Brewing and your Kids

[Monkey-BB]

Whats up HBT Nation---

I have to admit, since my first batch of all grain in a turkey fryer about a year ago, I have got the brewing bug... I have been thru three different setups all home-made and now have settled on a single tier 3 keggle two pump rig in my basement that is 1/2 electric and 1/2 propane...soon to be (NG),,,

(I brew about 3-5 AG batches a month, and can always find something to do after the kids go to bed during the week, or with the kids around on the weekends during the day)

I have an awesome wife, and 5 kids that are between 5-12 that look up to me. I have been wondering lately if I'm setting a bad example for the kids...
My 12 year old son has helped me mash in, and has worked the chugger pump when I'm filling the fermentor... Granted, I supply a restaurant with some beer, so its kind of a business, I still feel a little uneasy...

My wife and I will have a drink or two after the kids go to bed, but when we have friends over, or at a party the kids see a lot of drinking, and i wonder if its good or bad...

please tell me I'mm over-thinking this,....

thanks in advance everone---

 

[jhoneycutt]

The biggest thing I see here is how you are dealing with that restaurant. There may be some real legal issues there if you aren't properly licensed. Other than that if you or anyone around you aren't causing any trouble that your kids can see I dont see much of a problem.

 

[Yooper]

I just posted this photo the other day in a similar thread, but I love it, so I'll do it again.

My kids don't drink much, but my son did help me when I asked when he was younger. He loved making root beer.

But my grandson as been "helping" me since he was about 13 months old. He can now, after being instructed in this photo, pour anyone a perfect pint. He can't read very well, though, so you have to spell what you want. If you want an "IPA" he's good, but you need to say "Pale ale, please. It starts with a 'P'" if you want something he can't read. Oh, he was three in this photo, and was so excited because he didn't need a stepstool to reach the taps!

 

[Yooper]

The biggest thing I see here is how you are dealing with that restaurant. There may be some real legal issues there if you aren't properly licensed. Other than that if you or anyone around you aren't causing any trouble that your kids can see I dont see much of a problem.

Yes, I didn't want to get into that. If you're aren't licensed as a brewery, the restaurant can (will) lose it's liquor license if it's selling homebrew. Not so much your problem, but HUGE for them with the TTB. Most place won't even let you bring in a homebrew to sample for them, let alone drink as a customer.

But if you're a licensed brewery, no worries. If you're not, I would suggest never mentioning this on a public forum- the restaurant will go out of business and bankrupt in minutes if caught. You may not be charged, though.

 

[Black_Sails]

There was a time when your son would be considered an apprentice of one of the most highly regarded trades in the community....if it makes you feel any better I let my 15 year old daughter (one of the best cooks I know) judge my brews. And by that, I mean a sip to tell me what she notices. I find it interesting as she has no pre-conceived ideas of what something "should" taste like.

In short....don't sweat the petty...pet the sweatty

 

[Monkey-BB]

There was a time when your son would be considered an apprentice of one of the most highly regarded trades in the community....if it makes you feel any better I let my 15 year old daughter (one of the best cooks I know) judge my brews. And by that, I mean a sip to tell me what she notices. I find it interesting as she has no pre-conceived ideas of what something "should" taste like.

In short....don't sweat the petty...pet the sweatty

thanks---
great advice too!

 

[Monkey-BB]

Yes, I didn't want to get into that. If you're aren't licensed as a brewery, the restaurant can (will) lose it's liquor license if it's selling homebrew. Not so much your problem, but HUGE for them with the TTB. Most place won't even let you bring in a homebrew to sample for them, let alone drink as a customer.

But if you're a licensed brewery, no worries. If you're not, I would suggest never mentioning this on a public forum- the restaurant will go out of business and bankrupt in minutes if caught. You may not be charged, though.

great idea about the root beer...
thank you

 

[Monkey-BB]

I just posted this photo the other day in a similar thread, but I love it, so I'll do it again.

