COVID19 + Work From Home = Brewing like a madman.

[CJnCincy]

Not sure who else has found this cause and effect of COVID19, but I'm brewing like crazy now. Since mid March, this has been my rundown.

Kolsch: 3/22/2020
Grodziskie: 3/28/2020
O-fest/Marzen: 3/30/2020
German Pils: 4/5/2020
Altbier: 4/12/202

Pros: I like to brew and have time to brew, so I brew alot.
Cons: Supplies. Online delivery has a huge lead time now, and my LBHS is very limited, does not have an online list of avail product, and only does curbside pickup two days after the order.

Has anyone else found their brewing has changed significantly since COVID19?

 

[lump42]

I've brewed less than normal. My office expects us to work 40+hrs/week, while our daycare is shutdown. So my wife and I are splitting daycare duties for a 3-yo during business hours and then making up for it in the evenings. And trying to get a nursery together for another child due in July. We're doing just fine.....

 

[TandemTails]

I have a maibock fermenting right now. I also brewed a gose and have an irish red and barrel aged brown ale in the kegerator. Without the ability to have friends over to help drink all of my beer, I'm starting to get backlogged haha.

I only have a two tap kegerator so i'll probably have to bottle at least one of the kegs so i have room for my maibock in a week or two.

The biggest impact so far is not being able to have friends over to help drink my beer. My wife and I have been working on the kegs but it's not kicking them as quick as having a party haha.

 

[SouthBounds]

I'm starting to get backlogged haha

Same here. I brew every week but consumption isn't keeping up. I started bottling and giving them to neighbors that need a little stress reduction.

I also am trying some techniques I usually don't have time for. Like secondaries, weird grain builds, yeast harvesting etc. It has been very enjoyable.

 

[lump42]

I've brewed less than normal. My office expects us to work 40+hrs/week, while our daycare is shutdown. So my wife and I are splitting daycare duties for a 3-yo during business hours and then making up for it in the evenings. And trying to get a nursery together for another child due in July. We're doing just fine.....

I should mention that I did start a cherry mead (adaptation of Bray's Cherry Explosion) last night after the little one went to sleep. If I can get myself comfortable making mead, I've got a local beekeeper that's offered to supply the honey and then split the batch.

 

[Franktalk]

I've been brewing like a madman as well. I agree it's easy to get backlogged, but I have a couple of close friends in the neighborhood, within walking distance, so I'm making daily growler runs to their houses. I'm still a bit backlogged, but at least there is light at the end of the tunnel. Also, summer's coming, and it never hurts to have lots of beer when the hot weather sets in.

 

[TandemTails]

I should mention that I did start a cherry mead (adaptation of Bray's Cherry Explosion) last night after the little one went to sleep. If I can get myself comfortable making mead, I've got a local beekeeper that's offered to supply the honey and then split the batch.

I love making mead for it's simplicity. It takes about 15 minutes to sanitize the carboy, mix the honey and ingredients, take an OG and pitch the yeast. It does get a little more time consuming if you start doing SNA and degas multiple times per day, but with most of us working from home that isn't as big of an issue.

 

[Tidwellc]

I thought working from home would free up more brew time, but it's unfortunately been the opposite for me. I've been averaging 10-12 hrs a day and a good portion of the weekends as well. The downtime I've had I've been way too worn out to brew. Thankfully I did a quick 5 gal extract batch of hefe right when this thing started so I've something in the keg. When I get a chance, gonna try a kitchen sink brew to use up some leftover hops in my freezer.

 

[NitrogenWidget]

I've done more test batches of stuff but brewing during the work day is hard because i'm a support person and my boss expects me to do stuff and show results.

however since I don't have an hr commute and can stay up later because I don't have to get up as early I expect i will be brewing in full force.

with my saving gas $$$ i've upgraded my burner and fermenters so i need to do some modifications to the fridge i'm using as a ferm chamber.

but yeah, being able to log-off and just start brewing at 5 will = lots of brewing probably in May without having to take half a day or wait for the weekend.

 

[BBBF]

I brewed a couple lagers right before I started working from home. I had to brew another 10 gallons while I had the healthy, lager, yeast cake. That and one of the first batches was supposed to be a Marzen that was going to get lagered all summer. It's going on tap ASAP.

