Why Brew?

Just started brewing a few months ago (have a great Irish Red bottled now), and I have been on this forum several times to, in all honesty, steal recipes.

I love brewing, and it gives me something to talk about with my father (he's an engineer and I'm a film maker, so sometimes the conversation runs a bit dry). I guess the question I have is, why does anyone brew? It's fun, granted, but it's certainly not cheap. And some of the things I have seen folks do to their homes/family/garages have been pretty drastic. It's damn impressive.

I'd love to know. And if you're in NY, a reminder that the Homebrewer's Guild Christmas Party is this Tuesday.

Happy Holidays, all!

Its cheap for me... when you find your comfort zone, it becomes very practical. I can brew beers for under thirty cents a bottle that are great! I don't have a ton of equipment all over the place. The bulkiest things are the fermentation vessels which everything else fits inside of. I do it for the price break, and for the experience of getting better every time.

i love brewing beer. i would do it everyday if i had the time and the ability to consume it all. i also brew pretty cheap. im an all grain brewer and buy all my base grains in bulk and hops in bulk. this makes quite a big difference in price.

Fun pretty much sums it up. Learning is fun for me, and so learning about brewing is fun. Sharing homebrews with my friends - some of whom also brew - is fun. Hobbies in general don't save you money.

i love beer. have since i first opened one (no age given). had my beer revolution about 6 years ago moved away from BMC types and into crafts and heavier beers. started learning about what goes into each beer and what makes them good and then a friend invited me over to a brew party and learned so much more. got a basic kit and it was on!! haven't looked back. learning to pick out flavors and scents and then trying to make clones.

SWMBO started getting into it too. she will pick about every other brew and it is always good to have someone be in on your craft.

brew parties are just another excuse to have a sixer of something new.


Takes Beer to Make Beer

Prost (or boobs)

Every time I fire up the burner, hot chicks stop by my garage and oogle at my impressive skills!
HAHAHA

It's definitely about the fun of brewing, and it's a creative outlet for me. I think what I really like about is that it can be as simple or as complex as you want it to be. I'm somewhere in the middle. I love sharing my creations with Friends and Family, then hearing what they have to say about it, good or bad, then trying to improve from that feedback. The whole process never gets boring for me.

It's a very fun hobby for me. Brew days are my time and SWMBO and the offspring leave me alone or hang out and watch me do my thing. Building my single tier 15 gal. AG system was one of the funnest projects I've done in a long time and it didn't break the bank, thanks to DIY on HBT. I rarely have to buy yeast because I wash yeast from the fermenter, thanks to HBT again. I would guess my cost per gallon to be about $3, which is way less than I can buy the good beer that I enjoy.
Cheers and Happy Holidays!

I do it because I like to and my wife lets me because she enjoys my beers. I have heard the complaint that it takes time away from the family and that is a very valid concern. My answer was to only brew once a month.

I don't agree that it is cheaper- if you count only the raw ingredients, then yes, they are cheap. However if you add in your brew set up, it is usually getting on the costly side. And if you actually keep track of the time you spend sanitizing, cleaning, brewing, and bottling (or kegging, but the keg set up costs a pretty penny), then your 5 gallon batch of home brew starts creeping up in price. Even if you bill yourself out at 10 bucks an hour, you would have somewhere between $60-80 by the end of the brew. If you brew more than 5 gallon batches, then it becomes a little more cost effective. I don't think we as homebrewers keep track of our time because it is a very fun hobby but we should realize this as a factor. I went to creat a beer for Family and friends to enjoy as a gift for the holidays but scratched the idea because I did not have the time to invest in the project. Maybe next year...

Stealing recipes...shame on you! j/k Recipes are posted up so others can have a base for good brews. I could post an exact recipe and my end product will taste different from yours. It has been said that NOT sharing recipes is a dumb idea because there is very little that is unique and it benefits the community as a whole. *EARMUFFS* 99% of us here will not be going pro and those that do, will be using their recipes that they have perfected...and if by the strangest event ever, it does happen, I would be proud as hell to have my recipe featured in a brewery...

Expenses are a hot debate item. The original equipment investment IMO should NOT be counted in the hobby or cost of a beer because this is a HOBBY. Take hunting or fishing as an example. No one counts up the cost per pound of bluegill and bass buy adding in the cost of the boat (and all the maintenance of), licenses and poles. Wives would FREAK OUT and you would be living in that boat! So why is it done with brewing???

Social status. I was sort the outcast at in-laws holiday gatherings/events. Now, I am talked to extensively about this hobby almost like a wish gone horribly wrong. I am also loved by my craft beer drinking friends...and enjoy slowly converting the BMC drinkers.

Self sustainability. I can make something that has nutritional value. I can make A LOT of it in a short period of time. I am even working on a way to use the spent grain AND hops.

Pride. My top 10 favorite beers are the last 10 I brewed...seriously. Any yahoo wanna-be beer snob can walk in and buy beer. It takes a true raving mad lunatic to brew it! Ye be warned...

