To drink while brewing or not to drink.. That is the question

[Hello]

I'll have a couple. I'll never get drunk, there is way too much to go wrong and I don't need to help Murphy's law.

 

[beersk]

It is too early in the morning for me to have a beer. I enjoy it more after I'm all done.

Same here. The last 4 or 5 batches, I've started brewing early in the mornings on Saturdays and having a beer at 8 or 9am just doesn't feel right. I usually have one when I finish up around noon. Even when I brewed in the afternoons, I typically didn't have a beer until the boil was going.

 

[DrunkleJon]

Early morning brewer here. Coffee only during brewing.

Irish, Scottish, Canadian, or Kentucky Hillbilly style?

 

[homebrewmike]

I start my brew day off around 10 am and usually crack one open around noon.(That's when the pizza shows up) By the time I have finished cleaning I 've had maybe 3 with a glass of water for each. So while I'm not getting blitzed, I can still enjoy a few beers while brewing.

 

[pedimac]

Early brewing deserves a breakfast stout. Other times, I usually have a brew while mashing, and another after hot break. I also usually only have 8 oz pours off the keg - don't want to be drunk and do stupid stuff (I work in an operating room and see what could happen). I figure to toast the beer gods and enjoy life; brewing isn't work to me, it's a fun diversion.

 

[Darwin18]

I don't really consider it to be a good idea to drink around boiling hot liquids. I do have a beer or two throughout the brew day but do not get drunk. It's just not a safe idea, and honestly I'm really focusing on trying to put out beer for upcoming competitions. I do like to have a few after I've finished and cleaned everything up.

 

[Braufessor]

I almost always have a beer or maybe two over the course of the brew session. Or, often, I will pour a flight of 4-6 tasters (3-4 ounces) of each beer I have on tap and sip/sample those over the course of the session.

I will say this - almost EVERY stupid mistake I have ever made while brewing was when I was getting on into the 3-6 beer range. My biggest screwups have been when I have brewed with a good college buddy - we have shot for 3-Batch days a couple times, drinking too much....... we have yet to get all 3 into the fermenters due to some stupid mistake (knocking over a bucket full of wort, leaving the flame on and cooking the mash, stuff like that).

0-1-2 over the course of a brew session is going to give you the best chance of making good beer. Beyond that, eventually you are going to screw something up. Might be minor, might ruin your beer, might put you in the hospital....... might burn your house down.

 

[Lacombhillbilly]

Always have a beer.

 

[evrose]

Just so you know, it is actually possible to drink beer without getting hammered.

 

[brewguyver]

This is a wonderful point to rope in Dana Carvey



I usually stick to water when brewing, because the cleanup is not so great after a few beers, and I'll forget golden rules like "the ball valve is always open. Make sure it's closed, keep it pointed down range, and never point a ball valve at anyone (or anything electronic).

 

[ScottG58]

None for me when I brew. I have gallons of boiling wort and heavy glass to deal with. It also seems as though most brew days create an impromptu puzzle of some type. For instance missed mash temps, gravity adjustment or volume adjustment. I also keep pretty busy during the process--cleaning as I go.

 

[BWE]

There are certain things you do better when drinking. Driving is NOT one of them, I don't care who you are. But I play better golf when drinking. I cook better whilst drinking. And I know for a fact... I brew better drinking. Don't mistake drinking for Shmamered. Just a little to take the edge off and get in the zone. Zone Brew... Next beer name.

 

[Whut]

I plead the fifth.

 

[Early8]

Morning coffee and gravity samples for me mostly. It always gets a little goofy when I add brew to brewing; i seem to forget a detail somehow..... And visitors wreck my ADD, especially when I let them get into the taps... My best brew days are solo with coffee.

 

[sriq]

Of the brew days I've had so far, I usually had one or two beers during the process, right after the boil settled down - no homebrews ready yet, so Old Rasputins instead. It's a nice wind-down and preparation for the most labor intensive part for me (don't have an immersion chiller, so multiple ice baths moving the kettle side to side in the sink). No mishaps so far!

 

[Munchkin]

Ive done it both ways, I tend to enjoy it better after i have everything in the carboy. It really depends on time of day and mood with me.

 

[DrunkleJon]

I drink a fifth.

Fixed it for you.

 

[DU99]

when all the work is done and the wort is somewhere safe i will have a cold beer,have been caught out before with a beer/2 and the lawn got the contents

 

[hio3791]

None for me when I brew. I have gallons of boiling wort and heavy glass to deal with. It also seems as though most brew days create an impromptu puzzle of some type. For instance missed mash temps, gravity adjustment or volume adjustment. I also keep pretty busy during the process--cleaning as I go.

Exactly. Dealing with a 210K BTU propane burner that can burn the house down in minutes or dealing with 12 gallons of boiling liquid that can cause great body harm is not exactly the time I like to have a cold one. Since I brew after the kids go off to sleep, by the time I am done, it's usually near midnight and too late for me to have one. I prefer to drink in the late afternoon, early evening. Not late at night. And on the nights I plan to brew, I don't drink at all prior to brew time.

 

[Clef051]

I usually have a couple, depending on when I start. If I start early than I'm still drinking coffee, if it is later on than I'll usually have a couple nothing to crazy though. Getting drunk while brewing has never worked out for me to well. Sometimes I'll have one during the mash then another during boil. I try to clean as I go so there really isn't much time to drink anyways.