 

[FloppyKnockers]

30 gallons fermenting now.

I <3 work from home-brew days.

 

[Jayjay1976]

I thought I would get to brew a lot more frequently during the quarantine but I also find that I'm brewing far less frequently, and for a couple of reasons. As others have said, working from home equals putting in quite a few more hours than I ever did at the office. My employer knows I'm at home and available, plus I can't take vacation time lest they think I'm some kind of a moron for spending vacation time under lockdown. When I do finally have time to work on brew-related activities I find that I'm stressed out and so easily agitated I end up making mistakes and just quit in frustration.

I did manage to brew a batch yesterday and though I collected RO water the night before, I failed to weigh out my grain, mill it, measure out salts, etc. or even get my gear out and set up. I started at 9 am and didn't mash in till noon which already put me in a nasty mood, so I was intensely conscious of all the crappy extra steps I've added over the years in the interest of improving my beers. Weighing out all of the water salts then obsessing over whether they dissolved completely in the strike water made me want to snap my brew paddle because I was in a hurry to mash in. Squeezing the bag to hit my pre-boil volume was a hassle, so was dragging out, sanitizing, assembling and then using my oxygen lance. I recently started using a big tub of water and a fountain pump for chilling which hasn't been too bad but the water wasn't very cold so chilling seemed to take forever as I kept looking at the clock and thinking jeez I would really like to leave this room.

The recipe had only 2.5 oz of hops so I pitched them directly into the kettle as I usually do but for some reason this batch of Tettnanger pellets were coarsely ground so they made a super big mess and it took forever to get my kettle clean. Then I forgot to close the kettle valve when I started to dump in the last bucket of rinse water; I quickly shut it off but then panicked and burned half a roll of precious paper towels sopping up the floor.

All told, seven hours later I found myself in a really ripped off mood and wondering why I even bother with this crap, especially when I look at my process and can think of even more steps I should add and gear I could buy to make my beer even better. Anyone else find themselves frustrated by simple things and pissed off at the world for no reason?

 

[moreb33rplz]

I thought I would get to brew a lot more frequently during the quarantine but I also find that I'm brewing far less frequently, and for a couple of reasons. As others have said, working from home equals putting in quite a few more hours than I ever did at the office. My employer knows I'm at home and available, plus I can't take vacation time lest they think I'm some kind of a moron for spending vacation time under lockdown. When I do finally have time to work on brew-related activities I find that I'm stressed out and so easily agitated I end up making mistakes and just quit in frustration.

I did manage to brew a batch yesterday and though I collected RO water the night before, I failed to weigh out my grain, mill it, measure out salts, etc. or even get my gear out and set up. I started at 9 am and didn't mash in till noon which already put me in a nasty mood, so I was intensely conscious of all the crappy extra steps I've added over the years in the interest of improving my beers. Weighing out all of the water salts then obsessing over whether they dissolved completely in the strike water made me want to snap my brew paddle because I was in a hurry to mash in. Squeezing the bag to hit my pre-boil volume was a hassle, so was dragging out, sanitizing, assembling and then using my oxygen lance. I recently started using a big tub of water and a fountain pump for chilling which hasn't been too bad but the water wasn't very cold so chilling seemed to take forever as I kept looking at the clock and thinking jeez I would really like to leave this room.

The recipe had only 2.5 oz of hops so I pitched them directly into the kettle as I usually do but for some reason this batch of Tettnanger pellets were coarsely ground so they made a super big mess and it took forever to get my kettle clean. Then I forgot to close the kettle valve when I started to dump in the last bucket of rinse water; I quickly shut it off but then panicked and burned half a roll of precious paper towels sopping up the floor.

All told, seven hours later I found myself in a really ripped off mood and wondering why I even bother with this crap, especially when I look at my process and can think of even more steps I should add and gear I could buy to make my beer even better. Anyone else find themselves frustrated by simple things and pissed off at the world for no reason?

Have a homebrew man! Sounds like you're making it harder than you need to.

