Get a brew buddy!

It's sweet. I recruited a guy a couple months ago, and let me tell you, it sure makes things go well. You split the cost, get to do more beers, makes bottle washing go a lot easier and don't get so bored while waiting on your boiling wort.

A nice bonus is that I keg and they stay at my house. So I probably end up getting more of the beer anyway. Also, he's a coworker of my wife's, which gives her a little more buy in. she's just happy that I get along with one of her co-workers.

I'm working on it. Most of my friends are either too busy, too lazy or not interested. My sister's fiance is moving to the Chicagoland area and I just met him for the first time. He LOVES craft beer and enjoyed the one I had on tap. I think I've got him hooked!

I've been trying. My brother has brewed a couple of batches but not much. My sister got a starters kit for her husband last year for Christmas and I still don't think he's used it yet . I got tired of asking him if he wanted to come down and brew with me to see how it's done. Kept getting the excuse he was too busy. Then WTF did she buy it for him then

I tried to get my brother into it, he says he's interested but he's busy as hell. He's still fundamentally a BMC drinker, although he'll certainly have a pint of something better if it's around as well. Lots of people are interested, but not so interested as to put in four or five hours.

I totally agree. There are two co-workers and a former co-worker that home brew. We got together this past weekend to brew a big batch and drink beer. Here are some of the beers we sampled yesterday.

I brew with my brother, and it is a lot better then having to do everything by myself. I can't imagine cleaning and bottling 100 bottles at once without help, but I am getting kegs soon so maybe I won't need him as much anymore.

Hehe, actually, I try to brew as much by myself as possible. Given the intrusions on the kitchen, which doesn't sit well with SWMBO, it's not like I can brew every day...so when I have to split the results with another person, it kinda sucks. Yes, it's great to have help with various mundane tasks, but there are certain batches where I'd gladly trade that help for the other half of the bottles. Yes, I still share some bottles of every batch I make with my "brew buddy" (he taught me how to brew, after all, so I owe him!), but I don't split it with him unless we brew together.

It'd be cool to find someone to brew with, but doing separate batches. Just someone to shoot the **** with, to brainstorm any problems that arise, to provide some guidance.

I've got a friend who wants to learn so he may come over a few times, but no plans to be brew buddies per se, mainly due to schedule constraints.

I really miss guzzleboy (Michael), a real wiz with the Webber & a great guy.

Started brewing with a guy up here, but he closed his pizza shop & got a regular job about 50 miles away. I've met a few locals, haven't done any brewing with them.

Unlike most of the posters here, a big plus for me of having a brewing buddy is less beer for me to drink and more chances to brew. Sometimes I'll take a 1/2 keg to a club meeting just to float it! I haven't even picked any blackberries this year, too much left over from 2005.

Yeah, I tried to recruit my son. I helped him with his first batch, and now he brews with his friends instead of me! The upside is, I get to keep all my beer!

david_42 said:

Unlike most of the posters here, a big plus for me of having a brewing buddy is less beer for me to drink and more chances to brew. Sometimes I'll take a 1/2 keg to a club meeting just to float it! I haven't even picked any blackberries this year, too much left over from 2005.

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Amen to that. Honestly my biggest problem with home brew is I dont drink enuff. Dont get me wrong I LOVE beer but I am still struggling to get myself UP TO 1 beer a night. I dont know if it has something to do with my excessive drinking back in my Navy days or if it has something to do with my MASSIVE addiction to caffene. On a normal day I'll easily drink 4 liters of diet coke a day.

If I could find a brew buddy just to help me drink what I brew AND RETURN THE G** D*** BOTTLES it would rock. I have even thought about making only 2.5 gallon batches just so I can keep brewing at a decent rate.

Pumbaa said:

If I could find a brew buddy just to help me drink what I brew AND RETURN THE G** D*** BOTTLES it would rock.

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Hell I'll give you bottles that I have when you give me the beer for a even swap. A counter presure bottle filler will needed to be bought (or made) to give you a beer swap since I keg.

If you're serious . . . . (looks over shoulder for SWMBO) . . . I have about 10 cases finished and another 2 batches going (about 4-5 cases) . . . I may not want to give ya half of my stock pile BUT . . . . if ya maybe showed up with 2 cases of clean empty bottles ($1.20 a case at Discount) ya might end up leaving with 2 cases of home brew. We could even do the swap out at the fire house at Timmerman Field (91st and Appleton)

Be warned I tend to stick towards the maltier beers, I'm not much of a hop head, and the weakest beer I have made so far is about 6% ABV.

I think I'm probably the only person I know with 15 cases of beer trying to figure out how to get rid of it so I can make more and a more different kinds . . . .

I may be having another party soon to help deplete the stock pile BTW, I'll let ya know.

Pumbaa will brew for you if you just bring him empties!?

What a ****ing DEAL. When you consider that after the first time, you are just giving him is own bottles back, this is basically a situation where 2 cases of empties supplies a lifetime of homebrew!

Walker-san said:

Pumbaa will brew for you if you just bring him empties!?

What a ****ing DEAL. When you consider that after the first time, you are just giving him is own bottles back, this is basically a situation where 2 cases of empties supplies a lifetime of homebrew!

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Yeah but after my last party it took me 6 months to build the stock pile back up to where it's at now. They downed about 8 cases that night. So reliability of that free home brew could be in question.

Oh and my cider and wierd stuff is pretty much off limits . . . I may let ya have a 750 ml bottle of Braggot or Holy Hell but I wouldnt hold your breath.

