Head count of active homebrewers

[kadozen]

Using metrics of only my business, which spans hardware and homebrew ingredients/consumables, the peak was 2018. Covid actually brought back some volume which made 2020 match my 2017 numbers. There was a pretty rapid decline starting in 2021 to now with a major cliff starting around October 2022.

We have a lost a few homebrew shops in NJ over the last two years.

I've watched AHA speculate about what drives the homebrewing market for several years and the biggest correlation they could make is that homebrewing is pretty much directly inverse of the employment rate. When people are employed, they don't mind spending their money on local craft beer. When they are unemployed, they don't mind spending their "vast" spare time watching a pot boil.

For me, the reason i took a 2 year hiatus (other than a second kid and buying a new house) was availability of what I wanted to drink. The 2 spots that spots that doesn't focus on sour milkshake NEIPAS and all that soup, failed( not wanting to talk styles and all, but at best they're okay).

Now I'm back to brewing my European classics and drafting plans for a "pub" vibe in my garage. Hoping it mixes well with my retro game station

 

[OakIslandBrewery]

This is a very interesting post since I was wondering where we are at and what the future holds. Since the Plague I have cut down on brewing, but I think a lot of that has to do with not having lots of folks over. I spoke with my grain supplier, and he mentioned that homebrew buying is down for him. He says the mail order side is steady even now pulling out of the world slump.

I always think of how long I'll keep brewing my own and when I do decide to stop will there be a market for all of the shiny SS I've invested in . . . .

 

[passedpawn]

This is a very interesting post since I was wondering where we are at and what the future holds. Since the Plague I have cut down on brewing, but I think a lot of that has to do with not having lots of folks over. I spoke with my grain supplier, and he mentioned that homebrew buying is down for him. He says the mail order side is steady even now pulling out of the world slump.

I always think of how long I'll keep brewing my own and when I do decide to stop will there be a market for all of the shiny SS I've invested in . . . .

This might seem a little off topic, but maybe not. My brewing slowed down and I determined it was a lack of excitement for dealing with all my heavy SS bling. I traded it all in for a compact all-in-one, and I'm brewing more than I have in 10yrs, and always looking forward to next session. Not only can I clean-in-place, I finally have a working RIMS, can whirlpool properly, etc.

 

[OakIslandBrewery]

Well I thought along those same lines but I keep thinking I'm not ready to swap out equipment even though those brew systems look interesting. Sometimes I feel I get into this brewing rut and wonder if I'm getting disinterested. I know once I start milling grain I'll snap out of that feeling and look forward to another brew day!

 

[deuc224]

I agree with maxstout, home brewing is past its pinnacle, from a hobbyist perspective. The thing is, i make beers I like to drink and have dialed in my beer to my palette so well i dont wanna drink other beers unless its for discovery purposes. I brew to drink my own beer and if someone ask for some beer, i hook em up. But this is a lifestyle because i enjoy drinking and i enjoy what i make to drink.

 

[OakIslandBrewery]

That's how I feel too, on the beer style part. I have a solid set of recipes I brew most of the time. These are recipes I crafted to my liking and what I prefer over anything I've tried from most of the local offerings. Granted, there's a couple places I go to that I'll never be able to clone their beers. Getting out sometimes is beneficial for a lot of reasons provided I don't get all tanked up!

 

[InspectorJon]

Also note the disappearance of the Mr Beer kits. How many folks got those back in 2012 under the christmas tree?

I brewed beer back in the late 70s to early 80s. I quit due to some poor results and lack of community to learn from. I always toyed with the idea of returning until my wife bought me this Man Crates gift 4 or 5 years ago. I'm not sure she is glad she did (she does not like beer, go figure). So that's one option for someone thinking about giving the gift to brewing. I have no affiliation with Man Crates and I think girls could probably be good at this too . . . Ask @Yooper

 

[passedpawn]

I brewed beer back in the late 70s to early 80s. I quit due to some poor results and lack of community to learn from. I always toyed with the idea of returning until my wife bought me this Man Crates gift 4 or 5 years ago. I'm not sure she is glad she did (she does not like beer, go figure). So that's one option for someone thinking about giving the gift to brewing. I have no affiliation with Man Crates and I think girls could probably be good at this too . . . Ask @Yooper

Such is the miracle of women. They keep supporting us, oafs we are. I do not get it.

