Hi my name is aaron, and I am a brewaholic

[aaronbeer]

Hi my name is Aaron, and I am a brewaholic. Who else finds themselves finding reasons to order things online when you really dont need them? Or brewing beer you have no room for? This hobby started as a simple and cheap hobby. Boy was I wrong!!!!!!!! It starts innocent then you start wanting more things to make better beer and then you are not satisfied with extract, you want all grain. I have spent every dime I have on this "hobby" and am loving every bit of it.

I went from the simple online kit to brewing 30 gallons in 2 months to build a fermentation chamber to buying everything i can for all grain......whats next!

Anyone have any good stories about there hobby/passion/addiction/lifestyle?

 

[flyangler18]

I have 14 cornies full, with only two taps. You be the judge.

 

[Tripod]

Totally addicted and I hope it NEVER stops!

I started because the lovely better-half bought a starter kit for my birthday. She anticipated that I would start upgrading right away so she went ahead and got things like the auto-syphon, a bench capper, glass carboy, etc. that she knew I would get anyway!

I've already started with the tub and aquarium heater for the "swamp-cooler" method. I planning a chamber and building a stirplate. I'm even scoping out a section of the back yard to pour a slab and build a brew hut! I can't decide if the hobby has consumed me or if it was already there and just brought it out of me..either way I love brewing and I can't get enough of it!

Here's to the addiction.

-Tripod

 

[mosquitocontrol]

I actually started by buying a kit for my fiance for his birthday. Turns out I'm the brewer and he just enjoys the reward. Best birthday present I ever bought someone else!

 

[mosyslack]

Hi Aaron!

Welcome to the club. My wife and I are were driving around the area just looking/exploring some ares I had not seen yet. All of the homes that were for sale, I was envisioning where the brewery would go (not enough space in the current home). I have decided that the next house we buy, has to have the detached garage with the apartment/living quarters above... instant brewery, just add equipment.

If you buy a house based on room for a brewery... you might be an addict

 

[silvervan83]

If you buy a house based on room for a brewery... you might be an addict

I lay carpet for a living and I'm in a different house three to five times a week. The ABSOLUTE FIRST thing I think about when I get started is "If I owned this house where would my brewery be".

Also, I had to sleep on the couch for a couple days cause I spent the last $1200 I made on upgrading my setup and buying grain..... Still don't know if that was worth it.

 

[caspio]

Just finished a bulk grain buy the other day, added 315# of grain to the 200 or so I already had. Completely took over the closet in the spare room that's supposed to belong to SWMBO. At least she said she likes the smell of grain
"What's that new perfume you're wearing honey?" "60Love"

 

[TwoHeadsBrewing]

I'm slowly getting over my binge I think. I mean, I did just buy $250 worth of bulk grain and a new keg MLT...but after that I won't need to spend money on brewing for a while. Well, except for hops and yeast. And I guess I still need to put one more tap in the kegerator. For a while there, I was going pretty crazy over brewing, but now that I've got my kegerator setup, fermentation chiller, plenty of corny kegs, and enough grain to last me the rest of the year I'm feeling a bit more "peaceful". Also, every one of my carboys is full and my kegerator is completely full as well. Even if I wanted to brew there would be nowhere to put it. Hmmm, unless I got another fridge...cya guys, I'm off to craigslist!

 

[ohiobrewtus]

I, too, am a brewaholic. :rockin:

 

[aaronbeer]

Yeah I keep saying "ok that's all I need to buy for awhile!". But that never happens!!!!!

 

[Belmont]

I recently brewed 4 batches over three consecutive weekends. I am in the process of converting my sunroom into a brewpub. The hot tub has been removed, plumbing run, and concrete poured and I have a friend that does remodeling getting carpentry contractors to start on the cabinets, bar, and shelving. I bottled my first two extract batches, did a partial mash and kegged my third. The fourth was all grain and I've upgraded brew kettle twice already(take my advice and don't try to skimp on equipment).

My name is Belmont and I'm a brewaholic.

 

[Sigafoos]

I'm shocked I've been able to make it this long without kegging. I have a chest freezer now though, so once I get the required amount of time past from my freezer/controller/etc purchases, away I'll go.

