ever had the cops called on you for brewing?

[AdamWiz]

I was browsing some pictures of some people's brewing rigs, and I'm sure a lot of these setups would startle a neighbor who doesn't know anything about brewing. I started thinking that I bet there are a lot of funny stories out there about nosy neighbors calling authorities and police storming in on brewing sessions. So let's hear them!

-Adam

***EDIT: after posting this new thread, I scrolled down and sure enough there is already a thread on this. Sorry for the redundancy. But I guess there might be some new stories now.

 

[Nightbiker]

Had the DEA show up at my home because a neighbor called in saying that I had a "meth lab or still or something". They said they knew it wasn't anything of the kind when they drove up, but had to check it out due to the call-in. I gave 'em a brief tour, they seemed pretty impressed and one of 'em asked me a bunch of questions about brewing my own beer.

 

[rico567]

As most of us live in more and more dense urban environments, this becomes inevitable. We're already to the point where people are being publicly encouraged to report certain types of behaviors ("Report Impaired Drivers," etc.). One reason I live reasonably far out from a city, so that there's still a pretty high quotient of "live and let live" out here. So, me? No.

A philosopher of some wisdom, if not a great deal of depth, stated that effectively human freedom was inversely proportional to population density, and beyond a certain point would cease altogether.

 

[kornbread]

As most of us live in more and more dense urban environments, this becomes inevitable. We're already to the point where people are being publicly encouraged to report certain types of behaviors ("Report Impaired Drivers," etc.).

You see... That's how it starts. First they encourage you to report drunk driving and meth labs, next thing you know you'll be encouraged to report people who leave too many lights on (with the wrong kind of bulbs.), people who burn too much gas, and people with the wrong political views in general.

It's a slippery slope.

 

[brewmcq]

The cops haven't been called on me yet (well, I know them all so it wouldn't matter), but I'm pretty sure once my hops get going that the border patrol guy who lives next door might get a little more nosy...

 

[1ratdog]

im waiting. any brew day now. i got a rubbernecker next door.

lol. rubbernecker. thats a funny word.

 

[bknifefight]

You see... That's how it starts. First they encourage you to report drunk driving and meth labs, next thing you know you'll be encouraged to report people who leave too many lights on (with the wrong kind of bulbs.), people who burn too much gas, and people with the wrong political views in general.

It's a slippery slope.

When will any of those things you listed become illegal? Comparing drunk driving to political affiliation is pretty out there.

 

[Elky]

When will any of those things you listed become illegal? Comparing drunk driving to political affiliation is pretty out there.

I think he was joking. On the subject of population increasing and freedom decree ing, just look at China. One of the most dense populations in the world and one with the fewest political freedoms, including political alignment.

 

[BryceL]

I brew in my garage with the door open. I've had a few curious lookers but no cops yet. One guy walking his dog knew what I was up to and wished me luck!

 

[a_potter]

I haven't had the cops called yet. I know my neighbors very well. But while I was brewing one day last summer, I was standing there with a huge bag of homegrown hops and some guy walks up the driveway and asked me if I'd sell him some. told him it wasn't the same kind of weed. He looked pretty bumbed.:fro:

 

[kornbread]

When will any of those things you listed become illegal? Comparing drunk driving to political affiliation is pretty out there.

It was a joke... I thought the little smiley face in the bottom would have tipped you off.

 

[Nightbiker]

I believe that the neighbor who called on me was probably up to some illegal activities of his own -I say this because aside from being very stand-offish, they had vehicles coming and going at some pretty odd hours (and this coming from a guy who works night-shift) and the place always looked a bit trashy (well, trashier than mine anyway-haha) -in any case, after a few months, they just up and left and the house has been vacant ever since (the owner comes by from time to time to cut the yard but thats about it) -and this was over a year ago.
MY theory was that they called on US to divert any attention from him -figuring (I guess) that if someone called on them, they could claim it was some revenge thing or something. I really don't know.
Until that neighbor, it has always been a neighborhood where everyone pretty much minded their own business. But I HAVE noticed that this is less so now than it used to be.
Shoot, someone calls the fire dept. everytime (and I mean EVERY TIME) I fire up my meat smoker in the back yard. Its a wood-fired home-made smoker that has an 8 rib rack capacity (grin) -though at times I'll smoke some grains to make a smoked porter -to keep the temp on the bottom of the scale (so as not to cook the barley anymore than it already was by the maltster) I only start a very small fire and lob some oak or hickory on the flames, and smoke about a half pound or so of 2-row for about an hour. Results (so far) have been pretty good. I'd like to try peat some time.
Sorry, got a bit off topic there.

 

[strat_thru_marshall]

last summer i was brewing with the garage door halfway closed when a dude in a full suit decided to duck under the door and come on in. He flashed a badge and said he was from the secret service. I just about crapped my pants. Turns out one of my neighbors was interviewing for a job and he was canvassing the neighborhood looking for character references. Not much of a punchline...but it sure was crazy at the time....

