Can it be Seen as Unprofessional to Brew Beer?

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Brewmegoodbeer

Brewmegoodbeer

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Hello all,

I am wondering if others have felt the way I feel about our beloved hobby and passion. I love brewing for the love of the science, methods, creativity, and that fact that its something I can look at and call my own. The good taste and the buzz are definitely pluses too! I have this weird feeling about telling others (especially in the professional world) that I brew beer. I feel some outsiders may view this as me sitting around getting drunk on my own beer all the time and being irresponsible. I am especially cautious because I am a professional within the medical field. Others may be quick to judge because I am creating alcohol instead of doing something to save the world like researching the cure for cancer. I feel like I have to keep it secret from most and its hard because I am proud of my hobby and want to take further to being known in competition and possibly a brewery owner years down the road. Hope im not the only person who feels this way.
 
There are always people who will judge whatever you do and decide it's inadequate practicality or morally that's just a sad fact of life. You will never be a good enough doctor or a good enough man cause they know that they are BETTER!

The best thing to do is get on with your life quietly and mind your own business just ignore them as you would a bunch of crows chattering in the trees.

I volunteer at a charity that works with dependency, booze, drugs and so on, so I simply don't share the brewing part of my life with them. Compartmentalisarion Ok it's not what I'd like but it works.


Aamcle
 
If you were robbing banks on the side, they'd say, "Why didn't he put that energy into something productive like a hobby?"
You seem to be a conscientious person, and conscientious people are often concerned about what others think.
Frankly, the first thing I thought of when reading your post was Hawkeye and Trapper John with their still, and how much respect they otherwise commanded.
Fictional, certainly, but nonetheless applicable. Their only detractors were holier-than-thou tight asses with greater faults of their own.

Be a great professional, but also allow yourself to enjoy this hobby guilt-free. Remain silent if you're still apprehensive,
but you just may be surprised at how many others have this skeleton in their closets.

Good brewing to you. You sound like a fine person. Ease your mind.
 
While researching doctors for a complicated surgical procedure my wife needed, I read the bio of many top notch surgeons in the Northwest. The doctor we ending up using listed homebrewing as one of his hobbies in his profile. Nothing seemed unprofessional about him or the fact that he included it.

I never brought it up with him during the consults I was present for, it was all business, but In a less serious setting I probably would have chatted him up about brewing.
 
fizzix said:
Frankly, the first thing I thought of when reading your post was Hawkeye and Trapper John with their still, and how much respect they otherwise commanded.
Click to expand...
Huh? I always thought people just tolerated them because they were good doctors and made decent booze.
 
I enjoy several hobbies. Playing banjo, homebrewing, rock climbing. If I project these hobbies, I think people are yeah rock climbing, total bad ass. Or banjo, “like deliverance”. Brewing beer gets mixed reviews. You have to figure the people who’s loved one died of alcoholism. Not going to get kudos from those folks.
 
Read the thread
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/forum/...n-you-tell-someone-youre-a-homebrewer.409481/

That being said, somehow I am a well respected member in my medical community. Several of my colleagues brew as well, at least 3 wine makers and another has a still. Are talks are a variety of enjoyment of the hobby ranging from the science to the taste.

Not viewed any differently than enjoying a brew after work or a weekend trip of micro-brew hopping.
 
It's not like brewing is a new fad like vaping or some stupid nonsense like that. I work in the corporate world and because of my position in product development I report to the decision makers at the top of the ladder. My boss is a VP and likes my beer; she shared some with her bosses at a leadership bbq and they apparently enjoyed it and thought it was a neat hobby for a creative professional. I was mortified at first when she told me but have come to realize it's just another layer to the legend :cool: Besides, some of them have hobbies like collecting motorcycles, restoring musclecars, and one has tattoo 'sleeves' and so never wears short-sleeved shirts to the office.

Now on Fridays I sometimes turn up at the board room in a beer shirt and nobody thinks anything of it.
 
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Historically, beer has been viewed as a blue collar drink. I think being a brewer in the 80's and 90's people thought you were probably a hippie or something. With the craft beer boom in the 00's, beer has a new more hip image.

