Consumption Check In

[elproducto]

Hoping this is ok, but I've recently made a concerted effort to decrease my alcohol consumption. I've been homebrewing for 17 years, and Ive always been able to moderate my drinking, but I've gained weight and needed to change.

Just hoping to get an idea of what people's consumption habits are. In no way is this meant to judge or criticize, I just like a barometer if what others do while enjoying the hobby.

I've stopped drinking during the week, and they to limit myself to 2-3 drinks a night over the weekend.

 

[mac_1103]

I've stopped drinking during the week, and they to limit myself to 2-3 drinks a night over the weekend.

That was me before I retired - basically no drinking on "school nights." I still don't drink much during the week since SWMBO has not retired yet. More than three drinks in a day for me either means we're on vacation or it's a very special occasion. I brew way more than I drink.

 

[Lampy]

I typically follow a similar pattern, with "treats" on week nights for special occasions.

 

[crazyjake19]

I mostly keep tasting glasses around the kegerator and the bar. I have a huge assortment of 4-8oz tasting glasses from various beer festivals. Often I'll just have one of those glasses on any week night, if any at all. Alcohol of any kind makes me tired and I have too much work to do during the week to be getting tired during the evening. I have a few tübinger mugs that get used more often on a Friday or Saturday.

I'm in the hobby for the brewing anyway, not the drinking. As long as I could have a taste here and there for quality control, I'd be happy just sharing my beers with everyone if I could never have another pint in my life.

 

[bkboiler]

taken a similar effort to this.
Don't even know my body fat percentage, but it's an order of magnitude higher than 20 years ago.

Have been 3-4 drinks per night on weekends for a few months now. Am planning to back that down to 1-2 drinks per night on weekends. I'm tending more toward a "special occasion beer" having quality over quantity.

Seems like I give away about half of the beer and I only make 2.75 gal batches. That's fine, I enjoy the process.

Very motivated to lose the weight...sitting is less comfortable, walking is less comfortable...it definitely affects my flexibility (i.e. golf).

 

[Snuffy]

I'm in the hobby for the brewing anyway, not the drinking. As long as I could have a taste here and there for quality control, I'd be happy just sharing my beers with everyone if I could never have another pint in my life.

Aww man... I would just buy beer if I was going to give away everything I brewed. I brew a lot less frequently now but I eventually drink everything I brew. None during the week, but weekends is 2 or 3 a night Thu, Fri, Sat. Only way I drink during the week is if I meet a buddy for beers after or we go out for pizza or something. That's not very often anymore. I work an hour away from home and drive a company vehicle. Not a good travel plan.

Plus, most of what I brew is Brit, Belgian or "experimental" - which means I buy grains for a base style and then hop and adjunct with whatever needs to be used up from the leftovers. I have a few friends that will drink with an open mind, but we don't hang out like we used to. Most of the folks that come around now are locals that will have one, look puzzled and then fall back on the IPA du jour.

BTW - don't trust those "hop substitution charts". I’ve brewed some stuff that gave me the puzzled face too.

 

[beersk]

I wouldn't see a point in brewing if I barely drank anymore. Giving beer away is harder than it used to be with friends/family scattered and not everyone wants what you have to offer either. It's just not worth the effort as much anymore. I brew for me and me alone.

My consumption depends on the day and the occasion. Some days I drink none and other days I drink 5 or 6. But I don't usually ever drink more than about 8 beers in a day on a weekend or special occasion like Oktoberfest. Most of the time I'm drinking 1-3 pints a day, with a day or 2 off a week and I definitely like to cut loose here and there.

EDIT: For a point of reference, I'm a 40 year old male in fairly decent shape and not too overweight.

 

[MaxStout]

I'm in a similar position. In our household, I'm the primary beer drinker. My wife drinks one from time to time, but it's mostly me. Occasionally we have neighbors over for a few brews and I give some away. But our relatives are mostly in other places. I drink 2 in a day, rarely more in one session, unless we have company over, then maybe 4, tops. Some days, I have one or none.

I'm in reasonably good shape, and the beer hasn't affected that very much.

