Anyone else think they were God's gift to brewing?

[OblivionsGate]

My buddy and I have done the research and sort of know what we are doing. We have the starter kit and an extract kit. Our first brewday is this weekend.


Thing is, we are already talking local production, selling off cases to local bars for distribution, "brewing company" names, etc.


Is reality about to hit us like a truck or is this "I'm God's gift to brewing" thought a common thing with first time brewers?

 

[Bobby_M]

Are you trolling or serious? There are guys on this forum who really are a gift to the brewing community and some of them have horror stories of what it takes to run a small scale micro. It can be done but most of us can't handle it and it takes the fun out of the "hobby". You have a long way to go. Brew at least ten 10-gallon all grain batches in a row that don't suck, then plan for the future. Step up to 1BBL batches and see if you can still do it.

 

[OblivionsGate]

No need to be rude.

This wasn't meant to be disrespectful to people who are gifted brewers or those that have struggled and succeed (or not) in microbrewing.

I put this in the "drunken ramblings and mindless mumblings" section as a fun discussion of anyone's pipe dreams and delusions of grandeur that either went somewhere or were shot down on their first brewday.


If you somehow ment this a different way, then nevermind, but otherwise, lighten up.

 

[rdwj]

I think many of us dream big. I don't think there are many guys on this board that haven't dreamed of opening a brew-pub or something similar. I know I do it all the time and most people that drink my beer tell me that I should. Of course, I know that the difference between making 10 gals of something that I like and making a consistent large-scale beer is enormous. Doesn't stop me from dreaming though!

 

[krispy d]

Ok, I'll bite. I have, on more than one occasion, sat back with a freshly pulled pint of heavenly home brew and said to myself "damn, I brew good beer!"

There is also very little that is more satisfying than handing a pint to a friend (it's especially good if they know beer or even better brew beer) and they say to you "damn, you brew good beer!"

When I'm cleaning up after a brew, or something is not going as planned (notice I didn't say wrong, just not as planned) I get a bit more humble and remember all the great brewers before me.

To answer your question, yes, on occasion I feel like I am on the top of the brewing food chain. But then something will always come along to remind me that I am still practicing for beer nirvana, which could take many lives to attain.

 

[Mutilated1]

I really have no ambitions to ever try and brew beer for anything other than a hobby.

I like to relax and have a couple cold ones when I get home from work, and I enjoy it a bit more if I made the beer myself than if I just open a can I got from the store.

If I can make enough beer for myself and maybe a few extras to share with a friend every once in a while then thats good enough for me.

 

[david_42]

Personally, no. I have no interest in making the same brews over and over or turning a great hobby into a job. My former brewing buddy had ideas about going pro, but I doubt it would have happened.

 

[Brewer3401]

If your first batch comes out really good, you may think you have a special gift.

My first batch is why I am now a beer drinker. (Can't stand BMC and what the fcuk is that Corona siht - I guess in Mexico, they don't use their sewer system)

Anyway, most of us homebrewers will not become professionals. If you continue to brew and are serious, you'll make better beer than you can buy.

Good luck and have fun.

 

[Evan!]

There are moments when I see this local brewmaster installing all his new equipment in his new brewery and I think, damn, that'd be nice...I make some great beers, how cool would it be to get paid for it!?

Then I snap back into reality and realize that I have a great career going...and as much as I love brewing, I think that doing it every day, making huge batches for public consumption, it would take alot of the fun out of it. It's like making furniture, etc...I love to make furniture and renovate my house and do all kinds of great woodwork...but if I had to do it as a job, I doubt it'd be half as much fun.

 

[ctalbot]

I brewed my first batch of beer (extract-based) a couple of weeks ago, and the only thing I could think about the whole time was how bad I was likely to screw it up. A gift to brewing? Me? Hell, no, I'll be lucky if it's not poison.

Chris

 

[rdwj]

...A gift to brewing? Me? Hell, no, I'll be lucky if it's not poison.

Chris

lol - wait until you drink it! That has a way of boosting your ego

 

[olllllo]

Making the beer is the easy part.

The next time you place a meat patty on a bun, ask yourself,
"Can I kick McDonald's ass?"

It ain't about the hamburger.

 

[ctalbot]

lol - wait until you drink it! That has a way of boosting your ego

Or crushing it.

Chris

 

[Bobby_M]

No need to be rude.

It wasn't meant to be rude. I know you're new around here and we talk with a little edge for fun. Brewing beer creates thick skin I suppose. Welcome.

 

[homebrewer_99]

Personally, no. I have no interest in making the same brews over and over or turning a great hobby into a job. My former brewing buddy had ideas about going pro, but I doubt it would have happened.

I'm with David on this one, besides...my recipes are going to the grave with me...

 

[TheJadedDog]

I'm not all that interested in running a brewpub, I like the hobby aspect to brewing.

Now, I would like a really nice taproom like some of the guys on here have...

 

[Desert_Sky]

the question really is

can you make good beer day in, day out year after year on a very large scale and stay consistent? The whole time managing distribution, marketing, and selling enough to turn a profit? All that only AFTER you come up with enough start up capital to do it yourself.

Come back and give us an updater in a year. Im sure you will be more than humble after that period of time young grasshopper.

 

[Short Drive]

I kind of liken it to how you dream big when you buy that big big lottery ticket. You know it will never happen. But its still fun to dream.

 

[joshpooh]

I don't know hardly anything about commercial brewing, but I imagine most of us could probably do ok on the brewing aspect of it. Yes there is the issue of consistancy with larger batches, but with the proper equiptment I think most good brewers can handle it. Everything else about running a commercial brewery or brewpub most of us could not handle. Even if you already own an adequate building the investment in equiptment alone would be enormous. Plus marketing distribution and everything else. My friends don't understand why I laugh when they say I should open up a brewpub lol they seem to think just b/c you could handle the brewing aspect you can handle everything else not so.

 

[Erbium:YAG]

I've always believed in doing what you love. I love brewing and I have had the same thoughts; but reality sets in really quick when you start digging into the prerequisites alone. The biggest turn off for me is dealing with the legal aspects of going into a business like brewing. I don't think I have the time or patience to jump through all the legal rings of fire. Yeah, I've had the same dream; but in the end I'll settle for the simplicity of enjoying my brews with a few good friends and family.

 

[sudbuster]

Are you trolling or serious? There are guys on this forum who really are a gift to the brewing community and some of them have horror stories of what it takes to run a small scale micro. It can be done but most of us can't handle it and it takes the fun out of the "hobby". You have a long way to go. Brew at least ten 10-gallon all grain batches in a row that don't suck, then plan for the future. Step up to 1BBL batches and see if you can still do it.

Wow! so concise, and elloquently said!

 

[dibby33]

I am Gods brewer. Hallowed be my name.

 

[jeff]

I dream about it all the time. I am even considering taking a brewing class at Siebel. Then I read over at probrewer.com how much a brewer generally earns and I figure I need to be the owner of a brewpub to make any money at it at all. Then I try to figure out where I'm going to get the 750K to a million I'm going to need to get through the first 3-5 years. Then there's the licensing, ordinances, distribution, employees, benefits, workman's comp, OSHA, the health department, 60+ hours/week, drunk patron, underage drinkers...