My kids don't drink much, but my son did help me when I asked when he was younger. He loved making root beer.

But my grandson as been "helping" me since he was about 13 months old. He can now, after being instructed in this photo, pour anyone a perfect pint. He can't read very well, though, so you have to spell what you want. If you want an "IPA" he's good, but you need to say "Pale ale, please. It starts with a 'P'" if you want something he can't read. Oh, he was three in this photo, and was so excited because he didn't need a stepstool to reach the taps!

View attachment 240944

great idea about the root beer...one of my next brews!
thank you

 

[FloppyKnockers]

I don't think I would ever brew with children. I've heard they might give some off flavors and cry an awful lot when steeping them. Hard as hell to keep them sterile too.

 

[lump42]

More than likely you are teaching your children/grandchildren how to appreciate beer responsibly and the work and craft that goes into creating quality products.

 

[FloppyKnockers]

IIRC the only step in the process that might infringe the law is pitching the yeast. Depends on the state, of course. Other than that, I think it's pretty cool that you do that with them.

 

[Bensiff]

More than anything I'm hearing concerns about alcohol consumption and appreciation around your children and what example that might set. I have a neighbor who parties it up around their kids and I think that is a pretty bad example for their kids. Meanwhile my wife and I drink a few every night and I don't think that is detrimental to our son. Sure it will teach him drinking is normal. But it is the party drinking environment that I don't want him exposed to. I don't know the specifics of your situation though so it's hard to say.

On the other hand, the process of brewing is an exquisite balance of science and art. If your child really seems interested in brewing, just think of how much science, math, and abstract thought you could teach by getting them involved in brewing. That way when they are learning at school they will have a real world example of application which will encourage learning. It's a little rough because they won't get to enjoy the product when they are young. Then again, I believe early guided exposure to the world's realities that your children take interest in, is important. So like the Germans, I will likely let my son drink at home to learn the impact of alcohol under guidance instead of unsupervised at college in hopes he will be safer about the matter.

 

[eadavis80]

On the plus side, brewing can teach: cleanliness, patience, time management, responsibility and creativity. On the negative side, if your kids see you or others having too many on a regular basis, they're going to see the the cons of alcohol. Like anything, it's all about moderation. I've had my 8-year old add in hop pellets here and there and once in a while he'll check on the airlock with me to "see if the yeast are having a party." But, he's not very interested in it one way or another. He'd rather play or read or something. As long as the product you're making isn't creating a bad place for your kids, I don't think it's a problem.

 

[FletusSanguine]

I have a a son and a daughter, 9 months and 7 years respectively. The 7 year old doesn't really help me do the actual brewing very much, she likes to watch ask me a lot of questions about what I'm doing and why I do it while I'm brewing. She likes to try and guess which beer I'm drinking when I open one up at dinner, too. I'd just look at them helping out with the brewing as quality time spent with her. Honestly, is it any different from cooking with your kids?

As for whether or not you should feel bad for drinking in front of your kids, and whether or not it sets a bad example, I personally think that's rubbish. I'm of the opposite opinion, personally. You're setting a GOOD example. I'd be lying if I said I've never gotten good and drunk in the past, and still do occasionally when I drink a bit more than I intend, but I'm adult enough to know there's a time and place where you can do that. I don't ever drink to excess in front of my kids, and it teaches them that alcohol is something you can enjoy, and be responsible about. I can have a beer at lunch, or a beer or two with dinner, and be a grown up about it and not have to get so drunk I can't walk. By drinking responsibly in front of them, you're teaching them moderation. I wouldn't sweat it.

 

[not_found]

I look at it this way. When I was a kid my mom and her husband drank. They never drank to excess in front of me (at least not until I was old enough to know they were being stupid). But they did drink often enough to take the stigma out if it for me. When I got older they let me drink as long as I was staying home. By the time my friends were trying to get ahold of alcohol it wasn't really a big deal to me so I was able to control myself a lot better than other kids.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that if you take the mystery out of it you may be helping them in the long run.

