Brewing with kids?

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jajabee

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Okay, so forgive me, I know pretty much nothing about children. :) We're planning on having a couple of our own in the next year or so, and I'm just curious about how you guys combine this hobby with raising kids. How do they deal with the fact that they aren't allowed to drink the result of all this work until they're (much) older? Or do you just let them try it? Or do they just not care? I really like the idea of chillin' with the kiddos out on the front deck while I brew, but I don't want to have CPS come knocking on our door when the kids bring their homebrewing experiences to "show and tell". :)

Just curious! :)
 
I'm far from having kids, so I can't tell you from experience. I know a lot of guys on here brew with their kids though. At a young age, its probably not any different than cooking to them. Its always been my thought that if they grow up it, they are much less likely to abuse it, and much more likely to appreciate it (alcohol/beer) for its finer values, like we all do here.
 
I have a 3 year old and a 4 month old.

Through years 1 and 2 brewing was a snap. Now, the 3 year old is in the middle of everything I do and I cannot brew with him around either because he is not co-ordinated enough to be trusted around the heated rig or because he is always getting into things he shouldn;t and requires constant supervision.

So, I tried only brewing at night after he goes to sleep. Brutal! Especially the next morning when he demands my attentions regardless of how interactive mommah is with him. Yes, he's a daddy's boy cause I do all the kewl stuff with fire, tools, etc...

Lately, I have just resigned myself to taking days off work to brew on. And it's good.
 
Give me a few months and I can let you know first hand. He's only 8wks right now, so he's just kinda hangin' out.
 
My boys love playing with my equipment- a little too much actually- but I've never let them help me when I'm actually brewing. They've never even asked to taste the end result but I'm sure that will happen soon enough. When they do, I will simply fill their sippy cups with Barleywine and they are bound to pass out and get so sick from the hangover they will never ask for it again. No, not really... when they do, I will begin having the conversation with them to grow respect for alcohol and explain it can be harmful if abused or used in the wrong ways... especially in growing boys.

That is something my parents never did with me... I was simply told it was immoral, illegal, etc and to NEVER do it. Well, of course that didn't work- and I had to figure a lot of this stuff out the hard way...
 
You should never put your children in boiling water and add hops. It will make them scream. :D (oh come on, you knew it was coming)

I haven't let any of my kids brew with me yet, but if my oldest (9) wanted to, I would let her.
 
I have a 4.5 year old girl, and she enjoys watching me. When I am on my computer, I can blow across an empty bottle and she will perk up and say "Daddy needs another beer" and dash off to the fridge.

She doesn't get to do a whole lot to help with the brewing process, but she can do some things for me. I let her pitch the yeast last time, and she now loves running to my brew closet and seeing the airlocks bubble.

Last summer, she was playing with her bubble bucket and a coffee cup on the patio, and started stacking them, Mommy asked "What are you doing?" her excitedly replied "Brewing my beer!"
 
Hypothetically, would I get in trouble for saying I have let my 9 year old taste the hydro samples? If, in fact, I did that?

However my kids are pretty much bored by the brew process. "Daddies obsession". They do like to go play in the alley behind the house though while I have the garage door open.
 
Oh. And my son refers to my beer as coffee (even the pilsners). Of course, I don't correct him so he can chat up anyone he wants about all the coffee I make at home and the varieties he's tasted. He prefers the really hoppy coffee's ironically.

It's the "pots" that I grow in the backyard that have me worried. Try as I might to get the "h" back in there and the "p" moved it always gets lost.
 
Hypothetically, would I get in trouble for saying I have let my 9 year old taste the hydro samples? If, in fact, I did that?

However my kids are pretty much bored by the brew process. "Daddies obsession". They do like to go play in the alley behind the house though while I have the garage door open.

"OH NOES!! THINK OF THE CHILRENS!"
Yeah, getting in trouble for something like that would be pretty stupid. My dad would let us have a sip of his beer every now and then.
 
My daughter will be 2 on saturday.While she is way too young to help me she is always trying to grab my beer and look in the secondary while I'm siphoning.I think it's the Irish blood.No beer till shes 13 though.And even then it's .25 of a glass.
 
