How Many Batches Have You Brewed?

How many batches of beer have you brewed in your homebrewing career? How many do you do in a year? Does anyone brew so much they are in danger of exceeding the 200 gallon limit? I'm pretty new at this-- started late last summer or early last fall. I've got my sixth batch in the secondary now.

mmditter said:

How many batches of beer have you brewed in your homebrewing career? How many do you do in a year? Does anyone brew so much they are in danger of exceeding the 200 gallon limit? I'm pretty new at this-- started late last summer or early last fall. I've got my sixth batch in the secondary now.

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I'm approximately in the 110 to 120 range for total lifetime batches.

My consumption/giving-away rate leads me to brewing 2 batches a month these days. So, I guess I crank out about 120 gallons a year. If I were the only adult in the house, I would be exceeding my legal limit (100 gallons a year for a house with a single adult). But, since SWMBO is an adult (or at least she SAYS she is), I'm allowed 200 gallons a year, and I'm in no danger of exceeding that limit.

-walker

The batch that's in my secondary right now is my 7th batch of 2006, so my pace so far is for about 28 5.5 gallon batches or 154 gallons. I'm guessing I don't actually make that much in a year, though. My cellar is pretty well stocked right now (I'm not sure I even will have enough bottles to bottle the batch that's in secondary now--guess I have to up the rate at which I'm emptying them!)

cweston said:

My cellar is pretty well stocked right now (I'm not sure I even will have enough bottles to bottle the batch that's in secondary now--guess I have to up the rate at which I'm emptying them!)

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Need help???!!!!

sonvolt said:

Need help???!!!!

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That's really generous of you.

Actually, I cracked the first bottle (too early) of my hefeweizen last night, and it's really nice and SWMBO likes it, so it looks like she'll be able to help the cause a little, too.

I used 3333 German wheat: it has a very nice subtle bubblegum hint, but mostly spicy/clove and not really any banana at all. I think the only thing I'm not going to like about it is that it's quite a bit more flocculant than other hefe yeast strains, so in addition to the nice cloudy suspended yeast, if you swirl the bottle you get some chunkier stuff in there, too.

Since the first of the year I have done 50 gallons, so if I keep going I will be above the limit. I am trying to have about 3 or 4 kegs ready to drink at all times. But the question is how can that limit be enforced? You don't have to sign for any of the supplies you use, so the law is really un-enforceable.

I've done 7 or 8 so far and I've been on the road for 9 weeks so far.

Last year I was on the road 22 weeks and still managed to brew 20 batches.

Well, let's see...

Looks like 10, not including the cider.

flhrpi said:

Since the first of the year I have done 50 gallons, so if I keep going I will be above the limit. I am trying to have about 3 or 4 kegs ready to drink at all times. But the question is how can that limit be enforced? You don't have to sign for any of the supplies you use, so the law is really un-enforceable.

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yeah... i think it's just meant to snag bootleggers that have 'homebrew' set-ups that are cranking out many many barrels of beer, so much that it can't POSSIBLY be for personal consumption. the only way it could be enforced would be if someone snitched on you and informed the AT&F gang that you were making some serious amounts of brew.

(Walker shifts eyes toward the Brewpastor)

3 :hanging head in shame:

Imperial Walker said:

yeah... i think it's just meant to snag bootleggers that have 'homebrew' set-ups that are cranking out many many barrels of beer, so much that it can't POSSIBLY be for personal consumption.

(Walker shifts eyes toward the Brewpastor)

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Yeah, with that set up he could make a healthy living around here on Sunday's.

I've done 43 batches. From 1998-2002 I brewed 22 batches of extract/kit beer. I took a break for a couple years, then brewed my first all grain batch (#23) in August of 2004. I brewed 19 batches from Aug. 2004 - Dec. 2005.

I'm looking forward to the completion of the basement, so I can get back to brewing. I miss the smell of the mash.

