Etiquette For Giving Beer to Helpers

I recently re-started brewing. In an effort to build interest and enjoy the speed the process up I invited three of my buddies over to help in the process. What is the general etiquette for how much beer to give them? I paid for all of the supplies, equipment, shipping, etc. I had all the knowledge, but certainly had them help me through the process. Tomorrow we are bottling, and if I give each of them a 12 pack, then that leaves me with only a 12 pack myself! Is a six pack adequate payment?

-Tommy (of tough-knuckles brewing company)

 

Hell, if I paid for the supplies I would think it was all mine. I'd keep it in my fridge and give them a few when they are over, but consider it mostly mine. But yea, a six pack each is plenty fair to me.

 

I usually give a 6 pack to my friend that is helping..and usually how we do it is the one whom buys the kit/ingredients gets to keep a majority of the beer, and the other gets a 6 pack. Each time we brew we swap so works out in the end.

 

since i keg, i'd just feed them beer while brewing. that's fair payment, and would come out to about a 6'er

 

depends on how much help.

I started to learn by helping a friend brew.. or bottle. Typically if I went over to bottle, I left with a sixer... but I was the only one helping. Id say a sixer is more than adequate.

 

Always be generous (IMHO)...if you want help in the future. Will these friends be brewing in the future? Your generosity now may pay dividends later. If your friends are like mine, we generously pass homebrew between each other.

Did you ask them to help because you needed help; that may figure into your decision (= 6 pack "payment")? Or, did you tell them you were brewing, and they were interested in learning, so you invited them over (= 6 pack "come back and do it again")?


Another option: set a date when the beer is ready to drink and invite them over for dinner...then feed them generous quantities of the beer they helped make...build that covenant between friends that only comes with sharing each other's homebrew.

Ahhhh, the condundrums that accompany being a brewer

Cheers,
PikledBill

 

when I first started brewing my brew buddies would each get a 6er of bombers for helping. since than they wanted a full share and went in on a 25g. kettle and started buying other little odds and ends to donate to my basement brewery. we now split the cost of ingredients and propain and make large batches every other week or so

 

I actually only invited one of the guys, he invited one of the other guys after clearing it thru me and my wife invited the other guy when she went to lunch with his wife that day. Which I was ok with. I didn't *need* the help, but certainly *used* them and want to include them in my future brewing. One of the guys (the guy I originally invited) has really taken to it and has read up a lot more, we have since racked that batch to secondary and brewed another batch.

I also fed those guys dinner that night and we quickly went through a significant amount of craft beers that were in my fridge. I've taken care of them and certainly want to take care of them...but, with what I've invested in that batch I'd like to have a bit more than a 12 pack myself you know? I also need to give one/two to the guy at the homebrew store who helped me with the recipie and one/two to the father in law....you know how homebrews go.

I think a sixer will have to do.....I also like the dinner idea...although, they could go through more than that in a dinner!

(tommy)

 

If they go through more than a 6 pack each while eating dinner, I think step 2 is teaching them how to slow down and actually enjoy their beer...

 

We make minors wash our bottles etc. (the boring jobs)
They aren't allowed to drink beer...
We can buy them a can of soda?
Haha.

 

As far as I'm concerned, anyone that doesn't brew on their own only stands to gain knowledge as they help the brewer. They didn't buy the equipment or ingredients and are basically working as interns. I think it's fair to feed them beer while they work, but otherwise maybe a bomber or two of the product. Next time they come help, they can have some of the beer they are bottling.

 

Sounds to me like you more than paid them...craft beers are pricey - at least where I live. Sounds to me like you are being plenty generous with a sixer. And besides...if any of them "expect" more than that, do you really want them around long-term? They should be very happy with what you have done.

Cheers,
PikledBill

 

ahh shoot my neighbor brewed a last summer and i was over helping him before I got into wanting to brew my self. I wasn't expecting any payment, of coarse when the keg was ready to be tapped I had a few beers out of it, but when he's at my place I give beer and when im at his he offers me beer.

but having 4 guys over and feeding them and blasting though your craft beers then sending them a sixer is MIGHTY generous. a couple tall flip tops should be plenty good. now if they want a particular beer and buy the ingredients or pitch in for it thats another story.

-=Jason=-

 

Hold the beer ransom. Let them drink when they are over. Soon enough they will start brewing or giving donations for more homebrew.

 

Dinner and craft beer is enough payment. A sixer is generous. Get them involved in brewing their own and everybody's sharing beer. Bobby_M's comment made me think back to when I was an helper/apprentice electrician; the mechanics/journeymen would complain that I should be paying them, because they were giving me valuable knowledge. Now I do the same to junior folks.