Norselord
Well-Known Member
My priorities are somewhat screwed up.
Maybe its just the Zen in me preferring the process to the result.
Maybe its just the Zen in me preferring the process to the result.
More Addicted to Homebrewing than Beer?
- Thread starter Norselord
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Nightshade
Well-Known Member
I prefer the process as well.
I still enjoy the results but the process is cathartic for me.
I still enjoy the results but the process is cathartic for me.
ianw58
Well-Known Member
I'm with both of you. I love the process from designing the to brewing it and shepherding it through fermentation. It's so incredibly satisfying.
Fortunately, I have friends who keep me in empty kegs.
I'm about to finish my brew rig build. It's been the same way. In some ways, I hate to see it finished.
Oh well...now for a nice glass of smoked porter...
Fortunately, I have friends who keep me in empty kegs.
I'm about to finish my brew rig build. It's been the same way. In some ways, I hate to see it finished.
Oh well...now for a nice glass of smoked porter...
Absolutely agree! I just went to one of the best beer festivals in the US last weekend....Firestone Walker Invitational. It was fun and the beers were incredible but......I had the most fun talking to a German brewer about his double decocted lagers. Actually I don't understand how anyone can be a "beer geek" and NOT brew. It's like being a "foodie" but not cooking.....even a little. I even said to my wife that I am starting to get "bored" drinking beer. However I still LOVE brewing beer.
The time spent brewing, for me, is theraputic. I take things slow, and it is low stress and as a result I am relaxed and in a good mood during and after a session. I honestly want to brew every weekend, but know that there is no way I can consume 5 Gal a week. Let alone 10. Maybe I need to build a larger kegerator (to fit 1/2 BBL kegs) and brew every weekend and blend in batches then throw a party when my pipeline is full. Then start again. Maybe I need to start making small test batches when my pipeline is full as it is so I do not glut my stores. Maybe I should start making wines and meads while I am working towards putting a dent in my beer stores.
Oh the problems of homebrewers.
Oh the problems of homebrewers.
DrunkleJon said:
Brew a stronger batch that will need time to age while your pipeline is full then when your pipeline is empty or low you will have a nice strong ale.
Exactly. Brewing is one of the only things that lowers my stress level
almost to the point of forgetting about business and life in general. Hawaii is another.
I love the planning stage to the first taste but then its time to move
on to the next batch. Drinking the final product is great but a very small
part of it for me.
BigRedHopHead
Well-Known Member
or maybe you haven't made outstanding beers yet? to me the process is fun, but even better when your labor results in a great product. That is nirvana!
I interpret this thread as "I love brewing" in general. I share the sentiment. To me, consuming the end product is a part of the process as much as, say, sanitizing your fermenter. Or creating a starter. Its the end step where evaluation and learning occur, as well as perhaps joy or sorrow. Now that its in primary I cannot wait to taste my Irish Red. Same anticipation that I had for brewing it is now what I feel regarding tasting it.
jungatheart
Well-Known Member
Count me as another one who loves the process more than the result of the process.
I really like that there's always room for improvement so when I'm not brewing, I can be thinking about making the next brew day better and more efficient.
I really like that there's always room for improvement so when I'm not brewing, I can be thinking about making the next brew day better and more efficient.
You and me both... I think about brewing beer all the time... trying to figure out when I will get the chance.
"Some many beers and so little time..."
I have done about 70 gallons so far this year and will probably do around 170...
Things I want to try:
DPB
"Some many beers and so little time..."
I have done about 70 gallons so far this year and will probably do around 170...
Things I want to try:
- Decoction Mashing
- Party Gyle Brewing
- A whole lot of new recipes
DPB
I've always found I end up giving most of my brews away, or at least it seems that way. I dropped off a few beers to each of my new neighbors. The look on their faces was priceless. I enjoy a few bottles of each new brew, but it's always so much more fun to try to brew your best beer every time. The process is a chore, but it's a chore that most everybody can enjoy. Cheers.
Wow, I wish I had some of you guys as friends
Always happy to meet fellow homebrewers and share what I have made, especially if people appreciate them and will give good notes. And if i get help loading up the grill, all the better.
I do too!! It is fun to create in my mind new recipes and its super relaxing to do the actual process of brewing. I dont drink too much nowadays because I am in training. I just let my brother in law come over and drink it up.
I also went to the FSIBF this past weekend. THAT was the best beer festival I have been to. Definitely going again.
I also went to the FSIBF this past weekend. THAT was the best beer festival I have been to. Definitely going again.
Monster Mash
Well-Known Member
I love the process.
I love improving the process (building things).
I love the results of the process.
I just like everything that has to do with making beer....
I love improving the process (building things).
I love the results of the process.
I just like everything that has to do with making beer....
LeBreton
Well-Known Member
I love to brew, from the recipe planning and research, the careful measure of ingredients, the details, the setup, the boil itself, even the cleanup and bottling is fun to me.
But given a choice:
Never drink a beer again
or
Never brew again
All my carboys and buckets would be out the window in a flash.