Hypothetically, would I get in trouble for saying I have let my 9 year old taste the hydro samples? If, in fact, I did that?


Doubt it. When I was 6, My parents would serve us a small glass of wine that went with dinner, because they knew it completed the meal. I didn't like beer till I was about 20, but was only exposed to things like the Beast and BMC before then.

Just don't advertise that you are giving your kids beer, and keep it in moderation (an oz or 2 of your homebrew isn't even going to give them any effect)
 
I have a 5-year-old and a 2-year-old. I don't even try to brew with them in the house. I recently got back to the hobby after taking a break. Frankly, with the time and energy little ones demand (when they're really little), I had a hard time fitting it in. Like someone else mentioned, I take days off from work to brew. If I tried it on weekends, I'd have them badgering me to "help." Not only would it be a hassle and get me in trouble with my wife, it's just not safe to have them around (children + 50,000 BTU patio stove + 10 gallons scalding hot water is not a good combination).
 
My wife and I don't have any children yet, but my usual brew partner has two young boys. They'll snack on the cracked grain during milling, but they usually pass in and out of the garage on the way to the yard and chat it up with us while we're out there. There's an awareness and respect of the burners and they're damn fun to hang out with! His oldest isn't even in school yet and sings 'Ein Prosit' in perfect form.
 
I make a batch of home brewed root beer from time to time with the kids, they really like it. Easy to make and they get to drink the results - Mr. Beer makes a root beer kit with everything needed for about $20. I'm getting into kegging now and considering keeping homemade root beer on tap for them as well.
 
I didn't brew when my kids were growing up but they were introduced to wine and beer young. They are now responsible drinkers unlike most of their friends who had to sneak a beer. As I was growing up wine was always on the table and there was no rule that I couldn't have some with dinner even at the age of 10
 
I didn't brew when my kids were growing up but they were introduced to wine and beer young. They are now responsible drinkers unlike most of their friends who had to sneak a beer. As I was growing up wine was always on the table and there was no rule that I couldn't have some with dinner even at the age of 10

My aspirations are that my boys will grow to have the same familarity and or respect for beer or alcohol in general.
 
As far as legality goes.... most states allow minors to drink at home under the supervision of their parents. Ethically..... I personally see nothing wrong with a child being educated in the entire process of brewing. In a similar way that a majority of kids that are raised around guns and taught how to properly handle and respect them, children brought up around alcohol will also realize it's not something to be abused.

My 6 year old helps me quite regularly when I brew. He helps with the grinding, hop additions, and yeast pitching. Just can't figure out why he always seems to disappear when the cleaning starts.

Brewing can also be quite an educational experience for any aged child. Be it the actual science of starch conversions, measurements, or as simple as instilling green principles (compost, reuse of water, hop gardening, etc.). Just don't shove it down their throats, you'll be able to bring up brew buddies of your own.

I've already told my boys that when they turn 18, we're going to make a batch of mead and a batch of barleywine for them to open on their 21st birthday.
 
I have a 15 year old who's my assistant brewer. She gets to have a taste of the hydro samples and a sip of the finished product on each batch, but that's it. Though, any wines or meads I make she gets a bottle set aside for when she's 21. I'm also going to have to brew her a 21st birthday batch (or three) when the time comes.
 
My aspirations are that my boys will grow to have the same familarity and or respect for beer or alcohol in general.

I actually think this 21 age restriction has created more problems with binge drinking.

I was in Italy and kids 16 and older could buy alcohol didn't see much of it guess its because they have been exposed to it since childhood there is no curiosity to experiment with it
 
the_Bean *loves* going to the beer store with me, and helping out.

The other night, she was playing in the tub, she had a little ketchup bottle from her kitchen. She fills it up and starts drinking it. She goes "This is beer. Cherry beer." I told her not to drink too much, she didn't want to have an accident that night.

Her response?

"This is beer, I can drink as much as I want!"





(so maybe that whole "teach her to respect alcohol and drink responibly" thing isn't going so well... :D)
 
the_Bean *loves* going to the beer store with me, and helping out.

