Brewing with friends

There isn't really a point to this post aside from seeing if others feel the same way.

I am still new at this and brewed my 6th batch (a honey porter) today. Up until this point I've brewed all of my batches by myself, or with my SWMBO in the other room. I have a friend who has been getting very interested in craft beer and he wanted to come over when I brewed a batch.

I already enjoyed brewing but I must say it was a lot more fun with someone interested in the process to keep me company. It was also nice to have someone to watch for boil overs and to pour malt extract while I stirred.

We both had a really good time and he wants to come by next time I brew. So, do all of you enjoy brewing with others or do you feel that it is better as a solitary activity?

I love brewing with other people! unfortunatly I don't have a brew partner anymore so this is an open invite to any brewer on the CT shoreline. I am in Old Saybrook and always looking to brew. shoot me a PM to set something up

I wish I had some help with brewing and bottling. I only have help with emptying the bottles!

Yeah, I had a friend flake out on me twice, so I've never bothered to invite him to brew since. And one of SWMBO's friends husband wanted to help, but the the wives had a fight and the husbands aren't allowed hang out anymore.

I pretty much just brew solo, although I have met a couple of other Las Vegas brewers, so maybe one day we'll all have a big brew day!

I've only brewed solo. I have an old friend coming through town in a few days though and we are going to brew a barleywine. He's pumped. He's made quite a bit of mead and really wants to learn the beer process. Since I"m AG I think he will really get an insight to the process. I suspect he will start brewing beer no longer after. Not to mention, we are going to get schwilly on homebrew during the brew.

I love doing group-brews with people. The only time I've had someone just hang out and watch... eh, he was interested, but interested in other things, too... so he ended up hanging out in the house more than brewing with me.

But yeah, nothing's more enjoyable than the Yankee Ingenuity gatherings.

talleymonster said:

Yeah, I had a friend flake out on me twice, so I've never bothered to invite him to brew since. And one of SWMBO's friends husband wanted to help, but the the wives had a fight and the husbands aren't allowed hang out anymore.

I pretty much just brew solo, although I have met a couple of other Las Vegas brewers, so maybe one day we'll all have a big brew day!

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Are you doing FG or PM yet? You might just have some people showing up to see the process if you are

Since I've moved, I haven't found anyone to brew with. Guess I'll have to learn to brew in Spanish!

Wild

My buddies like to help with the brewing because they know I let them take a bunch more home if they do. I don't mind brewing by myself either, but if I had the choice it's nice to have someone to talk to - especially when they're interested in the process and not just the result.

I would brew with a buddy every time if I could, but I still enjoy brewing even if it's just me.

I'm getting together 3-4 friends in a few weeks who have never brewed but are interested. We're also going to let the SWMBOs carve pumpkins with the squids and then cook some steaks on the barbi to wrap things up. Should be a great time!

I like having others come over, although they rarely stay for the whole brew.

Most of the time I end up brewing by myself, but its always nice to have others to drink/brew with.

-D

I think it would cool to have a brew buddy, but I have brewed all my beer alone. Even SWMBO has no interest in even hanging out with me when I brew. She doesn't like beer. Did I say doesn't like? Sorry I meant hate, yes hate, she hates beer. So I brew alone as well as drink alone. Sad really, all this passion for beer and no one to share it with...

Oh well, more beer for ME!

That is a very sad story, I'll drink one for you.
I've found bros coming over to brew/drink is great but finding a bro you can introduce to the joy of homebrewing and they end up hooked is priceless

I tend to brew at weekend and have people dropping in and out, they are always facinated at the fact I make beer from grain and grow my own hops. None of them want to get into it though but they like to see it being made and sample an end product.

I quite happy brewing now whilst I'm doing other things. I've got it down so that the brew doesn't have to be the main event.

I reckon that in a 4 hour brew session I may actually only be doing things for just over an hour. So I can socialise at the same time.

I've done a few with a buddy, but for the most part brew myself. It's nice to have someone knowledgeable to talk to during the brewing, but it is also peaceful just brewing myself.

I miss my brewing partner very much. He and I would brew, BBQ & his GF would make side dishes. I still enjoy brewing by myself, but it's much more fun with someone else.

i usually brew by myself but it's been impossible with my bad back. i have to ask people to help. I usually end up doing all the work and they just do the heavy lifting. it's still good to have company around, although i do tend to make the occasional mistake when i get lit with friends.



