My wife just kicked my ass

She decided to brew an AG batch for the first time, and wanted an Irish Red. She'd never really brewed before, and she did 95% of the actual work, and as a batch sparger a 6% higher efficiency than I have with this setup

The biggest difference was she made damn sure there weren't any mini dough balls in the mash. And I gotta say it made a hell of a difference. Anyway, I am so proud and happy, and the beer looks like it is gonna be epic

a woman brewing me great beer . . . sounds like a dream!

a man's dream, lay in the hammock, drink beer that his wife went through the work making, while she's making more... wanna trade? stirring the mash, and mixing the dough-balls (insert own joke) out, is very important

That's awesome. I hope to brew a batch with my wife sometime. Maybe next year for my birthday, I'll ask for her to brew me a batch while I sit and drink beer.

lumpher said:

a man's dream, lay in the hammock, drink beer that his wife went through the work making, while she's making more... wanna trade? stirring the mash, and mixing the dough-balls (insert own joke) out, is very important

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My dream would involve her doing something other than making beer during that scene.... haha. Save that for when I go to bed

Let's not get too off track ( ) --the wort ended up 1.069 and 25 IBU's i think. Pitched with Wyeast 1099, and the clarity is already fantastic. She already wants to brew at least every other week, so I am stoked

If you can confirm that your wife used to think you were nuts for spending so much time researching, planning, spending money, and wanting to discuss every aspect of making and enjoying beer, I'll find great hope in this thread.

Congrats on the awesome new brew partner!:rockin:

That's awesome. I always brew alone, and it would be wonderful if my spouse would brew with me.

Haha- I just thought up a new George Thoroughgood song- "I brew alone" sung to the tune of "Bad to the Bone". That would have to be my theme song. I think it would be great if we both brewed.

Yooper_Brew said:

Haha- I just thought up a new George Thoroughgood song- "I brew alone" sung to the tune of "Bad to the Bone". That would have to be my theme song. I think it would be great if we both brewed.

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OK, not that I'm questioning your creative ideas, but why wouldn't it be "I brew alone" sung to the tune of "I drink alone"?



EDIT: I've almost gotten to the point where I prefer to brew alone. When I'm by myself, everything goes perfect. When I'm with others (and sampling, I admit), everything usually goes to crap.

Don't forget that in the 1700's brewing beer in the household was woman's work....like cooking and the cleaning. Only in the modern era did men take on the monumental task of brewing.

I think I can get my wife to brew a batch of beer with me...topless!

My wife brewed her first and only batch last year. I entered it in a comp this year and now she has an award for her beer and I haven't won any thing yet. All the guys in my brew club give me crap about it at meetings. We brewed together last month (first 10 gal batch) and she wants to make a pumpkin beer. I'm not sure when this is going to get done because she is due any day with our first child.

Yeah, I have a sneaking suspicion that if push came to shove, she'd be the award winner and not me. But I don't care, cause I can steal her brews now!!!!

bwahahahaha!!!!!

my wife is my co-brewer.....It's nice she enjoys the beer we make also, hence the reason i now have a kegorator, and a 'bew haus' (16'X20' shed for brewing and hanging out)

She actually helps, extra set of hands is needed when brewing.

My wife helps out with the brewing process when she can. She always helps with racking and bottling. AND she always helps to drink them! I'm pretty lucky in that my wife enjoys ALL styles of beers almost as much as I do.

I'm quite lucky...

My GF doesn't mind me spending absurd amounts on getting started here and she even helps with the process. When I made the first batch she helped to hold the primary fermenter while I poured in my wort. Then, when it finally came time to bottle, we set up a station and she sanitized all my bottles as I filled them. I enjoyed working together with her.

She also fell in love with the primary when it would burp out excess C02. As she put it, "it's the cutest sound in the world."

Hey, if it makes her happy to hear it burping, I guess I'll always need to have something in the fermenter.

Usually my fiance is supportive, except this last time which caused me to sample even more than I usually do. The beer will turn out fine anyways.

When I brew, it's really the only time that we actually sit down and talk about stuff (honey-do-list, among other things) since there is no TV on.

craigbrew said:

My wife brewed her first and only batch last year. I entered it in a comp this year and now she has an award for her beer and I haven't won any thing yet. All the guys in my brew club give me crap about it at meetings. We brewed together last month (first 10 gal batch) and she wants to make a pumpkin beer. I'm not sure when this is going to get done because she is due any day with our first child.

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Very similar situation for me. My g/f wanted to brew so I bought her ingredients last Christmas. I wrote down everything she needed to do and let her go. She entered that beer in a local comp and won a third place ribbon. The ribbon is on display in our livingroom and whenever people ask, they always laugh at me to learn that she is the only ribbon winner in the house.

ajwillys said:

OK, not that I'm questioning your creative ideas, but why wouldn't it be "I brew alone" sung to the tune of "I drink alone"?