The other night, she was playing in the tub, she had a little ketchup bottle from her kitchen. She fills it up and starts drinking it. She goes "This is beer. Cherry beer." I told her not to drink too much, she didn't want to have an accident that night.

Her response?

"This is beer, I can drink as much as I want!"





(so maybe that whole "teach her to respect alcohol and drink responibly" thing isn't going so well... :D)

Ha! Classic.
 
You should never put your children in boiling water and add hops. It will make them scream. :D (oh come on, you knew it was coming)

LMAO . . . .

My 15 year old daughter hates the smell when I brew and won't have anything to do with it. But she does sample them and gives me her honest opinion. I (we) have always allowed her to sip beer/wine over the years in an attempt to avoid how SWMBO and I were raised where it was taboo. So far so good. I guess there are those that would say we are bad parents but they can suck it!
 
I have 3 kids, a 9yr old and 5 yr old twins. My brewing partner has kids and we get together and the kids play together. If one of the kids needs attention, there is always an (alleged) adult to monitor the brew. My 9yr old likes to add the hops to the brew kettle and the yeast to the carboy. I let them taste the OG sample.
 
Lots of good, sensible, moderate approaches to kids & drinking in this thread. We weren't allowed to drink when we were growing up, but a little nip of Dad's beer was an ordinary thing, prevented the "forbidden fruit" syndrome.
Our kids are grown, and vary in their attitudes. Youngest drank a little after leaving home and joining the Navy, but discovered he was a cheap drunk- about two bottles, so he's a teetotaler today. My daughter loves good beer, and lives in Boulder where she gets to go to the Convention of the Holy Hop in Denver (or whatever it's called, and I'm jealous). The oldest got me into homebrewing two years ago, so what more can I say?
 
I have an 11 year old step-son and a 6 month old. The 11 year old used to help me bottle before I started kegging, and would occassionaly come out while I'm brewing and ask questions, but overall, he's not that interested.

The 6 month old hangs out with me most of the time while I'm brewing. He just enjoys being outside with daddy and could probably care less what I'm doing, though he does like to watch the boil (holding him of course). And mommy likes it b/c he's outside with me while she's inside working and paying the bills.
 
I have a two and a half year old and he loves to help measure the grain and hops, and stir the grain in the mash tun. He especially likes putting the grain in the hopper while I crush it. He also likes to put the cpvc manifold together for me. When the propane burner comes out, he goes inside but

As for drinking, I let him have a sip of beer. No harm done.
 
My daughter says she wants to learn how to brew so she'll be the most popular girl at school when she goes off to college. :D
 
Okay, so forgive me, I know pretty much nothing about children. :) We're planning on having a couple of our own in the next year or so, and I'm just curious about how you guys combine this hobby with raising kids. How do they deal with the fact that they aren't allowed to drink the result of all this work until they're (much) older? Or do you just let them try it? Or do they just not care? I really like the idea of chillin' with the kiddos out on the front deck while I brew, but I don't want to have CPS come knocking on our door when the kids bring their homebrewing experiences to "show and tell". :)

Just curious! :)


Bottom line is: They're YOUR kids; raise 'em the way you and the missus want, and to hell with the rest of us, CPS included.
 
My girls are 5 and 7. Both of them love to help with crushing the grains, and usually stick around to help out a little with stirring at mash-in. They both love the smell of brewing, but then again, they've always likes lots of things that typical kids are supposed to hate. We can't order a pizza that doesn't have spinach or broccoli on it, and cauliflower usually doesn't last long enough in the fridge to actually cook it. Weird little buggers.
 
My wife just unloaded the camera the other day and there are pictures of my 9 and 11 Y/O boys on bottling day. One is filling and the other is handing bottles.. Then more pictures of them capping. We've got a whole system going. They both get to sample each of the batches with the leftover that doesn't fill a bottle and the first crack after carbonation....
 
Give me a few months and I can let you know first hand. He's only 8wks right now, so he's just kinda hangin' out.

My first is 7 weeks today!

