You know you're a home brewer when?

When you look forward to this weekend more than others because your beer should be ready now

When you read what it's really like to be a pro brewer & are glad you still do it as a hobby.

When you pay money to give away beer...

Since I entered my first competition! Entries were a variation of Jamil's Amber (using chocolate rye, home roasted amber malt, and dry hopped with Amarillo) and a Best Bitter with Columbus and Cascade hops.

unionrdr said:

When you read what it's really like to be a pro brewer & are glad you still do it as a hobby.

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This. I've read enough stories about start-up breweries to be perfectly content keeping this a hobby.

Friend: "hey I pitched today!"
Me: "Oh awesome! What kind of brew did you make?"
Friend: huh? I had a baseball game.
Me: facepalm. -___-

TBuuck said:

Friend: "hey I pitched today!"
Me: "Oh awesome! What kind of brew did you make?"
Friend: huh? I had a baseball game.
Me: facepalm. -___-

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Ha!

when you are taking a shower at a lake house with amazingly soft water and think that it could produce some great dark beers.

When you go on Craig's list to buy more bottles in order to brew more.

When you buy the large size kosher dills & Tostitos dips in jars so you have what you need to wash yeast. Then you need chips & such to go with the pickles,dip & salsas to use them up.

unionrdr said:

When you buy the large size kosher dills & Tostitos dips in jars so you have what you need to wash yeast. Then you need chips & such to go with the pickles,dip & salsas to use them up.

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Ha done this

Cool! then I'm not alone on the cheapy bus...

unionrdr said:

Cool! then I'm not alone on the cheapy bus...

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HA! Check out the ghetto brew setups thread some time. I've fermented more then one batch in a plastic juice bottle with a balloon as an airlock.

Leadgolem said:

HA! Check out the ghetto brew setups thread some time. I've fermented more then one batch in a plastic juice bottle with a balloon as an airlock.

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I started that thread some time ago...

unionrdr said:

I started that thread some time ago...

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Exactly.

When you get home from vacation and the first thing you do is go check on the bock you got brewing and say did you miss me baby

If your wife has marked off each day on the calendar, indicated she has checked the bung in the barrel (in the basement), while you're gone at the National Homebrew Conference - just in case the active fermentation got a little too active and blown out.

ChugachBrewing said:

If your wife has marked off each day on the calendar, indicated she has checked the bung in the barrel (in the basement), while you're gone at the National Homebrew Conference - just in case the active fermentation got a little too active and blown out.

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Mine bought me a netbook for recipes, beersmith, and tracking fermentation schedule

... You pulled over to pick up a 5 gallon rectangular plastic jug from the ditch after driving by it several times on your way to/from work.

Turns out it once had hydraulic fluid or something foul in it. Any hope of cleaning this thing and using it? It has a lid and is just asking for an airlock poking out of the top of it.

When washing brewing gear with oxyclean you notice the kids sippy cups are getting grungy and toss them in before draining the sink. Then follow up sanitizing them just to be safe before putting them on the drying rack.

When you realize you have over 19 gallons of bottle space (including over 30 bombers), 11gal of which are full of homebrew.

Sadly only 3gal are ready to chill and enjoy. Lol

When you realize you have 8 cases of clean empty bottles that you are storing and have not bottled anything in nearing on a year and still will not toss any, just in case.

When you notice your bottle storage is getting full and decide it's time for a couple of double-days.

I have a rubber maid shelf with about 540 bottles ready to be filled. Its floor to ceiling in the garage. I have another 160- ish filled with hb just waiting for consumption.

I have a bock that's ready to bottle and ill be brewing up and Oktoberfest, Bavarian Hefeweizen, and an Ipa or two all in the near future.

This may have been said but when you read through these posts and think, yup, that's me.

When your wife, upon dumping the sauce into the pasta, instinctively knows to ask you "Am I keeping this jar for you, or recycling it?"

When you plan your brew days at night, because everyone's asleep, and you have the kitchen to yourself. Also, when you read about brewers using the yeast from their beards to brew with, and think, I need to try that! Think of all the money that would save, and you'd have your own house strain...

You go through more keg lube than ... the other kind of lube.

When you start experimenting with new ways to get good results from an old process.

When you take a 6er to work every day and if you don't have one by 10 you get red faced and start shaking

When the heat & humidity make your joints ache,& some home brews seem to fix it overnight.

When your coworkers start bellowing from down the hall "When are you bringing beer in next?"

DrunkleJon said:

When your coworkers start bellowing from down the hall "When are you bringing beer in next?"

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I got that problem!

pb

plumber_bob said:

I got that problem!

pb

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I swear. You make the mistake of bringing in a growler to bribe the higher ups once and everyone starts expecting beer.

Brewmex41 said:

When you realize you have over 19 gallons of bottle space (including over 30 bombers), 11gal of which are full of homebrew.

Sadly only 3gal are ready to chill and enjoy. Lol

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*cough* 24, and 23 filled *cough*

DrunkleJon said:

When your coworkers start bellowing from down the hall "When are you bringing beer in next?"

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My coworkers have been threatening me

DrunkleJon said:

I swear. You make the mistake of bringing in a growler to bribe the higher ups once and everyone starts expecting beer.

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I hear ya!
I've got to the point that I don't talk much about brewing, while I'm at work, 'cause it usually costs me about 5 gallons of beer each time I open my mouth!

On the other hand, I can threaten them with removal from, THE LIST, when they argue with me.

pb

When you finally hit on your greatest recipes ever,& it's too hot to brew.

unionrdr said:

When you finally hit on your greatest recipes ever,& it's too hot to brew.

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"Too hot to brew?"

I don't understand.

Signed,

A Canadian.

kombat said:

I don't understand.

Signed,

A Canadian.

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Don't be tellin' us lies... I know it was in the 90's yesterday up there!

MC

I'm about 3.5M from the shoreline of Lake Erie,& it was 101F yesterday,105 the day before,& 97 the day before that. too bloody 'ot like a ruddy steam bath in 'ere!

Misplaced_Canuck said:

Don't be tellin' us lies... I know it was in the 90's yesterday up there!

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Haha, fair enough, guilty as charged. But still - "too hot to brew??" Come on, suck it up - it's for beer! I brewed a double IPA last night in my garage and when I was done, my shirt was soaked. I needed a shower.