 

[AzOr]

Started in '78. Still going strong!

That would be an interesting thread. Shout out the year you started.

You have me by at least 15 years.

 

[OakIslandBrewery]

I started brewing around 1984. Not much for "kits" other than a can of hopped extract and a white pack of yeast taped to the top.

Boy, how things have changed!

 

[day_trippr]

my wife bought me this Man Crates gift

So they actually sold one.
Good for them

 

[MaxStout]

In 1980 I bought a cheap kit with a 2 gal kettle, a bucket fermenter and airlock, and 2 cans of hopped extract with packets of dry yeast taped to the tops. Brewed both. The first was some kind of pale ale and the other a stout. I don't recall even considering sanitation or temp control. IIRC, it was just heat up some tap water on the stove, add extract, boil, set kettle in a sink full of ice to cool a little, dump into the bucket, top off with tap water, pitch yeast. For bottling I just dumped a tsp or so of table sugar into each bottle, then poured beer directly from the fermenter through a funnel into the bottles and capped. The beers turned out OK, drinkable. My roommates and I didn't seem to care. I overcarbed both brews--amazing I didn't have bottle bombs, though the 2 cases of long necks I bought then were probably a lot more robust than the ones you get today.

That was the end of my first foray into homebrewing. I gave away the kit and didn't brew again until 2012, when I bought better gear and ingredients. Brewed a half dozen or so extract batches from kits, then switched to BIAB. The pastime stuck on me that time--been brewing regularly since then.

 

[T Murph]

I grew up around homebrewing and moonshinning. I remember my dad and his brothers making homebrew that was horrible back in the 60s. I first tried brewing in the late 80s using grocery store LME. Wasn't very good as I had little guidelines and equipment. My job transferred me from FL to IL in 92 and there I found Berghoff Brew Pub and fell in love with fresh craft beer. It was there that I met the members of the Chicago Beer Society and I have been brewing ever since. Due to career relocations I too had a few years that I didn't brew until I could get reset and find HBSs. Now I brew what I want to drink. I still enjoy visiting breweries and brew pubs. I enjoy sampling their products and talking beer with their staff. But I review my old brew logs and brew old favorites often. Of course my equipment has evolved from a propane cooker to an all electric HERMS system. I enjoy the brew days and don't expect to change until my son takes over the brewing responsibilities when I'm no longer able to do it myself.

 

[kadozen]

Started in 08 at the rope of age of 19. The thing of it was, there was a wine making supply store in my neighborhood as a kid and I always thought that was cool. I grew up working in family kitchens and was always cooking with wine, so my thinking was, one more thing to make in house, because who does that?

Cut to my teens and I kept seeing Mr. Beer kits. By that point, the owner of the place I worked set up a "Kitchen Staff Beer Tips" jar, so the kitchen staff would split a pitcher of Molson in the back after we closed. That's where I developed a love for beer. That and my grandpa used to slip me a PBR or Milwaukee Beast NA (good memories, but wow).

Figured, I like the stuff enough, always thought the winemaking would be cool, they sell these Mr. Beer kits at Sears, let's do it.

Kinda turned into my "Boat", I like to say

 

[BrewerofBeers]

I know a number of people who express interest in brewing but don't do it. Many of these prospective homebrewers just need a kick to get going. A loved one bought me a kit. That's what I needed to get started. I may never have otherwise. If we all invited a friend to brew, or gifted someone a kit, that would be a big deal for our community numbers.

It's a complicated hobby, and may not appear approachable to people who don't know how much they may enjoy it. There's the initial investment in time and money without any guarantees.

A prohibition, the lack of variety in the 80s, a pandemic lockdown -- these things are not required to spur a brand new breakthrough this year.

 

[Boalmjpd]

Started with wine in the 70’s , switched to beer late 90’s , and just recently switched to electric all in one and love it.

 

[Jag75]

That would be an interesting thread. Shout out the year you started.