Hypothetically, would I get in trouble for saying I have let my 9 year old taste the hydro samples? If, in fact, I did that?

I would say no, if it's pre-pitching. It's not beer yet. It's grain tea!

I make a batch of home brewed root beer from time to time with the kids, they really like it........ I'm getting into kegging now and considering keeping homemade root beer on tap for them as well.

I will definitely do this with Maddie... And I think that someday, putting sodas on tap will be my excuse to get "keezerfied". I only have two taps now, and I need both, lol.
 
I've been thinking about this a lot, seeing as there'll be a Minifoos by the end of the year. Neither of my parents drank much, and never in front of me, so I don't have any experiences to go by.

Like everyone else has said, the biggest thing to do is to take away the danger and mystery. I have a friend who lets his kid take sips of his beer (or just dip his finger in if it's stronger). He likes beer, and he knows daddy likes beer, and so he knows it's something that's good but that he can't have much of right now. He's going to be a well adjusted kid.
 
I was raised by a father who's never had a full beer in his life. I did some stupid alcohol stuff when I was younger. I had the forbidden fruit syndrome pretty bad...

My daughter (4) kinda helps brew. She'll grab something I need, then run back to playing on her bike or trike. When she asks for a sip of beer or wine she often gets one. She understands that she can't have more than a sip because "then I'd be drunk!"

I figure it this way - with her mother's blood, she's going to like to drink. I'd rather her NOT be the girl passed out at the party when she's 16... The rule will be - drink what you'd like at home - drink away from home (irresponsibly) and you'll have issues...

Reminds me... my happy ass needs to brew this weekend... the pipeline's drying up!
 
I have a 9 month old. When he is old enough I can't wait for him to hang out during brew day. I'll let him taste the hydro samples of course, No different then drinking Koolaid (Both sugar water). And when he's 5 or so if he helps on brew day I'll let him sip the final product. I want to de-criminalize alcohol and make it as un-special s I can for him while still teaching him to respect it. and SWMBO agree. It will also help him to see mommy and daddy drinking it on a regular basis with meals and what not and not being drunk. but he will also, I'm sure, witness us individually at some points drinking more than usual and acting "silly". I think that when he's 10 or so (no rush on that!!) if wanted a half glass of beer with dinner I wouldn't have a problem with that.
 
I have 4 kids, ages 2,3,5, & 7. Needless to say I don't brew nearly as often as I'd like. I build a baracade around the burner for afternoon sessions but its so difficult staying focused on brewing I'm thinking about starting after their bedtime. Our kids want to try tasting sometimes but we just say its a grown up drink. That works for now. BTW there's nothing cuter than a 2yo saying the word beer.
 
I have a 5yr old and a 2yr old... my 5 yr old helped to plant my hops, checks on them every day without provocation, and enjoys running the drill to crush the grains.

From the moment he started stringing words together, almost anything that daddy drinks is "beer". My 2yr old daughter on the other hand calls my beer "juice" ... "daddy's juice".

They come into my brew stash, check it out, but being an indoor brewer normally means mommy and the kiddos are outside or otherwise preoccupied as mommy doesn't care for the smell.

There are ways to integrate them... I believe they will help you figure out in what ways those might be.
 
I have a 3 y/o and an 8 month old. I have brewed with my 3 y/o around but I keep her away from the dangerous things, glass, hot water and the like. I let her sample it too.. I let her dip her finger in the foam for taste and even take sips. I suprisingly found out she like the bitter stuff more ! Interesting, because she doesn't eat chocolate! I will note however the she likes wine better than beer.
I will not shield my kids from this as it is a part of life and denying them complete access and ability to experience makes it only worse later on.
 
I'm brewing with my 4yr old daughter this weekend. She usually isn't around but it's daddy/daughter weekend and most likely she will just be content with watching micky mouse cartoons and maybe opening a pack of yeast or pouring malt extract in.... most likely the former.

She doesn't drink soda at all, hasn't even tried it yet... so trying beer wont be of any interest to her. If she wanted to try it.... hmmm i dont think I'd let her. I tell her it's a drink for adults, followed by a million "why?"'s
 
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