 

[wmilas]

My 2 cents:

I'm half German, half Czech. As you can imagine, both sides of my family have a long tradition in beer. My father (Czech side) was bar tending at the family pub when he was 13. He and my mother ran their own pub. My Uncle still does till this day.

When I was growing up when I turned 13 I was allowed one finger of wine, or two fingers of beer with dinner every night. Each year it increased by 1 finger for wine, 2 for beer. Dinner beers were not heavy, a pilsner or a boch.

Let me tell you, it completely de-stigmatized alcohol for me. I saw how hard it was to run a bar, and having access to alcohol every night, There were often times when I was 16 I'd rather just drink a root beer. My mother believed soda rotted your teeth so it was actually harder to get a soda in our house for dinner.

I never drank outside the house in high school because it just seemed like a waste of time. The kids that participated in it seemed awful immature to me.

When I went off to college I was shocked to say the least at the complete lack of self control displayed by my fellow students. I remember going to a party freshman year where kids were vomiting out the windows of the hall at 9:30 at night. It was ugly. I was disgusted.

It was at that exact moment that I realized what my parents had done for me. I never had the urge to drink to excess nor to drink and drive. I DID appreciate good beers and wines... mostly beers though .

I'm raising my kids the same way. I don't run a pub, but I do homebrew. I see no issue with teaching the kids respect for alcohol and how to correctly appreciate and drink it.

I think we as a society make a mistake restricting it to young adults until so late, then letting them loose on it. Its a recipe for disaster. I promotes binge drinking and alcoholism.

 

[ArkotRamathorn]

I guess what I'm trying to say is that if you take the mystery out of it you may be helping them in the long run.

Basically this. Any time you prohibit something or make it a secret, the children will be more likely to want to try it, and may not have the faculties to try it in a mature and safe manner.

I would equate brewing your own beer in front of your children to the different between families that cook (nearly) all their meals at home, and families that go to McDonalds every night of the week (no criticizing fast food or going out for food, I loves me some fast food). Its not, daddy comes home every night with a 30pack of Keystone Light and pounds it, it's daddy makes a beer and 2 months later he cracks one open (or couple weeks pours the first pint out of the keg), has 2, then goes to bed.

SWMBO is more anti-children than I am (thank god, I know if she wanted kids I'd probably be OK with it, but I would make a really really horrible father), so commenting on raising children take it with a grain of salt from me as I never want to have my own children. But not being that old (yet, I'm 29... thats not old... I think) I do still remember how my parents raised me. Remove the mystique and tell the children the truth and they're that much less likely to go in search of those things. Prohibit and lie about something, and the kids will definitely go in search of those things.

I remember being told in school "If you do LSD you could end up thinking you're a glass of orange juice for the rest of your life". Kids know bulls**t when they hear it, and will go in search of those things to see if its the truth.

If you give them three simple rules, children will turn out normal/notserial killers.
1.Don't kill anyone
2.Don't get anyone/get pregnant
3.Don't drink and drive (if you drink somewhere, I will always come pick you up any time of the night, I wont be mad that my kid is alive)

3 simple rules, thats all you need and you'll at least end up with children who grow up to be normal(ish).

 

[zippyclown]

Brother, if your kids are happy and healthy and love life, anybody who says you're setting a bad example can just go f-ck themselves.

 

[wmilas]

1.Don't kill anyone
2.Don't get anyone/get pregnant
3.Don't drink and drive (if you drink somewhere, I will always come pick you up any time of the night, I wont be mad that my kid is alive)

Since I have 3 girls, I'll add one more (Via Chris Rock):
4.Keep them off the pole. (Stripper pole that is)

 

[hio3791]

1.Don't kill anyone
2.Don't get anyone/get pregnant
3.Don't drink and drive (if you drink somewhere, I will always come pick you up any time of the night, I wont be mad that my kid is alive)

Haha! My kids are 8 and 5. We've explained to them what abusing alcohol can do. I've made it clear that if they call, regardless of where they are or what time of day/night, I'll pick them up and not say a word but if they drive home, drunk, they better prey.

