Why do you brew?

[Marlowefire]

Why wouldn't I brew beer? That's the real question.
I make my own food. Why not my own beer?

 

[BLACKHAWK007]

Because you can brew for less than $.50 a bottle and sell it for $2, not a bad profit margin.

OK now pick up your jaw and laugh at the joke.

I do it for the fun of creativity, options to create whatever I want/like. My friends love my beer, which my ego enjoys. And how many people outside this forum have a 4 tap (or greater) personal kegarator.

I just wish I had found HBT sooner.

 

[Piratwolf]

Now that I've started, I brew cause I can't NOT brew. I'm obsessed. I think of beers I love and try to figure out how to make them better. Sometimes it works, sometimes it fails, but even the fails teach me something and I feel a lot of pride in making my own brew.

Cheers!

 

[stratslinger]

I like beer.

I like to make stuff.

I like to make beer and the stuff that makes beer.

Seriously, I couldn't have said it better myself... SMBO has commented on the fact that I can just disappear into the basement for a couple hours at a whack to "tinker" with this project or that one, and I get a lot of enjoyment out of it.

To be perfectly honest, I'm not sure if the beer I make from this stuff is just the icing on the cake, or if the time spent tinkering with things is...

 

[Gameface]

I started brewing because I live in Utah and I'm very limited in the beer I can buy. At grocery and convenience stores you're limited to beers below 4%abv, and at the state-run liquor store there is an 80% mark-up, so a six pack of room temperature, florescent light exposed beer cost more than $12 a six pack. Even then the selection is very limited.

I wanted access to good beer all the time...even on Sunday.

 

[abrdnck]

I also brew because I have a hard time finding interesting beers where I live. The first black IPA I've ever tried was my own, and the first rye beer I tried was one that I made. The only saison I could buy was Saison Dupont (a fine beer, to be sure) but it runs about $4 per bottle. I now am drinking my own Saison for about $1 per pint bottle. Every batch gets a little better as I learn more about sanitation, yeast and temperature control. If you can get past your first few experiments where the results may be questionable (or at least inconsistent) you will be greatly rewarded.

 

[edb23]

Ok well,

The reason i started brewing initially about two years ago was because i was quite impatient for my 21st birthday. I was never a big binge drinker, so i was actually tasting whatever was coming out of the keg at the frat party and it was awful. It's also hard to find people in college who are twenty one and willing to go out to the store for you looking for craft beers. As soon as i discovered there was no age limit on any brewing ingredients, it was on!

The reason i kept brewing after I was twenty one is for a few reasons:
It's cheaper
It's fresher
It's a real creative outlet
Plus now everyone knows me and my roommate as the kids who have beer on tap at their apartment

 

[yummybeer]

i brew because i enjoy drinking beers that aren't always available in stores all year around. i also brew because what i can make at home tastes better than some beers that can be bought in the store.

 

[Dan]

Reasons why I brew... a perfectly proportioned eleven point list.

1. Homebrew tastes awesome. Well, at least mine does.
2. Homebrewing is challenging and rewarding.
3. My wife and kids can't stand the smell, so it's all me time!
4. People saying, "You MAKE beer? Awesome!"
5. I like math now.
6. Buying Sam Adams is now an investment (bottles...)
7. I now have a good reason to have a commercial size refrigerator in my garage! (Those deviled eggs for T-day will fit right on top of those six cases of homebrews.)
8. While beer drinking in and of itself is an admirable hobby, making it yourself is like telling people, "You watched the Superbowl last year? Great. Wanna see my ring?"
9. Brewing is like a gate-way drug... I use my experience and equipment now to make mead. And enormous quantities of chili.
10. For about the same cost as a case of S*** Light, I can bring a case of Awesome to the game. And I get treated like a celebrity chef on Food Network.
11. After 11 years, I'm more interested in it than ever. Never gets boring.

bump

 

[DannPM]

I brew because I am an artist and beer is my canvas.