Intoxication. I can get lit up on high quality beer, require less of it for way less money. It is better for me and I do not feel like a bag of turds in the AM.

ok I am done for now.

When I play a video game that cost $60 I don't factor in the time I take to play it as money spent - this is the fun part. I also don't include the fact that I bought an Xbox360 over 3 years ago at $300.

The same goes with home brewing. When I brew beer that costs me $60 in ingredients, I don't start counting the moment I pop open my sanitizer and the fact that I bought my equipment 3 months ago. I hardly consider the time spent preparing/fermenting/conditioning then enjoying the beer as a cost, it's a hobby, you're supposed to spend time on it.

Unless I had a business where the time and effort spent on the process factored into my revenue at the end of the year, then sure, time is overhead. But to me time =/= money when I'm not at work and enjoying my hobby.

At this point, I brew because it gives me something to do in my off time, I like the process and it's oddly addicting. I'm learning tons of new things and I've got some good reading material for when I'm at work and it's slow. I enjoy BBQing on my smoker while having a nice chill brew. Now I can enjoy my own smoked creations along with beer that I brewed myself. I am the king of my own back yard!

"I am the king of my own back yard!"

enough said.

When the apocalypse comes I will be very popular, no one but crazy teatotaling prohibitionists will try to harm me, I will be able to trade for anything I want including the guns and ammo to fight off the teatotaling prohibitionists, and I make damn good beer

You all have valid points not to keep track of your time as part of the brewing experience. I don't. But from my readings around other boards there are some that do; and if you do it becomes expensive. That was the only point I was making. Didn't mean to set off a hot button issue with anyone.

I do keep track of my time spent, but only because I need to balance family, work, band, and brewing.

TANSTAAFB said:

When the apocalypse comes I will be very popular, no one but crazy teatotaling prohibitionists will try to harm me, I will be able to trade for anything I want including the guns and ammo to fight off the teatotaling prohibitionists, and I make damn good beer

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When the apocalypse comes, you are going to have a tough time finding malted barley and US-05.

same reason anyone does any hobby...

I agree that the cost of equipment and time are not relevant (except of course being able to afford it). Ingredients run me anywhere from about $30 a 5 gal batch to about $70 depending on what I am making ($0.63 cents to $1.45 per 12 oz bottle). that's much cheaper than buying similar quality beer since the high gravity more expensive beers run about $10 or more per 6 pack. Even the ones that I can brew on the < $1 scale cost upwards of $8 per six pack. Definitely cost effective if you discount time and equipment as you would with any other hobby.

Charging yourself for time to brew beer is like charging yourself for the time to go buy it. And the initial investment to start brewing extract and partial mashes is only about $65.00. I made that up in un-purchased 12 packs in no-time. Plus, there is a certain satisfaction in doing it yourself that you just cant find in a store bought beer.

I look at the time spent brewing beer as a gain rather than an expense because it is always time well spent and enjoyed (even if I have a problem or two)

IMHO the ingredients are the only things that should count as cost. And by factoring in the enjoyment I get from working with those ingredients I feel like the actual cost goes down even further.

Captain Damage said:

Hobbies in general don't save you money.

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That pretty much wraps it up for me too. I mean, I am into wood working too, but I'm not going to go buy some piece of trash entertainment system at wal-mart for $100 when I can build one that will last for $500 :cross:

Hobbies are fun, brewing beer is a hobby.

I dont have a definitive answer as to "why" i got into it. Hell, Im not even really "into it" yet, as Ive only done 3 batches. The thing I find funny, though, is: I cant stop thinking about how cool it will be to have a fridge in my basement serving homebrews. I could also just get the fridge and put a craft beer keg in there, but yet that has absolutely zero appeal to me.

I started brewing not long out of high school. The "Black Art" if you will, appealed to me. When I started, it was rare to find a beer brewer, wine was a little more common. My oldest son has helped for several years. A couple of years ago, I went AG. Now both of my sons are pretty good brewers. Plus, I get to sit around, drink homebrew, and tell them what they already know to do. And, they clean up.

For fun

I watched Alton Brown brew a batch and said to myself, I can do that better. After that I read online for about 6 months and then put up an initial investment of about $45 (including my first ingreadent kit, I used what i already had, and didn't take hydrometer readings.) Since I have put in almost $300 b/c I bought a kegging system. I have made a HomeBrew Want List that includes everything from a bottle tree, to chillers. Its fun, and keeps me stress free form my job as a line cook

I love to brew beer for the same reason I love to cook. It's the thrill of creating something that is greater than the sum of its parts.

I brew because if I didn't, my wife would complain about all the money I've spent building brewing equipment I like having projects and brewing projects reward you with great beer.

Well...I tried it once...now I have to do it every couple weeks...can't stop myself.

Why did I start brewing?

Since I grow and can my own food, there's nothing like the taste of homemade. This year, this has transitioned over to beer making.

And lemme tell ya, I did one extract (eh...ok), then I jumped right in to all grain (WOW!!!) and like my garden tomatoes, I'll NEVER buy store bought again.