 

[bovineblitz]

I believe that the neighbor who called on me was probably up to some illegal activities of his own -I say this because aside from being very stand-offish, they had vehicles coming and going at some pretty odd hours (and this coming from a guy who works night-shift) and the place always looked a bit trashy (well, trashier than mine anyway-haha) -in any case, after a few months, they just up and left and the house has been vacant ever since (the owner comes by from time to time to cut the yard but thats about it) -and this was over a year ago.
MY theory was that they called on US to divert any attention from him -figuring (I guess) that if someone called on them, they could claim it was some revenge thing or something. I really don't know.
Until that neighbor, it has always been a neighborhood where everyone pretty much minded their own business. But I HAVE noticed that this is less so now than it used to be.
Shoot, someone calls the fire dept. everytime (and I mean EVERY TIME) I fire up my meat smoker in the back yard. Its a wood-fired home-made smoker that has an 8 rib rack capacity (grin) -though at times I'll smoke some grains to make a smoked porter -to keep the temp on the bottom of the scale (so as not to cook the barley anymore than it already was by the maltster) I only start a very small fire and lob some oak or hickory on the flames, and smoke about a half pound or so of 2-row for about an hour. Results (so far) have been pretty good. I'd like to try peat some time.
Sorry, got a bit off topic there.

Ah, the train of thought of a brewer.

 

[AdamWiz]

Sorry, got a bit off topic there.

No worries - happens to me all the time.

I think that the bottom line is that it sucks that the world has gotten so crazy these days that people feel they have to be "on lookout" at all times. The only way around it is to move out to the sticks, I guess.

 

[Spartan1979]

Never had the cops called on me, but some neighbors thought I sure was cooking a lot of turkeys.

 

[lschiavo]

Ah, the train of thought of a brewer.

Can you picture him typing that? Halfway through his eyes glaze over, his mind wanders to better things...yeah...smoking malt. What? What just happened?

 

[jd3]

Our biggest LHBS is in a gas station/liquor store. Every time I'm in there(more than I'd like to admit....) I hear someone shopping the BMC section and talking about the "meth lab section".

As a paramedic I've actually seen a REAL meth lab... Can't say I think anything we have looks like that.... but.... ugh!

That store has an impressive Craft brew section, too. Particularly for South Dakota...

 

[jd3]

I think he was joking. On the subject of population increasing and freedom decree ing, just look at China. One of the most dense populations in the world and one with the fewest political freedoms, including political alignment.

Population has nothing to do with political freedoms here. Continued political and social oppression is all it is. Since the dawn of time chinese people have been killing chinese people because they thought the wrong thing.

They aren't alone, either.

Much like most of the middle east, the boundaries have little to do with common ideologies and more to do with whoever has the biggest stick.

 

[hypergolic]

Our biggest LHBS is in a gas station/liquor store. Every time I'm in there(more than I'd like to admit....) I hear someone shopping the BMC section and talking about the "meth lab section".

As a paramedic I've actually seen a REAL meth lab... Can't say I think anything we have looks like that.... but.... ugh!

That store has an impressive Craft brew section, too. Particularly for South Dakota...

Where in South Dakota? Rapid City here.

 

[AdamWiz]

Are any of you located in the few states that still don't allow homebrewing? I'd be curious to know if they ever actually prosecuted people on that or if it's just an old law that doesn't actually get enforced anymore.

 

[ChshreCat]

You see... That's how it starts. First they encourage you to report drunk driving and meth labs, next thing you know you'll be encouraged to report people who leave too many lights on (with the wrong kind of bulbs.), people who burn too much gas, and people with the wrong political views in general.

It's a slippery slope.

Your attitude has been noted and reported to the proper authorities. Please stay where you are, don't resist and they will be there soon.

 

[bknifefight]

It was a joke... I thought the little smiley face in the bottom would have tipped you off.

A little late to the punch here but people are crazy these days. It's hard to tell who's serious anymore. Did you hear the rapture is happening on Saturday? Drink up! :cross:

 

[a_potter]

Thy beer shall be judged by the lord.

 

[waldoar15]

No. I live out in the country and quite a ways off of the road. My neighbors know I brew and I give one of them spent grain for his chickens.

 

[Seven]

I invite my neighbors over for tastings as a way to be friendly AND to hopefully prevent any visits from the cops since the neighbors already know what I'm doing.

 

[autoferret]

last summer i was brewing with the garage door halfway closed when a dude in a full suit decided to duck under the door and come on in. He flashed a badge and said he was from the secret service. I

In Fl someone would have pulled a gun on him...

Smoking malt... I may have to try this when i fire up my smoker for the rapture BBQ this weekend...

But after reading all of this i can only wonder what my neighbors think. I like to brew late at night. I'm sure they think i'm maken shine!