You have me by at least 15 years.

I was 3 when they started lol

 

[madscientist451]

I've watched AHA speculate about what drives the homebrewing market for several years and the biggest correlation they could make is that homebrewing is pretty much directly inverse of the employment rate. When people are employed, they don't mind spending their money on local craft beer. When they are unemployed, they don't mind spending their "vast" spare time watching a pot boil.

I think there is more to rise and fall of hobbies than employment.
Have you ever been to a social situation where no one has their phone out?
Everyone is absolutely glued to cell phones, being entertained by what's on them and interacting with others.
Brewing is a somewhat nerdy activity that requires a great attention to detail to do properly.
I've noticed that lack of attention to details is more the norm these days.
Whatever is easier is the way most people want to go.

 

[PokerDad]

COVID might have affected homebrewing in a couple of ways:
-- local HB clubs stopped meeting in person and went online; less rewarding and no opportunity to swap beers
-- in-person gatherings of family and friends were curtailed for a while, also providing less opportunity to share our brews

Just conjecture, like most of this thread, but an enjoyable read nonetheless. Cheers!

 

[beren]

Such is the miracle of women. They keep supporting us, oafs we are. I do not get it.

Someone has to clean the gutters and kill the bugs

 

[MaxStout]

It takes time to go from grain to glass. That lack of instant gratification might be what keeps some people from getting into the hobby. It doesn't affect those of us already in the hobby, as we have accepted this.

When I share a hb with someone, they seem interested and ask about the process. Quite often, they are surprised to learn that, no, the beer's not ready to drink on brew day. I tell them about fermentation, aging, etc. Then the response is like, "I couldn't stand to wait that long..."

 

[TheCache]

I only recently started brewing, December 2019 I believe was when I boiled my first one, from a kit someone had bought me the year before as a gift. I'd been a fan of craft beers from a visit to Seattle back in my 20's and had a few friends that brewed inconsistently, but it always seemed like something that was going to take too much time to learn and to do well. A combination of factors, someone gifting me a kit (including the beginner equipment I needed), a change in employment that eventually ended in an early retirement, and to a small extent, the time allowed during the Covid shutdowns all helped me get into the hobby and as importantly to keep going.

I did not get into it earlier because I knew it was going to take an investment of time and focus that I could not devote to it when I was working. I think that requirement may be a big barrier to entry for many people.

Brewing is a craft, as much art as science, and as such it is not something you just pick up and do exceptionally well from the start. That does not mean you can't make some nice brews, but to start getting those "oh man this is really good" beers you have to invest some time learning the details and getting the feel of the process points. If you are a lover of good beer then you know you are going to have to make a commitment of time and focus to get the end result you are looking for. It's great fun, but only for the willing.

The number of people willing to make that sort of time commitment to any craft is always going to be a relatively small percentage of the population. Maybe even smaller when access to whatever the product is, is available elsewhere so fast and easy.

Hmmm, maybe the availability of good beer is a deterrent to homebrewing...

 

[PokerDad]

It takes time to go from grain to glass. That lack of instant gratification might be what keeps some people from getting into the hobby. It doesn't affect those of us already in the hobby, as we have accepted this.

When I share a hb with someone, they seem interested and ask about the process. Quite often, they are surprised to learn that, no, the beer's not ready to drink on brew day. I tell them about fermentation, aging, etc. Then the response is like, "I couldn't stand to wait that long..."

True enough. The willingness to defer gratification for weeks or months is increasingly rare these days.

 

[PokerDad]

I only recently started brewing, December 2019 I believe was when I boiled my first one, from a kit someone had bought me the year before as a gift. I'd been a fan of craft beers from a visit to Seattle back in my 20's and had a few friends that brewed inconsistently, but it always seemed like something that was going to take too much time to learn and to do well. A combination of factors, someone gifting me a kit (including the beginner equipment I needed), a change in employment that eventually ended in an early retirement, and to a small extent, the time allowed during the Covid shutdowns all helped me get into the hobby and as importantly to keep going.

I did not get into it earlier because I knew it was going to take an investment of time and focus that I could not devote to it when I was working. I think that requirement may be a big barrier to entry for many people.

