Brewing with your kid..Part #2

[Greydog]

A few weeks ago, I asked everyone if they brewed with their kids.

Some snark but, generally an interesting response.

This past weekend, I was lucky to have my son (27 y.o.) here and we bottled a batch, we brewed a batch and we nearly drank a batch!

Without a doubt, it was one of the best, most rewarding and fun weekends either of has had together in a very long time.

I thought I'd share and encourage everyone to enjoy osme brew time with their kids.

Greydog

 

[Yooper]

My kids don't like beer! My daughter's fiance, though, loves beer and I love having him sample all of my brews. He wants to brew, but he's really busy. Hopefully, his life can slow down a bit and he can find time to brew with me. My daughter is pregnant, so he's got a built-in designated driver.

 

[EricT]

As a matter of fact I have brewed with my daughter. She is almost 4 now so I just ensure she doesn't touch anything post boil. Actually the only thing she usually gets to do besides watch daddy from at least 2 feet away is poor the yeast in the primary once its cooled. I figure at 2 feet I shouldn't get any booger beer She loves watching be make beer but SWMBO is concerned she is gonna tell her teachers at school that she makes beer with her daddy, not sure what they will think but oh well. Its our time and we like it.

 

[JOHN51277]

My 3 yr old boy helps me with making sure everything is done correctly!

 

[humann_brewing]

My daughter is pregnant, so he's got a built-in designated driver.

My wife doesn't like that excuse, I have tried

 

[KCBrewer]

She loves watching be make beer but SWMBO is concerned she is gonna tell her teachers at school that she makes beer with her daddy, not sure what they will think but oh well. Its our time and we like it.

Been there. We put a martini glass and beer mug Christmas ornament on our tree a few years back. A few weeks later we got our son's journal from school and he had written in it that "we have beer cans on our Christmas tree" SWMBO made sure to mention at the next parent teacher conference that they weren't actual beer cans. ( I did think about putting some on the next year though )

 

[klyph]

I am 26 and I brew with my dad. He's in his 60's, retired, and loves the time spent together, plus the finished product

Also, his place is bigger, so brewing with dad allows me to avoid the wrath of SWMBO. It's a win-win all around.

And, if you have really small kids, their tiny fingers work great for cleaning the crevices on your keggle!

 

[TechyDork]

I know that i would love nothing more than to to spend a day brewing with my dad or father in law. Too bad they live 3,000 miles away.

I usually brew with a buddy of mine and his daughter is a bit to young to help out, but i know that in a few years she will be our big helper.

I think as long as it is safe any time that you can spend with your kids or parents is priceless.

 

[mattd2]

My daughter is pregnant, so he's got a built-in designated driver.

I've got a 1 year old and a nearly 3 year old, both love watching the bubbless in the airlocks/blow off tubes!
The designated driver is one of the trade offs for having a pregnant wife. I don't complain about the mood swings/wierd craving requests (had to go to the supermarket everyday after work for something different!) and my wife drives when we go out and doesn't complain that she doesn't get to drink. She's pretty keen on beer so it is a bit of a accomplisment for her to go 12+ months without a beer (lead up/pregnant/breast feeding).

 

[robtotten]

My son is two. When he hits double digits, I'll get him to help!

 

[WildGingerBrewing]

My 10 and 5 year old daughters love being in the garage with me while I brew. They always ask to help but there is not a lot they can do. They do help me wash bottles and hand me things on bottling day though and seem to like that a lot too.

 

[CreekBrewery]

My kids, 2,4 and 5 all have "helped" and they even know what a mashtun is. When I've got a batch in the fermentor we all check it together and they smell the air lock then tell me how it stinks. I'm hoping by the time they're tweens they can be making beer for me!

 

[DevilsCreekBrewing]

My oldest daughter is 10 now, and has been helping me with things for a few years. She has helped me bottle, clean carboys and wrap copper tubing. My youngest at 6 doesn't seem to interested, but I bet she will come around as well.

 

[jpsloan]

My two year old does his level best to ensure each and every batch is contaminated before I pitch the yeast.

He's also inordinately obsessed with my mash paddle. He feels the need to stir everything. All the time. He has a promising future as a blogger.

 

[IrregularPulse]

My boy will be two in August and number 2 will be born in november. I see brew days with the oldest next summer. I hope to be converted to electric and single tier by then so no worries about open flames.

 

[scrambledegg81]

I am 26 and I brew with my dad. He's in his 60's, retired, and loves the time spent together, plus the finished product

Also, his place is bigger, so brewing with dad allows me to avoid the wrath of SWMBO. It's a win-win all around.

And, if you have really small kids, their tiny fingers work great for cleaning the crevices on your keggle!

Ha! My grandparents have the exact same vinyl flooring.

