How to convince the wife i need a freezer

I've been brewing since August, just started partial mashing and, being in Texas, have had moderate success with temp control. It's been cool lately, 65 in the house, and the last three beers have been great, and it's got me thinking how much better my beers could get if I had a better way to control my temps. Is there anything that you have said or done to be able to sway your spouse , who doesn't care for beer, that allowed you to get the green light to put a freezer in the house that is used solely for brewing purposes? I use a swamp cooler currently and I really don't see too much difference as far as taking up space goes. How much does it affect the electric bill? I can get a freezer for free, that's not the issue, I just feel like I need to put it in a way that she can feel like she is benefitting from it as well. Case in point, I am having a diaper party barbecue soon, we are expecting our second child, and she said that if I buy beer I can't buy craft brew, I have to buy lonestar or blue ribbon, and I said "how about I spend tem more bucks and get twice as much beer with more flavor that I get to make?" To which she said ok. Am I on the cusp of convincing her you think? Or should I just stick to the swamp cooler and brew farm house type beers all spring and summer?

 

just say , "Woman! I needs a freezer!"

 

Im in the same boat, I am going to make a sasparilla/rootbeer for the kids and put in an extra keg. then I will print/draw a picture of a keezer with two taps. one tap sasparilla the other something girly like raspberry ale. Ill let u know how it goes.

 

Ahh...if it were only that simple! Haha.

 

bruva, keeping your lady happy is well worth brewing what you don't want once & a while. I made my wife a dill ale that was horrible on it's own, but great with TJ. the only beer she liked.

 

Good way to get a one way ticket to a night on the couch

 

Yeah, I started making ciders just to get her interested in my brewing and sort of let her have a place in my hobby, but convincing a pregnant woman that you need more appliances to make alcohol is a difficult sell. Maybe my timing is a little off. Although she might be swayed by your raspberry ale...in a few months, of course.

 

yeah, I'd never say that. it might work for someone else though.

 

There may be no easy way around it, Good luck! I know I'm gona need it. lol

 

yeah, like a bachelor with a girlfriend, who's ready to be single again...

 

If you have enough taps, I would make one specifically dedicated to the rootbeer. It's really potent stuff and it's hard to wash out that flavor from the keg and lines.

 

very true. Saniclean helps quite a bit though.

 

The missus said to tell you to buy her a brand new one and you get the old one.

Not going to work though I bet because she will load both up with silly things like food

 

I find something gold with a shinny rock of some type usually convinces my wife. The trickist to get her something that costs less than the brewing equipment that I want.

 

Ironically, whenever I want to smooth things over or get my wife in a good mood for whatever reason, the thing that works best is ice cream. Go figure.

 

to be honest my wife is great about the brewing. In fact she gave me my starter kit as a birthday gift 2 years ago.

 

i bought 1 for a ferm chamber off c-list, and i was getting dressed to go pick it up. wife asked me where i was going. i told her "to go pick up a chest freezer i bought off craigslist". she said "oooo... an ice cream and pizza freezer. yummmmm". i said "nope, it's for my brewing!" it always has at least 3 varieties of ice cream and a stack of pizzas, and a few slabs of meat in it now...

 

I understand keeping the wife happy, but if you have the money and the room for it, just go get it.

If the bill collector's knocking, or you have to move the washer and dryer to the garage to fit it in the house, then I could see her being pissed.

 

See, that's exactly what I am afraid of. We already have one freezer with pizza and ice cream and a couple of turkeys from who knows when. She told me "why don't you just put the beer in this freezer we have?", and I just looked at her. She's cool with the brewing, but not really about me talking about recipe ideas or me getting all giddy over the hydrometer samples I taste. I went off on a tangent about galaxy hops two days ago that I was about ten minutes into before I realized she had gone to take a shower. I am glad that she is as supportive as she is, after all, she did tell me to brew more beer for when her dad and brother come and visit, so that is pretty cool. I just hope they never come by expecting a lager.

 

Did'nt convince mine. She came home and found a new upright with four faucets drilled into the door in my garage. All I said was,"cuz I needed it".

 

It may just be easier to convince the freezer that you need a wife.

 

My best advice is to just be patient and make do without the freezer until it is the right time.

Bring up the topic from time to time and express your desire to have one so that when you DO go and buy one, 1) she will not be surprised and 2) she may very well be happy for you for getting something that you have wanted for a long time!

 

this is the way i've been going since then. sent 2 emails out tonight on a 13cf and a 15 cf freezer. she can have the 7 cf. have had the stc-1000 for a while now

 

If you have a proper place to put the freezer, and it's free, I don't see why your wife should object to having it. Now, if it sits in the living room or you spent the mortgage money on the thing, that would be a problem.

 

Proper place is debatable. It would go in the kitchen for now, don't have a garage. I've mentioned using a friends house to store it, and that may work, but I'd rather have it here to monitor it. I'm thinking hold off but keep mentioning it until I just get it in here one day and fill it with three fermenters. She'll get used to it eventually, right?

 

Uh, space is the most important thing. Out of sight is out of mind. I ran across a guy who is building an airplane. When it got cold in the garage, he moved it to the living room. I imagine that changed the dynamic of his relationship quite a bit.

 

Well said Dr. Phill

 

Yeah, if you're talking about the kitchen, it's tough. Especially if it's not "pretty". I hear the womenfolk seem to care about form as much as function.

Now, if you had a garage, it'd be a different story (says the man with a keezer, a fermentation fridge, and a lagering fridge in the garage -- the lagering fridge the *only* one that ever doubles as a beer/food fridge).

 

try this approach: tell her you're cutting her off from "happy" time until you get a freezer. and when you do it, hands on your hips, leaning forward, and stereotypical sassy voice. and then snap your fingers while you twirl around and say, "No more of this."

 

Listen woman I makes da money I buys da freeza

 

Oh yeah I tried this once and only once. Seems like woman have a lot stronger will power when dealing with happy time or the lack thereof.

Maybe I forgot to snap though and swing my hips

 

I don't think the "happy" time thing is going to work. If I phrased it that way, it would be a win win situation for her. I'm not really one for ultimatums. I'm leaning toward getting one and getting a nice table cloth to drape over it, a sort of clever disguise, with jewels and sequins. That could work.

 

Better to ask forgiveness than permission.

Just tell her you were able to get it for free and you couldnt refuse.

 

it's something you want to do, it doesnt cost a ton of money, you let her do the stupid **** she wants to do....
don't ask. just do it. then you calmly explain why. you're not arguing ir defending yourself, because it's not up for discussion already.
if you're the man in the relationship this approach will suffice.

 

When the wife starts complaining about how expensive my hobbie is or how its wrecking her life Im going to start leaving magazines around the house from car and driver with a pic of the new Porsche 911 and then im going to put a smily face next to the 111,000.00 price tag! LOL

 

Tell her you either need a freezer or a divorce

 

Mine just showed up in the basement one day. Craigslist $50.

 

you wear Bad Idea Jeans, don't you?

 

you'll have to Bedazzle the 3 faucet tower coming out the top too.

 

You could always ask for one as a present. It sounds crazy, but it sometimes works. There's always the chance that she'll see how happy you are with the thing, and remind you who bought it. She feels good, you get your freezer, everyone's happy. If you can get one for free...you'll have to work the gift angle a bit differently. As for your electric bill, you will want to attach a temperature controller. You can buy one or make one (not too hard). With a temperature controller, mine barely ever kicks on. Most of the time it's only on when I open it up to stare at the carboy.