C'mon Guys...

Are your SWMBOs really that bad? I always hear someone talking about how they messed something up with their brewing process and their SWMBO beat them within an inch of their life or gave them a severe tongue lashing or both. Sometimes I hear about the SWMBO who just won't give them any space to do their craft and passion. Just seems like a good 2/3s of you guys there are bad luck dudes when it comes to the SWMBO thing. You guys aren't just exaggerating for a little sympathy are you? :cross:

Anyway, the reason that I seem baffled by a non-lenient SWMBO, is that I demand at least a basic understanding and appreciation of the craft/hobby that keeps me alive. It's part of the give and take of a good relationship. That said, my fiance' has provided me my own room in the house to do my thing and has allowed me to do what I need to continue making my goodness in a bottle. In fact, she and I will be working together to select the ingredients for the next batch of beer, so that it will be hers and has a reason to take an active interest in the brewing process.

I'm not trying to brag or anything like that - I'm just wondering if the stories I hear are really that bad...and isn't it possible for your SWMBO, if she doesn't already, to understand how important brewing is for you and allow you the space and appreciation you need? Like I said, it's not unrealistic for that to be the case. Any reasonable woman would understand the need for give and take in a 50/50 relationship. If none of that applies at this point in your respective situations, then, sirs, you have my most sincere sympathy.

My wife bought me my first brew kit and has been great throughout the process, to the point that we'd be going to Cinci at the conference for our fifth wedding anniversary if she wasn't still going to be teaching (damn snow days!)

She didn't even get upsey when I bought a fridge and converted it into a kegerator. She knows that I needed a hobby, she knows how much happier I am since I found homebrewing (and all you guys), and she knows that I don't let the drinking get out of hand or negatively impact my family.

My wife is great! :rockin:

I have my own brewing kitchen in the basement.

no wife. my roommate complains sometimes when i leave the carboys on the counter too long...

I have a wine/beer making room in 1 side of he basement and a wine/beer cellar on the other side and then my woodworking shop adjacent to her laundry room which only leaves a 14' x 14' square left down there which I am converting into our family room right now. Little does she know that I will leave room for a tap coming out of the cellar room yet! I think I spend most of my time at home after work on this site and the wine forum I moderate but am at her beckoning call cause i know I spend a lot of time doing this stuff.

My SWMBO gave me crap for months about not having room for a chest freezer for a bigger kegerator. What did she get me for Christmas... a chest freezer. She completely supports my brewing.

My SWMBO asked me to brew a beer for her birthday, my first ever brew. I can say with certainty that without her I may have never started this 'hobby'. She may not like what it has turned into but we're looking at houses now and she always makes sure to mention where my 'beer room' and wine cellar will be located in the house completely on her own. I think she's getting tired of sour beers though , however I brewed a tripel for her that was all hers. She's awesome.

My SWMBO does not like beer, but for the most part is pretty supportive of me doing it. She'll flip me some crap for spending money on equipment, but only for a day or so. I think I irritated her when I first started, because I was always talking about beer, but I've eased off and find other people to talk beer with. I'm pretty comfortable with things the way they are now.

My GF is very supportive and into my obsession. Being from Ireland she appreciates good beer, and used to make wine and is slowly getting back into doing that. She really thinks that I make great beer, we've tried some other brewer's efforts and several times she has leaned over to me and told me mine is better....*grin*

We both love to cook, and she found a rennaisance era lamb dish that called for an ale, and she used my orange ginger dortmunder in it, and we thought it was amazing.

She has taken a liking to Rogue Dead Guy, and encouraged me to find a clone for it (I used Yoopers) and when I brewed it she helped.

Since I live in a loft, and she lives in the country (she raises Llamas) she is looking at growing some hops.

She is also researching a book on ancient Goddess religions, and stumbled last week on the first beer recipe ever written (In the chronicle of Gilgamesh) in ancient Sumer, she read some of the articles on Anchor and Dogfish Head's attempt at brewing it and was convinced they mis-translated the recipe-Since they're brewers and not religious scholars...We cobbled together a rough recipe and plan on brewing it soon.

Today we were walking through the big farmer's market in Detroit and saw that one of the shops was selling their chest freezers and she mentioned something about having been thinking about my desire to keg and have a kegerator (but I don't have the space) I think she may be hinting that we set something up at her house...

Methinks I'm the luckiest brewer alive!!!!

Any reasonable woman would understand......

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Now that's hilarious. :cross: I think the only reasonable women I've ever met were: A) My mother, and B) The women who frequent this website.

Better stop now before I go off on a rant....

My wife doesn't like beer at all. She helps me brew, encourages my brewing, and brags about my brewing to others. She spontaineously buys me things she thinks I could use in brewing, and doesn't complain when I come home with sacks of grain. Life is good!

My SWMBO took this picture. Then she proceeded to walk over to the taps and draw a pint for herself.



Aside form the smell of boiling wort upstairs, she loves that I have a hobby that keeps me out of her hair...and her in plenty of beer.

While my wife acknowledges that I won't be giving up HB and she does get on board with the big purchases (freezer, controller, op garden, etc...) she still gives me 2 pints of **** for every pint I drink.

Hmmm.....I don't see any Trisquits anywhere.:cross:

GilaMinumBeer said:

While my wife acknowledges that I won't be giving up HB and she does get on board with the big purchases (freezer, controller, op garden, etc...) she still gives me 2 pints of **** for every pint I drink.