My kids like to help. For some reason, they are more curious about my grain mill than anything else. They love watching the grain get crushed. They also like the smell of the grain. Like in Yooper's pic, mine also like filling my glass at the tap. They get amused by it.

A few weeks ago, I had my daughter help me dry hop my SNCA clone. When the beer was finally on tap, I had her smell what the hops had done to the beer which she simply replied with "it smells like all your other beers"!

 

[bobeer]

My parents weren't really big drinkers when I was growing up. My dad drank wine here and there but my mom never really got into drinking. I started working full time when I was 17 and working in the retail industry people drink after work... and sometimes even during work. I would have a co-worker buy me beer to take home after work sometimes and I saw my folks didn't really care as long as I was safe and smart. Sure, I'd take a 12 pack to a friends house on a Friday night and we'd have to sneak around drinking but we never did anything too stupid. Some parties I went to I'd see kids who had no freedom at home go completely crazy for alcohol. I never understood why at the time but I eventually got it. It's important to expose your kids to things like alcohol so they can see the proper way to consume it. If you can have a few beers a night and not act like an ass then there's absolutely no issue.

I just had my daughter a little over 5 months ago and I've thought about this a great deal. Since I homebrew she'll be around beer all the time and not really see the big deal about it if it's at a party. I don't really drink liquor but I keep a stocked bar for guests so I think I'm covered there too. There's nothing wrong with exposing your kids to reality and not glorifying something that in most other countries isn't really a big deal at all. Education is the best anti-drug.

 

[hio3791]

Haha! My kids are 8 and 5. We've explained to them what abusing alcohol can do. I've made it clear that if they call, regardless of where they are or what time of day/night, I'll pick them up and not say a word but if they drive home, drunk, they better prey.

Hate quoting myself but I laughed after reading this. My point was obviously if they drink and drive once they are old enough to drive. If I catch them drinking and riding their bikes or driving their battery operated jeep around the neighborhood, my wife and I will have a whole 'nother mess of problems in our hands!

 

[soccerdad]

I grew up in a GREAT family and beer was a part of our everyday life. Still a great family and still plenty of beer in our diet. Most all of us have had an episode or two of over consumption, but beer is part of life - healthy life. Kids need not be sheltered from that nor had it hidden from them.

 

[Monkey-BB]

Great responses thanks everyone...

 

[fimpster]

No problem whatsoever. Your kids will grow up to be more responsible around alcohol. And think about all that quality father/son/daughter time. Priceless.

 

[Callacave]

It's kinda funny when you think about it. Sugar is a drug in it's own sense, but kids down soda like it's water, and so do many adults. Diabetes isn't a something to sneeze at, as well as many other issues too much sugar in your diet can do to your system.

Alcohol definitely has a bag stigma attached to it, and it can be just as harmful as anything else in excess. Like they always say, the key is moderation for everything.

 

[BrotherBock]

I'm sure you're overthinking it.

If the oldest is 12 you have a few years before they have any interest in drinking beer with there friends. But when that happens your kid will be the go to kid by his/her friends. "Hey, doesn't your Dad make beer? You should get us some for the weekend."

Until then you can devise the perfect way to bust your kid for pinching bottles or taking beer from the keg.

 

[Dcpcooks]

I just sent my son to back to college with my first brew pot and an old burner. He asked why I'd just give him my equipment? I said my friends drink all my beer so I had to go to 10 gallon batches. He said yeah my friends drink too much too!

It's about what you do and the example you set. Good value are good lessons in life... CSNY said it along time ago teach you children well. You'll be fine and so will your kids.