Brewing Solo vs. Brewing with a partner(s)

This question has been on my mind the last couple of times I have brewed: do you prefer to brew solo or with others?
Personally I feel as if there are benefits to both; If I'm brewing a new recipe or experimenting with new equipment I like to be solo simply because It take more focus. However if I am brewing a familiar recipe it is really fun to have a friend or two join in and throw back a few in the process. I don't really have a dedicated brewing partner so I tend to brew with a different person each time I don't feel like brewing solo. Curious to hear what everyone else is doing! :rockin:

As long as whoever is around doesnt mind giving an extra set of hand for a minute or 2 then partner.

If my 4 year old son has been good then he is my brewing partner. We talk about everything scientifically. He even keeps track of the beers in primary with me. I like having someone there to keep me from obsessing.

I brew alone ... I love spending a day on the patio with the Giants game on TV and wort in the kettle ...

I've never brewed with anyone before. It's very much a zen like thing for me. I do have a friend here locally that also brews that I hope to brew with some time, though...

I always brew with my dog Hooper

I've done all my brewing alone except two time and I've gone over to a friend's house a few times when he is brewing. It was nice to have company but I also enjoy brewing alone. Like Stauffbier said, it's very much a zen thing.

Dan said:

I've done all my brewing alone except two time and I've gone over to a friend's house a few times when he is brewing. It was nice to have company but I also enjoy brewing alone. Like Stauffbier said, it's very much a zen thing.

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^^ Here's a guy I hope to brew with some day as well!^^

Stauffbier said:

^^ Here's a guy I hope to brew with some day as well!^^

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Yep looking forward to brewing with you too my friend!

I have a friend who makes beer also, it's ok to talk beer, and drink beer, but I'd rather brew alone.

I brew both ways - many times my wife is my brew partner ; that definitely helps out a lot when I need help milling, doughing in, sparging, etc. Extra hands are always nice. Other times I brew alone for the zen effect as well! Last year I brewed over 20 batches, so the help is always welcomed.

A few times I have a brought a friend to help them learn the process - after a few sessions they start to do more of the work as I monitor their learning progress - that also has been rewarding. Now they're off on all grain brewing their own recipes!

dutchoven said:

I brew alone ... I love spending a day on the patio with the Giants game on TV and wort in the kettle ...

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Well said. I'm watching the giants now. Never miss a game even though its' almost midnight on the east coast, I'll stay up late.

Brewing during a baseball game...sounds like heaven.

Pretty much brew everything with a partner now. Like me, he's serious about brewing and is incredibly good with equipment, etc. It's fun to have a class A gasfitter and refrigeration professional as your brew buddy. It doesn't take long for the 400,000 BTU burner he built to boil 18 gallons. It's also nice to have a couple of dedicated fermentation chambers and all the cold storage we need. The next step might be a dedicated lagering room in my basement. SWMBO is sold on the idea of a walk-in cooler so...why not?

osagedr said:

Pretty much brew everything with a partner now. Like me, he's serious about brewing and is incredibly good with equipment, etc.

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Although extra hands are nice, I think if I was going to brew with a dedicated partner they would have to be as serious about it as I am. I can see how it would be beneficial to have someone of greater or equal passion and knowledge of brewing with you to get the creative juices flowing.

I've never brewed alone. Started brewing with a friend I've know since Jr. High school. Seems easier in a lot of ways. For example while mashing in, one pours grain while the other stirs. One fills bottles while the other caps. Plus during the down times like mashing and boiling, we have some home brews and cigars. Only downside is scheduling brew days when we are both free, but that really hasn't been a big problem.

I brew alone that way if the brew come out Great I get all the credit!
Down side is no one to blame wen it turns out bad and no drinking buddy

I've brewed mostly with other people that haven't brewed before. Kind of like a homebrew evangelist. I got my dad brewing with me sometimes because he was interested in trying it out (plus, he bought a lot of the equipment to share with me). Another buddy who'd brewed before has benefited from my attention to detail and sanitation practices, and consequently has vastly improved his own brewing process.

I have two really close friends who I brew with. I brew alone occasionally but not that often. I find brewing alone to be kind of boring. I enjoy the conversation in between mashing and boiling. I think I'm the opposite of most before me, I actually brew simpler things when I'm alone. I like to do more experimental things with my friends there. I find it to be more exciting that way.

Dan said:

I've done all my brewing alone except two time and I've gone over to a friend's house a few times when he is brewing. It was nice to have company but I also enjoy brewing alone. Like Stauffbier said, it's very much a zen thing.

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Yep, same here... put on some music, enjoy a few beers... very relaxing for my psyche.

I like brewing with people, but it doesn't happen often, as I usually brew in the evening after work. Brewdays can run past 11PM quite easily.

Just me and my good buddy weiser, that's all I ever need. Cause I brew alone!

I've noticed when I brew alone that everything is more relaxed. I go at my own pace and I don't feel rushed or impatient.

However, I do still enjoy having someone there to help with lifting, cleaning and prepping... Makes things easier

I brew alone most of the time. It is very relaxing, it gives me the chance to have a quiet stress free day. I don't let myself get upset if something goes wrong, I just fix it. I think that is harder for me with other people around because I'm not as tuned in.

bbrim said:

I brew alone most of the time. It is very relaxing, it gives me the chance to have a quiet stress free day. I don't let myself get upset if something goes wrong, I just fix it. I think that is harder for me with other people around because I'm not as tuned in.

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Seems as though many of us prefer to brew alone. Like you said, it is very relaxing, Stauffbier calls it "zen". I'm the same way.