 

[Cpt_Kirks]

last summer i was brewing with the garage door halfway closed when a dude in a full suit decided to duck under the door and come on in. He flashed a badge and said he was from the secret service. I just about crapped my pants. Turns out one of my neighbors was interviewing for a job and he was canvassing the neighborhood looking for character references. Not much of a punchline...but it sure was crazy at the time....

So...by impersonating a Federal Police Agent, he thought he would get a character reference? Me, I would have had that Merf on his stomach, getting his suit dirty, with his fingers interlaced behind his head, as we waited for the the car to take him to jail. One of my neighbors is a reserve Deputy, so the wait probably wouldn't have been long.

 

[MazdaMatt]

So...by impersonating a Federal Police Agent, he thought he would get a character reference? Me, I would have had that Merf on his stomach, getting his suit dirty, with his fingers interlaced behind his head, as we waited for the the car to take him to jail. One of my neighbors is a reserve Deputy, so the wait probably wouldn't have been long.

...welcome to America.

Holy crap, man... have a chuckle with a guy.

 

[bucfanmike]

So...by impersonating a Federal Police Agent, he thought he would get a character reference? Me, I would have had that Merf on his stomach, getting his suit dirty, with his fingers interlaced behind his head, as we waited for the the car to take him to jail. One of my neighbors is a reserve Deputy, so the wait probably wouldn't have been long.

I think what he was saying was that an agent was there checking on a neighbor who had applied for a government job. I had kinda the same incident where an agent came to talk to me about a neighbor that I went to high school with to see if I knew him as a young man. He was up for some big military promotion with security clearance and they were digging deep.

 

[JonM]

I invite my neighbors over for tastings as a way to be friendly AND to hopefully prevent any visits from the cops since the neighbors already know what I'm doing.

Great idea! My brother's neighbor does that too. Now I just need to be over at my brother's place at the right time ...

 

[bknifefight]

I think what he was saying was that an agent was there checking on a neighbor who had applied for a government job. I had kinda the same incident where an agent came to talk to me about a neighbor that I went to high school with to see if I knew him as a young man. He was up for some big military promotion with security clearance and they were digging deep.

This is right, you're reading into it wrong, Cpt_Kirks. My brother has a government job and before they would give him a gun, people came around asking our neighbors about him to make sure he wasn't crazy or something.

 

[DieterVonBrauhaus]

I am the Neighborhood Watch Chairman for our neighborhood watch program, so it would be funny if someone does calls the cops on me. But having cop cars in my driveway is pretty common for me anyway considering how much I interact with them. Although I am waiting for that day anyway.

 

[rico567]

A little late to the punch here but people are crazy these days. It's hard to tell who's serious anymore. Did you hear the rapture is happening on Saturday? Drink up! :cross:

Oh, gosh! Completely slipped my mind.....gotta get outside and get to work on the garden so I can relax with some homebrew on Saturday and enjoy the apocalypse.

 

[Fishhy]

Not yet, but with the ******** on my HOA, it wouldn't surprise me if it happens. Most likely they'll just make something up and send me a notice.

 

[Pilgarlic]

The two neighbors across the street who see me brewing enjoy my homebrew, although they don't know Schlitz from Shinola. I give some of my spent grains to one of them so that he can make dog treatz for his dogs and mine. We all get along just fine.

 

[mikeysab]

I have one neighbor that's a real d bag. He's called CPS on one of the neighbors a couple of times because they parked in "his spot". He has a 120 lb rottweiler that he leaves outside 24/7, no matter the weather. He has a paver company and I asked him for an estimate to have my patio done. He asked me the square footage, and never came to look at the yard. I have a feeling he's gonna call one day.

Other than him, I've had curious questions. My Irish neighbors parents were over and just looking as they went into the house. Later on, my neighbor told me his mom asked if I was making stew. When he told her beer, she said "oh, you can make beer at home?". Another neighbor stopped and asked if I was cooking crabs. When I told her I was making beer she just said "oh boy" and walked away quicker than she walked up. My neighbors all know I make beer, and they always joke when I break out the IC. "Here comes the still" they say, or one always says "almost out of meth?" They don't joke when it's time to drink though.

 

[RickWG]

I brew in my garage with the door open. neighbors used to be a DEA agent and his wife, Sheriff's deputy. When they were selling their house(duplex shares a wall w me) the Realtors asked me to not brew on open house day. Seems I was scaring away all the Chinese people looking at the house. I should say that each time I brewed happened to be open house day. I have the radio on, hooters brew calendar, 2004 Harley wide glide, and a big pot of steaming wort with water running down the drive. The people that bought the house, older couple, loved the fact that I brew in my garage. Thanked me for scaring all the other buyers away.

 

[scrambledegg81]

Thy beer shall be judged by the lord.

I hear he/she's a stout fan.

 

[autoferret]

Oh, gosh! Completely slipped my mind.....gotta get outside and get to work on the garden so I can relax with some homebrew on Saturday and enjoy the apocalypse.

I'm all prepared! Having a BBQ!