 

[flyangler18]

The true sign of obsession is when you fire the kettles before the sun even rises, so you can have the yeast pitched before starting your work day. Not that I've ever done this.

Or when you have two stirplates going at the same time.

 

[Tonedef131]

I presently have my 8 tap kegerator full, 3 more kegs cold conditioning, 30 gallons in the primary and another 8-10 gallons in bottles. I brew enough beer to keep an entire frat house hammered monday-sunday but I only drink a couple pints a week.

I definitely have a problem.

 

[Belmont]

The true sign of obsession is when you fire the kettles before the sun even rises, so you can have the yeast pitched before starting your work day. Not that I've ever done this.

Or when you have two stirplates going at the same time.

Now that would just be freakish. I'm glad none of us have ever done anything like that.

 

[TeufelBrew]

Brewholic yes.



BrewGuyver yes.



Repentant HELL NO!!!!!!!!!!!!


SWMBO isn't thrilled I stuck with the hobby after she got me the starter kit. She thought it would be a simple one and done, too much work. NOPE! Built ferm chamber, stir plate, minikegerator and tap tower and converted a portable scaffold to a brew system.

Now I purchase some things and scrounge, repurpose or build things to make brewing/serving my beer easier and more enjoyable. I'm ok with it. Keeps me at home and not away from the family like fishing and the motorcycle do.

 

[TwoHeadsBrewing]

The true sign of obsession is when you fire the kettles before the sun even rises, so you can have the yeast pitched before starting your work day. Not that I've ever done this.

Or when you have two stirplates going at the same time.

Is it bad that I just thought to myself, "Oh damn, that's a great idea!"?

 

[McKBrew]

While I don't brew as often as I'd like to, I'm pretty much always thinking about beer.

 

[512Brew]

I can't stop looking at that Brew-Magic system by Sabco! Sweet..my neighbors already think I got a meth lab cookin in my back yard since i'm brewing twice a week!

 

[SpanishCastleAle]

So far I've brewed every weekend this year except the first one and I made that up by doing two batches on one weekend. At some point I'll have to stop...or drink faster. So I'm not brewaholic...yet.

 

[Laughing_Gnome_Invisible]

I have 14 cornies full, with only two taps. You be the judge.

Hello. I am Laughing Gnome..... I just peed myself a little.

 

[Denny's Evil Concoctions]

I have 14 cornies full, with only two taps. You be the judge.

I judge you a brewaholic and sentence you to adding a minimum of 5 more taps! <insert gavel thud>

 

[Saccharomyces]

There is a fine line between a hobby and a mental illness. But even if there wasn't, I crossed that line a LOOOOONNNNNG time ago.

 

[Doog_Si_Reeb]

I think I'm a homebrewtalk-aholic. I spend way too much time on this damn site.

 

[D-Ring]

The true sign of obsession is when you fire the kettles before the sun even rises, so you can have the yeast pitched before starting your work day. Not that I've ever done this.

Or when you have two stirplates going at the same time.

Now I can tell SWMBO that I'm not the only crazy brewer out there. She told me having a primary and secondary going at the same time is a little over-kill. I just remained silent while my brain screamed "HAH"

 

[aaronbeer]

This has turned into a great post! Yes I am a brewtalk-aholic as well. So another question to add to this. With all of your brewing, do you drink all your beer, hord it, or share it? At the pace I am going, I need to find more friends, or drink way more than I should!

 

[TwoHeadsBrewing]

This has turned into a great post! Yes I am a brewtalk-aholic as well. So another question to add to this. With all of your brewing, do you drink all your beer, hord it, or share it? At the pace I am going, I need to find more friends, or drink way more than I should!

I'm having this problem as well. I've got 4 full kegs, and one with just a gallon or so left...but my fridge only holds 5 kegs. I've got 5 full carboys too, and two of those are ready to keg. I drink maybe 1-2 pints a night during the week, and usually have some friends come over to put back a few on the weekends. So, I figure out I consume by myselft 10 pints per week. The few people I have over consume maybe another 10-12 so I'll just say 12. That's 44 pints per month which is just about equivalent to one corny keg. I brew 12 gallon batches 1-2 times per month??? My production is WAY too high for my consumption. Time to stop brewing, or start drinking! Oh look at the time, it's after 5pm!