 

[kevin58]

My alcohol consumption has dropped by 90+% over the past couple of years. I haven't been able to brew due to shoulder problems for over a year. I finally had surgery earlier this summer but I still cannot lift anything over 5 or 10 pounds. I bought a 4 pack of Dragon's Milk Stout about two weeks ago and still have 2 bottles in the fridge. Something about having surgery messed with my taste for beer.

 

[Agent]

I am generally a "pour a beer and go do something" sort of person. And I have a lot to do. So I probably grab 4-6 12 oz pours on weekdays and 6-8 on weekends. But I also have 6-7 weeks a year of zero beers due to work requirements.

I have been making a concerted effort to keep beers on hand in the +/- 4% range because I don't need to be schnockered.

 

[bwible]

Anymore I just about always drink with food (dinner). Beer with tacos or Mexican, Wine if we’re having something fancier like Steak or Tuna Steak, or even wine with Italian. I like the whole idea of matching food and wine. I don’t make wine. I have made wine in the past, only from kits.

If I’m drinking beer I don’t have more than 2 or 3. If its wine, the wife and I will split a bottle and we don’t open another one. A 750ml bottle of wine is pretty much 4 glasses, so 2 each,

I’m not quite 65 yet, definitely have a beer ball instead of a 6 pack and I could stand to lose a few pounds. I retired at the end of June so I don’t have “work nights” anymore. I don’t drink every day though, it depends.

I drink the vast majority of what I make as far as beer. The wife will have one occasionally. We don’t have big parties or anything.

As someone else said previously, I like to have something under 5% on tap, usually a lager or a blonde ale. Sometimes bitter. But I also brew barleywines and RIS and Old Ales - those always go in bottles, never on tap, and are more for drinking during the winter and cold weather. We share those as well. That works out, if we have a couple of those we get to have different beers and we’re each getting half so we’re not drinking a whole lot of strong beer.

 

[BrewZer]

I primarily drink after physical exertion outside (mowing the lawn or other yardwork) or while grilling and consuming said grilled proteins.

Because of the hot grill aspect, I tend to try to keep my beers under 7%. I don't want to be on the local news as the grill guy who set himself or his house on fire.

 

[Yesfan]

No judgement or criticism taken.

Weekend warrior here. When I have the chance it's usually 6-8 beers on the weekend. Like Mac_1103 and others have mentioned, no drinking on 'school nights' for me as well. The work load has been more than usual lately and my ingredient stash is getting old. I don't brew as much as I'd like, so I thought about downsizing and a recent video from Elementary Brewing where he was downsizing is changing my mind.

I'm also overweight and I want to lose it. My dad was a diabetic and I want to avoid going down that path. I love the hobby and the drink too much. To those wanting to make the change and lose some weight, I wish you the very best of luck. I'm at the 235lb mark. I'd love to drop about 35-40 lbs.

 

[elproducto]

No judgement or criticism taken.

Weekend warrior here. When I have the chance it's usually 6-8 beers on the weekend. Like Mac_1103 and others have mentioned, no drinking on 'school nights' for me as well. The work load has been more than usual lately and my ingredient stash is getting old. I don't brew as much as I'd like, so I thought about downsizing and a recent video from Elementary Brewing where he was downsizing is changing my mind.

I'm also overweight and I want to lose it. My dad was a diabetic and I want to avoid going down that path. I love the hobby and the drink too much. To those wanting to make the change and lose some weight, I wish you the very best of luck. I'm at the 235lb mark. I'd love to drop about 35-40 lbs.

Hey, thanks for that video suggestion. I've been pondering making smaller batches as well, but never do b/c I always think it seems like a waste since it doesn't really take less time.

I think I'm going to start doing it though, I end up dumping beer b/c I'm sick of it, or it just doesn't age well (IPA).

Good luck in your weight loss. I'm down about 7 pounds since reducing my intake a couple of weeks ago. Now most of that is due to calorie counting, but not having 2-3 beer a night is much easier to stay within my targets.

Cheers!

 

[YeastFeast]

56 years old, average weight, constantly fighting higher triglycerides (blood sugar), get full bloodwork done annually.
2-3 beers a day, extra 1-2 on weekends, take Mondays off just to prove I can.
Cut out soda, sweets & many other high sugar foods/drinks so I don’t have to adjust my beer intake. So far, so good, not on any medications (other than alcohol).