 

[day_trippr]

Completely unrelated to viral scourges, I was already brewing like a maniac starting post-holidays to refill my pipeline which got brutalized between Thanksgiving and New Years I've done ten 10 gallon batches since the beginning of January, have the eleventh halfway fermented, and expect to do another batch within the next few days, as kegs start to kick again and a second chamber becomes available.

No ingredient issues so far, I'm loaded with base malts, a decent inventory of specials, plenty of hops, and a modest yeast farm still chugging along. And time is definitely not a problem. Got loads of that these days, too...

Cheers!

 

[NitrogenWidget]

Completely unrelated to viral scourges, I was already brewing like a maniac starting post-holidays to refill my pipeline which got brutalized between Thanksgiving and New Years I've done ten 10 gallon batches since the beginning of January, have the eleventh halfway fermented, and expect to do another batch within the next few days, as kegs start to kick again and a second chamber becomes available.

No ingredient issues so far, I'm loaded with base malts, a decent inventory of specials, plenty of hops, and a modest yeast farm still chugging along. And time is definitely not a problem. Got loads of that these days, too...

Cheers!

I have 10 5 gallon and 2 3 gallon kegs.
I may need to buy more.
especially if I want to brew some stouts and porters to age for winter.
I brewed some early fall and it didn't get awesome until march when there was just a gallon left.

 

[beersk]

I thought I would get to brew a lot more frequently during the quarantine but I also find that I'm brewing far less frequently, and for a couple of reasons. As others have said, working from home equals putting in quite a few more hours than I ever did at the office. My employer knows I'm at home and available, plus I can't take vacation time lest they think I'm some kind of a moron for spending vacation time under lockdown. When I do finally have time to work on brew-related activities I find that I'm stressed out and so easily agitated I end up making mistakes and just quit in frustration.

I did manage to brew a batch yesterday and though I collected RO water the night before, I failed to weigh out my grain, mill it, measure out salts, etc. or even get my gear out and set up. I started at 9 am and didn't mash in till noon which already put me in a nasty mood, so I was intensely conscious of all the crappy extra steps I've added over the years in the interest of improving my beers. Weighing out all of the water salts then obsessing over whether they dissolved completely in the strike water made me want to snap my brew paddle because I was in a hurry to mash in. Squeezing the bag to hit my pre-boil volume was a hassle, so was dragging out, sanitizing, assembling and then using my oxygen lance. I recently started using a big tub of water and a fountain pump for chilling which hasn't been too bad but the water wasn't very cold so chilling seemed to take forever as I kept looking at the clock and thinking jeez I would really like to leave this room.

The recipe had only 2.5 oz of hops so I pitched them directly into the kettle as I usually do but for some reason this batch of Tettnanger pellets were coarsely ground so they made a super big mess and it took forever to get my kettle clean. Then I forgot to close the kettle valve when I started to dump in the last bucket of rinse water; I quickly shut it off but then panicked and burned half a roll of precious paper towels sopping up the floor.

All told, seven hours later I found myself in a really ripped off mood and wondering why I even bother with this crap, especially when I look at my process and can think of even more steps I should add and gear I could buy to make my beer even better. Anyone else find themselves frustrated by simple things and pissed off at the world for no reason?

I've definitely had these days. Usually I just have a beer and I feel better. But days like those always make me start analyzing the hell out of my process - how can I make things easier, less stressful. It also makes me asks questions like - Do I need to take a break from brewing? Should I just buy beer for a while? Or was it just because I was in a crappy mood to begin with?

Usually it's just because I'm in a bad mood to begin with and probably should have just waited to brew another day. And sometimes I recognize that before starting and put it off a day or two. And it always works out for the better.


But, on topic, I don't feel I'm brewing any more than before. I brew about twice a month, 5 gallon batches, sometimes half batches. Depends how I'm feeling. But I've started natty carbing my kegs now to save on co2 and because I'll eventually have overflow and won't have space in the kegerator so they might as well be carbonating at the same time.

 

[danielthemaniel]

Similar to normal. I'm working 60 hours a week as a grocery store manager but just started a 2 week leave due to the birth of our 2nd child. Keeping the routine of brewing a 10gal batch event 2 weeks.