 

[springer]

I brewed with my son last weekend . He burnt his hand and dropped a can into the cooled wort... Next time no drinking for him ...



















he is 28 years old

 

[glenn514]

Haven't brewed with any of my kids [four daughters] yet...but #3 daughter and her "fella" both are VERY interested in the process. I told the "fella" that if he bought the ingredients and provided the bottles, I'd help him brew his first batch. So, he is now saving bottles!

glenn514

 

[Greydog]

I'm happy to see so many "family" brews.
As I said, my son and I had a blast and it has inspired him to get more serious about beer and brewing.
Who knows? The next Adolf Coors could be one of our kids....er, wait a minute.......never mind.
Greydog

 

[blkandrust]

My little angel is 7 and she absolutely loves cracking grain....but mysteriously right after her labor at the grain mill she likes to watch Scooby Doo...Kids...

 

[Babylon]

my 8 almost 9 year old daughter helped out with my first batch. She's funny because she thinks alcohol should be illegal but she was very interested in every aspect of the project. Mostly she held things for me when I didn't have somewhere sanitary to set them.

 

[lazybean]

My son (2y) just helped me clean one of my primary carboys. he had fun splashing the brush around inside it. Needless to say we were both soaking wet by the end of it.

 

[paint_it_black]

A few weeks ago, I asked everyone if they brewed with their kids.

Some snark but, generally an interesting response.

This past weekend, I was lucky to have my son (27 y.o.) here and we bottled a batch, we brewed a batch and we nearly drank a batch!

Without a doubt, it was one of the best, most rewarding and fun weekends either of has had together in a very long time.

I thought I'd share and encourage everyone to enjoy osme brew time with their kids.

Greydog

My dad and I brew together. I'm 24 now, and during my second year of university, I started getting interested in brewing my own beer. Of course I couldn't afford to buy my own setup, so I convinced my dad to buy his own We'd brew extract batches when I'd come home to visit on holidays. A year later I got my own gear and brewed in my apartment. Recently I moved back home with the folks for awhile, and since then, my dad and I have been doing all-grain batches together pretty frequently -- for awhile it was once every week, though now it's maybe every three weeks.
It's really enjoyable for both of us, since we both love beer, love making beer, and it has formed a common bond between us -- something we can talk about and something that gets us to hang out with each other.
That's the two of us in the pic on my profile (at the Hofbraeuhaus Las Vegas last Summer).

 

[boog321]

I haven't actually brewed "with" my kids, but they hang out to see what's going on.

My 10 year old isn't too interested, but my 2 year old (both boys), loves to hang out in the kitchen while I do it.

The batch I brewed in January, I did the day before my birthday, and the 2 yr old was sitting on a box in the kitchen, singing. It took me a few to figure out what "dappy durby, do yooo, dappy durby, do yooo" was. And when I finally figured out he was singing Happy Birthday to me, it made my day!

But, I have been thinking about trying to get my dad into brewing. I figured I could take a bunch of stuff to his house, and make a batch.

 

[ksbrain]

My kids are 6, 4, and 2. The baby's too small and unpredictable to be near the process, but the other two like to toss hops in the kettle now and then. Mostly they just come by for a minute here and there to see what's going on and ask when I'll be done. Maybe one day one or more of them will want to participate for real.

 

[Toga]

The only beverage making process my young one is allowed to help with is making soda.

 

[frogguruami]

My youngest is 9 and loves to help when I am brewing things up and moving things around. He likes to get me things when I need them and will run back and forth and grab me any supplies that I need.

Both my children also understand the process, what the yeast do and why we have to have everything sanitary. We homeschool so it has been a bit of a chemistry and biology lesson for them.

 

[DoctorHops]

My oldest daughter, then 29, and I brewed the first batch of beer for both of us. Great bonding experience. She has brewed on her own since then as have I. It is always nice to share something in common and compare notes.

My other daughter came and brewed with me for Father's Day 2009. She was 25 then. That was a great experience as well and I couldn't really think of a better Father's Day present. She liked the beer and drank most of it as it was a bit estery for my taste.

My wife helps me bottle, which I don't particularly care to do, and also helps me when I need a second pair of hands in the brewing process, but it definitely is a father daughter event here.

Other than encouraging the underage consumption of alcohol, which is probably bad, I think brewing is a great learning experience for kids. It teaches them biology, chemistry, biochemistry, bacteriology, how to make precise measurements, how to interpret these measurements, how to keep records, how to infer what is happening to an entity by making measurements, cause and effect, how to plan ahead for things that might or will happen, and pride in making something yourself that others enjoy.

So when your family asks you what you want to do for Father's Day, tell them you would like them to brew beer with you. You won't regret it. It would be nice if they bought the ingredients as well, but that is not necessary.