Brewing with Kids?

[grizzly2378]

My 7 yo daughter "helped" me brew my first batch a couple of weeks ago. At some point, she got bored with it and kind of wandered in and out. She did like throwing the hops in (and watching the brew come within a whisker of boiling over). At one point as I was taking temps she says "this is like a science project!" Well, yeah, basically it is. Wonder what her 3rd grade teacher would think if she showed up at the science fair with some homebrew? .

 

[sloanfamilydsm]

My little grain snatchers "help" with the whole brew day. There are some parts they enjoy more than others, but just being outside with them while the longer timed stages take place if awesome. I have been brewing longer than they have been alive, so they must just think everyone brews beer on the weekends.

 

[jtd_419]

Two of my three kids help me and I'm sure my youngest will once he's older (only one year old) but then again his sister is only two and loves adding hops to the pot. My oldest is thirteen and helps bottle he has only asked to taste it once and I'll admit I let him ( over the top bitter ipa that he spit out immediately) and he has never shown interest in any others

 

[Snicklefritz]

LMAO - please repost your position on fries, etc. after you become a parent.

+1 on that for sure.

In terms of letting your kids help you brew, why not? I let my 4 and 2 year old boys help me all the time and they really love it. Plus I get to spend time with my kids and spend time on a hobby I enjoy at the same time. Much better than daddy being locked in a garage all day where they can't come in. WIN/WIN

Been looking at some root/ginger beer recipes to try so they can enjoy the fruits of their labor as well.

 

[Tex60]

This topic came up before and this is what I posted

My 17 son could brew and doesn't dislike the taste of beer so he takes interest in what went in to a batch and the taste it produces, he has said that a possible employment interest is brew master. Since he was about 13 we have taken an approach much like my parents we don't let him "drink" but if he asked what it tastes like we would let him have a small sip. When I turned 16 and getting my license most of my friends were sneaking around and my dad brings home a six pack and puts it in the fridge and says there that is yours you drink outside this house you won't drive until your 18 bday when you WILL move out. I didn't feel the need to sneak around when I could go home and have one.

I've given my son that same speech and the one about make sure you don't get in a car with someone who has been drinking, but never have I told him not to drink. I know it has been offered to him and he just says no thank you and I get the feeling that he couldn't be peer pressured into it either.

 

[volktc]

Its like gun safety in my eyes. knowledge is power.

 

[chicken]

My 10 year old helped me brew last weekend; we had a great time. She and her 13 year old sister have helped me bottle before, but this is the first time either one has shown any interest in helping brew. Her interest was prompted by boredom and just wanting to spend time with me, but before long she seemed to find it interesting for its own sake. It was a great afternoon; I hope she helps me again.

We also make wine every fall with another family. Some years the kids are too busy playing to want to help, other years they're very into it. Their favorite part is helping operate the wine press (and when they were little, playing with and making a mess with the pressed grapes!)

Like others have said, I think this may help promote a healthy attitude about alcohol. In our home, making and drinking beer and wine is just a part of life. There's no great mystique or allure about alcohol, no taboo either.

Would some people find this inappropriate? Probably. After all, some people think alcohol is bad in and of itself.

 

[CooperBrew]

i am not a parent yet, but i will never feed my kids fries, chicken nuggets, or mac and cheese. 'murica..... smh
no issues on brewing with kids imo

As a parent of several kids this post gave me the best laugh of the day, thanks!

P.S - Good luck with that

 

[zmanzorro]

So do you put them in the beginning or the end of the boil?

 

[evrose]

I thought the entire point of having kids was to create a good supply of captive assistant brewers. What other reason is there for having them?

 

[QuercusMax]

I have 4 kids from 9 to 3.5, and they don't interfere with my brewing. In fact, when my wife goes out of town for the weekend (and leaves me with the kids) I do multi-brew weekends. This past weekend I made a RIS, a cream stout, an Irish Red Lager, and an experimental gluten-free brew.

My 7-year-old daughter loves helping measure and grind the grain - she does a great job of pouring into the hopper without spilling much at all. My 6-year old really wants to help grind the grain, but he isn't quite coordinated enough and is super jealous.

I try to get them to help bottle, but they usually get tired/bored pretty quickly - except my 3-year-old whose job is to put the capped bottles into cases.

My 9-year-old wants nothing at all to do with it, but he doesn't get in the way.

I've let them all take sips from time to time, and they all seem to think it's "pretty good" (except for my 9-year-old). Trying to make it taboo seems stupid to me. My parents used to let me have a little glass of watered down wine with dinner, so alcohol was never a mysterious thing to me.

 

[jtd_419]

So do you put them in the beginning or the end of the boil?

Definitely at the beginning., gotta boil em longer for sanitation purposes

 

[ShaLaH]

My 4 year old son comes with me to the LHBS. He loves scooping and weighing the grains and checking out all the cool equipment. He gets bored pretty quickly when daddy's brewing but it's a start. I look forward to brewing with him if he's interested, teaching him the process and showing him the care and pride that goes into a great batch of beer.

If anything, I think exposing your kids to Home Brewing normalizes beer and alcohol instead of making it this forbidden taboo that your not supposed to touch until your 21.

I think open, honest, dialogue with your children is the best practice.