 

[letsallgoforasoda]

I haven't been to work in a month and am cook by trade so there is no work from home. I have been using the down time to learn how to brew beer. I made 4 different 1 gallon extract batches with specialty grains and that are in various stages of primary, secondary and bottle conditioning.
I started off about a year ago making fermented foods, which led me to soda making which has led me to this stage in this fermentation rabbit hole I took a deep dive into.
I made my first yeast starter today I don't have a stir plate but if it works I will be brewing my first 5 gallon batch either tomorrow or the day after

 

[NitrogenWidget]

I haven't been to work in a month and am cook by trade so there is no work from home. I have been using the down time to learn how to brew beer. I made 4 different 1 gallon extract batches with specialty grains and that are in various stages of primary, secondary and bottle conditioning.
I started off about a year ago making fermented foods, which led me to soda making which has led me to this stage in this fermentation rabbit hole I took a deep dive into.
I made my first yeast starter today I don't have a stir plate but if it works I will be brewing my first 5 gallon batch either tomorrow or the day after

I'm lucky enough to work from home and receive a paycheck so hang in there.
Also, you don't need a stir plate.
I guess they help but i've harvested yeast from a 6 pack of Oberon with some dry malt and a canning jar that I swirl a few times a day multiple times then brewed a gallon batch of beer followed by 10 gallons.

 

[deuc224]

I havent skipped a beat with work. Work at a hospital and havent had time to do much of anything. So i took an extra day off this week to do a kolsch, hope i dont rush thru it and mess something up.

 

[earwig]

I've definitely had these days. Usually I just have a beer and I feel better. But days like those always make me start analyzing the hell out of my process - how can I make things easier, less stressful. It also makes me asks questions like - Do I need to take a break from brewing? Should I just buy beer for a while? Or was it just because I was in a crappy mood to begin with?
Usually it's just because I'm in a bad mood to begin with and probably should have just waited to brew another day. And sometimes I recognize that before starting and put it off a day or two. And it always works out for the better.
But, on topic, I don't feel I'm brewing any more than before. I brew about twice a month, 5 gallon batches, sometimes half batches. Depends how I'm feeling. But I've started natty carbing my kegs now to save on co2 and because I'll eventually have overflow and won't have space in the kegerator so they might as well be carbonating at the same time.

I "quit" brewing for several years because of many of the things you mentioned. Because of the quarantine I started brewing again and missed it. I will say, not taking it so seriously has helped make it fun again. I stopped obsessing over sanitization, worrying about exact water amounts, how fast I cooled the wort etc. I figure, it's homebrew, and I want it to be good, but if it's not perfect, oh well, at least I have some homemade beer to drink.

 

[CascadesBrewer]

The biggest impact so far is not being able to have friends over to help drink my beer. My wife and I have been working on the kegs but it's not kicking them as quick as having a party haha.

I hear you. I seldom had friends over, but I did not realize how much of my volume went to taking beers/growlers to club meetings. I brewed quite a few small batch experimental stuff that I took to meetings as well. It also make me realize how much of my enjoyment of brewing comes from sharing my creation with friends and fellow brewers. I have a Chipotle Porter on tap that I brewed for a special club competition that has been postponed, and I have ingredients for a Dunkleweizen that was for a future club competition that may or may not happen.

I have shifted towards brewing beers that I want to drink. I am a huge fan of 5%-ish beers, so I have a 1.052 Hazy Pale cold crashing right now. My next batch will probably be an American Pale Ale (been playing around with newer recipes that use less/lighter/no crystal). Maybe I will get around to brewing a second version of the Single I have on tap.

 

[TandemTails]

I hear you. I seldom had friends over, but I did not realize how much of my volume went to taking beers/growlers to club meetings. I brewed quite a few small batch experimental stuff that I took to meetings as well. It also make me realize how much of my enjoyment of brewing comes from sharing my creation with friends and fellow brewers. I have a Chipotle Porter on tap that I brewed for a special club competition that has been postponed, and I have ingredients for a Dunkleweizen that was for a future club competition that may or may not happen.

