Fatherhood And Brewing

[FourSwitch]

So.... With Being a few weeks from fatherhood myself, i thought id ask; a) How Brewing has changed since you have become a father. and b) dare i ask any advice from the current brewer dads out there?

 

[triethylborane]

Congrats, you are going to have a hell of a lot more fun with everything, including home brewing! Your mash temps may get shot, but who cares when you can hear your kid talk about how good it smells and proceed to deeply inhale the "cereal smell" for a solid 10 minutes:

 

[ninjamonkey80]

My kitchen is off limits while brewing. And all i hear is "that stinks dad". But i know he'll appreciate it when he's older.

 

[madscientist451]

Family should come first, brewing should be way down the list, consumption of alcohol even lower. You'll have plenty of time for brewing/drinking when the kids are teenagers and its not cool to hang out with parents anymore. Just my 2 cents....

 

[isomerization]

Family should come first, brewing should be way down the list, consumption of alcohol even lower. You'll have plenty of time for brewing/drinking when the kids are teenagers and its not cool to hang out with parents anymore. Just my 2 cents....

"Everything in moderation, including moderation"

Obviously a bad choice to get buzzed while parenting (now after bedtime...), but there really isn't anything wrong with enjoying a beer in front of your kids. I personally believe there is a respect factor with alcohol that can be taught.

RE brew days, I have my BIAB routine down to under 4 hours with cleanup. We grind the grains and mash in after dinner, watch a TV show, do bath and story time, and it's time to mash out. Good use of the hour on both ends

 

[ProblemChild]

For me, I think that there is benefit in allowing my daughter full access to my brewing process (save for consumption of course)

She sees me passionately develop a recipe, diligently go through my process steps while brewing, wait for the product to be done, then enjoy and savor the results. Regardless of whether it is beer, gardening, knitting - well anything, it is good for kids to see their parents put effort in and love what they do. There is tons of planning, cleaning, and minute tasks that surround it that may not always be fun, but the day of brewing is always up beat and positive.

My daughter probably will not ever brew her own beer, but she does appreciate my efforts and understands that if you want to do well at anything, you have to work at it, and it is even better if you love that work. I feel it encourages her to seek a passion and immerse herself into whatever it it she chooses.

I feel that since we do not live on farms any more and we do not do our work in the presence of our children, they need to see us choosing to do something we love and set an example by getting good at it.

 

[VV_Wildcatfan]

I try to make my daughter (4) a part of as much of the process as possible. On brew day she helps me weigh out the grains and hop additions. She's official transfer hose holder when racking to secondary. And she's the best bottle cleaner/sanitizer when I decide to bottle instead of keg. She absolutely loves to feel like she's an integral part to my process. Now when my son arrives in January I'm sure my brewing frequency will have to take a back seat for a while.

 

[teal]

Consumption will change but brew days will get more awesome.

My son would help out and loved to brew. We discussed very basic and rudimentary science as it all happened and yeast starters were one of his favorite things as well.

It's a chance to spend time together an regardless of what you're brewing - kids like it. Cooking with dad is all they really know till older.

Have fun, good luck and enjoy the process.

 

[Brutus Brewer]

I started brewing more when we had our daughter. Prior to her arrival I was an avid golfer but needed a hobby that would keep me at home more than the golf course. So I dusted off my brewing equipment that sat dormant for several years and started brewing again.

 

[Calder]

After a few years I figured it was not a good idea to be brewing late, drinking and looking after kids at the same time. Hot wort can do some serious damage. Fortunately nothing happened, but looking after a screaming kid, while wort is boiling, and having had a few beers gets scary.

With a couple of young kids around, I ended up giving up brewing for 7 years (and my single digit golf handicap has never returned). I have been back brewing now for several years, so if you do hang up your brewing tools, store them, don't get rid of them, no matter how much the misses nags you. I no longer drink while brewing - all my brewing is done starting early morning.

 

[jwalk4]

Baby boy is 6 months old now, and we just moved into a new house, with all the projects that come along with that. So far this year i have a total of 1 batch under my belt, with my next batch being Friday: an ESB.

I made a pact with my wife and swapped a few favors and chores so that, moving forward, i get one brewday a month. Here's my advice.