I work as a software engineer in a large company that employs about 15,000 engineers. There are a ton of brewers and it seems to have no negative connotations.

That being said, I worked in the medical industry working directly with doctors and nurses back in the 80's and 90's. I think back then brewing beer might have been viewed with disdain, but making wine would have been seen as pretty cool.

Bottom line for me: I worry about what people think to some extent, but then I remember that there are always people who are judgmental (emphasis on "mental") and I figure life's too short to worry about what people think. I can see where concern over potential career impacts might be an issue.
 
Brewmegoodbeer said:
I am especially cautious because I am a professional within the medical field. Others may be quick to judge because I am creating alcohol instead of doing something to save the world like researching the cure for cancer.
Click to expand...
I work in med device and pharma space, and you would probably be surprised how many people in that field home brew (or maybe not). Some of the most elaborate home brew set ups I have heard of are in the homes of the engineers who build the pharma filling lines and bioreactor systems.

Plus, I highly doubt that the cure for cancer will be discovered by a hobbyist.
 
I'm a retired blue collar worker who went back to college and now I'm a white collar professional.

For a short time I was curious how colleagues and clients would look at me after hearing I was a home brewer. I shared some beers with some clients and they keep asking when my next batch will be done. Now I don't care what people think.

I'm happy with my brewing hobby and proud to be part of the home brewing community.

Hwk-I-St8 said:
...but then I remember that there are always people who are judgmental (emphasis on "mental") and I figure life's too short to worry about what people think.
Click to expand...

Agreed...Life is too short to worry about what others think. I learned yesterday that a colleague was just diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. He has young children. Life is too precious.

Enjoy this great hobby and as always have fun.
 
I'd say "who cares"!?! What hobby or pastime wouldn't be looked at as being nonsensical?

I love to play outdoors, I have 4 canoes, 6 bicycles, a closet full of camping gear and make and shoot slingshots. A guy at work laughed at me because I rode my bicycle to work while he rode his motorcycle, the way I look at it... I can ride 50 miles on your bike, you can't ride 50 on mine.

We all need a break from work to be a kid and live a little. Brew on, bro!
 
Probably somewhat depends on your profession. It's been taken positively in my experience with the engineering, manufacturing and educational industries. I can't imagine the medical industry would be any different, heck, they say two drink a night is healthy. Imagine how much that would cost if you couldn't save money by brewing your own! I wouldn't sweat it. If someone is going to judge you for home brewing they are going to judge you regardless, it's just in their nature and they aren't worth your time to worry about. Might as well give them something to judge you about that you are proud of.
 
I have always felt the opposite. I work in the IT field and there is a huge homebrewing community every place I have been. Stinks you feel like you have to hide it, I wouldn't be able to refrain from talking about it and trying to bring people together to have a beer in a social setting.
 
If you work for the Salvation Army or Alcoholics Anonymous, yeah I can see where it might be frowned upon. Or maybe the Southern Baptist Convention (I'm Southern Baptist) But those are exceptions. My co-workers (I work in IT) that know I'm a brewer are impressed and enthusiastic -- especially the ones I bring bottles to occasionally. And my boss is a wine maker.

If I start showing up for work drunk or hung-over, or missing work, or drinking on the job, they won't put up with that, nor should they.

As an IT professional, I recommend boring friends and colleagues alike with endless details about brewing beer. They find my lengthy comments about the effects of different malts, yeasts and hops on beer to be particularly enjoyable.
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Mine too, but only if I can keep it down to about 15 seconds.
 
If it comes up, just talk about how you like the blend of science and art, I would think medical professionals would understand that
 
I work as a software engineer in a lab full of electronics, mechanical and software engineers and once they get past the fact that good home brew vs rough stuff they had at uni and especially if you are into the doing it right and distribute samples no issues. There is two home brewers in the lab I work in so I'm not alone.

Its related to how they understand what you are doing.
You can make it sound like you are doing it as a hobby and experimenting / learning or you can make it sound like you re brewing to be the town drunk.

