New brew schedule... or how to brew with toddlers! (input/advice sought!)

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I'm in the same boat I have two boys, one how is 2 years old, and one that is 10 months old. This time, my wife is out of town with the kids, so I brewed up 3 batchs over the weekend :rockin: It was like a friggin brewing marathon in my garage.
Usually what we will do is what a lot of the other do, and that is swap out duties. I get up at 6am saturday morning, fire up the burner and am usually finished with everything by 10am. I swap that for letting SWMBO sleep in as long as she wants sunday, and getting a "girls night" once a month. :ban:
 
I do extract starting at about 9 or 10. From steep to pitch... its a late night. I plan on exploring no chill so that I can knock off an hour and a half or so (in-sink chilling and fermenter prep) and then pour and pitch into the fermentor the next evening.

My kids have a zero tolerance for the whole brewing process. But I'm sure my son will come around when he gets older. :)
 
But I'm sure my son will come around when he gets older. :)

ya know, it occurred to me that my kids are gonna grow up. probably sooner than i think. soon enough, they're gonna be in high school, having friends over, parties, etc...

and, oh look! beer on tap!

UGH.

now i'm on a different page than most of America, I think. I feel like alcohol is no big deal, and I will not refuse it to my kids, no matter what age. I'm hoping that attitude will diffuse the whole drink-to-rebel thing when the kids get older, but since it's against the law and all, I can't maintain that outside of my home.

What to do when the kids grow up and their friends come over? I don't expect other parents will appreciate their kids having 30 gallons of beer at their disposal when they visit my house, not to mention liability. Lock the keezer?

Anyone?
 
Lock the keezer?

You got it!

Either tap locks or a lock on the keezer lid and a valve for each beer line. If my kids are anything like me, I'm going to have to make more beer. My brother and I used to take my dad's beer and move the empties to the back until we could replace them. Worked until one hot summer day and my dad wanted more than two beers.

"BOYS!"
 
whenever i brew or bottle, i lock the cats in the bathroom. does that help?
duct tape?
 
What a timely thread to see. My wife is due in October, so I am taking the last two weeks of my summer, I am a teacher, and Brewing. I have 7 fermenters that I need to get full. Three more kegs for a total of 7, and I should be good for the next 6-9 months, depending on how many times friends come over, which may be more than I think. Fortunantly for me I have afriend that just started homebrewing, so I am going to get him to help me when he can, he is a med student, so we will have to see what I can get outta him. I think the splitting of the brew will be good to know.

Jay8s
 
I have a 19 month old high energy toddler and have it pretty much figured out.

Setup and prep ahead of time. Prep refers to not only brewing but also to tending the the child. This means, food, a change of clothes close at hand, entertainment and a safe place to play.

All of the brewing needs to be in a place out of reach and out of access to the toddler. I like out on my patio with a baby gate across the door. That way, the kids can still see what is going on and not feel abandoned while you are tending to things.

Getting water up to temp over propane is really not a problem and doesn't involve much supervision. A quick hop over the gate and a peak at the temp takes less than a minute. Pouring in the grains and giving it a stir takes less than five. If you toddler can look at a book, play with a puzzle etc. for that long then you are set. Mash-in and give the temps a check at 5, 15, 30 mins and play with the kid in the meantime.

Setting water up to heat for sparging should be pretty quick as well. Prefill the HLT then set it on the burner when the time is right ( around the 30 min mash time).

If you fly sparge the sparge and lauter will be much easier. Match your flow rates and stand back and let it do the work.

The boil is the time I prefer to match with nap time as it tends to be the most dangerous with open flame and scorching sugary liquid. When the child is napping, clean everything that needs it and set it away if you will no longer be using it. If nap time lasts an hour plus then you will probably get in the boil and cooling but maybe not the clean up. No matter, everything should be cool to the touch by this point and your toddler may enjoy watching you pour the wort into the carboys.

Hope this helps. I know every kid is different so adjust as you see fit or simply get a buddy to help out for an hour. Talk him through it while you keep your child occupied.
 
One addition to this thread: I've recently started doing one-gallon AG batches, and this works well with the kids. Boiling/chilling takes less time (I save an hour, easy) and the small volumes mean that I can boil on my stove, or mash in a spaghetti pot on the counter. It's a great alternative to the propane burner, or the 10 gallon cooler; on top of that, it can be fun to do small experiments...makes up for the low yield on bottling day. :)
 
In 2008 a buddy named James talked to me about his quick brew days. This recipe was inspired by him. I use it whenever the pipeline is getting dry and Daddy Daycare can't handle a AG batch. Change the hops to what you have or like. Brew day, if everything is prepped is about 1.5hrs

Simcoe/Amarillo Gold 15 min Boil Ale. No need to boil extract for more than 15 minutes.

Five gallon batch OG 1.055 FG 1.014 ABV 5.4%
Add as water is heated and removed when temperature reaches 170°F
1 lb. 60L Crystal in steeping bag

@15 min: (start of the boil)
6 lbs. Light Dry Malt Extract
2.5 oz. Simcoe Pellet Hops
(add immersion chiller)
@10min add: Whirlfloc
@ 5 min add:
1.0 oz. Simcoe Pellet Hops

@Flameout
1 oz. Amarillo Gold Pellet Hops

Pitch rehydrated Safale 05
Dry hop with 1 oz. Amarillo Gold
 
Yeah, I'm breathing life into an already zombiefied thread, but the title caught my eye when it popped up in the similar threads box on something else I was reading. Second little one due to arrive in a few weeks, so it was great to read through some other folks' experiences and approaches to brewing while managing kids.

I especially liked Magic8Ball's revival post with the 1.5 hr. brewday recipe. Good to know that even if I can't squeeze in a full blown AG day, I can still keep the keezer full.

Bumping this for any other brewers out there facing the toddlerpocalypse.
 
It may not be the best option but I stopped brewing until my son was old enough to entertain himself
 
My buddy and me both have 2yo kids. We usually organize multiple batch brew days where our kids are not home or the moms watch them
 
Do it at night after they go to bed or in stages like you mentioned. I have a three year old and now infant twins so I feel your pain. My brew time has severely decreased as of late and is very tricky to fit one into the schedule...
 
I put on Yo Gabba Gabba to get things clean, then the SECOND i put my one year old down for a nap and my three year old on Skylanders, I start everything. Usually my husband is home when I brew, but if he is out for any reason, nap time for everyone. :) they only take one nap a day, so it will last for 3 hours give or take. if they wake while i am still brewing (boil or cooling) i make them lunch or dinner right away (sandwiches usually on brew days, or leftovers) and then they sit there and eat for a bit. my kids loose their minds if they dont have food in front of them and im not holding them. but check out yo gabba gabba. it is my life saver with my boys. all my nieces and nephews love that show too. keeps them all quiet and calm for up to hours!
 
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