But given a choice:
Never drink a beer again
or
Never brew again
All my carboys and buckets would be out the window in a flash.
chitowngator
Active Member
Wow! I'm glad I'm not the only one who enjoys the brewing more than the drinking. Although there's nothing quite like opening up that first bottle of a recent batch to see how it turned out, but after the 4th or 5th one I'm ready to see what else I can make.
I still have a handful of bottles of a stout I brewed in 2010! It's delicious, but it's not my favorite style so it only comes out during rare occasions. An IPA or Bock doesn't seem to last as long. Now if I could only find someone to clean up after a day of brewing...
I still have a handful of bottles of a stout I brewed in 2010! It's delicious, but it's not my favorite style so it only comes out during rare occasions. An IPA or Bock doesn't seem to last as long. Now if I could only find someone to clean up after a day of brewing...
bizarrojosh
Well-Known Member
I think I love the results just as much as the process. I mean, I'm brewing to make delicious beer.
In other words I get joy in making the beer and I get joy (and calories and a fatty liver) drinking the product!
In other words I get joy in making the beer and I get joy (and calories and a fatty liver) drinking the product!
bscott1011
Well-Known Member
I'm split on this one, I love brewing and tinkering with my gear, hell I even enjoy bottling but I also really enjoy the finished product. Nothing like a cold handcrafted beer with my breakfast after a long night shift.
I love the process and enjoy entering competitions to get feedback. I probably drink a quarter to a third of what I make. I give away huge amounts of beer. For me brewing is about seeing how good I can get.
I enjoy getting to taste the end product, but for me it's really all about the maths and science and precision involved in making something that my friends and family enjoy. And brewing is a great way to get to spend an afternoon hanging out, listening to music, and eating delicious foods.
Lopsy
Well-Known Member
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It's all the process for me, including drinking the final product. Because even while I'm drinking it I'm thinking about what to tweak to make it better. Not in a stressful way, just in a "wow, I made this. How can I make it better.". Creating a relaxing experience for all those that drink my beer is another big part of it. I love creating a warm and relaxing environment. Because that's what I live for; being with people the way I think it's intended to be, for me at least. Forgive the hackneyed rant. I'm in the bathroom getting laid at work while I type this... Dreaming of beer the whole darn time!
Edit: paid at work. Thought I'd leave it in there because it cracked me up while I read it after I already posted.
Edit: paid at work. Thought I'd leave it in there because it cracked me up while I read it after I already posted.
hio3791
Well-Known Member
As others have posted, I enjoy the full process. I've been brewing for 10 yrs and I still get as excited to taste something I brewed today as I did 10 yrs ago. Besides, if I didn't like it, I would't get up at 5am to keg 10 gal and clean fermenters before going to work or staying up late at night to brew since it's the only time I can brew as I have little ones to play with during the day time.
meltroha
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Leaving that in there was certainly the correct move, well played!
Norselord
Well-Known Member
Sounds to me like your brewing process is much more social than mine. Mine is usually a very solitary affair (young kids and a pregnant wife not interested in brewing).
I did have a buddy join me for the last brew day, and he is excited to start brewing himself. Maybe I should take a cue from you and turn brew days into grill out music fests.
I for one don't understand the whole "social" brewday thing. I have 2 - 3 different things going on at once for most of the brew-day. I sit down for maybe 30 minutes of a 5 hour AG batch. Having to entertain guests, cook food, or answer brewing questions is not something I want to weave into an already hectic event.
I will say that I do enjoy brewing *almost* as much as drinking.
Yup, definitely. This is one of the reasons I made a lager after 2 ales, to force myself to slow down. Sadly just like every other time I try to stop myself from doing something I want to do, I found a way around it. I have an empty kegerator and now the lager is in secondary in there, so I can start a new IPA today. Didn't even think about drinking beer until 6 hours in. (EDIT: 6 hours counting the time I spent cleaning and prepping).
I am behind! Then again my first batch of the year was started in April and I am at 20 gal now.
My goal is to "perfect" my IPA recipe. But since I don't want to work on just one style of beer I make something different in between each batch of IPA.
Beernik
Well-Known Member
I like to brew more than I like to drink too. I just barely finished 2011's winter warmer.
LaurieGator
Well-Known Member
I am another geek who truly enjoys the brewing process. I love canning the starter wort, washing and freezing yeast, planning the brew, and being outdoors with nature and Flogging Molly playing while making sure all goes smoothly. I also really love watching the dance of the fermentation. It is so cool...
No matter how stressed I may be before the brew, I am totally mellow when I am done. It is meditation in motion for me!
No matter how stressed I may be before the brew, I am totally mellow when I am done. It is meditation in motion for me!
jungatheart
Well-Known Member
It's like magic.
I find IPAs about the easiest:
A Base Grain 95-100%
Some good hops at 60, 20, 5 and 0 and medium to high IBUs (maybe dry hop)
Trying to dial in a Stout or a smooth Amber is my current goal They can have so much going on it is hard to figure out how to tweak them
DPB