When I started I had a few guys joked about getting drunk but once they realised I was learning and doing all grain rather than bulk producing just to get drunk. I guess engineers are a more accepting of this sort of thing though
 
If I was looking for a job, I wouldn't likely put homebrewing on my resume. But I'm not, and I'm in the old crabby "who cares?" camp. I do what I do because I love my life and I'm in a position to not have to care what other people think.

I read, hike, kayak, homebrew, etc. None of those define me, but it does tell you quite a bit about me.
 
I think you're worrying over nothing. I'm a physician, everybody at work knows I brew including the physician in chief of the hospital who is a craft beer lover. I helped the husband of my own deptartment chief get started in the hobby, and I get frequent requests to supply beer for work parties. As you might expect there are a lot of science geeks at work, and the most common response I get when folks find out is genuine interest and lots of questions about the technical side. I wouldn't be afraid to share you interest at work, you'll probably find some other homebrewers!
 
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I think it all depends on how you present it. Talking about the high alcohol content of your latest stout, and how smooth and easy to drink it was may get you some sideways looks. Talking about your stumbles with water quality and how it's impacting head retention, or the pro and cons of various hops for an IPA, that gives them a glassy look in their eye. Most of the time, after my friends have suffered through a half hour lecture of what I'm trying to accomplish with my latest batch, they don't ask many more questions. They just enjoy drink it, and nod politely.

As some of the other post pointed out, you don't have to be ashamed of brewing, just don't share things about your life that you're not comfortable sharing.
 
Do you live in Utah? I do, and wouldn't mention it in a job interview. But I travel a lot and when I'm in other states, it's usually a point of interest. Nothing more, nothing less.
 
Yooper said:
If I was looking for a job, I wouldn't likely put homebrewing on my resume. But I'm not, and I'm in the old crabby "who cares?" camp. I do what I do because I love my life and I'm in a position to not have to care what other people think.

I read, hike, kayak, homebrew, etc. None of those define me, but it does tell you quite a bit about me.
Click to expand...
The only time I'll put homebrewing and other beer related activities on my resume is if I'm applying somewhere within the alcohol industry, be it a brewery, winery, distributor or so on.
 
I don't think I'd put any hobbies on a resume. It's none of their business at that point. If a job application had a space to list hobbies I would leave it blank, or put "volunteer work" (which is true, although I haven't done much of it in the past 2 years)

Anything you do can be seen as unprofessional if someone wants it to be unprofessional. Screw 'em, I don't need their approval. But I also don't broadcast personal information.
 
Brewmegoodbeer said:
Hello all,

I have this weird feeling about telling others (especially in the professional world) that I brew beer.
I feel like I have to keep it secret from most and its hard because I am proud of my hobby and want to take further to being known in competition and possibly a brewery owner years down the road.
Click to expand...

Do you HAVE to talk about your personal hobbies with your professional colleagues? If you are worried about it why not just quit discussing it with them?
People that don't home brew don't care about your brewing anyway.
Not everyone thinks about beer, what's in it it where it comes from.
If you want to talk brewing with people that care about it, join a homebrew club, enter some competitions or go to HomeBrewCon.
 
I was asked about my hobbies in an interview a few years ago and told them “brewing”.

I was careful to point out that I like the process and rigor involved and that, plus excellent home made beer, was the attraction. I talked a little about how important things like temp control, yeast health, etc are and how enjoyable it is to create recipes, like a chef.

I don’t think I came across as “boozy”. Granted, I didn’t get the job so...! [emoji482]
 
Murphys_Law said:
I was asked about my hobbies in an interview a few years ago and told them “brewing”.

I was careful to point out that I like the process and rigor involved and that, plus excellent home made beer, was the attraction. I talked a little about how important things like temp control, yeast health, etc are and how enjoyable it is to create recipes, like a chef.

I don’t think I came across as “boozy”. Granted, I didn’t get the job so...! [emoji482]
Click to expand...

If you are in the construction industry and mention homebrewing,
there is a very good chance you will get the job during the interview.

Homebrew is a great tool to building professional reslationships with clients/ owners.
 