{snip}

EDIT: I've almost gotten to the point where I prefer to brew alone. When I'm by myself, everything goes perfect. When I'm with others (and sampling, I admit), everything usually goes to crap.

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And this is the reason why I never -ever- crack a tube until brewday is done, cleaned up, the airlock in the fermenter.

I can't see my wife making beer, but if I didn't have my buddy helping me brew, I don't know if I could brew two and keg two in under six hours. Fortunately, he doesn't drink, so I don't get encouraged to drink too much and I don't have to split the beer with him!

I can't imagine brewing a batch and not drinking previous brews. Actually, when I brew I am more in tune to the individual flavors and aromas in the beer I am drinking. It's a religious experience!

it's hi-larious--she's bugging me about doing another batch. my answer to her is, "but all the fermenters are full". her retort? "Get More"

bwahahahaha!!! i've created a monster!!!

japhroaig said:

it's hi-larious--she's bugging me about doing another batch. my answer to her is, "but all the fermenters are full". her retort? "Get More"

bwahahahaha!!! i've created a monster!!!

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Does your nick have anything to do with the oh so wonderful and peaty single malt from Scotland?

Believe it or not, but you are the second person ever to mention that. And yes, that is precisely tue connection . Know what else? The wife wants to make a Wee Heavy

My wife was mostly a wine-drinker before I started brewing. Now she's completely hooked. Her first batch was also an Irish Red (although extract) and she's done a couple AG on her own since. It makes such a difference having her push for making beer rather than me having to justify it. Enjoy!

SWMBO support is an awesome thing. Mine helps me brew on occasion, is my bottling partner nearly every time, and all of this with me not being able to find a single beer that she likes to drink! (Not yet at least )

And her reply to everyone that she talks to about my brewing habit? She says that "It keeps him off the streets", so she's happy with it.

Gotta love a good brewpartner with an even better sense of humor

My SWMBO is finally getting the fact that my brewing is more than just a "flash in the pan" hobby. After 250+ gallons in the last 2 years, several ribbons in comp., she has finally started letting me know her preferences. I've done 2 batches of porter she likes, a blonde, got another porter in primary. She just didn't let me know whe wasn't a hop-head like me! I've got her actually tipping the tap on the kegerator for herself without concern! I'm a happy man.

Soon, I hope to have some assistance like some of you. Right now, the assistance is limited to my 6- and 7-year olds, helping me grind grain and putting hops in the boil.

That's actually a really cool, sweet story

The two most helpful things I've found are Encouragement, and Restraint. If you can find someone to help you with both those things, they are basically an angel. Oh, and if you can get your kids to mash and sparge for you, then you are a badass

shroomzofdoom said:

Don't forget that in the 1700's brewing beer in the household was woman's work....like cooking and the cleaning. Only in the modern era did men take on the monumental task of brewing.

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Only when there was money to be made. Sadly women were shut out of that until very recently

i was told that when I go to yoga, she will brew a batch. Should be an epic battle.

That's great! There are so few women brewers out there, it's good to hear more are starting up. So does she have a HBT account yet, or did the constant talk about boobs scare her away?

I hope my girlfriend gets into it, so far she has been quite positive about the hobby (at lest the drinking part ).

-the wort ended up 1.069 and 25 IBU's i think.

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Now start coaching her on the BU:GU ratio

That's awesome, it's nice when you have a shared passion. But I'm glad my wife isn't in to beer or brewing. Brewdays are my time, and she will usually be out and about, or asleep while I'm brewing.

Bonus points for another female homebrewer

My bf is curious about the hobby, and helped me bottle up my dubbel, but aside from that he see it as "too much work" and doesn't get the idea that you can't get good beer in 2 weeks.

He does taste the brews and offers insights, he's got those "super taster" genes so he can taste stuff that I don't pick up on.

I also prefer to do brewdays "alone" only because I have an "ADD" brain and if I get distracted I'm likely to forget something. Brewdays have become a sort of relaxing ritual for me.

geez, supertasters are an odd lot. i had one over a couple weeks ago and just couldn't believe she could taste what she was describing. it was scarily accurate.

anyway, it's not too much work, and yes you can get good beer in 2 weeks--it's generally just better in four to six

as far as my wife's brews, they look an test amazing. i can't wait to taste them

Any follow up on this story?

the irish red is fantastic--we have one keg left, we blew through the first one. the wee heavy is super malty (not sweet, but malty), and in six months i suspect will be epic. we just brewed a Zeus Rye-P-A over the weekend, and the next batch she is planning is a Newcastle like brown. She doesn't know all the lingo yet, but she is both detail-oriented and discerning.

would people here be interested in maybe a video podcast or something of my wife brewing? she is smokin' hot and getting pretty darn good at it

would people here be interested in maybe a video podcast or something of my wife brewing? she is smokin' hot and getting pretty darn good at it

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no pants?

there are two things that i insist wearing pants for--brewing beer and frying bacon

HAW HAW!!! nice one. Bacon grease is a killer!