Brewing in the morning?

[McCall St. Brewer]

Okay, I need a very important ruling here. As everyone here knows, according the rules first promulgated by Charlie Papazian which have been reverently handed down from homebrewer to homebrewer over the years, it is important to have a homebrew (or maybe two or three) while brewing.

The question for me arose yesterday morning when my schedule forced me to engage in a rare a.m. brewing session: is drinking of homebrew allowed during a morning brewing session? The problem is that I have always pretty much strictly adhered to the no drinking in the morning rule. In fact, drinking should not start until cocktail hour, which is defined as 5 o'clock Eastern time (don't tell anyone, but I live in the Central time zone, so that actually means 4 o'clock for me ).

Now. There are a couple of limited but well-established exception to this rule. One is Sunday brunch, but that is strictly limited to bloody mary's and screwdrivers and such. The other is tailgating at professional sports events. Green Bay Packer games tend to start at noon, so that means being in the stadium parking lot by 9 a.m. For these occasions, the exception allows any type of drink that one desires.

Anyway, yesterday morning I did not drink any homebrew (or anything else, for that matter) while I was brewing. The result: I was 10 times as klutzy as I normally am while brewing. I think the beer turned out fine, though.

 

[Hercules Rockefeller]

the only rule I follow is no drinking before "beer-thirty" in the morning ( which I have defined as 11:30) I don't really see a problem with drinking at any time of the day or night as long as you are responsible about it. Really the only reason why I don't dring during the day as often as I used to when I was in my early 20's is that it makes me tired more now than it used to and I'm usually too busy to take a nap.

 

[Reverend JC]

You are fine!! My normal rule for drinking is nothing until noon. Now, there are certain times where the time is changed, for example, tailgating for an 11:00 football game, holidays where i am cooking or over at a relatives house and helpign them cook, if i happen to be BBQ'n before noon, and of course brewing before noon which i did yesterday.

You are fine my brother, its your rules, bend them!

 

[Orfy]

Isn't it a bonus when you get the beer taste and realise the sun's over the yard arm. It stops you feeling guilty or thet you're a beer monster. And it's even better when it's Sunday and you don't have to drive anywhere.

 

[troybinso]

I like to brew in the mornings, because I know that I haven't already had a few. Evening brews usually have a few last minute changes in recipe/mash temp etc. that are not always for the best. I like to start around 10am or so then by noon I have done most of the things that require decision making. I may or may not crack open a homebrew at this point.

 

[ScoutMan]

All these rules......I must be a degenerate brewer! I imbibe in the nectar of the gods whenever the mood strikes. I typically brew in the mornings, starting before anyone else gets up. Usually a nice porter does double duty by serving as breakfast and as a brewing muse. All things in moderation, including moderation.....

 

[RichBrewer]

I almost always brew very early in the morning (4 or 5 AM to start) and it's just to early for me to be drinking. It's probably for the good though. I've got enough problems finding things and following procedures sober.

 

[chillHayze]

All things in moderation, including moderation.....

One of my favorite quotes.

 

[vcr5150]

I think Alan Jackson and the great Jimmy Buffett already answered this question: "It's 5 o'clock Somewhere!!" So go right ahead and have a guilt free homebrew.

 

[kleinbeer]

12:00, Beer O'clock thats my usual start unless im fishhing up the river then anytime your awake is a good time for a beer.
I think if you can handle one at that time whilst brewing you should just do it.

 

[Wables]

I don't worry about the time so much, but I used to follow the "no beer before the boil" rule. It has recently been changed to "no beer until mash-in". This has added some flexibility with my brew-partner and I. Recent example:

Starting the boil- T=0min
Me: I have an extra oz. of Northern Brewer in the freezer. Lets add a 1/2 oz.
Partner: Sounds good to me.
Partner: That stuff smells great! We should add the rest at the end.

T=45 minutes
Me: (Forgets to add Irish Moss and immersion chiller)

T=60 minutes
Partner: Lets add the rest of that N.B. (Into an already very hoppy APA)
Me: Let's do it! Crap! We forgot to put the chiller in! (Still didn't remember the moss)

T=75 minutes
Chiller is now sanitized. Boiled off too much water. Hop schedule went from 60 min, 30, 15, flame-out to 75,45,30,15.

T=3 weeks
Beer is bottled and still tastes great!

 

[homebrewer_99]

...I don't need no stinkin' rules...

 

[Brewsmith]

Having not done an am brew, I haven't had to deal with this one yet, but the couple instances that I have started early involved getting my limit while dove hunting. Started at surise, got my limit by 7am, and soon after was having my first brew of the day.

 

[RichBrewer]

...I don't need no stinkin' rules...

Good point. When did home brewers start following rules anyway?

 

[Sir Humpsalot]

Excluding celebrations, special events, vacations, and other days when wonderful or great things happened, the happiest days of my life are those when I wake up, have a cold beer in the shower, some coffee with breakfast, a beer as a chaser, do a little light work so I can feel productive, and then have a beer as I recline and have an afternoon siesta... before waking up, making a tasty lunch/dinner, and enjoying a beer or two before heading off to bed.

