Does anybody get the kids involved?

[the_bird]

No kids and I can't even get SWMBO to help. I can't even get her to stay out of the sink when I'm soaking bottles. I'll come back after 20 minutes of soak to see if the labels are loose enough and there will be a mostly empty juice glass in my oxyclean water.

No one complaining about introducing children to activity that isn't legal till 21 (USA) yet?

Jesus Christ no. I want the kids to know and respect and understand beer. Making it taboo is going to tempt them further. Much better that they learn about beer and alcohol from me and Mama than from some high school senior with nefarious intentions.

 

[Saint Aardvark]

Definitely! My two sons, 2.5 and 4.5, help out. They they pitch the yeast, they name the beer ("Bropsa Bripsa" -- that was a few years ago, and doubtless it would be "Iron Man Stout" and "Buzz Lightyear IPA" now), they taste the beer (just a sip, mind) and they like to grind barley. Hand-cranked Victoria mill, too -- none of this "pull the trigger on the drill" slacking!

http://http://vimeo.com/8424072

 

[slinky0390]

Jesus Christ no. I want the kids to know and respect and understand beer. Making it taboo is going to tempt them further. Much better that they learn about beer and alcohol from me and Mama than from some high school senior with nefarious intentions.

Dont have kids, and my biggest worry is finishing up college and finding a job, but I couldn't agree more with what you just said. My parents "educated" me about alcohol when I was in high school, theres nothing wrong with a glass of wine at the dinner table. It is legal however, to be under 21 and drink in your house under direct parental supervision in NJ. But it taught me the effects of alcohol and I'd just shake my head when I'd see the other kids in high school that drank for the first time and got whacked out of their skulls because they didn't know limitations.

 

[Bottenbrew]

My son has been my helper since he was about 2. He specializes in begging me to take him to the "beer store" and stirring my mash tun when I batch sparge. He used to ferry my bottles between the dish washer and my floor when I bottled as well, but that often ended poorly, thank God I don't bottle anymore...

As to the taboo thing, my dad brewed a bit when I was growing up, and he is definetly all about the beer (he is my largest customer and even bought my kegging set up) so I know first hand that being exposed to it, and taught to respect the beer and not go overboard can be a positive influence.

 

[birvine]

On New Year's Eve I made an extract batch of Orfy's Hobgoblin. My four year old son wanted to be there every second of the process "so I can know what the ingredients are when I'm big." Each time he needed a break he asked me to "pause it" until he got back. Yes, he was raised with DVD and computer technology!

B

I love working the recipes with him!!

 

[Frankfurtvr4]

I get the fam involved as well. Then we do an rootbeer.

 

[Brewstorm]

My dughter always wants to help, but saometimes it can lead to trouble. Yea, like when my daughter last year (4 years old) was at the bank with my wife when she wandered off (wife used to work there). She proceeded to tell a small group that her Daddy loves beer, and that she makes beer for Daddy, and that he has beer in the garage, under the steps, and has four refridgerators full of beer. He loves it so much that he drinks it all the time, in the morning, for lunch and for dinner.
She even went on to tell them how to make beer, boiling wort and adding hops, then adding the yeast.
If that wasn't funny enough, she also told her teacher at school. That was a little harder to explain.
I manage a restuarant/bar, and she had wandered off and was holding court with about ten of my employees, they though is was hilarious, still trying to live it down.

 

[coderbond]

I agree with The_Bird! I have an 11 year old carboy washer and she loves to hang out and make beer. Make Beer!! anybody here that? MAKE BEER! She's not drinking it! She's Making it, like Science, like making cheese, canning food, preserving food, gardening... Make sense?

 

[bob1852]

She's Making it, like Science, like making cheese, canning food, preserving food, gardening... Make sense?

math, creativity, experimenting, cooking, etc....

 

[coderbond]

Science and sufficiency!

My kid, now 11, is an alcoholic. He started helping me when he was 9 and started sneaking beer when he was 10 after he brewed a IIPA almost solo. So watch out if you involve your kids, could turn bad. We have had to have his stomach pumped 3 times and he is now in rehab but the kids there are pretty tough. He has been disciplined for knifing another kid in a fight (the other kid was cut up pretty bad but thankfully lived.) After getting into drinking he got into other stuff and formed a gang.

Tell me this guy is BSing, that or found his way to HBT by accident while looking for a MethBewTalk.com... Cause who the hell leaves an 11 year old unattended for 3.5 hrs to make the beer and doesn't find the fermentor for 2 weeks.. Then goes without noticing a missing Keg or 2 cases of bottles? Gimme a break!

 

[BeerWars]

My son is only 9 months old and he is already my stupidvisor. He sits on the floor and watches me brew and bottle. I move him for certain parts of the process; but he crawls right back in when I move to the next step.

As long as he is interested I plan on using brewing to teach him some math, some science, some history, some culture, and some patience and restraint - while having some "guy" time.

 

[idlasna]

I have 16 month old twin daughters and I know they would love to eat the barley, sprinkle the yeast on the floor, drink the sanitaizing solution, splash around in the wort, burn the house down during the boil, and completely rampage all my equipment if I let them. They are the anti-brewers. I look forward to having them help me when they get older. Some of these stories all you have are too funny.

 

[Pick]

I used to help my father and uncles make beer and wine. The best times I can remember were when he borrowed a really nice wine press from a friend. We pressed 1 ton of concord grapes in the front yard. I think we got 2 1/2 barrels of juice out of them.

 

[SkiSoloII]

My 6- and 8- year old daughters like to help me measure and grind grain, weigh when packaging a pound of hops, perform hop additions, and bottling. The 6- year old like to fill, and the 8-year old actually gets the caps on straight and sealed.

No issues with wanting to drink, they just like the process. Kinda similar to helping with car work. They can't drive, but they like to work on cars. The 6-year old like to munch a little spent grain, too. Especailly likes finding doughballs (still sweet).

The older one was in church, they were talking about making bread for the Sacrament. She pipes up and says, "Hey, those are the same ingredients as in beer!"

I'm so proud!

Dave

 

[malc]

My 5 year old daughter knows more about beer than pretty much all of my friends. She is very curious aout it. I don't remember the last time I made my own hop additions thanks to her. Now she like cracking the grain, by hand, with the Victoria mill. I remember she grabbed a bottle of dregs I had left sitting on the table. She tasted it, and now tells me all the time that beer is garbage. She loves making it, though.

 

[andysim]

I have 3 and 6 year old girls. They enjoying "pulling the trigger" on the screw gun to crush the malt, throwing the hops in the wort, and filling the bottles when I don't keg the beer.

 

[yummybeer]

i have a 5 yr old and a 2 yr old. the 5 yr old has gone with me a few times to the homebrew store. other than that, they both just ask what i'm doing then continue on with their playing. i'm thinking of getting into doing some soda so they'd be able to have some homemade root beer to drink.

 

[passedpawn]

Kids are for bottling.

 

[SwampassJ]

Kids are for bottling.

 

[ultravista]

My 7 year old son helps brew; I also let him take a sip every now and again. He knows it's daddys beer but I don't want to scold him if he wants to taste it.

 

[sweet_corn]

My daughter's first shopping trip when she was 1.5 weeks old was to the sporting goods store for ammunition and to the brew store. At about 14 months or so she started helping me move bottles into the dishwasher for sanitizing. She also helps pick out grains at the brew store. I hope it is something we can bond over as she grows.