 

[SPR-GRN]

I brew because I can.

There are several reasons why, hard to pick just one so I went with that.
I like good beer, I like to make things, I like to share things I make with other people, I like to share good beer with other people. it's cheaper than buying beer, it's fun, it's the only way people won't think I'm a crazy alcoholic for having 20 gallons of beer and 12 gallons of wine on hand at any given time; I should have gone with the last one.

 

[Monstar]

Because making things rules. And because it connects me to my ancestors from thousands of years ago.

O yea, and my beer is the best beer.

 

[VladOfTrub]

I brew because Jimmy Carter made it legal.

 

[jmlabeck]

I've been reading this thread, and I realized WHY I brew. I can make things you can't get. F'rinstance, right now I'm drinking a chocolate porter, and I used a box of Cocoa Pebbles for the chocolate flavor. I made a beer with Cap'n Crunch that was awesome, and I love to add a bit of molasses to my porters. I love playing with the flavors,coming up with new combinations.

 

[crash1292]

because after the asteroid hits the liquor stores will be closed

 

[diegobonatto]

To boldly drink new beer's types that no man has drunk before! (add Star Trek music here...)
:cross:

 

[Mexicanconnection2002]

It's a relaxing hobby for me and I actually get something out of it. Great beer.

 

[corkybstewart]

For me it started off because I just wanted to try it. After a few first very crappy batches I got the hang of it and started liking my beer. Then I realized that there were always another trick or technique to learn, and I like that about brewing. So after 19 years I'm buying some bourbon barrels and will try that. My wife even wants me to plant some barley and try malting so I can say I've actually brewed from scratch(I already grow hops).
For me homebrewing is about a lot more than brewing beer. It's a lifestyle that includes making other foods like cheese, sausage, vinegar, roasting coffee. It's encouraged us to make beer trips to Europe, not just to drink beer but to experience beer culture in places that really have it. Our annual Oktoberfest is a chance for lots of our friends to come over and share homemade foods and beers.
On a simpler level I just love to create a recipe in my mind and a month or 2 later be able to taste it in my glass.

 

[crummycook]

Why do I brew beer...It's Tasty and also the company I keep. One guy's comparing it to a blank canvas. Another is using Cap'n Crunch and Cocoa Pebbles! I partial mash in a 3 bedroom apartment with no basement. We came back from vacation to a 95 degree apartment. Somebody forgot to leave the AC on. I had a dubel in the secondary just kicking back enjoying life. It's now a mighty fine 8% after dinner brew. What a hobby!!!

 

[unionrdr]

Why do I brew beer?!!! Why do cars have wheels? Why do fish have bones? Why do bears do it in the Woods? Why does Howdy Doody have wooden cahoons? Because I'm German,& I can,thanks in large part to Mr. Carter. Seriously though,I've always been into one form of creative expression or other. Cars,cooking,fishing,gardening,wine making...now beer.
It's so much more creative than wine to me. Plus It doesn't take years of waiting to sample my labors. I've even been told by guys that run up scale beverage stores that making beer is more difficult,since it has so many more complexities to deal with.
To me,it's a soothing,creative outlet that's good for the soul & good for fellowship. It's a beautiful thing when you think about it. Our ancestors obviously agreed,since they started settling down to grow more stuff to make beer. I have to chuckle to myself when I think about the fact that beer pre-dates leavened bread by some 3,000 years!
Gotta have my beer 1st,screw that bread stuff...!

 

[phillyhomebrew]

I started brewing because I like making stuff, and drinking beer.

Now I brew because it's part of my job!

 

[BrewingRugger]

It's fun!!!!! and drinking while I'm doing it makes it more so!!

 

[wildwest450]

It's cheaper than therapy.



_

 

[windbreaker123]

The voices tell me too .

