Best response to telling someone you homebrew

[ChrisS68]

"I'm glad it's good. I was worried it was going to taste like s**t and I was going to have to lie to you." - My Father-in-law, who is now my primary tate-tester.

"I'd buy this. I've had people's homebrews before and they're usually cloudy and... This is like something you'd get at the store." - Brother (who is familiar with good beer) after trying my Czech Pilsner

Most people who know me already knew of my affinity for beer, so homebrewing is almost a natural progression. A lot of people I talk to have either tried it themselves or know someone who did. Even Grandma talked about siphoning beer into bottles during prohibition.

I've also had people ask about my hops growing in the back yard. Their first assumption is usually grapes. One recent conversation with a neighbor/former co-worker comes to mind. You know, it's amazing how little most people know about what goes into beer. For someone who spends 90% of his life at the bar swilling cans of BMC, you'd think he'd at least know that there are hops in beer. Then again, he's about as sharp as a box of rocks. He then told me about how his Dad and Uncle would go to Southern Illinois back when to get "homebrew", and then he got all hushed and said, "but keep it quiet, you know..." I didn't really understand the need to travel so far to get homebrew, and I told him homebrew wasn't illegal. Then again, maybe he was referring to a different kind of "homebrew.

 

[Trencher]

"Do you sell it?"
"You should sell this!"

 

[danorocks17]

"I want to have your babies"

 

[budbo]

"Do you sell it?"
"You should sell this!"

I get those a lot too

 

[Yooper]

"You're a homebrewer?" "But, you're a girl!"

"Why do you make beer, when you can buy it at the store?"

"Is it good?"
No. It tastes bad. That's why I do it. So I can drink ****.

 

[bmckee56]

Quote:
"Do you sell it?"
"You should sell this!"

+1 on this comment. I get that for my Beer and Wine. Someday soon, I hope to have a B&B where guests brew or vint their own beverage while enjoying the beer and wine I produce on premise.

Salute!

 

[taylornate]

the first batch i did was in college in my buddies TINY apartment, and the A**hole up above us called the cops because he saw/smelled the hops,thought it was pot, the cops came and and asked whats going on and,,,we said officer "were makin beer" they came inside and were perplexed..that this was possible but it was the old police guy that said ahhh s__t ive made worse stuff than this on a stove!

The thing about this that would make me nervous is that instead of the cop thinking

Homebrew is legal, carry on

He may have been thinking

Homebrew is illegal but I don't care, carry on

Which could have just as easily been

Homebrew is illegal, I'm going to haul you in

Which is why I wouldn't have consented to a search.

 

[humann_brewing]

"when do you add the alcohol?"

"I can't drink that stuff, I like a beer I can drink 30 of"

"wow, that tastes strong" He meant alcohol, but it was the bitterness of an IPA with only a 5.5 ABV

 

[barroomhero1234]

i always get the normal ones everyone gets, the

Like in your bathtub?

what pisses me off more is when people ask really how do you make it? and i explain and they have no clue what grain or hops even are.

 

[Bernie Brewer]

A few years ago, at my ex-wife's X-Mas party, a group of us got onto the subject of beer (happens a lot around me). I mentioned that I make my own, and the next thing I knew, I had at least a half dozen guys around me asking tons of questions. We talked for at least a half hour. I felt like the guru on the mount with all these people being my subjects wanting to know the meaning of life. It was kinda cool.

 

[jon7187]

"Oh you brew your own beer? My father died of alcoholism".....awkwardddddd

 

[longneck]

"Don't want to drink too much of that, you'll go blind!"

 

[bernerbrau]

"Don't want to drink too much of that, you'll go blind!"

That's home distilling. And if I recall correctly if you discard the first quart or so of distillate you'll be fine.

 

[taylornate]

That's home distilling. And if I recall correctly if you discard the first quart or so of distillate you'll be fine.

I think you don't even have to do that because the amount of methanol produced is insignificant. If you were purposefully trying to isolate the methanol by collecting only the first drops, then you could get a high concentration of it, but I'm not sure if the amount would be dangerous. When mixed with the rest of the ethanol, it should be safe.

Don't quote me on this though. If I were to go into this, I'd want to do some research to confirm either point.

Sorry if that's too

 

[Roman Brewer]

"Can you make it taste like Bud Light?"

Response: "Yeah sure. Let me finish this one and I'll bring you one in about 15-20 minutes."

 

[waexplorer]

My sons neighbor with my Mac and Jack clone
Sip... "This is good" Another sip..."This is real good"
SWMBO "Don't encourage him"

 

[r3dn3ckstyl3z]

I think you don't even have to do that because the amount of methanol produced is insignificant. If you were purposefully trying to isolate the methanol by collecting only the first drops, then you could get a high concentration of it, but I'm not sure if the amount would be dangerous. When mixed with the rest of the ethanol, it should be safe.