Be a great father and partner first. Give your 100% all the time. You do that honestly, and you desrve 5 hours to yourself 1 day a month.

Plan your brewday for first thing in the morning. Set your alarm if you have to. That way you can always push your brew time back if you have to, or take over baby watch in the afternoon so Mom can get a nap.

Dont drink while you brew. I never have, so that wasn't an adjustment for me, but you will lose focus, and you'll be more tired after your equipment is put away.

Drink less in general. I drink maybe 4-5 pints a week now. Ill have one to relax after the little guy has had his bath, and is put to bed. But never more than 1.

 

[jwalk4]

Oh and substitute carbonated water for beer everynow and then. CO2 water is a great alternative to satisfy you when you want something fizzy to drink.

 

[MapleGroveAleworks]

First born was born March 2016. I brewed 53 batches last year and I'm at 28 or so so far in 2017. Nothing has really changed.

 

[SlitheryDee]

Baby boy is 6 months old now, and we just moved into a new house, with all the projects that come along with that. So far this year i have a total of 1 batch under my belt, with my next batch being Friday: an ESB.

I made a pact with my wife and swapped a few favors and chores so that, moving forward, i get one brewday a month. Here's my advice.

Be a great father and partner first. Give your 100% all the time. You do that honestly, and you desrve 5 hours to yourself 1 day a month.

Plan your brewday for first thing in the morning. Set your alarm if you have to. That way you can always push your brew time back if you have to, or take over baby watch in the afternoon so Mom can get a nap.

Dont drink while you brew. I never have, so that wasn't an adjustment for me, but you will lose focus, and you'll be more tired after your equipment is put away.

Drink less in general. I drink maybe 4-5 pints a week now. Ill have one to relax after the little guy has had his bath, and is put to bed. But never more than 1.

My last couple of brews were early morning sessions. I'm having my first baby in October and I need to get my process down if I hope to get any in after the baby comes. I feel like if I can be set up for 10 gallon batches I'll be able to get by on one brew day per month. I don't drink nearly as much as I used to anyway, but even at my current levels I'd be drinking up my entire supply by the time the next batch finished carbonating. 10 gallon batches once monthly would give me a comfortable amount of headroom.

I've really got to find some ways to shave time off of my brew days though. The ideal would be to get my process to under 4 hours so I could brew from 6:00 A.M. to 10:00 A.M and be done before anyone even really missed me.

 

[eadavis80]

My son (10) will help add hops, but that's about it. He's not really a fan of any part of the process or the smell. I have slowed down to about 10 batches per year - it was getting out of hand. Enjoy your kid and brew when life allows for it.

 

[NeoBrew]

I have involved my kids in the process. Each of the three have different interests and got a different thing out of it. They are ages 10-16. They all found it interesting...for about two hours.

They know that it is a passion of mine. I believe in setting a good example, so I drink about 1 beer a day. Usually with dinner. On the weekends I might have another later in the night. I'm a morning brewer, so I've never been in the habit of drinking while I brew.

My brewing has sparked many interesting conversations with my kids. They know I'm passionate about it. I try hard not to push my hobby on them. When they have questions, or show some interest, I engage with them on the topic. I try to slip a little science or engineering into the discussion. I believe that showing them opportunities and then letting them choose their own interests is a valuable way to nurture kids. My brewing is no different than anything else in that regard.

It also provides some great comedy material. My youngest has developed a whole routine on how "smelly" hops are. It has provided us hundreds of little moments where we get to do our routine, and in the end, the greatest feeling a parent can have is those moments where you feel a connection with your kids. Pure gold.

 

[FourSwitch]

Oh and substitute carbonated water for beer everynow and then. CO2 water is a great alternative to satisfy you when you want something fizzy to drink.

I totally agree! I get those bubbly lemon or lime flavoured waters and they're great!

Overall some great answers! And good to know the hobby doesn't just die when I put on the dad hat! Even better to hear you can put your kids to work in the brewery haha!

Definitely keeping the drinking down for sure I always feel weird drinking more than a couple around kids anyways (almost like I'm setting a bad example)(man I'm wearing the dad hat already) so keeping to a pint or less will be easy

Thanks for the good answers and advice! Keep em comin!