 

[Rubberband]

Hi Aarron. The first step is admitting that you have a problem. I am not sure what the 12 step program is to cure this addiction as I am in denial. I am new to home brewing but I now go to garage sales looking for growlers, milk crates, old deep freezes or fridges or any other trinket that I can use in my home brewery.

It could be worse, I could be a raging drunk. It turns out I'm too busy trying to figure out how to brew every beer I taste preventing me from really plowing through a case. (most of the time):cross:

 

[aaronbeer]

I have gotten to the point that I love to drink my brew, but I love the process more. I wish I could find some people that would by the ingredient for me and I would brew and and keep some of the beer and give the rest to them. That way I could brew for free and still get a little beer to drink. And of course I would still brew some batches for myself but that way I don't have to buy a new house to store all the beer I brew.

 

[sully]

im always pondering the next batch, sunday is a triple and the week after that is honey ale. theres always some racking and kegging that needs to be done as well. there is a lager fermenting in my ferm fridge i think i'll go check the temp.

 

[aaronbeer]

you know it gets bad when every time you spend money on other things you think "dang, that could have bought me some more ........" . Just don't tell your swmbo that after you take her out to dinner.

 

[beerthirty]

I have 14 cornies full, with only two taps. You be the judge.

I judge you to be short of taps.

 

[beerthirty]

This has turned into a great post! Yes I am a brewtalk-aholic as well. So another question to add to this. With all of your brewing, do you drink all your beer, hord it, or share it? At the pace I am going, I need to find more friends, or drink way more than I should!

I used to drink all mine. Now that a few old work buddies have manned up( damn BMC drinkers), word has spread about good beer and everyone from the secretary to the supervisor has called asking to try my brews. I'm working on arranging a tasting party to bring in grain donations and brew more often. No I'm not an addict.

 

[BierMuncher]

You all need some serious help.

 

[JalaPeno]

Invite a bunch of brewers over on a brewday. We'll fix that beer supplyline problem.

btw I finished the last stout.......mmm Good Beer

 

[beerthirty]

Help me, Please BM. Need more recipes.

 

[Baja_Brewer]

So another question to add to this. With all of your brewing, do you drink all your beer, hord it, or share it? At the pace I am going, I need to find more friends, or drink way more than I should!

I recently realized something, at the cost of 20-30 a cornie, and 14-23 per brew, if you brew more 5 gallon batches than you can drink, and you buy more cornies to hold all of the beer you're making, everything still comes out (barely) ahead of buying the same types of craft brew....

right?..... RIGHT???

Damn

 

[aaronbeer]

Invite a bunch of brewers over on a brewday. We'll fix that beer supplyline problem.

btw I finished the last stout.......mmm Good Beer

Thank you very much. I hid 1 six pack away to drink every once in awhile to see how it ages. I will for sure have a gathering once i have a few beers to try!

 

[dontman]

This has turned into a great post! Yes I am a brewtalk-aholic as well. So another question to add to this. With all of your brewing, do you drink all your beer, hord it, or share it? At the pace I am going, I need to find more friends, or drink way more than I should!

Only people on this site would understand but I am often bummed when I realize how much beer I have on hand. I mean, how can I sensibly brew again when I have something like 80 gallons of beers on hand and I drink less than 5L per week.

I'm like Flyangler. I only have two taps and I have 6 full kegs in the basement that I haven't even tried yet.

Plus I have the ingredients on hand to brew at least 20 batches. And I am dying to brew again.

I find myself looking for sporting events/ reasons to invite people over to drink beer. "Dudes! The International Tournament of Lawn Bowling is on this weekend! Come over to watch."

I just sent an email to a few friends with an open invitation to come over for any game of March Madness and I am not even a basketball fan.

 

[dontman]

I recently realized something, at the cost of 20-30 a cornie, and 14-23 per brew, if you brew more 5 gallon batches than you can drink, and you buy more cornies to hold all of the beer you're making, everything still comes out (barely) ahead of buying the same types of craft brew....

right?..... RIGHT???

Damn

Dude, Every time I see your avatar I kind of scratch my head and wonder: Is that you or just a picture you found? Is that a real burger? AND What's with the helmet?