Getting the newbies to help me is fun too...I've gotten a few people into brewing. After they see the process and taste the homebrew, they can't resist!

the_bird said:

The only time I've had someone just hang out and watch... eh, he was interested, but interested in other things, too... so he ended up hanging out in the house more than brewing with me.

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If you're saying what I think you are, bird, that guy needs a kick in the ass more than another invitation to your house. I hate scumbags like that.

My brew buddies tend to be under the age of 18. The 17 year old gets a mug but the little ones only get a taste. The 14 year old is Daddy's official 'brew buddy'.

That being said, I wouldn't mind having someone over who isn't related to me, but just one. Too many and it turns into a party that is just a distraction.

Robar said:

I think it would cool to have a brew buddy, but I have brewed all my beer alone. Even SWMBO has no interest in even hanging out with me when I brew. She doesn't like beer. Did I say doesn't like? Sorry I meant hate, yes hate, she hates beer. So I brew alone as well as drink alone. Sad really, all this passion for beer and no one to share it with...

Oh well, more beer for ME!

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This pretty much describes me to a "T"

Oh well, more beer for ME!

I almost always brew with a buddy of mine. When we started, he had the equipment and no place to brew, I had a place to brew and store stuff, so it worked perfectly. We have both acquired and built a ton of equipment, so we pretty much always brew together, unless I get bored and decide to brew without him. Now that we both have keezers and can do 10-gallon batches, we usually do 10-gallons batches and each get a keg full. For specialty beers (i.e. bottled high gravity) that we don't want to keg or brew 10 gallons of, we just bottle them and split the fruits of our labor. It works well and we usually split the costs as well.

We also usually take turns choosing what kind of beer to brew and deciding on recipes.

I'm hoping to do what Colorado said, start splitting batches with my buddy. He is really interested in brewing himself someday. I'd love to be able to split batches with him. This way I could afford to brew more often and get the experience of brewing different styles.

SWMBO does enjoy good beer including my homebrew but she isn't really interested in helping. She does bottle with me but she is pretty eager to pass those duties on to someone else.

wild said:

Since I've moved, I haven't found anyone to brew with. Guess I'll have to learn to brew in Spanish!

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My Spanish is a bit limited.

Dos Tecates, Dos Pacifos, Dos Dos XX, Dos Carta Blanca, Dos Negra Modelos, etc.

EdWort said:

My Spanish is a bit limited.

Dos Tecates, Dos Pacifos, Dos Dos XX, Dos Carta Blanca, Dos Negra Modelos, etc.

Click to expand...

Don't forget "Centenario añejo, por favor."

(I never realized how good my Spanish was until I went to France!!)

I invited poeple over a few times but they lost interest quickly. THe other problem was that it encouraged a little more drinking which resulted in a few mistakes. I live with my brother and he somehow has become the half owner of my brewery although he contributes nothing. He gets annoying too, he usually dangles crap over the fermenter taunting me.

I don't know if I would continue brewing, and likely never all grain at all, if I didn't have a brew buddy.

First, I don't consume enough on my own to justify the expense of equipment and batches, only to have 80% of it left over after 2 or 3 months.

Plus, wasting all that time watching the boil and adding hops and (mostly) cleaning up alone must really suck.

Glad my roommate enjoys brewing, now we can have 3 kegs on tap and another 10-15 gallons fermenting.

The first time I brewed, I did it by myself. After that, every time I mention I'm going to be brewing, various friends want to stop by and help out. One of them got super excited about the bottling process and bottled the whole damn batch for me - tried to help but she wouldn't put the capper down. Wish I could be that lucky with every batch.

The one I did today, a friend came over and helped out. I'd promised to give him lessons in something unrelated, but it worked well to do both at the same time. Partial mash so much easier when someone else is there to help rinse the grains. Now if I can just get him to come back on bottling day...

I brew with SWMBO around. She likes to help out and I like getting her involved in the process but she's not really a 'brew buddy'.

I always try to come up with something for her to do when she asks, though, like rehydrating the yeast, or watching the kettle and dropping hop additions. I'd like to get her more involved in mashing and cooling, that would be helpful. She always helps out on bottling day.

