revvy puts it to words. :rockin:

Diaperload said:

80's rock? OK, to be more specific about 80's rock...try Motley Crue...Shout at the Devil.

Or death metal.

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Motley Crue and stuff like that I cand abide bu death meatal.
Cheers

Bring your neighbor a couple bottles from this batch when you're done. Label it "Liquid Bread of Life."

Adding to what others have said about parenting, here's my "daughter story:"

I brewed a celebratory beer when my daughter was born, called it "Jackie's Jammin' Ale" and labeled it with a scanned image from her hospital photo. We still have an empty re-capped bottle, and it's one of her favorite birth-related mementos--just doesn't fit in the baby book! Over the past 18 years, she has helped me measure ingredients, stir the mash, cook wort on brew day, bottle, has watched with fascination as the yeast percolated away in the secondary, and recently wanted to use brewing as the centerpiece of an IB Biology lab showcasing the life cycle of yeast and highlighting different characteristics in yeast strains.

I can say with authority that you definitely ARE providing great memories for your daughter, so the next time your neighbor throws that line at you, agree and thank her--we'd probably all be better off with more women in brewing!

CastleHollow said:

Bring your neighbor a couple bottles from this batch when you're done. Label it "Liquid Bread of Life."

Adding to what others have said about parenting, here's my "daughter story:"

I brewed a celebratory beer when my daughter was born, called it "Jackie's Jammin' Ale" and labeled it with a scanned image from her hospital photo. We still have an empty re-capped bottle, and it's one of her favorite birth-related mementos--just doesn't fit in the baby book! Over the past 18 years, she has helped me measure ingredients, stir the mash, cook wort on brew day, bottle, has watched with fascination as the yeast percolated away in the secondary, and recently wanted to use brewing as the centerpiece of an IB Biology lab showcasing the life cycle of yeast and highlighting different characteristics in yeast strains.

I can say with authority that you definitely ARE providing great memories for your daughter, so the next time your neighbor throws that line at you, agree and thank her--we'd probably all be better off with more women in brewing!

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Hey oh! That's great to hear how much your daughter likes it! I hope when my girl is born she doesn't feel weird with daddy making beer and guns... ( next year I'm going to school to be a gunsmith. )

Pull out your 44 Magnum at tell her to keep her nose on her side of the fence and to mind her own business.

Then wait for the cops to arrive

Ask her is she has accepted Richard Dawkins into her heart. Then when she says "who?!?" invite her per for a beer HAHAHA

mtg4772 said:

I had an ok 3 tier, gravity fed system going. Only problem is its along the fence line of my bible thumping neighbor. Last time I brewed she peaked her eye through the crack of the fence, asked what I was doing and after I answered her she said "what great memories your daughter will have." what a condescending *****! I wanted to choke her with my bare hands. So I'm planning on welding a 3 tier system on wheels so I can get as far away from that as possible.

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next time she pulls that ram a stick through the fence.

Pumbaa said:

next time she pulls that ram a stick through the fence.

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Mmmmmm glory hole.

mtg4772 said:

... she said "what great memories your daughter will have."

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When I first read that, I thought, "Yeah, those really would be great childhood memories". Then I realized that she was being ignorant and condescending. Regardless of what she thinks, I think your daughter will definitely remember these times fondly.

CastleHollow said:

Bring your neighbor a couple bottles from this batch when you're done. Label it "Liquid Bread of Life."

Adding to what others have said about parenting, here's my "daughter story:"

I brewed a celebratory beer when my daughter was born, called it "Jackie's Jammin' Ale" and labeled it with a scanned image from her hospital photo. We still have an empty re-capped bottle, and it's one of her favorite birth-related mementos--just doesn't fit in the baby book! Over the past 18 years, she has helped me measure ingredients, stir the mash, cook wort on brew day, bottle, has watched with fascination as the yeast percolated away in the secondary, and recently wanted to use brewing as the centerpiece of an IB Biology lab showcasing the life cycle of yeast and highlighting different characteristics in yeast strains.

I can say with authority that you definitely ARE providing great memories for your daughter, so the next time your neighbor throws that line at you, agree and thank her--we'd probably all be better off with more women in brewing!

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I read this post to my wife (Medical Doctor) she said, "that's cool." My thoughts: awesome story. Thanks for the kind words.

I thought good fences were supposed to make good neighbors?

Bernie Brewer said:

I thought good fences were supposed to make good neighbors?

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His fence sucks. She can see right through it.