Brewing with kids?

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My children are 20,18, and 14; all boys. the youngest one helps out a lot with the bottling, sanitizing, and capping. They have seen their mother and I drink throughout their lives, so it appears to be no big deal to them. They do not do half the **** I did when I was their age. I give the oldest beer whenever we have people over, and he seems to hate beer. At least he never finishes one. The youngest has become an excellent bar tender and a master pourer of beer. He claims to have never taken a drink of beer, but I think he has and I am not that concerned. If he wants to sample some beer I would let him. He really loves poker night, he charges a quarter per to keep the beer glasses full, as the night goes on those quarters become dollars. The last poker game I had he made $80. He never shuts-up about the next poker game.
 
At our club meetings many of the members bring their kids, who hang out and play in the other room while we have meetings/drinking. When we brew together they are around and give us stick on beer tattoos. They've all been around it enough that it's not a big deal to them.
 
Braid said:
As far as legality goes.... most states allow minors to drink at home under the supervision of their parents. Ethically..... I personally see nothing wrong with a child being educated in the entire process of brewing. In a similar way that a majority of kids that are raised around guns and taught how to properly handle and respect them, children brought up around alcohol will also realize it's not something to be abused.

My 6 year old helps me quite regularly when I brew. He helps with the grinding, hop additions, and yeast pitching. Just can't figure out why he always seems to disappear when the cleaning starts.

Brewing can also be quite an educational experience for any aged child. Be it the actual science of starch conversions, measurements, or as simple as instilling green principles (compost, reuse of water, hop gardening, etc.). Just don't shove it down their throats, you'll be able to bring up brew buddies of your own.

I've already told my boys that when they turn 18, we're going to make a batch of mead and a batch of barleywine for them to open on their 21st birthday.
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Missouri
as of 1/1/2008
return to top
Furnishing of Alcohol to Minors

Furnishing is prohibited WITH THE FOLLOWING EXCEPTION(S):
• parent/guardian
• one or more specified religious, educational, or medical purposes

I guess that means my kids can taste my homebrew and its legal. Although they don't just nice to know. :D

APIS - Summary of Underage Drinking Laws
 
At first I was pissed that NYS didn't have the parent/guardian clause, but then it also said that 'Consumption is not explicitly prohibited' and that it's ok to possess it if it's with a parent.
 
my 8 and 5 year old boys love to help with bottling. The 5 year old works the bottle washer, the 8 year old fills them up with the bottle filler. I cap them. My wife just rolls her eyes cause all they want to do is help daddy. :)
 
my 8 year old son loves to help. my daughter could care less. my son is a joy to have around when i brew and he enjoys hangin with dad. i dont see anything wrong with it at all. he even had to fill out a worksheet one week during "no tv week" at school stating what he did during the week instead of watching tv. it just so happened that i brewed 3 batches that week ! not sure what the teacher thought....and dont really care. i love the "bonding" with my son while we do it.......i know in a few years he wont want to hang with me much so i will take it when i can. hopefully building lots of great memories !!!!!
 
My two boys don't seem to care that much. (3 and 5). I brewed up a batch Friday with just the 3 of us. The Fiver was curious what every ingredient was and the 3er thought the hops smelled stinky like a skunk. It was a successful brew and there will be many more. Things will be a little different once I'm fully outside with the open flames. I swear, if a kickball lands in my keggle, somewhere, a muppet will die.
 
My 9 yo daughter loves to help. She can't stay for the whole thing usually, cause it's long and kind of boring at spots, but she is good at crushing grain and is usually pretty interested in the process. Next time I brew she is going to get the full explanation of what happens during the brewing process. She only knows the basics right now. She's had a taste or two of beer at bottling time and doesn't care for it at all.

My 14 yo daughter has no interest in making beer at all, and has strictly refused to taste any beer I have offered. I think the anti-alcohol program at school (and possibly my baptist sister) have likely convinced her that she will die if she takes a sip. Not that I really care if she drinks beer or any alcohol. That's her choice.
 
I am pretty sure if I gave my daughter a sip of an IPA, she would NEVER want to drink beer ever again. Kids dont find things like that nearly as tasty as we do.
 
Homercidal said:
My 14 yo daughter has no interest in making beer at all, and has strictly refused to taste any beer I have offered. I think the anti-alcohol program at school (and possibly my baptist sister) have likely convinced her that she will die if she takes a sip. Not that I really care if she drinks beer or any alcohol. That's her choice.
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See, that's what would scare the hell out of me; how's she going to react when she's away to college, ends up at her first keg party, and realizes that beer ISN'T going to kill her? Is she going to be able to drink responsibly, or is she going to be one of those kids who drinks herself to dangerous levels because she doesn't know any better?
 
