Are you the Black Sheep of your neighborhood?

I live in Utah in a predominantly Mormon neighborhood... Need I say more?

In all seriousness though, no one seems to care. I don't know many of my neighbors, but offering beer to teetotalers isn't likely going to help with that.

 

I live in an area of town that is unofficially called "Little Mexico". I can't even talk to most of my neighbors.

 

Direct next door neighbor will not speak a word to me. He will acnowledge me saying hello, as I do every time I see him. I am nothing if not neighborly, but he will just look up and then go back to what he is doing. Maybe he is just angry that a 32 year old kid moved in next door, or just doesnt like the fact that for the past several years the house has been inhabited by guys in their 20s before I moved in and some of them are still renting from me. Maybe he just doesn't like me. He sure as heck will talk with my parents when they stop by, but will not say a word to me.

As for Black Sheeping because of brewing, I have only done one outdoors brew and that from my rear facing garage so no one would know about it. I wonder how my neighbors would feel about it if they knew. I guess we will see more this spring when people leave their homes to venture outside. I would love to get my neighbors involved, or at least have inquisitive neighbors stop by whilst I am brewing.

 

I've only ever had one neighbor come over while I was brewing. It was a nice day and I was doing it on the back patio as opposed to my normal garage brew. He and his wife were out gardening and when I added the first hops, he came over to take a look. "MMMM, love that smell, when we first got married my wife and I lived down the street from the Budweiser Brewery. I loved it when the added the hops."

Other than that, I've had zero interest from anyone. I suppose I've always been a Black sheep in a way, but not because of my brewing. When my wife and I first moved into the neighborhood 15 years ago, we were really young compared to everyone else. Most of the people on the Block, we were closer to their kids' ages than to the parents. I'm always very helpful and friendly around the neighborhood, but I think there was just that disconnect because of age.

As a reference, I've actually become a little more social with another of our neighbors because his grand kids are the same age as my kids. So, when they are in town, the kids play together a lot.

 

Ive only done one batch at the new place so i don't know how the neighbors will react, but Northern Brewer's Milwaukee store is on the main drag through our little suburb, so I bet most of the neighbors have seen the store and know what it's about, and know that homebrewing exists.

 

I think you summed up my scenario. I think there is a disconnect. Most of my neighbors are older and at a different stage in their lives. Unfortunately, they're current stage seems to be the "dull stage".

I'm no spring chicken anymore but I refuse to succumb to the forces of daily routine and the notion that now that I'm a middle aged responsible adult (old), I should cut the lawn every Saturday, clean the garage every spring like clockwork or get the Christmas lights up no later than end of Thanksgiving weekend, like the rest of the neighborhood. Screw that, I'm brewing.

 

I have to wheel my rig out into the driveway to brew. For the most part, my neighborhood is very friendly. I have yet to have a complaint, and have actually met other homebrewers in the neighborhood just from having it out there. I tend to kick off the smoker as well when i brew, so that helps. Can end up in an impromptu social gathering.

 

Never had any complaints or dirty looks about brewing, although I just do 5gal extract boils so here is no elaborate/chemistry set looking apparatus.

That said, I do have one neighbor at the far end of the next block that doesn't have much appreciation when I crank up just short of 9,000 watts of music through some old JBL pro audio speakers and subs I have in the garage.

 

We have a facebook page for the homebrewers in my neighborhood.

 

I've gotten nothing- positive or negative- from our neighbors. I brew in the driveway but usually have my truck parked between me and the street. I need the tailgate as part of my brewstand. Like many of you seem to be, we're in a different 'age bracket' than our neighbors. Kyle

 

I think that's my problem too. When I moved in 5 years ago, I was one of the youngest homeowners in a subdivision of 35 or so houses. It's not like I was throwing keg parties on my front yard, but I think that age gap (and that fact the my wife and I don't have any kids yet) made people a little more distant.

 

Belmont Station?

 

I am the King of all the other Black Sheep in my neighborhood. I'm 35, divorced and have no kids. On a typical brew day in the summer there's about 10 people hanging out in my garage. Loud music, lotsa beers, potato gun firing, friends relieving themselves on the side of my garage and motorcycles doing burnouts in the driveway. It's just like being in college again! I love it!

 

Yeah baby!!!!! Now that is living!!!!! Let me know if a house goes up for sale in your hood...I am moving in

 

Although I have no way of proving it, I suspect that they'd leave me alone, like they usually do. I should have a better answer next time I brew, but that may be some time. I don't have enough bottles to do another brew, unless I go for a two-month triple-ferment, six-week bottle conditioning, so I can't see myself brewing against the wishes of my neighbors.

 

No, I think Belmont Station has one of the best selections but I live across the street from a New Seasons grocery store that sells the most volume of beer. It's pretty much all craft beer though and not too shabby.

 

Wait, Bud uses hops? Lol least flavor in the world

 

Actually there was just recently a whole article about this, Budweiser used to use German hops of the highest quality before they were purchased by InBev. As much flack as they get they were actually brewing a very high quality product.

 

My neighbors sell drugs, so I'm the normal one on the block.

 

I bought a house in the country so I wouldn't have to worry about my neighbors or those ridiculous HOA's!