 

[ehope411]

Definitely at the beginning., gotta boil em longer for sanitation purposes

I thought Palmer said overboiling could release tannins that lead to off flavors(?). I'll have to hit that chapter up again for a refresher.

 

[LoneTreeFarms]

So do you put them in the beginning or the end of the boil?

Isn't there some old logic out there where if you throw a frog in a boiling pot it jumps out but if you start them in luke warm water and slowly raise the temperature you can boil them? with that in mind i'd think at the start.

 

[JuanMoore]

I don't brew with my kids. That's just because they're 1 1/2 and 2 1/2 though, and trying to watch both of them and brew at the same time is more than I can handle (I've tried it once, and it did not go well). When they get a little older they'll definitely be my brew assistants.

 

[ClunkClunk]

If you're concerned about the "adult" nature of the product you're working on, would you have the same concerns about having your child help you work on your car? That's also an adult-only activity, but working on it can be a fun and enjoyable experience for all, despite the fact that she can't drive the car when you've finished.

 

[unionrdr]

Thanks for this memory^^! My 2nd oldest son (now like 34) was some 10 years old when I had the Cobra Mustang in the garage building a SB cobrajet for it. I'd walk outside on Saturday,& he'd stand next to me with arms crossed,& a real serious voice while agreeing with me about what we had to get done on the tune that day. God bless little kids when they're so enthusiastic about doing manly things with Dad!!!:rockin::rockin:

 

[allynlyon]

I'm all for letting the kids be involved if they are curious as long as it is done in a safe manner. I will not let my kids sample until they are much older, but I don't want alcohol to be a mystery to them and something they abuse behind my back. Here is a pic of me and my 3 yr old on a brewday. She loves to help stir the mash

View attachment 161367

This is a great picture. You should frame it. I love moments like this captured.

 

[allynlyon]

lmao - please repost your position on fries, etc. After you become a parent.

+1

 

[allynlyon]

So do you put them in the beginning or the end of the boil?

At the end for aroma unless they are babies, then their aroma can be not so good.

 

[allynlyon]

I thought the entire point of having kids was to create a good supply of captive assistant brewers. What other reason is there for having them?

Good point. I had kids to do dishes and mow the lawn so why not brew too.

 

[allynlyon]

All of you have made great points. I had the same thoughts as many of you but felt like I needed an extra set of eyes here.

As an example when I was a kid my Dad would hook our sleds to the back of his truck and pull us down country roads. I mentioned doing this with our kids and my then husband looked at me like I had 4 heads. I hadn't thought anything of it, but apparently it could be rather dangerous.

Hence my reason for checking my judgement call here.

I mentioned something to the kids about "brewing" soda and they all perked up and seemed interested, so I think we will do that as well.

 

[Halbrust]

I'll be brewing with my 13 year old tomorrow.
I let her help with every aspect except pitching the yeast. In my understanding that is legally who brewed the beer.

We'll be doing a one gallon rye together, and then she'll be making something with my help. Either a soda, or spice infuced juice.

 

[NickTheGreat]

I was in my LHBS a few months ago and this kid came in inquiring about purchasing empty bottles. They told him their price and he said he'd be back in a few days.

So I asked the guys there about the legality of selling grains, hops, and yeast to someone under 21. They said they thought it'd be legal, because they don't know the whole story. And there's nothing illegal about buying those things, which I agree with.

That got me wondering if I had been an enterprising 16 year old and brewed my own beer and drank it at home, I suppose it's legal?

 

[wickman6]

My son, now 2 1/2 has been helping me since he could walk. Of course it slows down brewdays but I'm perfectly fine with that. I generally time my process so that he is napping right about the end of the boil when I know I'll be busy chilling wort, transferring and the like.

He also loves eating grains, and will tell me "hops make me sick. I don't eat hops"

We both love the process and the time we get together.

 

[LandoLincoln]

That got me wondering if I had been an enterprising 16 year old and brewed my own beer and drank it at home, I suppose it's legal?

No, that would not be legal. A 16-year-old could make wort legally.

 

[eluterio]

I for sure see it as an educational process. I showed most of my kids, nieces, and nephews if they asked. I share with them the basics and compare it to making bread. They have the general idea of how micro organisms work aka yeast and even given them samples of wort. However, I never have or will give them a sample after its done, I will let them smell it out of the hydrometer and I usually get that smells gross.

I do know that some middle school actually have made small samples of beer as used it as a teaching process.

 

[BigJack]

My oldest, who is 10, likes to help me out- though he lacks the attention span for a whole brew day.

I personally don't let him taste beer yet- though in my state, it is perfectly legal for a child to be given an adult beverage by their parent so long as it is consumed in the direct presence of the parent. (Check your local laws- most states allow for this, though they don't publicize it.)

To be flat-out honest, when my kids hit their teens, if they want to sample a beer with dad on a Friday night, I will let them provided that they are in for the night and their friends aren't over at my place. I'm not going to host parties or serve anyone else's child, but I want my kids to learn moderation from me.

 

[dchd1130]

My oldest daughter (7) has no interest, but my middle daughter (5) wants to help with everything in the kitchen. She stayed up late helping me bottle not to long ago. It was a lot of fun having her helping out. I hadn't really thought about bringing her in on brew day, but after reading this I think I will make a point to have her help with that as well.