The Pol said:
I am pretty sure if I gave my daughter a sip of an IPA, she would NEVER want to drink beer ever again. Kids dont find things like that nearly as tasty as we do.
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Yep, It's just natural tastebuds. They favor sweet when young and change to favoring bitter as you get older. Although I still love cake....

the_bird said:
See, that's what would scare the hell out of me; how's she going to react when she's away to college, ends up at her first keg party, and realizes that beer ISN'T going to kill her? Is she going to be able to drink responsibly, or is she going to be one of those kids who drinks herself to dangerous levels because she doesn't know any better?
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This is why I want to make sure my kid is around it. But just because his daughter has no desire to drink it doesn't mean he can't educate her on the truths and responsibility of it for when she does decide to try it. I'd like to think we're all promoters of alcohol responsibility around here.
 
the_bird said:
See, that's what would scare the hell out of me; how's she going to react when she's away to college, ends up at her first keg party, and realizes that beer ISN'T going to kill her? Is she going to be able to drink responsibly, or is she going to be one of those kids who drinks herself to dangerous levels because she doesn't know any better?
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My 7 year old little brother in law was over last week... he had been really into the idea of me liking beer (to the point of making me seem like an alcoholic if you didn't know me), but this time he was telling me how beer is bad and kills your brain so I shouldn't drink it anymore. Gee, thanks school.
 
the_bird said:
See, that's what would scare the hell out of me; how's she going to react when she's away to college, ends up at her first keg party, and realizes that beer ISN'T going to kill her? Is she going to be able to drink responsibly, or is she going to be one of those kids who drinks herself to dangerous levels because she doesn't know any better?
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No, I would be worried if she never got exposed to beer or alcohol as a kid, like I was. As it is, she has been offered a sample a couple of times and there is beer in the house and available if she has a desire.

This past weekend she is on the phone with a friend who is having a party next weekend. She comes in the family room and says that her friend wants to know if they can borrow the camper for the party. (!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!)

This gets up asking "How many kids are going to be at this party??" "WHo is going to be at this party?" "Who's watching the kids at this party?"

and No, you can't borrow the camper. (It's rude to even ask). However, once we know more details of the party (supposedly there will be chaperones and no alcohol) then MAYBE we will let them borrow a tent.

We have a long discussion about how us parents are not naive about teenage drinking and smoking and I get the idea that she had not even thought that stuff was possible at this party. Well, kiddo, you're getting older and you will have to be aware of that stuff and know what to do before you're on the spot.

I trust her close friends, but at a party like this, you get friends of friends of friends and all bets are out the window.

Anywho, this is about brewing with kids and I love it when my little one is interested, and if not, I am not going to force them to participate.
 
MY six-year-old likes to help crush grain, although she doesn't like the smell of the HBS much. She likes to come outside while I'm brewing, but would rather ride her scooter or throw the frisbee around than help brew. It's all good.

I don't think she's asked to try the beer yet, but she's in an incredibly picky phase right now, so I'm not surprised. I would let her taste, but SWMBO probably wouldn't like it much.
 
the_bird said:
See, that's what would scare the hell out of me; how's she going to react when she's away to college, ends up at her first keg party, and realizes that beer ISN'T going to kill her? Is she going to be able to drink responsibly, or is she going to be one of those kids who drinks herself to dangerous levels because she doesn't know any better?
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I'm already teaching my daughter quality over quantity. She'll be the only college girl at the kegger sipping a glass of belgian strong while the other kinds are pouring Icehouse down the beer bong.
 
My son is three yrs old and when I was strictly an indoor brewer I would only to do my brewing when he was at the grandparents house. Too much confusion going on and I dont trust his him to be as mindful of boiling pots as I am. Now that I have moved outdoors he kind of hangs around on the swing set or in the sandbox and I will call him over when it is time to add something to the kettle. Even then I am very careful and make sure that I have complete control over his little body when I let him toss in some hops or whatnot. he thinks it's a blast and runs around screaming about how he is cooking with daddy.
 
Update: My daughter just helped me de-label all the bottles and added ingredients to my wort for the brews this weekend.

Only thing I kept from her was what she was cooking. Mommy doesnt need to know that her daughter was making beer at 4yrs old.
 
My 7 year old daughter loves to brew with me! It is such a cool thing to hang with her and do this. She knows that what we are making is for adults only, but she just likes hanging with dad. That will change soon enough, so I will enjoy it while I can.

She asks all kinds of questions, such as why yeast do what they do, how does the grains turn to sugar, etc. I let here have a sip of my beers now and then, just like my parents did. She just knows that a sip is a sip, and that she is to never to do so without mom or dad around, and that she has to be 21 to drink beer. I let her name beers and even help with some recipe's.

My thoughts on this are just like guns and hunting. I would MUCH rather my girls learn about these things from me, and in a very safe way, than from someone else when I am not around or unexpectedly. I love it, she has fun, and I am spending time with my daughter doing something I love.

:)
 
I've got a 6 year old who loves to stir the brew kettle and add hop additions. I always explain the science behind it, but never really thought it sunk in until I overheard him explaining to a friend how "the yeast eat the sugar and poop out alcohol, which will make us sick 'cause we're too small". Might have been the proudest moment of my life! I let him have sips here and there. Afterall, he's got to sensitize his pallet somehow...
 