Imperial Walker said:

yeah... i think it's just meant to snag bootleggers that have 'homebrew' set-ups that are cranking out many many barrels of beer, so much that it can't POSSIBLY be for personal consumption. the only way it could be enforced would be if someone snitched on you and informed the AT&F gang that you were making some serious amounts of brew.

(Walker shifts eyes toward the Brewpastor)

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and that you are trying to sell the beer.

Don't worry, I won't tell on anyone. (Just send a few bottles of your best my way every couple of weeks or so and my lips are sealed!)

I've been brewing since December 1995 (with a 3 year break that ended Jan. of this year) and I'd say I've brewed about 40 or 50 batches. I don't know the exact number because when I purchased a new computer, all my prior brewing sessions were lost in the transfer. This year I've only brewed 4 batches. I would like to step it up but getting the time is a problem as is disrupting the house for a full day.

HurricaneFloyd said:

3 :hanging head in shame:

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I'm also ashamed to say how few batches I've done, tho I guess you could figure it out since my entire brewing career (minus 1 hurricane induced dumper) is contained in my sig.

Seven half-batches (2.5 gal)
Blueberry Bride Pale Ale
Sweet Mother of Mystery Winter Brew
SNAFU Wheat
Boston Evac Day Stout
"Why's this so sweet?" Stout
Fr. Vinnie's "Keepa you handsa offa Maibock!"
Heavyweight Bockster
ESB
Five real batches.
Cali Pale Ale
Not very good Honey Amber Ale
Cali Pale Ale #2 (Betta!)
Apricot Cream Ale
Belgian Blonde Ale

The 2.5 gal batches are sort of experimental, but then again, so are the rest of them. I got a Mr. Beer for Christmas and my enthusiasm grew much faster than my skill level. I bought some guy's whole brewing set up (multiple carboys and buckets, etc.) for $50 and went at it. I still have very little idea what I'm doing...but thanks to advice from you's guys, most of those batches came out tasty.

Maybe a dozen or so, plus or minus one or two. Been at it about a year and a half.

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I have been brewing for over 25 years and don't have any idea my current patch count. It would easily be 250, not counting the commercial brewing which would be at least in the range of 1000 batches.

As far as amount brewed annually, I would never dream of brewing even one drop over my annual legal limit. That is my story and I am sticking to it.

This is my first year of brewing and tonight's brew session will make it batch #12.

Just started ... My third batch is in the secondary. Brewing number four, an American Wheat, this weekend.
Jimi

Three months into this great hobby, I am on #6.....Black Dog Ale in Primary! Two more on deck.....Irish Red and a Cream Ale...Golf season on the way up in the great white north.

28 batches (140 gal) since I started in Jan 05. 12 DME & the rest AG.

I'll probably be pretty much a 22-24 batch annual production type of guy.

13 brews since Jan 05(all extract kits,but have just got hold of a 20quart stock pot.Will have to find some recipes to try soon with fresh ingredients).Got 3 5g fermentors on the go on the dining table(and one keg sat happily conditioning:rockin: )Trying my best to get some bottle stock but things keep going wrong(people coming round for a sample....me drinking it all )

Must try harder...sorry must brew quicker

I average at 4 brews per month (2beer 2cider) for the last year and 2 per month in the previous year and a half minus a few missed brew weeks due to lack of time/funds maybe 70 ish.

flhrpi said:

Since the first of the year I have done 50 gallons, so if I keep going I will be above the limit. I am trying to have about 3 or 4 kegs ready to drink at all times. But the question is how can that limit be enforced? You don't have to sign for any of the supplies you use, so the law is really un-enforceable.

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Don't forget, the 200 gallon limit goes up if you have more than one drinking-age adult in your household. It's 200 gal. for each adult in your house. So in my case I could legally brew 400 gallons because SWMBO counts, too, even though she doesn't brew (or drink beer for that matter).

I'm still green at this, but I bottled my whopping second batch on 2-5-06. Luckily I learned from mistakes made the first and this time it's twice as good. Belgian Trippel, BTW.