I have shifted towards brewing beers that I want to drink. I am a huge fan of 5%-ish beers, so I have a 1.052 Hazy Pale cold crashing right now. My next batch will probably be an American Pale Ale (been playing around with newer recipes that use less/lighter/no crystal). Maybe I will get around to brewing a second version of the Single I have on tap.

Yeah, my irish red that's on tap was for an internal club comp that got cancelled. I'll probably just end up seeing if friends need growlers filled and try to work through a keg that way.

I should probably start doing some lower ABV stuff but I currently have a maibock that's about to start lagering. it'll end up in the low 7% range lol.

 

[NitrogenWidget]

I love 4-5% beers in the summer.
i'm still going to fill my kegs.

 

[VirginiaHops1]

Not sure who else has found this cause and effect of COVID19, but I'm brewing like crazy now. Since mid March, this has been my rundown.

Kolsch: 3/22/2020
Grodziskie: 3/28/2020
O-fest/Marzen: 3/30/2020
German Pils: 4/5/2020
Altbier: 4/12/202

Pros: I like to brew and have time to brew, so I brew alot.
Cons: Supplies. Online delivery has a huge lead time now, and my LBHS is very limited, does not have an online list of avail product, and only does curbside pickup two days after the order.

Has anyone else found their brewing has changed significantly since COVID19?

Which online suppliers are you seeing with long delivery times now? I placed a large order with Morebeer about 3 weeks ago when I got a little concerned about businesses shutting down, and it arrived in the usual prompt timeframe(3-4 days).

I've been having the opposite issue so far. Usually work from home days are perfect for brewing because I can easily juggle both, but now trying to juggle work from home and my 3 kids has been challenging enough without trying to brew also. I have gotten in one brew day so far and probably will do another in a week or so(hopefully)

 

[NitrogenWidget]

Which online suppliers are you seeing with long delivery times now? I placed a large order with Morebeer about 3 weeks ago when I got a little concerned about businesses shutting down, and it arrived in the usual prompt timeframe(3-4 days).

I've been having the opposite issue so far. Usually work from home days are perfect for brewing because I can easily juggle both, but now trying to juggle work from home and my 3 kids has been challenging enough without trying to brew also. I have gotten in one brew day so far and probably will do another in a week or so(hopefully)

I placed an order on the 8th for base malts from morebeer.
It hasn't been picked yet.

I have other basemalts.
just no pilsner malt and would like more pale.

I also ordered orange peel and coriander in bulk because BierMuncher's orange wit is my favorite summer beer and plan to brew lots of it.

 

[beersk]

I "quit" brewing for several years because of many of the things you mentioned. Because of the quarantine I started brewing again and missed it. I will say, not taking it so seriously has helped make it fun again. I stopped obsessing over sanitization, worrying about exact water amounts, how fast I cooled the wort etc. I figure, it's homebrew, and I want it to be good, but if it's not perfect, oh well, at least I have some homemade beer to drink.

This is a good attitude, although I'd say that if there's anything you're going to obsess over, sanitation doesn't hurt. Just make homebrewing fun. I take it pretty seriously, but I've definitely relaxed over the years, probably because I've gotten better at it, more knowledgeable, and more comfortable with the process.

 

[eric19312]

Working from home is not new to me and I just can't get in a brew day on a work day. But I am traveling for business less so more days at home to consume the production. Also college aged kid home for spring break that now looks like it is going to last until September. Good news is that with social distancing all that crap about spending weekends at Home Depot and visiting friends and relatives is off and I do have more brew days available.

 

[jonny24]

Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending), we decided to get out kitchen reno done. No kitchen = no brew. We're almost there, I just have to wire in the new range hood and we're good to go for this weekend. But I've been out of homebrew for a few weeks now. Part of that is that we (my brother and I) have been drinking a lot more, both for lack of other things to do and beautiful weather. Lots of washer toss is the back yard.

My saving grace as of today, is that I have a buddy who owns a bar had some kegs that were tapped, but going to go past their best-before date since he's shut down. So got a free half a keg of Keith's and a quarter keg of Tetley's. The D coupler fitting came today so the Keith's is hooked up, but I now realize I need to spend another $60 to get a S-type coupler for the other keg.