I'm not saying it's a great way to spend every day. I'm not saying I have an urge to do that often. I'm not saying those are the best days to be alive. But man, oh man, some day, when you have nothing going all day long and you just want to know what it's like to be the most relaxed you've ever been in your entire life, give it a try...

Don't get stinkin drunk, don't ever get more than a little bit tipsy... use coffee as a counterbalance to the booze and just let "the everyday" occur with a little bit of a buzz... You won't soon forget the experience.


Awesome!!!!

 

[olllllo]

If it's good enough for Jim Morrison, it's good enough for me. Jim wasn't a healthy guy but BEER NEVER KILLED JIM.

The future's uncertain and the end is always near...

 

[brewman !]

I love to get up early and brew. Just love it. Nobody else is up, its quiet, the smell of the mash, the hops, the boil. Nothing like getting a brew done by about 10AM and then having fun the rest of the day too. I love to sit and read the paper and drink hot chocolate while mashing.

I'll only have a brew while brewing if its in the afternoon or evening. And I'll usually have it when cleaning up and such. Now maybe if my brewstand was a little more automated like my new one will be, maybe then I drink earlier in the process. But its not a hard and fast rule that you couldn't have a brew early in the day. After all, the artists needs inspiration !

 

[wild]

Time is relative. I've surprised many of my neighbors and grade school bus drivers with a HB in one hand and a stogie in the other while brewing at 8 am. I also work the night shift so enjoying happy hour at 6 am is always a possibility.

Wild

 

[Torchiest]

My brewing times have been getting earlier and earlier as I go along. Monday I'm going to shoot for a 7am start! I never have more than two beers per brewing session, but I allow myself to drink no matter what time it is.

 

[seyahmit]

This issue actually came up this past Saturday. A few of the home brewers at work get together every couple of months to make a big batch of beer. We started at 9AM. We decided the only beer you can drink before 10AM is a Coffee Stout. After 10AM, the cooler is open for business.

 

[boo boo]

I never drink beer before noon, but it is always noon somewhere.

 

[jeffg]

I also prefer to brew in the morning. I brew outside, mainly in the cooler months, so I like to have the boil coincide with the peak sun in my backyard which is between 10am and 1pm. If I start at 7:00 I usually have some coffee during the mash, maybe a bloody during the sparge if I'm motivated (or need it from Friday night) and by the time I get down to boiling I am usually ready and willing for a homebrew.

I am also a fisherman though, so my sense of beer in the morning is skewed. If we are chasing dawn on the ocean during those long days in June we've already been at it for 3-4 hours by 8:00 am. Lunch and beers frequently flow freely before 9.

One of the best breakfast beer experiences I've ever had was sipping a quality domestic raspberry wheat hefe at about 7:30 in the morning running a small center console boat down the eastern shoreline of buzzards bay on Cape Cod in glass calm conditions at about 25 knots on a July morning when it was already hot, the sun was on my face, there was a little salt bite in the air and we had already caught and released a dozen nice sized striped bass and bluefish on the fly. That was a defining breakfast beer moment in my life. There's something about good beer out on the water or out in the woods camping...especially in the morning. It tastes like victory

 

[TK421]

You guys who refuse to drink before noon must be a blast to tailgate with for Football games

 

[trubador]

I start my brews on sunday mornings about 8AM. This just works out to be the easiest time and day of the week due to work schedules for my wife and I and the kids.

I usually have one to two homebrews during each brew session. I love sitting outside on a cold day with steam coming out of my brewpot drinking homebrew and knowing my neighbors are all wondering what the heck I"m doing out there!

Looks like I'm cookin' possum or something.

 

[Brewpastor]

It is always noon someplace. "I like a good beer buzz in the morning"

 

[dirtymartini]

Time is relative. I've surprised many of my neighbors and grade school bus drivers with a HB in one hand and a stogie in the other while brewing at 8 am. I also work the night shift so enjoying happy hour at 6 am is always a possibility.

Wild

I work swing shift also...after three 12 hour night shifts (6:30 PM to 07:00 AM) there's nothing like a few Sam Adam's Cherry Wheats before I sleep!

 

[EdWort]

I usually brew mine early in the morning too. I filter about 9 gallons of water the night before and have my HLT kettle on the gas stove and my Igloo MLT in the kitchen ready for me first thing.

Personally, I'm drinking coffee at this time. I don't start to imbibe until after the chiller is connected and cooling. No sense picking up 5.5 gallons of 212 degree wort after a bunch brews.

 

[dantodd]

Dude.... It's really pretty damn easy....

If you want a beer; have a beer...

If you aren't able to drink responsibly you really shouldn't be homebrewing anyway.

 

[Rook]

Why constrain yourself to what is socially acceptable, when in the comfort of your own home?

It may not be widely viewed as acceptable to have a beer with breakfast, but neither is walking around in public in your underwear.

Do both at home.

 

[Brewing Clamper]

Nothing like watching the sunrise with a homebrew in hand. I don't do rules, if I feel like a beer... I'm having one.. SWMBO is pretty much down with that too...