 

[bailey mountain brewer]

I'm in the same boat as a few others, I'm 40, in decent shape, 6 foot 195lb, 4-6 beers a night but take days off here and there, sometimes I'll take a week off just to prove to myself I can. Weekends depend on what's going on, this past weekend I was on a trip with a bunch a friends from school so I don't even wanna make a guess at how many we had, needless to say today it's water for me haha. I could certainly drop a few pounds but 200 is where I draw the line. I pretty much just listen to my body, it tells me when I need to lighten up a bit.

 

[Yesfan]

Hey, thanks for that video suggestion. I've been pondering making smaller batches as well, but never do b/c I always think it seems like a waste since it doesn't really take less time.

I think I'm going to start doing it though, I end up dumping beer b/c I'm sick of it, or it just doesn't age well (IPA).

Good luck in your weight loss. I'm down about 7 pounds since reducing my intake a couple of weeks ago. Now most of that is due to calorie counting, but not having 2-3 beer a night is much easier to stay within my targets.

Cheers!

It does seem like a waste of time, but then again when you can't keep up with the inventory you produced then it makes sense to brew smaller. That was the crux I was in. I think going forward, the big batch brews will be just for club functions/festivals. I can always hold back 2-3 gallons for myself and donate the rest to my brew club.

 

[Dland]

OK, I'll be honest here; I drink 3-4 pints of home brew every evening, sometimes go to 5 if weekend, social gatherings, or if it has been a really lousy or good day. It is rare that I drink anything but my home brew, since I've got it so almost all of what I brew tastes better to me than what I can buy where I am. Before I started to brew again, I drank about the same amount of mostly expensive high end brews. I'm definitely saving money (but not time) from when I bought all my beer, not drinking any less, perhaps a bit more, since well made, fresh and unoxidized brew tastes soo freggin good.

On a side note, I never drink until after work day is done, and I don't drink and drive. In that sense I guess I have become a more responsible drinker than when I was younger.

 

[elproducto]

It does seem like a waste of time, but then again when you can't keep up with the inventory you produced then it makes sense to brew smaller. That was the crux I was in. I think going forward, the big batch brews will be just for club functions/festivals. I can always hold back 2-3 gallons for myself and donate the rest to my brew club.

Yeah, makes total sense. I do like to brew a lot of lager, specifically German Pils so for those I would stick with 5 gallons given the time invested in lagering, etc.

 

[redrocker652002]

I will chime in with my intake. I work shift work, and that is overnights from 7pm to 7am 3 or 4 nights a week. Usually my last shift I will come home and grab a pint from the keg. My days off usually mean I am catching up on my honey do's so I usually start drinking after lunch. Normal intake is about 3 or 4 pints a day. My first night shift I won't drink so usually it is 2 or 3 days of 3 to 4 pints, then nothing during the week. Now, when I retire.... LOL

 

[jnecessary]

I started focusing on fitness and with that it became simple that I drank too much to succeed. Whether calories or being ****** the next day and skipping or half assing workouts.

My home brewing took a back seat but I’m getting back at it. Just tested the auber cube I bought second hand to finally get off propane with my Clawhammer kettle.

I’m going to start leaning to brew NA. A Guinness 0.0 clone for my wife and something approximating Partake IPA or Brewdog Nanny State Na to always have on tap with either two leaded beers or one and my home brew kombucha in the other half of my four tap kegerator.

Still love beer and making/drinking it, but I think I love taking care of my body more.

 

[beersk]

I started focusing on fitness and with that it became simple that I drank too much to succeed. Whether calories or being ****** the next day and skipping or half assing workouts.

My home brewing took a back seat but I’m getting back at it. Just tested the auber cube I bought second hand to finally get off propane with my Clawhammer kettle.

I’m going to start leaning to brew NA. A Guinness 0.0 clone for my wife and something approximating Partake IPA or Brewdog Nanny State Na to always have on tap with either two leaded beers or one and my home brew kombucha in the other half of my four tap kegerator.

Still love beer and making/drinking it, but I think I love taking care of my body more.