 

[lump42]

Baby boy is 6 months old now, and we just moved into a new house, with all the projects that come along with that. So far this year i have a total of 1 batch under my belt, with my next batch being Friday: an ESB.

I made a pact with my wife and swapped a few favors and chores so that, moving forward, i get one brewday a month. Here's my advice.

Be a great father and partner first. Give your 100% all the time. You do that honestly, and you desrve 5 hours to yourself 1 day a month.

Plan your brewday for first thing in the morning. Set your alarm if you have to. That way you can always push your brew time back if you have to, or take over baby watch in the afternoon so Mom can get a nap.

Dont drink while you brew. I never have, so that wasn't an adjustment for me, but you will lose focus, and you'll be more tired after your equipment is put away.

Drink less in general. I drink maybe 4-5 pints a week now. Ill have one to relax after the little guy has had his bath, and is put to bed. But never more than 1.

Completely agree with jwalk4, my son is 7 mo and also in new house.

When I do all grain batches, I prep everything the evening before after my son has gone to bed. Then get up early to start the brew day. With everything prepared the day before, I have some down time to do little chores like dishes, dusting, sweeping.

I also have been going back and doing more extract batches to fill in when I know I won't have time for a full AG brew day. I can even fit them into an evening so I still have the weekend to work on the new house projects and get family time.

 

[Sammy86]

My brewing has completely changed...I went from 8-12 a year to 4 in the past year...my son just turned 1.

As for advice, enjoy the little things...for instance my son decided not to sleep during Game 7 of the World Series...so to give my wife a reprieve I brought him downstairs he slept on my lap and I watched the Cubs win the series.

I'll be able to share that with him for the rest of his life and I'll never forget it.

Remember a few other things...your SO will need a break, give it to them. Change diapers, get on the floor during tummy time and make sure to take pictures of your SO with the baby!

 

[h22lude]

First born was born March 2016. I brewed 53 batches last year and I'm at 28 or so so far in 2017. Nothing has really changed.

That's a lot of brewing even without kids. Good for you!

I think what changed more was friends drinking my brews. I may brew a little less but I think that is more because I'm not having friends over as much as I did before. My supply lasts a lot longer which means I don't need to brew as much.

 

[Kent88]

A couple weeks away? Sir, get all the brewing you want to do for the next 8 months done in that time. And remember, those babies don't always wait for the due date the doctor gave you.

Although part of my issue is I have very little for family around here and not much for friends I trust to watch my son nearby. You just need someone to jump in when the kid starts screaming and you're getting infusion or sparge water ready, or you've got another hop addition to make, or you're finishing the boil, or you're cleaning/sanitizing.

 

[Scout]

The babies don't always wait, and sometimes the mom doesn't wait either. My wife was induced early because her feet and her back hurt too much.

 

[Schreiner]

Newborns are a lot of work, but that doesn't mean you can't have some "me time" to brew beer on a regular basis. Remember not to complain when the Mrs. wants her turn to do what she wants.

Now that my kids are older (11, 10 & 5), it's not that big a deal. They come and check out what I'm doing, help out where I'll let them, and are good "go-fers."The oldest asks for sips of homebrew now and then, and he's learning what different flavors are.

I think it's good to have hobbies that your kids can see you spend time with and have a passion for. Better that than to sit around and watch sports center all day.

 

[catdaddy66]

I started brewing in the mid '90's and had a great picture (before cell phones) of my neighbor's two kids and my 18 month old son watching me make an extract batch on the stove. Epic!

You may not always find a convenient time to brew but you should be able to get a half day once a month to make the magic potion. Remember to treat mom to some peace and quiet and the favor will be returned.

Congrats and good luck!

 

[Kent88]

Newborns are a lot of work, but that doesn't mean you can't have some "me time"

"Me time"? What is that?

 

[beernutz]

I started brewing in 1991 and continued until 2007 when I took a break until 2013. Starting with the birth of my second in 1997 I brewed less each year so that by 2007 I was maybe brewing twice a year at most.

The primary reason for the 6 year total break when my kids were 10 and 14 was they had so many activities going that brewing had to take a back seat. Work was pretty hectic during that period plus my wife is also a busy professional not to mention the fact that brewing was still technically illegal in Alabama until 2013.