Just when he wants some different different beers. In other words when he has too much beer and not enough bottles I will help him out.

For Pumba: I read your last post and when right down stairs to count my bottles!:cross:

Before I moved to Austin I had someone help me brew... once. He didnt seem so interested in helping bottle though (although he didnt mind helping empty them). Here in Austin, I have a friend who is really interested in the process (quote: "I like beer, I may as well put it into bottles"). He has helped me on a mead and a couple of beers now. We are kinda learning the AG thing together.

He's a HUGE help, especially with bottling. I'd recomend a brew buddy to anyone.

- magno

PS file this one under drunken ramblings...

I have two brew buddies and wish I didn't have any. They don't bother reading the literature, take a lazy approach to sanitation, and won't even clean up after brewing.

SWMBO does not like beer, can barely stand the smell of it on me, so when I started brewing it was over my two buddies place. That worked well when we were brewing 5 gallon extract batches, but now with all the all-grain equipment it takes a lot of clean up. Which I usually do alone, they seem to think once the burner is off, it's TV time. If I am running late, they all volunteer to finish off the last of the clean up, which won't happen. Last time I took their word, I found two primaries on the back porch filled with rain water and mosquito larvae.

Sorry, this post is starting to turn into a rant, I will pinch it off here.

I brew by myself. If you want it done right, do it yourself. I'm too anal about the sanitation to trust 'Oh yeah, "burp" it's clean alright"

I'd rather have a beer buddy that I can share my craft beer with. They aren't too hard to find.

If anybody in the Boston area is interested in a brew buddy, let me know. I'm new to the forum but have been brewing for a whopping 9 months. I'm slowly growing my stock pile of tools (read: 2 carboys, a 2 gallon pot, auto-siphon, and various 'meters') and would be interested in helping somebody will knowledge and maybe refine my modest skills.

PS I enjoy walks on the beach and monkeys and come complete with wacky stories.

i got my brothers to appreciate the home brew, and now they like to help. they throw in for ingriedients and are learning the process, but i'm just happy to have someone else to help bottle and sanitize. now i do a bit of sitting back and drinking whilst they huck around boiling pots and carboys and buckets full of sanitizer...

I have a buddy from back home that has seen the homebrew light and likes to help out but he is two hours away which limits the number of joint brew sesions. My brother has helped out as well but he just doesn't seem too interested. I think he is in it more for the free beer.

I really enjoy being able to share the experience of making beer. I find that the time passes faster and you have someone to share the excitment with.

Cheers,
Paul

I talked mine into buying a wort chiller tonight! http://www.northernbrewer.com/pics/fullsize/immersion-chiller-garden-h.jpg

photohand (Dennis) and myself have been brewing together for several years I just love having a friend that is into all the $#!^ I am into and versa viasa except he comes over on brew day and drinks all my beer!!! that basterd. O ya he calls is insperation beer ya ya ya I know thats just his way of making it sound legit. LOL
More BEERS to come Sooooon
JJ

interested in finding a brew buddy in the Phoenix area if anybody is around

PeterMA said:

If anybody in the Boston area is interested in a brew buddy, let me know.

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I live in Waltham. If you wanna come by sometime and drink some beers and help with a partial mash batch, you're certainly welcome.

roofjump said:

interested in finding a brew buddy in the Phoenix area if anybody is around

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Where are you located in the valley roofjump?

Wild

david_42 said:

I really miss guzzleboy (Michael), a real wiz with the Webber & a great guy.

Started brewing with a guy up here, but he closed his pizza shop & got a regular job about 50 miles away. I've met a few locals, haven't done any brewing with them.

Unlike most of the posters here, a big plus for me of having a brewing buddy is less beer for me to drink and more chances to brew. Sometimes I'll take a 1/2 keg to a club meeting just to float it! I haven't even picked any blackberries this year, too much left over from 2005.

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I agree with you here, I don't want to wait for me to drink 5 gallons, if I split it up I can brew twice as often.

I have two slaves. My two younger brothers are in charge of cleanup. I do the mashing/brewing, and they follow up behind me doing cleanup. Small price to pay since they are drinking most of the beer anyways.

It cuts at least an hour and a half off my brewday

wild said:

Where are you located in the valley roofjump?

Wild

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I am northern phoenix, close to the 51 and 101 stack. Just finished my Scottish Ale, and fermenter ready for another batch! I've got a buddy who comes over and helps, but we're both newbs and want to learn more.

I'm on the NW side at 47th & Greenway and am looking to brew something tasty. I'm not AG yet but in the process of designing/building a portable brewery.

Wild

wild said:

I'm on the NW side at 47th & Greenway and am looking to brew something tasty. I'm not AG yet but in the process of designing/building a portable brewery.

Wild

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If you were interested, I would help out with your next batch, just to see your whole process. Ive done only 3 batches to date and have the same off flavor in each one.

I'm ready now! Actually I had planned to brew over this past weekend but couldn't decide on what to brew. Decisions, decisions.

Wild

My brew buddy is me CFO (aka the wife) which makes it easier to approve new expditures! I'll be working on getting a wort chiller soon.

I helped a brew-bud out with a 10 gallon AG batch yesterday. One of his close friends has been a regular for several of his recent batches and I only lent a hand few times during the whole process. They had the after-brew clean up done in a fraction of the time it takes me. I was pretty envious.

Having someone to BS with for 3-5 hours of brewing sure would be nice. Too bad none of my neighbors are the type I'd have help me.