I wasn't aware that there was a legal limit on how much you can brew/year! But what the F do I care. I have 2 roomies! hah! I'd have to quit school and both my jobs to find the time to break that limit. As it is though, I'm on number ten. That's since I made my first batch the 1st of Jan this year, and had to take one month off cuz I had to move. One can't exactly load up 3 carboys of beer in the back of a truck without messing things up. I brew every friday though unless space or my wallet keep me from doing so. Man there's been a few sad fridays I tell you what.

15 months of brewing and I am up to 28 batches. 6 were extract, the rest AG. 3 got dumped.

I'm behind the pace from last year, but when the wife is gone for a month this summer I plan on brewing at least 6 batches. I'll have endless grain (3 bags of bulk grain just ordered), endless hops (freezer full), and loads of yeast slurry.

ablrbrau said:

Don't forget, the 200 gallon limit goes up if you have more than one drinking-age adult in your household. It's 200 gal. for each adult in your house. So in my case I could legally brew 400 gallons because SWMBO counts, too, even though she doesn't brew (or drink beer for that matter).

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I thought the limit was 100 gallons for 1 adult, and 200 gallons for anything more than 1 adult. (ie; even with 6 adults in the house, you are limited to 200 gallons.)

-walker

Imperial Walker said:

I thought the limit was 100 gallons for 1 adult, and 200 gallons for anything more than 1 adult. (ie; even with 6 adults in the house, you are limited to 200 gallons.)

-walker

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I believe you are correct. Does a shed count as a second home?

Imperial Walker said:

I thought the limit was 100 gallons for 1 adult, and 200 gallons for anything more than 1 adult. (ie; even with 6 adults in the house, you are limited to 200 gallons.)

-walker

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I'm sure that 100 gallons per adult is correct. I'm not sure about the 200 gallon cap part, though.

Sounds like it might vary state-by-state.

edit: from other links that I have just been reading, it sounds like the FEDERAL law says 100 gallons per person per year, but the states can set an absolute cap per household, and many states set that cap at 200 gallons.

Thanks, Walker, I sit corrected at my computer, homebrew in hand.
BTW, I have no idea how much i've brewed over the last ten years or so. I do know that I'm up to about 40- 50 gallons this year though.

Imperial Walker said:

Legality

In the United States, in 1978, President Jimmy Carter signed into law a bill explicitly allowing home beer and winemaking, which was at the time illegal as a holdover from the prohibitionStates can also set their own laws concerning beer and wine making. Most specify brewing 100 gallons of beer per person over the age of 21 per household, up to a maximum of 200 gallons per year.excise taxes, homebrewers are restricted from selling any beer they brew. This similarly applies in most Western countries. of alcoholic beverages (repealed in 1933). This applies at the Federal level, and Because alcohol is taxed by the federal governments via

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Sounds like it might vary state-by-state.

edit: from other links that I have just been reading, it sounds like the FEDERAL law says 100 gallons per person per year, but the states can set an absolute cap per household, and many states set that cap at 200 gallons.

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It was illegal to homebrew in Georgia until a few years ago.

3 Gallons so far!:rockin: Just started.

Brewpastor said:

I believe you are correct. Does a shed count as a second home?

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It does in Alabama. I can say that, my wife's from Alabama and that shed was their 'summa' home while growing up

The outhouse doesn't count tho, even though it has the word 'house' in the name.

I've made probably 7 batches since December, including the three I have in carboys/bucket right now.

Imperial Walker said:

I thought the limit was 100 gallons for 1 adult, and 200 gallons for anything more than 1 adult. (ie; even with 6 adults in the house, you are limited to 200 gallons.)

-walker

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It's immaterial isn't it? I don't really believe anyone could prove you've brewed more than your 'legal' limit unless you happen to have over 200 gallons (that would be 381 half litre bottles) in your Garage at once! And if you did don't ask me to help you bottle it - start kegging!

Well, I am a real newbie here; I started brewing 2 months ago in Feb. and I have done 3 batches so far, will be starting my 4th next Saturday. All my brews have been kits with DME and specialty grains for steeping.