I would say brewing with small kids can be done but otoh everyone in my brew club either has no kids or grown ones.

Congrats on the new family expansion.

 

[fourfarthing]

I second the thought of prepping in the evening, brewing in the morning and trying to be pretty much done by mid-morning to spend time with the kids. I have it pretty much down to a solid schedule now and it really helps if you can still spend a lot of time with the kids so that you aren't pissing off SWMBO and feeling guilty about picking brewing over the kids. Find a way to do both, you'll likely sacrifice sleep, but you will be used to that

 

[biochemedic]

First born was born March 2016. I brewed 53 batches last year and I'm at 28 or so so far in 2017. Nothing has really changed.

Wait until the next one comes...volume changes everything!

Babies are relatively easy, it's when they're in school and have 15 million activities that you're time is really shot!

For me it's meant less in general, and way more early AM brewing (like 05:30 mash time) than anything else.

 

[Maylar]

My son bought me my first brew kit. But he's not a new born...

 

[DemonsRun]

I wasn't brewing when my Kids were real small, But as a single Dad of two I started back up when they were in elementary school. They don't care much for the smell unless I'm using smoked Malts. I have My 20 Gallon electric rig in the Kitchen and could still keep an eye on everyone. But that no longer gets used as much, I brew every other weekend now but 3.5 gallon Batches on the Zymatic. I still get to make my own recipes and customize my brew schedule. the benefit is I can go to brunch with my kids during Mash/Boil/4 hop additions, then come home do a hopstand at whatever temp I like then chill. I can also set it up to brew while I sleep and do the last steps when I wake up.

 

[mulletmaster]

For me I have a son thay is nearly 2 and another child due in February. In 2017 I have brewed the most batches ever at 4 so far with a brew day this weekend and at least one more to come (mommy needs a stout after #2). Edit: The increased number of brew days this year are directly related to me not going for multi hour bike rides or doing other hobbies that take me out of the house for half/most of the day.

I think what works well for me at this point is my son will take decent naps in the afternoon so I take advantage without my wife having to always take over. Obviously this is situation dependent and I know for me mornings will not work as i try to let my wife sleep in on the weekends. I think the best approach is to see if there is a routine you can take advantage of and give mommy a break at other times to do what she wants.

 

[jakwi]

for me the funny thing is how my kids refer to my passion for Beer, read brewing, as if I were a complete alcoholic. I think this is the result of their complete lack of exposure to actual alcoholism. At the same time I talk about beer, and brewing a lot, but my actual consumption is usually two or three on a friday and saturday night. My wife drinks even less.

I've had to point this out to them a couple of times to limit what they say to people we barely know. Comments like "my dad loves beer even more than me" may be laughable in front of people you know, but prompt curious looks and concern with the soccer moms.

Its probably my fault as I have a lot of t shirts, books, and equipment associated with brewing, and I spend a lot of time trying to explain the science behind brewing in order to make it interesting for them.

 

[Anon111]

So.... With Being a few weeks from fatherhood myself, i thought id ask; a) How Brewing has changed since you have become a father. and b) dare i ask any advice from the current brewer dads out there?

Kids have a very clean and unspoiled palate. Might as well use them as wort tasters.

 

[SlitheryDee]

It occurs to me that a brew day might be viewed as more acceptable to the family if it were combined with some other activity. I imagine a long day some weekend spent smoking some meat on the grill, playing in the back yard with the dog/in the pool/whatever you have in your back yard, and a beer quietly mashing/boiling/cooling somewhere just out of notice. If you were well prepared you could tend to it in short instances a few minutes at a time while doing everything else.

 

[Griffin495]

My son will turn 3 in December and my brewing habits have changed. Before, I'd just brew whenever I felt like it, not now. It takes some planning.

After he was first born, I took some time off. First 6 to 8 months, there was no sleeping, so when he napped, the last thing I wanted to do was brew. I'd rather nap or do chores that needed doing.

Later, I started brewing a little more. Maybe 4 or 5 times in the next year.