 

[brownni5]

I've brewed less than normal. My office expects us to work 40+hrs/week, while our daycare is shutdown. So my wife and I are splitting daycare duties for a 3-yo during business hours and then making up for it in the evenings. And trying to get a nursery together for another child due in July. We're doing just fine.....

Man, I thought my life sucked right now. My kids are 5 and 2, but at least I get some time off work!

I placed an online order for grain and yeast this morning. It shipped within 2 hours. It'll be here Thursday morning, about 10 a.m. if there isn't an unexpected delay. Man I love my online store!

 

[ISS IT Guy]

Well, if I haven't been brewing more I sure have been thinking about it a lot more. Brewed a Kolsch on Thursday that I've titled KolschVID-19, using Liberty hops because I think some liberty is something everybody wants right now.

Also kegged my first beer this past weekend, so I think I'll be getting out of the business of bottling for a while. It's nice to be able to have beer on tap in the house (just need to get some longer line with a smaller ID so it's not pure foam every time!)

 

[Paul_Aris]

I "quit" brewing for several years because of many of the things you mentioned. Because of the quarantine I started brewing again and missed it. I will say, not taking it so seriously has helped make it fun again. I stopped obsessing over sanitization, worrying about exact water amounts, how fast I cooled the wort etc. I figure, it's homebrew, and I want it to be good, but if it's not perfect, oh well, at least I have some homemade beer to drink.

I quit brewing early Summer 2016, 4 years ago. Mainly because I was working with a brewhouse owner doing a startup. He wanted me to be the brewer plus I had a full time job. So because his brewery wasn't built yet in restuarant/bar, He dropped off his brand new pilot system at my house and I brewed in my garage to dial in the process and recipes. This was a Sabco Brew Magic and it was sweet system complete with touch screen and temp control during mash. Obviously we couldn't sell the beer because it was made in my garage but it gave me a ton of beer to drink at home and with my friends. I was doing a lot of double brew days. Well he ended up not getting anything approved and made a lot people mad including a few things wtih me. After that he picked up his system and I haven't brewed since. Well until Sunday.

I got my old batch sparge system out and my keggle and brewed on of my favorite IPA's I developed for the brewhouse. I got so burned out from the previous situation I just didnt want to brew for while. Well I have to say I really really enjoyed it sunday. I also am very happy to simplify back down to smaller lighter equipment. Just a lot less to clean. The brew magic was awesome but thoses three kegs were so heavy to clean rinse and clean. That wasn't even including kegging afer fermentation. One keggle and once coolor is a lot easier to deal with. Also, just a lot less hoses, fittings and everything else.

My next system will be a electric single vessel biab system. One pot and one basket to clean with some hoses. Not a big deal.

I will say the bordom of the quarantine is what got me thinking of doing it again and I'm glad I did.

 

[walker111]

Hope all are safe with your families. Broke my right ankle ...fibula and ruptured big tendon on Mar.17.
Brewing slowwwwwwwwwwed down!!!!!
Still lots of snow up here in calgary Alberta Canada.
Air boot is on a week and getting a bit shack wacky from isolation but know it is important .
Need to brew and plan to friday. With the help of my 2 sons ( 13 and 16) I am going to move indoors to kitchen and brew a 10 g Centennial blonde . Slower than in the garage with the big burner but what the he%^&**^%%$.
Keezer has 4 taps and starting to get skinny. If friday does well and I feel ok I am going to brew again next week and keep it going ......

 

[Tidwellc]

(just need to get some longer line with a smaller ID so it's not pure foam every time!)

Is that what I'm doing wrong?! Just got a kegerator and I'm about 4 kegs into it with homebrew. Sometimes I get a decent pour but most of the time its 80% foam or worse. PSI is good, temperature around 40. Does a smaller ID line with more length help?

 

[Paul_Aris]

Is that what I'm doing wrong?! Just got a kegerator and I'm about 4 kegs into it with homebrew. Sometimes I get a decent pour but most of the time its 80% foam or worse. PSI is good, temperature around 40. Does a smaller ID line with more length help?

Also purge keg a few times and even turn pressure down more if needed.