As a teacher, none my students nor their parents know of my homebrew hobby (we are encouraged to share our personal lives to be more relatable). However, my fellow staff know all about it and appreciate when I give them a few bottles. I even just gave my admin a batch to honor her first year as a principal!
I would like to say I don't care what others think, but I have to be careful if I want to keep my credential,
 
Much depends upon your profession. As a ChE working in product development and manufacturing, it can generally be seen as a plus when I talk about the creativity, rigor of control of ingredients, wort making, and fermenting. Especially when I throw in that I do yeast culturing and cell counts, it appeals to many I work with as to the breadth of fields with which I am proficient.

That said, I also raise dairy goats and that usually becomes more of the focus of conversation with others. Great distraction when needed!
 
Brewmegoodbeer said:
I have this weird feeling about telling others (especially in the professional world) that I brew beer. I feel some outsiders may view this as me sitting around getting drunk on my own beer all the time and being irresponsible. I am especially cautious because I am a professional within the medical field. Others may be quick to judge because I am creating alcohol instead of doing something to save the world like researching the cure for cancer.
Click to expand...

Everyone is allowed a hobby - how many of those doctors out on the golf course are curing cancer? On the flip side, having some time to switch off is actually really important for work - someone has done time and motion studies on Charles Darwin and he spent a lot of time "doing nothing" - he spent a surprising amount of each day walking on his "thinking path", and it obviously worked for him...

And only teetotallers can have a problem with making beer, it's just cooking for microbiologists, the original biotechnology. Noone gets weird about people who like baking, even though eating nothing but cakes would be just as bad for your health as too much beer. Everything in moderation and all that.


Brewmegoodbeer said:
I love brewing for the love of the science, methods, creativity, and that fact that its something I can look at and call my own.
Click to expand...

Exactly - talk about that stuff. Talk about all the new stuff coming out about yeast genetics - Suregork has combined recent genome sequencing results to come up with a phyogeny of 1168 yeast, from bread to distilling to lab strains.... And then there are ways to combine the two fields, a Polish brewery is souring beer with vaginal lactobacilli....
 
"Sitting around getting drunk on my own beer"

**** em.....its better than sitting found getting drunk off of someone else's beer.
 
I wouldn't think so. I mean it doesn't sound like an alcoholic to say "Hey man want to brew so we can get totally wasted in 3-4 weeks?" :D

If anything it's unprofessional to drink BMC beers lol
 
teesherv said:
As a teacher, none my students nor their parents know of my homebrew hobby (we are encouraged to share our personal lives to be more relatable). However, my fellow staff know all about it and appreciate when I give them a few bottles. I even just gave my admin a batch to honor her first year as a principal!
I would like to say I don't care what others think, but I have to be careful if I want to keep my credential,
Click to expand...

I would guess about a quarter on the members of my homebrew club are teachers. I think something about the job must necessitate more relaxing downtime...
 
Brewmegoodbeer said:
Hello all,

I am wondering if others have felt the way I feel about our beloved hobby and passion. I love brewing for the love of the science, methods, creativity, and that fact that its something I can look at and call my own. The good taste and the buzz are definitely pluses too! I have this weird feeling about telling others (especially in the professional world) that I brew beer. I feel some outsiders may view this as me sitting around getting drunk on my own beer all the time and being irresponsible. I am especially cautious because I am a professional within the medical field. Others may be quick to judge because I am creating alcohol instead of doing something to save the world like researching the cure for cancer. I feel like I have to keep it secret from most and its hard because I am proud of my hobby and want to take further to being known in competition and possibly a brewery owner years down the road. Hope im not the only person who feels this way.
Click to expand...
"Can it Be Seen As Unprofessional to Brew Beer?" - Yes. (Some people) "can" see it as being unprofessional. The gist of your question seems to imply that you yourself see it that way.

When you form your opinions by sticking your index finger into the air to see which way the cultural wind is blowing, there's no limits to how anything "can be seen."

No limits is not always good
 
i am young (25) and i tell everyone i work with and share some times, but everyone jokes that i always drink. this is not true. its been over a week since i had a drink and even then i only had a beer or two. i drink for flavor now and i never drink to get drunk.

we live in a world that it doesn't matter what you do someone will be offended in one way or another. my wife is a teacher and has a hard time having a drink when we go out. we also live in Utah and Mormons for the most part in this area are quick to judge.
 

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