 

[Boodlemania]

1. I initially got started because I couldn't get my favorite style of beer while living in BFE, TN.
2. Soon discovered the vast world of possibilities that is homebrewing
3. As others have stated, I love to cook so brewing was a natural progression.
4. Also as others have stated, I like to build.
5. I'm scientific by nature and by education, so the technical science of brewing interests me.
6. I am impressed by the brewing history of my Bavarian ancestry.
7. I am continually amazed at the art and science behind brewing.
8. It's the hobby I never had and yet always needed for balance.
9. My friends and family all enjoy the beers I make.
10. Me likey beer.

 

[Monstar]

It's cheaper than therapy.

_

Word.

 

[DieterVonBrauhaus]

It's cheaper than therapy.



_

I agree!!

And I get to say screw you to Belgium Bud. Beer was not meant to have rice in it. Plus all those great German beers can be copied.

 

[unionrdr]

Or corn for that matter. I get to make beers that haven't been brewed in the last century or so,let alone resurrecting them after thousands of years. Go back to when beers had more character. Or come up with something new. That's the attraction for me.

 

[ReverseApacheMaster]

It's relaxing (99% of the time), interesting and produces delicious beer at a reasonable cost.

 

[asidrane]

It is more fulfilling than gambling.

 

[unionrdr]

...or the lottery. What a joke that's become! "chances are,you'll have fun!" is the Ohio lottery's catch phrase. Fun my a$$,I'm in it for the money you cheapskate! Spend it on brewing instead.

 

[makomachine]

I brew because I love beer - which is in short supply in OK. Sure we have 'beer', if you call the mass produced BMC offerings and the like that word. I like to recreate the Pacific NW in my garage and living room!

 

[DUNDASJ]

i brew for a lot of reasons.
i can get great beer
i can get it cheap
i love knowing i'm the 1 who did this
i don't have to leave the house when the case runs out (i keg)
it's fun
brewing is "my time"
etc...

Agreed. I gotta add two more things.
-its a badass hobby
-sharing your beer and opening up an unknown world of beer to those who only drink big beer.

 

[badonkadundkel]

It must have been my passion for doing lots and lots of dishes.
Originally, I wanted to save money, but that went right to hell after my first all grain.
Now it's mostly that I like the idea of making exactly the beer I want.
Challenge is a big component, as is collecting and building gadgets.
Also, with your own beer, there are no comprimises~ no bean counters telling you to use less ingredients, no marketing gurus telling you to make the same few beers exactly the same way every time. For me, homebrew is an ever-evolving experiment in cooking, chemistry, engineering, gardening. Sure once in a while the experiment goes a little sideways and the batch doesn't come out as planned. For the most part each batch tastes a little better than the last, and even the "bad" ones IMHO still taste much better than the stuff you can buy at the grocery store.

 

[2brew1cup]

Because imma rebel LOL

underground and under the influence

 

[annasdadhockey]

Because imma rebel LOL

underground and under the influence

 

[wildwest450]

Because imma unemployed rebel LOL

underground and under the influence

....

 

[CoalCracker]

Because imma rebel LOL

underground and under the influence

Add that to the "thread Killa Thread".. haha

I work IT so this hobby is a creative outlet for me. In my career everything is conceptual. I don't get to physically touch it 90% of the time. I grew up working with my woodworking father. Tinkering, fixing, and creating are all in my gene make up. This hobby allows me to build and learn new skills I haven't yet acquired. I've learned to weld! I placed in my first competition (ego boost), all my friends love my beer and brag to others (ego boost). It's just a great all around hobby! Can't imagine ever giving it up. I also find it's all I can think about. The next recipe, the next gadget, what I need to do better, etc. Blows reef keeping out of the water.. no pun intended..

 

[unionrdr]

That pretty much sums up what I've been trying to say. Which ever method makes you happy,you're there. Congrats! You win!

 

[Schemy]

I enjoy drinking great beer. I never realized how easy it was to make your own beer. And now the challenge has become to make my own great beer. I make good beer, not to the great level yet, but just learning and experimenting keeps me coming back to this passion.