Brewing is a craft, as much art as science, and as such it is not something you just pick up and do exceptionally well from the start. That does not mean you can't make some nice brews, but to start getting those "oh man this is really good" beers you have to invest some time learning the details and getting the feel of the process points. If you are a lover of good beer then you know you are going to have to make a commitment of time and focus to get the end result you are looking for. It's great fun, but only for the willing.

The number of people willing to make that sort of time commitment to any craft is always going to be a relatively small percentage of the population. Maybe even smaller when access to whatever the product is, is available elsewhere so fast and easy.

Hmmm, maybe the availability of good beer is a deterrent to homebrewing...

I've brewed 2 batches so far. Neither of them tasted like the craft beers I enjoy at brew pubs or even store-bought, but I will say the second tasted better than the first, so that's encouraging. And I'm also changing my expectations -- if I like the taste, who cares what it does or doesn't resemble? I can celebrate the fact that I created it, and that means something. (And the guys at my poker game say they like it, whether they mean it or not . . . )

 

[TheCache]

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if I like the taste, who cares what it does or doesn't resemble?

This is very true, but there are certain flavors and taste elements that I want in my brews. It's taken a while, but I've started getting some of those results that I can just sit and savor for long while. To get there I had to learn about fermentation temps, a little about water and pH (much room for improvement here), pitching rates, hopping, mitigating oxidation... So many little things that I have improved since my first batches and will likely keep improving over the years.

I suppose I'm lucky, I have not yet made a beer I didn't like..., but I have made some that I didn't love and by brewing some of those likes 3 or 4 times, and tweaking the processes, methods, and ingredients I've turned them into loves.

That to me, is a big part of the fun of homebrewing

 

[beren]

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This is very true, but there are certain flavors and taste elements that I want in my brews. It's taken a while, but I've started getting some of those results that I can just sit and savor for long while. To get there I had to learn about fermentation temps, a little about water and pH (much room for improvement here), pitching rates, hopping, mitigating oxidation... So many little things that I have improved since my first batches and will likely keep improving over the years.

I suppose I'm lucky, I have not yet made a beer I didn't like..., but I have made some that I didn't love and by brewing some of those likes 3 or 4 times, and tweaking the processes, methods, and ingredients I've turned them into loves.

That to me, is a big part of the fun of homebrewing

I’m close to 15 brews in and the only one I haven’t really liked was the one I had the most hope for, a triple and I probably made my most mistakes there. I can drink it but it’s not a joy. It’s five months old I think and still tastes like someone threw a shot of vodka in it

 

[Witherby]

COVID might have affected homebrewing in a couple of ways:
-- local HB clubs stopped meeting in person and went online; less rewarding and no opportunity to swap beers

I organized a weekly Zoom meeting for my homebrew club at the start of the pandemic and we are still doing it every Thursday night. A great way to wind down the week with friends and not have to drive home after.

And we had quite a few beer swaps during the pandemic. We’d all meet in a parking lot, swap beers and disperse quickly and then drink them together on the Zoom. Honestly it was one of the things that kept me brewing and kept me sane.

 

[deuc224]

There is some new brewers here also. I think i started maybe 3 or 4 years ago. I didnt get a kit or DME, i went straight in to all grain against what everyone was telling me, so glad i did that. but im only about 50=60 brews in and i still feel like im learning every time i brew.

 

[Airborneguy]

I joined a local club as soon as I started brewing again. They’ve been around since 1997. At their peak there were about 40 active members. We’re down to less than 10 showing up to every meeting.

 

[sibelman]

My wife bought me my initial brewing kit in 1981. I've been at it ever since at various levels of intensity - more than ever in recent years. I joined and then left AHA. After moving to Portland in 1989 I attended one brew club meeting but didn't join. I'm grateful for the vibrant LHBS scene here, and get most of my ingredients at two favorite stores though I buy most equipment on line.

Large trends like those @Bobby_M reported don't influence my own choices. But I certainly understand how LHBS closures (and openings!) could relate to the popularity of homebrewing, with the causal arrow running both ways.