And of course, she drinks her fair share.

I've noticed in this thread that our SWMBO's tend not to want to help out with the actual brewing process but are willing and in some cases eager to help with the bottling. This is certainly true for me, too. I wonder why...

deharris said:

I've noticed in this thread that our SWMBO's tend not to want to help out with the actual brewing process but are willing and in some cases eager to help with the bottling. This is certainly true for me, too. I wonder why...

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Might be the smell. My sister says she hates the smell of boiling wort. But she doesn't mind helping with bottling.

deharris said:

I've noticed in this thread that our SWMBO's tend not to want to help out with the actual brewing process but are willing and in some cases eager to help with the bottling. This is certainly true for me, too. I wonder why...

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I think my SWMBO leaves it up to me because she can see how into it I am. She helps out some, but its really become "my" hobby. Sometimes I feel like I've crowded her out, so I try to dial down the intensity and leave the door open for her to join in. I'd love it if she would read "How To Brew".

Fingers said:

If you're saying what I think you are, bird, that guy needs a kick in the ass more than another invitation to your house. I hate scumbags like that.

My brew buddies tend to be under the age of 18. The 17 year old gets a mug but the little ones only get a taste. The 14 year old is Daddy's official 'brew buddy'.

That being said, I wouldn't mind having someone over who isn't related to me, but just one. Too many and it turns into a party that is just a distraction.

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Not a scumbag. Brother-in-law. I think he was disappointed I did an AG batch instead of showing him how to brew extract (even though I described everything to him as to how it would relate for extract). Plus, it was cold and he was all over his g/f.

As to the SWMBO issue - women just don't seem to like fire, methinks. I don't know exactly why, propane's just a guy thing. This wouldn't explain the reluctance to "help" during extract brewing, though, so I don't know.

My wife would no longer stand next to me when I miss my strike temp and yell, "F(_)cK" than she does when I'm working on some other household project and yell, "F(_)cK".

I have to work on that.

olllllo said:

My wife would no longer stand next to me when I miss my strike temp and yell, "F(_)cK" than she does when I'm working on some other household project and yell, "F(_)cK".

I have to work on that.

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Or she needs to get over it.

Prolly easier that YOU work on it, though...

If SWMBO tells me not to swear I tell her F(_)ck off.

Then she hits me. (If she's in a good mood)

I tend to be forced into brewing late on a Friday or Saturday night after the kids go to bed, so I haven't had any helpers yet. I enjoy the time alone out back anyway. SWMBO doesn't like much of anything about beer, but she has no problem with me brewing and I have several friends who ask lots of questions and gladly provide empties in exchange for samples of future brews.

tbulger said:

THe other problem was that it encouraged a little more drinking which resulted in a few mistakes.

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Oh man, yeah, I tend to have this problem when people come over to see what's happening with the brewing.

A couple months ago I don't remember anything past when I put the chiller in the wort. I did apparently manage to get everything nicely cleaned and put away, but I have no idea how I did it.

-D

I've only done one kit extract brew. SWMBO was there and was put off by the smell of the wort.

When it was bottling time she was quite helpful, even though it was quite late (last time I start bottling and brewing another batch at 11pm...).

I am the "head" brewer but my roommate is always there to be my extra set of hands. Thus far he has split all ingredient costs and has picked up quite a bit of the info. We usually have a few people over because we are the only guys that homebrew that any of our friends know. Plus we have beer out the wazoo in our house (HB and commercial). I like to have people over to teach them a few things and open their eyes to good beer. I cant wait to have someone convert and start brewing for themselves because I showed them how

EdWort said:

My Spanish is a bit limited.

Dos Tecates, Dos Pacifos, Dos Dos XX, Dos Carta Blanca, Dos Negra Modelos, etc.

Click to expand...

I needed a bottle so i just drank a La Cerveza del Pacifico..24oz for $1.80 gotta love Food City in AZ.

EdWort said:

My Spanish is a bit limited.

Dos Tecates, Dos Pacifos, Dos Dos XX, Dos Carta Blanca, Dos Negra Modelos, etc.

Click to expand...

Here's one for you;

Tres...

Wild