Man, I feel you there. I feel like I go through so many of these phases. I've gone through the NA phase, discarded it because NA beer tastes BAD. We all try to fool ourselves into thinking it tastes "like" beer. One of my favorite things that comes to mind from the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy book series is when Arthur is on the "Heart of Gold" and he's trying to get the Nutri-Matic to make tea and it keeps coming out tasting "almost, but not quite, entirely unlike tea". That is NA beer for me. Blech.

Low abv beer is slightly better. I'm convinced at this point that there is no way to make the beer I'm used to taste the same with half the abv. Sure you can get close, but it's still not the same.

I'm entering a phase now, where I think I'm going to take a break from brewing and just drink the sh*t I love to drink, which is German and Mexican beer. The Mexican beer you can replicate at home, more or less. The German stuff, not so much. Low o2 brewing be damned, it just doesn't get me there.
Plus I don't drink that much at home anymore. The way I drink has steadily changed over the last 4 years. I burnt out pounding homebrews at home during the pandemic and I've gone through phases of thinking maybe my brewing hobby has run its course over the last about 3 years.

Does anyone else ever experience this? I'm with ya @jnecessary I love drinking beer, probably slightly more than I love taking care of myself. But I strive for balance

 

[jnecessary]

I’ve managed to trick myself into enjoying quite a few NA the last couple years. Just don’t make the mistake of comparing to leaded. I did that with Bitburger Pils and NA pils back to back. Ruined the NA for me! Loved it before that.

I don’t think you can replicate the same flavors. Alcohol is a big part of it.

Like you, I’m content with German and Mexican beers forever.

 

[wepeeler]

I wouldn't see a point in brewing if I barely drank anymore. Giving beer away is harder than it used to be with friends/family scattered and not everyone wants what you have to offer either. It's just not worth the effort as much anymore. I brew for me and me alone.

My consumption depends on the day and the occasion. Some days I drink none and other days I drink 5 or 6. But I don't usually ever drink more than about 8 beers in a day on a weekend or special occasion like Oktoberfest. Most of the time I'm drinking 1-3 pints a day, with a day or 2 off a week and I definitely like to cut loose here and there.

EDIT: For a point of reference, I'm a 40 year old male in fairly decent shape and not too overweight.

This is basically where I'm at, at 43 next month. BUT, I've gained a bit too much for my liking over the last few years, after back surgery. I find I go to the gym for a month, tweak my back again and quit. Never ending cycle. But the beer intake has to slow down a bit. I'm a 3-4 pints a day guy, more on the weekends. I have found that Athletic Lite NA beer helps me cut back quite nicely. I can substitute 2 of those during drinking and not bat an eyelash. It's the best tasting of an NA beer I've had. It's actually quite enjoyable when ice cold.

 

[bailey mountain brewer]

I have yet to find an NA beer that I like, but I haven't exactly gone looking. Maybe someday, but I have enjoyed some low 4ish percent beers. I really have never liked anything related to the number 0 .. I don't drink much soda or things like Gatorade but the ones that say zero on the label, suck @$$ .. guess it's all or nothing for me. Pretty much water or beer.

 

[dmtaylor]

I only have an average of about 2 beers per week -- no, I do not drink every day -- and, I'm the heaviest I've ever been in my life. I do love my sweets and carbs though and need to back the hell off in a big way. Someday, maybe, eventually, I will have to. I am pre-diabetic so I know one day my luck will run out and the doctor will tell me to knock it off to avoid having to go on meds.

 

[Drinking Sensibly]

I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes three years ago. I went on an 800 calorie per day diet for 12 weeks to lose weight and attempt to normalise my metabolism, lost 10Kg. I fast 16 hours a day (includes sleeping time). Only eat between 1:00 & 9:00pm. I try to keep carb intake to around 60g per day in order to allow me to have a beer each day. My blood sugar is under control, I'm not on medication.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Life-Without-Diabetes-definitive-understanding/dp/1780724098

 

[dmtaylor]

constantly fighting higher triglycerides (blood sugar),

From the moment I started taking 1400 mg fish oil every day (for almost 20 years), my very high triglycerides dropped like a rock and stayed reasonable. You probably already know this, but to those who don't, I can tell you, it definitely works for me.

 

[CascadesBrewer]

Yeah, I drink too much. I need to find more entertainment that does not include drinking beers (going to the local pub with my girlfriend for a special release, hanging out at a brewery with friends, drinking a beer while playing a board game, etc.).