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I think my SWMBO has more sisters than I thought. Guess that makes you all My Brothers. I'm glad to hear that!
Me: I'm thinking of Kegging.
SWMBO: That's fine. It would be nice to skip Bottling.
Me: Probably have to designate a Brew Fridge.
SWMBO: Can we go to Lows this weekend?
Me: Ok. Why.
SWMBO: I want a new fridge...You need one for Beer. You already have that thing 1/2 full with beer...You might just as well install a few taps on the front.

bobjenkins79 said:

Now that's hilarious. :cross: I think the only reasonable women I've ever met were: A) My mother, and B) The women who frequent this website.

Better stop now before I go off on a rant....

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Glad I'm not the only one. Almost fell out of my chair when I saw reasonable and woman in the same sentance. It's kind of like describing a guy as emotional.

As long as she feels like I'm spending enough time with the family, she's happy to enable my addiction. Loves that Apfelwine too!

I am lord and master of my house and I have my wife's permission to say it.

Well it don't go quite that way, but being married for 30 years, you learn to give and take accordingly. After all a relationship is a partnership, and learning to respect your partner goes a long way to a successful one.

My wife don't drink at all, but she is happy to see me involved in something I'm so passionate about. On the other hand, I support her in her hobbies.

Revvy said:

She is also researching a book on ancient Goddess religions, and stumbled last week on the first beer recipe ever written (In the chronicle of Gilgamesh) in ancient Sumer, she read some of the articles on Anchor and Dogfish Head's attempt at brewing it and was convinced they mis-translated the recipe-Since they're brewers and not religious scholars...We cobbled together a rough recipe and plan on brewing it soon.

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Are you going to share it with us?

My SWMBO bought me my first starter kit and is just glad she got me something that i like. (And she doesn’t mind drinking the results ether)

I no longer have a SWMBO, but the one I used to have encouraged me to get a hobby. I took up philandering. She was unamused about that particular choice of hobbies and suggested I try brewing beer instead, and had my stepdad take me to my LHBS.

g_rath said:

Are you going to share it with us?

My SWMBO bought me my first starter kit and is just glad she got me something that i like. (And she doesn’t mind drinking the results ether)

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Yeah, when I get something drinkable, I'm going to write it up as a photo article. I mentioned it on the Mr Beer thread last week..... Rather than make 5 gallons of something that (a)could taste like crap (b) kill me, I'm going to blow the dust off the ole brown keg and use that instead....

Plus living in a loft and not having a yard in which to do AG full boils outdoors, I can do it on my stove.

If you're interested, the first recorded beer "recipe" is the Hym to Ninkasi.

http://www.utexas.edu/courses/classicalarch/readings/beer.html

My wife is great as well, lets me do pretty much whatever I want when it comes to brewing.

Revvy said:

She is also researching a book on ancient Goddess religions, and stumbled last week on the first beer recipe ever written (In the chronicle of Gilgamesh) in ancient Sumer, she read some of the articles on Anchor and Dogfish Head's attempt at brewing it and was convinced they mis-translated the recipe-Since they're brewers and not religious scholars...We cobbled together a rough recipe and plan on brewing it soon.

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I wish you luck! Have you had Midas Touch from Dogfish Head? It is wonderfully different.

I urge you caution in your assumption regarding the translation, however. The scholars from Oxford and the U. of Pennsylvania and elsewhere who did the translations might look askance at it. No offense is intended, and I find it refreshing that you don't take the brewers at their word(s). University professors are notoriously touchy, jealous of amateurs casting doubt on their work. Beware, mortal, for thou art crunchy, and good with ketchup!

DFH at least has relied on academics, not an in-house "making stuff up" effort. See here for how Midas Touch came to be.

Moreover, such "recipes" as the Hymn to to Ninkasi, found here, leave quite a lot unquantified, no matter what the academic background of the translator. If you try the Ninkasi beer, let me know how it works for you!

Cheers,

Bob

BobNQ3X said:

I wish you luck! Have you had Midas Touch from Dogfish Head? It is wonderfully different.

I urge you caution in your assumption regarding the translation, however. The scholars from Oxford and the U. of Pennsylvania and elsewhere who did the translations might look askance at it. No offense is intended, and I find it refreshing that you don't take the brewers at their word(s). University professors are notoriously touchy, jealous of amateurs casting doubt on their work. Beware, mortal, for thou art crunchy, and good with ketchup!

DFH at least has relied on academics, not an in-house "making stuff up" effort. See here for how Midas Touch came to be.

Moreover, such "recipes" as the Hymn to to Ninkasi, found here, leave quite a lot unquantified, no matter what the academic background of the translator. If you try the Ninkasi beer, let me know how it works for you!

Cheers,

Bob

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I am quite familiar with both Dogfish head's and Anchor's research (Though haven't been able to taste anchor's they only brewed one batch of it, but was able to find a clone), as well as several peoples attempts
(the Maltose Falcon's recipe looks good.)

A lot of my GF's research into ancient worship (and the use of sacred substances/herbs etc,) is really cutting edge stuff. In terms of the recipe, she's coming from the "what was the ritual/sacred significance of these ingredients," the Sumerians didn't just make stuff up either.

That's another cool thing we share, an interest in ancient religions (I'm a minister, btw and have been looking into the "roots" of religion for over 20 years.)

Did you ever see this? http://www.museum.upenn.edu/new/research/Exp_Rese_Disc/Mediterranean/Midas/intro.shtml They didn't just recreate the beer from what they found in the tomb, they have also reconstructed King Mida's Funeral Meal . There's some website that has the recipes as well, but I can't find it at the moment.

FOUND IT... http://www.museum.upenn.edu/new/research/Exp_Rese_Disc/Mediterranean/Midas/recipes.shtml