Don't quote me on this though. If I were to go into this, I'd want to do some research to confirm either point.

Sorry if that's too

actually as far as distilling. you have to isolate the methynol. you ONLY want the ethynol. even a small amount (70-80 mL/ gallon depending on person) could cause blindness. I researched shining before brewing and decided on brewing because it was a LOT cheaper.

 

[CodeRage]

"Isn't that illegal?"

 

[foxual]

my favorite response was, simply:

Why?

 

[taylornate]

actually as far as distilling. you have to isolate the methynol. you ONLY want the ethynol. even a small amount (70-80 mL/ gallon depending on person) could cause blindness. I researched shining before brewing and decided on brewing because it was a LOT cheaper.

Doesn't it become safe when mixed with sufficient ethanol?

 

[teach]

Many of my friends have either homebrewed before or know someone who has, so they just want to try it. And people that know me well already just ask about how it works.

I do live in an apartment complex, though, and so I don't know a lot of my neighbors. Sometimes when I'm in the middle of a boil out on my balcony someone will walk by down on the sidewalk below.

"What are you cooking?", they'll ask.

"Barley soup." is my usual reply.

 

[IrregularPulse]

A few years ago, at my ex-wife's X-Mas party, a group of us got onto the subject of beer (happens a lot around me). I mentioned that I make my own, and the next thing I knew, I had at least a half dozen guys around me asking tons of questions. We talked for at least a half hour. I felt like the guru on the mount with all these people being my subjects wanting to know the meaning of life. It was kinda cool.

Yes this is the coolest. Tends to happen at every parts/gathering with new people. I don't know crap compared to some people on here, but I am a guru at those gatherings

 

[taylornate]

Yes this is the coolest. Tends to happen at every parts/gathering with new people. I don't know crap compared to some people on here, but I am a guru at those gatherings

A guy from Schlafly was at the grocery store giving out samples and when we started talking about dry hopping a small crowd gathered

And of course by that i mean like 2-3 people :cross:

 

[emr454]

My parents' neighbor, sniffing an Irish Stout I made:
"It smells like beer" Geez, I hope so!

That same neighbor tasting a cider I made:
"This tastes like something you'd buy in a store"
(I'm not sure if I was offended or pleased with that comment, but he's really not a drinker)

I was once the center of attention of about 4 other guys when I told them I grow grapes:

"What for?"
"Wine"
"Oh, my brother did that once and the carboy blew up when he touched it!"
"Wow, that sucks"

The pastor of the church was there and he was very interested in my explanation of how to ferment the grapes, sanitizing everything, etc.

 

[Bernie Brewer]

Many of my friends have either homebrewed before or know someone who has, so they just want to try it. And people that know me well already just ask about how it works.

I do live in an apartment complex, though, and so I don't know a lot of my neighbors. Sometimes when I'm in the middle of a boil out on my balcony someone will walk by down on the sidewalk below.

"What are you cooking?", they'll ask.

"Fermented Barley soup." is my usual reply.

Fixed that for ya

 

[HenryHill]

Sitting around the fire and the wife mentions I brew and that she doesn't like beer but she tried some berry mead at a HB club meet at Lehr's place and liked it.

Some National Guard Forward Observer guy tries to impress me with his knowledge of mead:

'Yeah, stick in the secondary, and after you add the hops it'll finish right at 8%'.

All eyes flitted to me, figuring I would call BS, but I never said a word.

It's just not worth it to me to tell a BSer that he's full of it, unless he's trying to tell someone who doesn't know better.

 

[MNBugeater]

Sitting around the fire and the wife mentions I brew and that she doesn't like beer but she tried some berry mead at a HB club meet at Lehr's place and liked it.

Some National Guard Forward Observer guy tries to impress me with his knowledge of mead:

'Yeah, stick in the secondary, and after you add the hops it'll finish right at 8%'.

All eyes flitted to me, figuring I would call BS, but I never said a word.

It's just not worth it to me to tell a BSer that he's full of it, unless he's trying to tell someone who doesn't know better.

I get this alot when my wife and I are out at gatherings and some ****** starts talking out his a$$ about beer. Not even necessarily making it, just styles, ingredients, etc.

My wife routinely looks at me and says "Be nice" before I even have a chance to say anything

 

[Bernie Brewer]

I get this alot when my wife and I are out at gatherings and some ****** starts talking out his a$$ about beer. Not even necessarily making it, just styles, ingredients, etc.

LOL, yeah I had some doorknob try to tell me once that New Glarus' Fat Squirrel is a wheat beer. I just said "It's a Nut Brown, *******" and walked away.

 

[taylornate]

LOL, yeah I had some doorknob try to tell me once that New Glarus' Fat Squirrel is a wheat beer. I just said "It's a Nut Brown, *******" and walked away.

There's a guy I know who insists Guinness is a brown ale.

 

[r3dn3ckstyl3z]

those call for times when you just smack the guy and walk away without saying a word.....