why do friends think homebrew is FREE?

[Vance71975]

probably talked about before, but a quick search did not show any recent threads, so I thought I would put it out for discussion. It seems when friends stopped over "for a few" in the pre-homebrew days, we would all kick in a few bucks and someone would make a beer run. A couple of sixes, chairs on the porch or deck, great conversation. . .

Now, with known homebrew in stock, they stop by to "try the latest brew" and hang out, drinking three or four. I have never asked for money from them, yet homebrew is NOT free, and some of the more extreme ones probably cost $2-$3 per pint in ingredients alone, let alone the time and energy and equipment that went into it (a recent Pliny clone and the present Noble IPA each used over a pound of hops in five gallons). I am not trying to be an arse about this, but would it be too much if I asked for a buck or two per beer to cover these costs? How do you handle the freeloaders?

I tell them If you want to drink here you have to pitch in, either by helping brew,buying grain,hops,yeast,etc. I explain that a batch cost me anywhere from 15 dollars to 75 dollars, and that if they want to drink my beer for free then they need to stock craft brew at their houses for me to drink for free when i come over, this has handled the problem well for me, now most ask when the next brew day is and they help do the ****ty parts i dont like, such as clean up. Works great for me!

 

[milldoggy]

Give a man a beer, he will ask for another, teach a man to brew, he will bring over another.

 

[shecky]

I've never asked or expected anyone to kick in a few bucks for store bought brew or homebrew. I'd politely decline cash if you offer. If you come to my house and I offer you a beer, it's on me.

If I go to a social event, I'll try bring a growler, sixer, or bottle of wine. It'd be cool if my friends did the same, but it's a courtesy, not an expectation.

This. I don't quite understand the hubbub here.

 

[knightbeer39]

Beat them over the head with a baseball bat on the way out. Take there wallet and extract funds as appropriate. When they come around, tell them someone jumped them and you and the boys kicked his ass and he ran off.

Or...stop being a cheap ass and just let them drink.

 

[paulster2626]

I'm going to surmise that back in the day (like thousands of years back in the day), people brewed beer in very small batches, and quite often it didn't come out very good. But still, when they had a good batch, they'd offer it to their guests for free, as a display of hospitality.

This practice has then continued to the present, but the only thing that has changed is that it is very easy for someone to make good beer, and in relatively large quantities.

So basically they think it's free because it's always been free. Forever.

 

[PortlandPatrick]

I'm all about people tasting my beer, and don't really have any issues because a) we don't have many guests, b) very few of my friends like craft beer anyway. The only issues I have ever had were a few people who became too comfortable with my taps. I am a HUGE proponent of asking for things in other people's homes. I do not tolerate ANYONE (even my father got yelled at once) taking it upon themselves to open my taps, fridge, cabinets, etc. It's one of my quirks and I'm not ashamed of it. Not a single person has ever been told no who wasn't wasted (my cousin has been cut off before for this reason), but I do require that anyone who wants a beer or a refill ask me first.

I know, its being a little nitpicky, but I'm serious about it. I also don't like random phone calls and hate surprise visitors. I usually make them leave.

Did you have a lot of siblings, by chance?

 

[Joehova44]

The solution is simple.... If people freeload to much on your brew, you in turn should steel their lady while they are at the keg and when they confront you, you would simply tell them that sharing is caring!

 

[certaut]

the beer sponges that I know I give them the things I don't wana drink.
once I saved 4 gal of bud lite out of a scrap sanke for a keggle and they drank it.

 

[blizzard]

Sounds like you guys need a change of scenery. I gladly offer homebrew to guests and make a lot more than the two of us can drink. But, if the same friends invited themselves over every week for tailgating to the point where they were there for free beer and not good company, I would suggest we go to another person's house or a nearby bar. And if they had to ask why I'd tell them I love having them over, but I can't afford to pay the bar tab before every game.

 

[Airborneguy]

Did you have a lot of siblings, by chance?

Oldest of 9! I read a book about large families a few years ago, and yes, the psychological traits are fairly consistent. Not all of them, but some were uncanny (all the way down the line, not just me).

 

[austinb]

I like sharing my homebrew with friends but i usually ask if they can pick up a six pack so we aren't drinking through all my homebrew. I don't brew often enough to share more than a beer or two of my homebrew. My friends think of the homebrew as something special so they are ok buying a sixer to try a little homebrew. If they asked why we couldn't just drink my "free" homebrew i would politely explain that it isn't free because of equipment, ingredients and propane costs. And that it is time consuming and if i drank only homebrew i would run out before i had time to brew again. Most of my friends already realize this though.

 

[iahebert]

I'm with the Love to share crowd. I'm easily my hardest critic (who isn't?) on my HB, but I love sharing my beer with my friends. Partly for the honest outside critiquing, but mostly for the compliments.

I won't lie, I'm a whore for "You made this?!?! This is awesome!"

 

[PortlandPatrick]

Oldest of 9! I read a book about large families a few years ago, and yes, the psychological traits are fairly consistent. Not all of them, but some were uncanny (all the way down the line, not just me).

I'm glad you took that in the spirit intended.

On a light note, my fathers side of the family is from SI - my grandmother has been living in the same house in Rosebank for probably 80 years, and she turned 101 this week!

 

[Clann]

I won't lie, I'm a whore for "You made this?!?! This is awesome!"

Yes, I made this Have another

 

[funkadelicturkey]

Homebrews are FREE for friends, I might charge them but that'd be illegal. Some have offered to buy but that is not why I brew. It is good to give beer away and keep the pipeline fresh. If friends and family aren't drinking then my beer surplus grows too large and then I'm not brewing and that just sucks...so free beer for the buddies.

 

[Airborneguy]

I'm glad you took that in the spirit intended.