My kids are 8 & 9, they both help on brewday. They will help stir and remind me when its time for hop additions. Half the time I have to hunt my kids down because they have run off with my hops to smell. They fight over who gets to add the yeast and are always helping with bottling. Now if I could get them to help with clean up it would be perfect. They have never asked to sample any beer, but if they wanted to I would let them.
 
jajabee said:
Okay, so forgive me, I know pretty much nothing about children. :) We're planning on having a couple of our own in the next year or so, and I'm just curious about how you guys combine this hobby with raising kids. How do they deal with the fact that they aren't allowed to drink the result of all this work until they're (much) older? Or do you just let them try it? Or do they just not care? I really like the idea of chillin' with the kiddos out on the front deck while I brew, but I don't want to have CPS come knocking on our door when the kids bring their homebrewing experiences to "show and tell". :)

Just curious! :)
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My daughter plays out in the yard or in the garage while I'm brewing. I let her stir and pour the last little bit of water from the gallon jug when I use them.
 
My 4 year old son helps on brew day by helping with the hops. One day my mother-in-law walked up during a session and he told her we were 'brewing beer and saving lives'. There may be more truth to that than we want to admit.
 
My younger has begged me to let her scrape the paint off old 10oz Coke bottles I'm saving for my barlewine. I'd let her do it but I can do 10 in the time it takes her to do 1. Then again, I really should get that in the bottles.
 
My son is almost five, since I'm only on my first batch I haven't had much experience getting him involved. But with this first run I've treated it as though it were a science experiment. Daily we go in and peek at the fermenter to check on the science experiment. He asked where the bubbles came from. So I mixed up a little starter of bread yeast so he could see what happens up close and explained how basically the bubbles were bug farts.

While I can't say whether he'll appreciate beer because of the hobby, I'd like to think that he can have a healthy and fun attitude towards science and experimenting.
 
My 21 month old just learned to say "Da-Da's Beer" whenever he sees the fermenting brew in the carboy. It think it's about the coolest thing ever. I intend to involve him in the brewing process as much as possible. Can you say "Free Labor"???

Hell, someone needs to watch the brewpot to avoid boilovers while I watch the game on TV!!!
 
Saying from experience (dont have my own but a friend of the familys children) he was over and we were brewing, the kids were involved. One is 6 and one is 8, the were really excited to be a part of it. When we were done the kids really wanted to try some "beer" because us adults were all drinking. So he pulled out a couple glasses and poured some chilled wort into them (like 6 oz) and just let the kids drink that. They were so excited and its totally safe for them to drink, no alcohol but it keeps your children involved. He said its a common occurrence when his older child is helping him.
 
GilaMinumBeer said:
I have a 3 year old and a 4 month old.

Through years 1 and 2 brewing was a snap. Now, the 3 year old is in the middle of everything I do and I cannot brew with him around either because he is not co-ordinated enough to be trusted around the heated rig or because he is always getting into things he shouldn;t and requires constant supervision.

So, I tried only brewing at night after he goes to sleep. Brutal! Especially the next morning when he demands my attentions regardless of how interactive mommah is with him. Yes, he's a daddy's boy cause I do all the kewl stuff with fire, tools, etc...

Lately, I have just resigned myself to taking days off work to brew on. And it's good.
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ditto. as soon as they can walk you are buggered. Then once they get tv addicted, can eat on their own without you fearing chocking, stop colouring in the walls with pens, then you can start again. My are now 3 and 5 and I think that I maybe able to do an extract batch on the cooker without too much trouble.

Good luck. ;)
 
Kids generally don't care that they can't try it. My kids think brewing is cool, and they like to tell people about it. It's been a little funny when they write stories for class about what they did over the weekend, or a story about their dad, etc.
 
My kids go the opposite direction when I start to brew. They could care less and figure they might be drafted to help clean up, they are too frickin smart about that part of it.

Now I have to figure who to leave my stand to when I go to brew central.
 
My daughter is 7 now and she has been helping me brew ever since I got back into brewing when she was 5. She has a very scientific mind and wants to know how everything works. I like to joke that she knows more about the brewing process than the majority of the workers at the local A-B brewery!

As for school, she just finished first grade and toward the begining of the school year, she wrote the following in her writer's workshop:

Caitbrewing1.jpg


Caitbrewing2.jpg


I expected a phone call from school for awhile after that came home, but it never came.

I also agree with the majority of the others in that I believe I am instilling a healthy understanding and respect for alcohol that a lot of her peers probably won't get in today's society that tries to protect and shelter children from the real world.
 
I have 4, 10 and 18 year olds at home. The oldest could care less and the other two like to help where they can once in awhile and at this stage have no problems with the fact it isnt for them and they have not asked to try it.
 
My 3 yr old helped mash watermelon for a watermelon wheat. She loved helping, but never wanted to try it.
 
My 15 year old spent 2 hours last night washing and delabeling bottles. Tonight, we're bottling our APA. She'll fill while I cap. She really enjoys having a hand in it, even if she doesn't get to drink any.
 

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