Now, he takes a good solid 2.5 to 3 hour nap. I do BIAB and I get my water close to dough in temp a little bit prior to lunch. Then prep his lunch and while the wife sits with him as he eats, I start my mash. Then we play for a bit and he goes down. Somewhere during his nap, mash ends, boil starts, boil ends and I've started chilling the wort (and maybe finished) by the time he wakes up.

I've also noticed my consumption is down. Don't drink as much, don't have as many friends and family over to give beer away to. So I've been doing smaller batches which can make for a shorter brew day. This weekend, I brewed two one gallon batches. One Saturday and one Sunday, and both of them I finished up in about 3 hours from flame on to yeast pitched and clean up.

Oh, and this weekend, my son helped me crush my grain! Well, he had his hand on the handle along with me and we crushed it together (didn't bother to get the drill out to run it as it was less than 2.5lbs)

 

[Bigalsworth]

Don't over think it and be adaptable, eventually you will find a rhythm what works for you.

 

[popsicleian]

I didn't start brewing until my son was about 8 months old, and he is now a little over 2. It is definitely a challenge to fit brewing into the schedule, but I have adopted a few practices that seem to make it easier. I usually prep water and mill grain the night before. I use a sous vide cooker to heat my strike water up over the course of several hours so it's ready whenever I am. I mash in either while my son is taking his afternoon nap, or while he is eating dinner. I do full volume BIAB, so I don't have to worry about sparging.

Once he goes to bed around 7:30, I start my boil. I do almost exclusively no-chill, so as soon as I'm done boiling the wort goes into a clean corny keg and I'm done, minus kettle cleanup. The problem for me is not that I don't have time to brew, but rather that I don't have 5 hours at a time to do it. Doing no chill allows me to deal with yeast and fermenter prep, oxygenation, etc a day or two later. No chill may not be the best practice for super hoppy styles, but I don't brew those. You can make really good beer without chilling--I'm far from the world's greatest or most experienced brewer, but I just won two silver medals at the MN State Fair homebrew comp.

With this routine, I can even brew on weeknights and get to bed at a totally reasonable time as long as I set the sous vide cooker up in the morning before I go to work.

We're talking now about kid #2, and I know that will make things more difficult.

 

[Vandulus]

I brewed once or twice a year until my daughter came along and my son two years later. It then became once every 5-6 years! The equipment sat gathering dust most of the time. Finally in 2014 when they were both teenagers, I got back into brewing and have managed a batch every month or two. Every once and a while my now 18 year old daughter will help and provide tasting feedback

The biggest factor is prepping as much as you can a few days before so you can shorten the actual brew day. Brewing smaller batches and going BIAB or partial extract can also help make brew day easier.

 

[JohnK93]

Congrats! My brewing has taken a pretty sharp decline since our daughter was born a year ago. Just not enough time, and even an early Saturday morning brew (mashing in at 5 AM) would be asking my wife to watch our little one for a good 3-4 hours on the one day that she has a break from being a mommy. She deserves it. I've been thinking of going back to extract just to cut about 1.5-2 hours from the process.

I managed to get 4 or 5 brews in this year, but I missed my Oktoberfest brew in March for the first time in about 5 years, and haven't gotten in nearly as much brewing as I'd like. Staring at two empty kegs in my basement now, so I'm thinking that this long weekend might be a good time. If I'm flexible in which day/what time I brew, my wife is usually pretty good about it, but with baby #2 on the way I don't see a whole lot of leisurely brewing in my future.

John

 

[Soeze]

So.... With Being a few weeks from fatherhood myself, i thought id ask; a) How Brewing has changed since you have become a father. and b) dare i ask any advice from the current brewer dads out there?

You might not like my negative view, but I am going to tell it from my current situation. When my daughter was born I had a lot time to make beer all year long when I went electric and can do it in my basement. When I had my second kid my time was reduced significantly. However, I was able to get away and take a day to make it. When my third kid came along I pretty much gave it up altogether. My wife was not going to let me hang out all day in the basement and make beer while she is chasing a 1-year-old, 3-year-old and 5 years old.

Fatherhood is an amazing experience, but..................... it can basically put your hobby on hold for a little while.

Plus the cost of paying for grains or daycare makes you think twice about doing a Zombie dust clone or a Three floyds.