 

[Grossy]

I start drinking when I want beer.

On brew days thats about 10:30am. Sometimes thats before the mash, sometimes after. If I get drunk, thats cool too.

Stop worrying about things, let life happen.

 

[Hamaki]

Kind of surprised by the number responding with a zero alcohol tolerance policy while brewing. Trying to tackle a brew smashed is probably not a good idea but as others have said, you can enjoy without getting hammered. I have a zero tolerance policy when it comes to driving on a public road, running a chainsaw or shooting. Hadn't considered brewing to be in the same risk category despite boiling wort - electrical/fire - shattered carboy hazards but maybe I should.

 

[cramar]

I always have a beer during brewing, but I wait until things are rolling well enough.
Then again, personally I don't drink to get drunk, I usually only have 2-3 beers at most.

 

[Fordmi]

My brew days generally start in the early afternoon. It's not unheard of for me to have had a few before even starting and it doesn't necessarily stop/slow down because I'm brewing. Although it's not a no holds barred drunk fest either. By the time I wrap up I'm usually ready for bed.

I have no need to drive after brewing and my fermenters are all plastic. I'm pretty good at keeping track of my ball valves no matter my state...

 

[Remmy]

When I first started brewing I had no idea brew day would take every bit of 4-6 hours. I decided early on that it's best for me to wait until things are winding down before I have a beer, if at all.

Wow.

I always drink during brewdays. I stick to only one beer throughout the 4 hour day or a couple of sessionable brews.

Wow.

I never drink while brewing. I think of it like work. I'd rather have a clear head.

Wow.

It is too early in the morning for me to have a beer. I enjoy it more after I'm all done.

Wow.

I drink like a fish during brew sessions.

 

[hopjunkie26]

Like many here, my brew days start in the morning. I am not above drinking in the morning, but I usually wait until I have some lunch in me and then I will pour a pint and it doesn't really matter where I am at in my brewing process.

I clean as I go (whether I am drinking or not) and usually have enough going on that I don't sit there and hammer down until I can't see strait. As long as you are doing it safely, then have at it.

If I brew with my dad, that's a different story. One time we were brewing a strong Belgian IPA and we were partaking a little more than we usually would. Well, long story short, he added a pound of sugar to the boil without me knowing about it and then I turned around and added another pound of sugar without him knowing about it...and it was a strong beer to begin with.

But like Grossy said "Stop worrying about things, let life happen"

Cheers!

 

[passedpawn]

I drink like a fish during brew sessions.

Wow!

 

[danorocks17]

It depends on what kind of brew day it is for me. Some brew days I might only have a beer or two. Other days I may get pretty snockered if I have some buddies over "helping" me out. I usually wait until I've mashed in to start though.

 

[Remmy]

Wow!

Shocker, isn't it?

 

[catdaddy66]

A couple beers after the boil begins is just what takes the edge off from making sure the mash goes properly.

 

[StuckBrauer]

I feel that a brew day is not complete without at least one while brewing. However I have enough panic moments during brewing while sober. I definitely don't need alcohol to help me out so I stick with 1-3 throughout the day.

 

[NivekD]

Brewing and NOT drinking just doesn't seem right to me...

 

[corkybstewart]

For me it's a safety issue. Having seen badly burned people at work I don't want to be one of them. I may have no beer if my brewday includes lunch, otherwise no beer allowed until all burners are out, the wort is in the fermenter and I'm starting cleanup. Most people who ask me to teach them to brew don't come back a second time since there's no drinking allowed, I'm cool with that.

 

[ktblunden]

I'll usually have a beer during the mash and one during the boil. I'm not slamming barleywines or anything, so it's not like I'm impairing my judgement. I think the best part of brew day is those stretches of time when there's nothing to do except sit around and wait for the next flurry of activity. I get all my ingredients prepped ahead of time and get all my water measured and treated before I start, so aside from cleaning the mash tun as soon as I start the fire for the boil, there really is nothing else I could be doing. EDIT: Holy run-on sentence!!

 

[helibrewer]

I wait until I am whirlpooling before I have a beer, all the heat and electricity is secured by then

 

[nvrstck]

YES! If I'm trying to do a quick brew then I hold off as long as possible, usually till the boil starts (I'm all-grain). It always takes longer to brew while drinking and brew duration is proportional to the number and strength of the beers in my belly. If friends are over, I know I'm going to go slower anyways so I always enjoy some brews with them.

 

[stonecutter2]

I'll have one during the mash, and then another while chilling.

When outside of those times, I find it hard to not be involved in some aspect of the brew day that needs my attention - cleaning/prepping/measuring etc.

I do premeasure my hop additions out of habit, just so they're ready to throw in when the time arrives.

 

[brew_ny]

my second brew I do not even remember pitching the yeast

but I made beer so I must have

so for me now it is after the pitch

all the best

S_M

 

[ltwhiskers]

One or two on my own. A few more if friends are over. Like Papazian says, can't relax and not worry properly without a home brew.

 

[troy2000]

I generally pop one after I've sparged and the brew kettle goes on the fire. But that's it, until the yeast is pitched and I've made sure everything is collected and put away.

Then I settle in, and do some serious drinking....