You didn't mention if you are doing extract or all grain. If you happen to be doing all-grain, if you have a crusher or plan to get one don't get all caught up in the perfect motor and pulley system or drill to do the work. Attach the hand crank and grind it yourself.

It's not always practical I suppose but if you can set away a half hour of peaceful time to weigh out the grain and grind it yourself; I think on a zen factor of 1-10, you'll find grinding by hand is around an 11, but that's just me.

One thing I truly enjoy about this hobby is DIY and patience. Great therapy when life get's to busy. I'll never use a drill again to crush grain.

Wow! Where did all that come from?

see and I found the journey from hand cranking to drilling to be the most satisfying out of all my upgrades

I brew with a friend. We split the cost on the equipment and ingredients. We will brew on Saturday at his house. Three weeks later, we will bottle at his house, split them evenly, then move everything to my house and start the next batch. He prefers more hoppy. I prefer more malty. But we both appreciate a variety of styles and are having a great time trying stuff we can't get at Costco.

I just recently got a few 6 gallon buckets so I am going to start doing some batches on the side when the fermentor is over at his house.

wSelwyn said:

I've noticed when I brew alone that everything is more relaxed. I go at my own pace and I don't feel rushed or impatient.

However, I do still enjoy having someone there to help with lifting, cleaning and prepping... Makes things easier

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Well spoken. When I brew with other people I always feel more stressed, and they always seem to get in the way. There's one guy in particular who loves brewing with me, but I hate brewing with him because he keeps messing with the wort, sticking his nose in it to sniff it (fine when it's boiling, not so fine when it's cooling) and just fidgeting around.

I've gotten my brewing process down to the point that I don't ever need to lift anything above 8 liters or so (Except at the end when I have to move the full fermentor) It would be nice to have someone to help with the cleaning. But then, I don't think I'd trust anyone else. I'm obsessive about sanitation...

I have a partner. We mostly brew together but I also brew alone. Either works as even days we brew together we seem to be doing a lot and working towards bigger things

It was nice to have extra financial backing for some of the gear but in the end I do enjoy brewing alone for the zen but will always enjoy my partner but probably couldn't handle other friends being around.

I'm not a big fan of drinking as much as I do on brew day alone...

I brew alone. I feel like when someone is around I get easily distracted and I might miss something in the brewing process. I keep track of my brew day on paper but all the steps are going around in my head. Although there is a friend of mine bugging to come brew with me. He doesn't have his own equipment but he is more than willing to purchase all the product, help brew and share beer.

My disability makes brewing alone a bit dangerous since I don't really want to pour several gallons of boiling wort on myself. I would brew alone if I could find a way

When I started brewing, it was strictly solo. Our eldest son talked me into it, but he lived at such a distance that there was really no way I could be broken in in a group setting. So- I just read Palmer about three times and started brewing extracts. About 18 months later, while we were visiting the boy, he did a batch of AG, and I helped. I went home and immediately switched to AG.....and, except for a few instances, have brewed alone ever since. It's what I'm used to now, I have my own system, and I guess I view anyone else as more of a distraction than a help.

Also, at my age, I can't afford to view a brew session as a social event, in that there is NO drinking of beer while brewing. Once the airlock goes in the fermenter, then I'll crack a tube, but not until then.

My husband always insists on helping. I would prefer to brew alone. I love taking my time, and tinkering with numbers on brewsmith. I also make fewer mistakes when alone. I have now learned to time my brew day to where hubby comes home somewhere during boil. This is when all the heavy lifting with my particular set up starts, and I certainly do appreciate his help.with that AND with final clean up ;-). He loves to mess with all the equipment such as kegs, CO2, fermenter, etc and I don't. I guess Im being a typical girl.

I have only ever brewed alone

I have brewed both with friends and alone, while I enjoy having a kettle going in the backyard while playing with my boy I also have a regular brew crew that we try to get together and brew at least once a month. It helps to bounce ideas off others when experimenting outside the extract or partial mash kits.

99% of my brews have been solo. I helped my brother in law do his first batch so technically that wasn't my beer, and 1 time another friend came by to check it out. He left right after mashing in though so it doesn't really count.

I'm with most of you that I enjoy parking it in the back yard/driveway with the radio on and just doing my thing. I have opened it up to any of my friends that if they want to come check it out they're welcome to, but I'll likely be more focused on making good beer than making good conversation.

The other day I brewed my first batch totally solo. Didn't like it. I don't know, I felt like the time from flameout to pitching took entirely too long.

I enjoy the company most of the time, especially when showing someone new to brewing, but honestly, it's distracting to me and I usually brew better alone.

I need to take advantage of those small moments between things to do those things that I've forgotten about, or to run through the process and recipe and remember to do things and get things ready.

Once my new rig is put together and I finalize my system, it should start to get more second nature and I can afford to socialize and educate without fear of forgetting something, or having to scramble to adjust for a problem.

This reminds me I need to put together a stout recipe for my next brew day. IPA is almost ready to come out of the ferm chamber and I will want to get the stout in there right after I pull it out.

I brew (extract) alone mostly out of necessity. My other brew friends do partial boil extract to so no one has portable burners, and we can only do one pot at a time on the kitchen stove. I'd love to do social brewing days though.

One friend is jumping to all grain and getting a burner. Once he does that we can probably start brewing together. Will probably make me want to get one too

I like both. I enjoy group brewing with my friends or on big brew days like last week, where we had a couple hundred gathered some brewing and some drinking. And I also like doing small batch brewing on my own. Usually that involves me brewing and cooking some uber complex meal at the same time.