On a light note, my fathers side of the family is from SI - my grandmother has been living in the same house in Rosebank for probably 80 years, and she turned 101 this week!

I kinda figured after hearing about some of that stuff for years. Two of my sisters (the next two down from me), are both motherly and can take care of any baby, another supposedly wide-spread trait of large families.

Congrats on your grandma! That's a tight-nit community in Rosebank. She was probably mentioned in the newspaper I'm sure.

 

[user 30639]

I've never asked or expected anyone to kick in a few bucks for store bought brew or homebrew. I'd politely decline cash if you offer. If you come to my house and I offer you a beer, it's on me.

If I go to a social event, I'll try bring a growler, sixer, or bottle of wine. It'd be cool if my friends did the same, but it's a courtesy, not an expectation.

Well said. I enjoy giving people my beer and having them try it. And most friends know that bringing back bottles will get them more beer. One of my old co-workers really got into my homebrew, and he got quite a few bottles. But he'd also come over and help brew, get empty bottles for me and would give me singles of craft beer that he thought I'd like.

 

[50stepper]

i have the kind've friends if they think the kegs are dry. i won't see them for months now i want everyone to taste my homebrew but don't use me. i might be wrong but that's the type of friends he might be talking about.

 

[brandonman]

I'm only on my first brew, but I'm already itching to have buddies over to drink more of this. I'd have to sacrifice sanity and health or my life to finish this 5 gallons off as quickly as I want bottles ready for my next batch! (Yea, I'm too cheap to go buy MORE bottles, and my collection of empties is lackluster)

Sent from my SGH-M919 using Home Brew mobile app

 

[unionrdr]

I'm only on my first brew, but I'm already itching to have buddies over to drink more of this. I'd have to sacrifice sanity and health or my life to finish this 5 gallons off as quickly as I want bottles ready for my next batch! (Yea, I'm too cheap to go buy MORE bottles, and my collection of empties is lackluster)

Sent from my SGH-M919 using Home Brew mobile app

That'll change with time. At this point,I still can't bring myself to toss out pop tops,even though I have enough for 5 or 6 5-6 gallon batches after weeding out the Sam Adams bottles. I have some 4 cases worth of the SA's boxed up. Then another couple big boxes of rinsed,waiting to be de-labeled plain craft bottles. I needs help ladies & gentlemens! I got a beer bottle Jones!...

 

[TxBigHops]

That'll change with time. At this point,I still can't bring myself to toss out pop tops,even though I have enough for 5 or 6 5-6 gallon batches after weeding out the Sam Adams bottles. I have some 4 cases worth of the SA's boxed up. Then another couple big boxes of rinsed,waiting to be de-labeled plain craft bottles. I needs help ladies & gentlemens! I got a beer bottle Jones!...

Why do you separate out the Sam Adam's bottles?

 

[Airplanedoc]

What we need is a vending machine for glassware. You put $ in and out comes a clean glass.

 

[unionrdr]

Why do you separate out the Sam Adam's bottles?

I've been trying to separate out the bottles with labeling embossed in the glass. They still work great,just want more plain bottles for if & when I decide to enter competitions. I've got 4 cases of SA bottles for whoever wants them. I've got about two cases of other bottles,mostly plain that I have ready to de-label. But I'm keeping the German bottles,like the older Paulaner's with the bearded monks around the shoulder & the Wernesgruner's with the cool crest on the neck.

 

[SAMBUCA]

I like when they ask if I can bottle some up for them to take home. LOL

 

[Trox]

I've got 4 cases of SA bottles for whoever wants them.

Bahhh wish I knew that a couple of weeks ago; was traveling from Fort Wayne, IN to Elmira, New York for work and looks like Sheffield isn't to far from 90 so could have made a quick detour and taken those bottles off your hands for my brother in-law. I have enough bottles that I will now throw away ones that are to much a pain to de-label, but the brother in-law is still working on getting his collection up.

 

[bajaedition]

It seems to me that if you are complaining about your friends drinking all your beer, you need another hobby
I brew beers just to get friends over to drink, no not drunken bashes, but I keep a light American lager on tap at any time just so my friends do not ask if all I brew is heavy beers.

Face it, most guys do not like big beers

And if they come over, and I put the CO@ to the keezer, then they can have all they want, if I do not prime the pump, well then I am not offereing right then

They cannot drink what you do not offer, if they think it is free, tell them how much it cost to brew it.

 

[Hello]

I like when they ask if I can bottle some up for them to take home. LOL

LOL like leftovers in tupperware.

I don't mind sharing. I brew way more than I should or could ever consume. I love the act of brewing and even with 4 kegs, I still intend to give out a growler to each person. I now say return the growler after you swirl it with a bit of water, bring back the polyseal cap (which I refer to as the cap because they do not care that it is a good one) and I'll refill when I can. Again, I'll never turn down someone wanting to contribute to the ingredients but they do not. I assume it is because they're not asking for the beer, I'm just offering. I suppose when they start to ask then that's when maybe they'll feel like contributing even a couple of bucks.

 

[storytyme]

I love having people have a pint or two and enjoy what I created. If I sat there and drank all the beer that I have now in kegs, that would become an issue. If a cook makes a great meal, don't they share with all?

It all comes back to you some way or another, so…………keep brewing

 

[MindenMan]

Post removed.

 

[unionrdr]

Bahhh wish I knew that a couple of weeks ago; was traveling from Fort Wayne, IN to Elmira, New York for work and looks like Sheffield isn't to far from 90 so could have made a quick detour and taken those bottles off your hands for my brother in-law. I have enough bottles that I will now throw away ones that are to much a pain to de-label, but the brother in-law is still working on getting his collection up.

State Rout I90 is just a couple hundred feet west of my house. You can see it from the highway. Sheffield exit by Mike Bass Ford.