I brew on my covered back deck and there is nothing behind my house but a row of trees and then a corn field. None of my closer neighbors have any clue that I brew.

If I'm a black sheep on my road it would be due to the fact that I currently have 5 vehicles parked in the driveway (2 are for sale). But I do keep up with the house and yard at least as well as my closest neighbors.

 

So if I understand you correctly, by moving to the country, the black sheep in your neighborhood could quite possibly be a black sheep.

 

My new neighbour brews wine and the other just loves beer and cigars. I got my cooler mash tun for 2$ (xtreme 70) from the front neighbour. I think my forging hobby was MUCH more annoying... it's tough to deaden the ring from an anvil.

I can't say i'm the black sheep though, as the construction work being done on houses around here is much more disturbing...

 

Word man. All through the 90's into the new millenium,there was construction out the wazoo around here. forget keeping the car clean with all the clay lumps on the roads in the area. Glad that's over.

 

Wow some people are crazy! If my neighbors called the cops thinking I was making meth out in public in my driveway... I would for sure on the next batch, go out and get one of those full body suits and wear a respirator during the boil just to freak them out!

 

Sounds like my ex-wife and her new husband. Oh wait.... 7 cars, all in the yard, 2 run. Some people!

 

Make sure to display your yeast starter Erlenmeyer flask prominently. Is it bad that i actually felt shifty while buying mine?

 

I don't know why anyone would look down on you for brewing, I find that strange. All the people that I tell that I brew beer, think it's pretty awesome that I make my own beer. Hell, I have neighbors come over while I'm brewing or smoking bbq to see whats going on and offer any help.

 

Yes! And maybe place some dry ice in it too! :rockin:

 

Brew in a trailer, with a Tyvek suit, and go full-on Walt White.

I've just received a request for a spiced holiday beer. Two, actually. My goodness, I'm going public. This is setting a dangerous precedent. Actually, what it means is that I can't brew fast enough. What it also means is that when I go pick up lox tomorrow (for a friend, as well as for my Friday breakfast), I'll grab another two pounds of rye. Two of Briess rye, one of Maris Otter, two different hops, black pepper, Irish moss, and Wyeast American Ale II. My first experimental batch. It's going to be awful; I just know it.

 

You might be surprised, though I've never put pepper in anything fermentable.

 

I made a rosemary Saison with a tbsp of cracked black pepper and it was delicious.. I highly recommend messing with the pepper. People used to kill each other over that stuff you know.

 

:Anyone ever mowed their lawn on a Sunday morning in Utah with a beer in their hand. I have and no one ever showed up at my house. when I lived there the people around me didn't think much of me.

Then when one would be brave and talk to me and find out I made the beer I was drinking the real shuning would show.

 

weird that you're the black sheep. maybe those men should have gotten better wives?

my wife loves that i homebrew (she did not drink beer when i met her)

i trained her to like beer (haha) with every batch i make i have her try some now she likes craft beer.

also my neighbors that i have met enjoy my beer. my wife and i just moved into our house in july so i havent met too many people

 

I don't think anyone cares about what I'm doing. I could chop cars and no one would say anything. It's something about living in a city with a lot of crime, people don't want to get involved.

 

I am with you packman. I live south of salt lake and my family is the only non lds family on the block. We are so the black sheeps. A few people wave but nobody will talk to us or invite us to their block parties. Gonna start brewing outside and in the garage after Christmas. Can't wait to see how we are treated then. Actually not true.... I don't give a s..t. I don't like judgmental people (and I am totally being one right now)

 

Interesting, when I lived in happy valley I found that the anti-mormon counter culture, although small, was also very close knit. Even more so then the predominant culture in the area.

 

One night, about 20 of us were in my driveway, working on motorcycles, burning a couch, and having a dog fight. I made this killer tripel we were devouring. It wasn't very late, maybe only 2 or 3 am on a Monday. After the burnout contest, I decided we should do a steinbrew with some of the granite rocks around the neighbors koi pond.

Well apparently the teetotler neighbors didn't like my home brew because they gave me a dirty look the next day when I got up at 4 pm. Their kid said my kid can't come to the birthday party so he's crying about that.

Some people just have a lot of misperceptions about homebrew.

 

I'm the 10 year younger single father at my daughter's bus stop. All the mothers are kinda cool but I feel a little weird. I'm always looking at brewing catalogue waiting for the bus. I have some crappy wine I made on the bored should I give it out as presents ?

 

The neighbours were more weirded out by my hop plants - some people think they are weed plants and when you say "they are hops" they hear "they are pot". People have thought the immersion chiller was for distilling and the mash tun was for making meth so I brought 2 kegs to last summer's block party. My wife was telling me I should make something every can enjoy like a pilsner. I didn't think yellow beer drinkers would appreciate even the best homebrewed lager so I went with a brown porter and an english special bitter. Somebody else brought a keg of commercial lager that survived the whole party but both of mine got killed within the first hour. I think people understand now. Even the older ladies into gardening ask me how my plants did this year.

 

I tell everyone I'm homebrewing so I can cook my meth in the driveway. They just assume the gas mask and hazmat suit are par for the course.