I don't have an elaborate all-grain system or a keg system. Mainly because they have a cost and take up space. I am happy doing partial mash with 5 lbs of grain/batch.

I am anal about keeping track of my costs. My average OG is 1.058, and my average bottle costs $0.35 (for 12 ozs) when I account for all ingredients/consumables. Including all costs for the hobby (time and electricity not included) it runs $0.50 for a bottle. I will happily stand most of my beers up against any commercial. Hell; I'm saving money vs BMC.

It's fun, interesting and challenging. Occasionally it's a pain having to set aside 5 hours to make a batch (+clean-up), but when you get going, you get right into the rythm.

Why I brew:

1) Fun as hell
2) The rush from creating something that turns out amazing to my taste.
3) The rush from creating something that turns out amazing to my friends' tastes.
4) Experimentation and the challenge of trying to refine a recipe.
5) ....simply because I can

I like watching 'big beer' buckets heave into blow off tubes...

Well, I for one am fully expecting the zombies to start popping up any minute. Are you really going to go into a super market for a 6er of Fat Tire when you might get your face eaten???

Seriously, though, I brew because I love it. I literally have been averaging 2 batches a week for a while now. It sucks, because I have to find places to get rid of all that beer. I give away as much as people will take and still get frustrated when all 5 fermenters are full and kegs just won't go dry!

I love creating recipes, then working on them until they taste how I want them to taste, then working on them until they're even better. I like building all the stuff that goes along with the process. I can't get enough of tasting a hydro sample as it goes into the fermenter, all the while thinking what would happen if I subbed in vienna for a portion of the base malt or whatever.

This may sound weird, but I like brewing more than I like drinking. Once I finish working the kinks out of my current electric rig there's a very good chance that I'm going to build a 1 gallon setup.

I'm a beginner and am 5 batches into it with pre-hopped extracts. During this month, I'm going to advance to making Lagers... fermenting at lower temps is Perfect this time of season and I can't wait..

Reason I do it is because it excites me to see the results from work in progress. I'm also saving tons of $, compared to the cost of purchasing the final product at the supermarket... and there's nothing like enjoying something you've made, if not 100%, yourself.. I take a little bit of pride from that.. feels good, don't it?

For me it's the sense of accomplishment, the "I made that" factor if you will. Plus more important, it is about the love of beer. I wouldn't make a hobby making something I hated. LOL I brew quite a bit having only gotten into the hobby this year. But I share with friends and have had a couple of "Beer Tastings" that have been a wonderful way to enjoy the hobby. Friends are all the time asking about the next beer event at our house. LOL I tell SWMBO its the rock star effect hahahaha

drathbone said:

I enjoy BBQing on my smoker while having a nice chill brew. Now I can enjoy my own smoked creations along with beer that I brewed myself. I am the king of my own back yard!

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Amen!

It gives me something to do other than work.

And for me, it's cheap. I wrote off the first 200 dollars of investment in equipment as the cost of staying sane by having a hobby. After that, it's just kits (which give me 2x as much beer for the same $$ and it's tasty beer). I'm an extract brewer, and I upgrade my equipment as I go. And I quit smoking so that's an additional source of $$ for the hobby.

I enjoy the hobby.

Also, for some strange double-standard, I don't feel as much of a drunk when I have 3-4 of my own home-brew concoctions then if I were to buy a 4-6 pack of something and drink half of it a night.

I suppose 'Ugh, I bought 4 of those and they're already gone!" doesn't feel as bad as 'Hmm, I drank 4, and have 36 left.'

:fro:

I am not a DIY'er type person. I don't even change my own oil in the car or motorcycle. But when I make beer, I get to say "I made this" and really like the whole process.

The things I enjoy about brewing:

Brew day - You are basically standing around with friends drinking beer most of the time while the wort does it thing.

Sharing my beer with friends and family.

Talking to other brewers about beer/brewing

Drinking great beer on a regular basis

The feeling of a job well done

The learning experience that comes from making mistakes, or just finding better more efficient ways to do things.

Initial investment is fairly low and you can add on to your equipment and/or level of involvement as you go.

Beer in general is an extremely interesting topic. I am really starting to enjoy reading about the history of this drink, but even the hows and whys of the brewing process are really fun to learn about.


That's all I can think of now, but I'm sure there are plenty others.

geer537 said:

I do keep track of my time spent, but only because I need to balance family, work, band, and brewing.

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lol... I read this too quickly and thought you were dividing your time between family, work, band, and SCREWING. I thought.. HELL YEAH!

It's funny for me, as I work as an organic chemist for my day job. This brewing beer hits all the same entertainment buttons in my brain that chemistry does. Chemists, as a breed, are infinitely entertained by bubbling, boiling, dripping, etc.. not to mention all the pretty colors. I can stand in my lab and watch something distill for hours.. drip.. drip.. drip.. Same for watching an airlock or blow-off tube.. bubble.. bubble.. bubble.. hours go past and my wife wonders if I'm dead in the basement.