Several years ago I said I needed to exercise more or drink less, so I decided to exercise more. I was running 15 to 20 miles a week and it showed. The COVID days sent my schedule out of whack and I just have not gotten back into the routine. I have been working from home, so I should have more time for exercise.

Having Hop Water on tap can be very helpful. I try to avoid drinking a beer just because I am thirsty, with a meal, or just because I am bored. Hop Water can fill in those spots as something "homemade" with a touch of a beer character.

I also brew a lot of 2.5 gal batches. I often find that with a 5 gallon batch, when the beer has been around for 2 months I am pouring pints just because I need to drink up that last 2 gallons to make room for another keg. Like others, I enjoy more the creativity and execution side of brewing more than just having a bunch of alcohol to drink.

 

[DonT]

I've cut back on my beer intake this past year. Last year, after HomeBrewCon, I started getting really bloated and constipated... it was tough to eat and drink like I used to. Before, I would have a glass or two of homebrew during the week and three on the weekends. Nowadays, I'll have dry days from Sun - Wed.
I found some supplements, probiotic type stuff that I've been using for the past couple of months that have really helped. I had been taking Prilosec pretty regularly for the past 10-12 years and I think it finally caught up to me. Well, I'm off prilosec and my heatburn is completely gone and my bloat is much better. I'm 63 and in pretty decent shape...

 

[elproducto]

Yeah, I drink too much. I need to find more entertainment that does not include drinking beers (going to the local pub with my girlfriend for a special release, hanging out at a brewery with friends, drinking a beer while playing a board game, etc.).

Several years ago I said I needed to exercise more or drink less, so I decided to exercise more. I was running 15 to 20 miles a week and it showed. The COVID days sent my schedule out of whack and I just have not gotten back into the routine. I have been working from home, so I should have more time for exercise.

Having Hop Water on tap can be very helpful. I try to avoid drinking a beer just because I am thirsty, with a meal, or just because I am bored. Hop Water can fill in those spots as something "homemade" with a touch of a beer character.

I also brew a lot of 2.5 gal batches. I often find that with a 5 gallon batch, when the beer has been around for 2 months I am pouring pints just because I need to drink up that last 2 gallons to make room for another keg. Like others, I enjoy more the creativity and execution side of brewing more than just having a bunch of alcohol to drink.

Do you have a hop water recipe you like? My attempts have all been lackluster.

 

[Yesfan]

For some of us that are prediabetic/type 2 diabetic, I'm sure some styles of brew are better than others. What is recommended?

 

[Drinking Sensibly]

For some of us that are prediabetic/type 2 diabetic, I'm sure some styles of brew are better than others. What is recommended?

1. Lose weight. Best answer.
2. Alcohol doesn't affect blood sugar, drink spirits.
3. Beer is pretty bad generally, tends to be fairly high sugar. Best is use highly attenuative yeast and mash for fermentable wort.
4. The worst thing about drinking whilst trying to lose weight/limit sugar is it tends to make you want to snack. Remove snacks from the house.

Seriously, read this book and implement the advice.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Life-Witho...understanding/dp/1780724098?tag=forumyield-20

 

[Yesfan]

1. Lose weight. Best answer.
2. Alcohol doesn't affect blood sugar, drink spirits.
3. Beer is pretty bad generally, tends to be fairly high sugar. Best is use highly attenuative yeast and mash for fermentable wort.
4. The worst thing about drinking whilst trying to lose weight/limit sugar is it tends to make you want to snack. Remove snacks from the house.

Seriously, read this book and implement the advice.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Life-Witho...understanding/dp/1780724098?tag=forumyield-20

I'll check out that book. Thanks.

 

[Zanatrik]

I, like many on her also try not to drink much during the week. I certainly don’t succeed every week but I also almost always have just 1, including weekends.

I brew because I enjoy beer and brewing, but I also like sharing so I do that a lot. Fortunately the beers I brew tend to age better (not a big IPA brewer) so the 6-7 months in a keg haven’t had a perceivable affect yet. I will also say that kegging has allowed me to have smaller glasses when I want a beer but not a lot…because if I open a can or bottle, I’m almost always going to finish it.