How has brewing changed you in other aspects of life?

[EtchyLives]

I've been brewing for eight years now and the attention to detail, measuring, and desire for a little bit superior product or process has seeped into a couple of other parts of my life.

Coffee. I started doing pour over coffee and the next thing I know I'm on YouTube looking up process videos, adjusting my water temperature, bean grind, and pour process, while taking notes on the changes. Not to mention the search for different varieties and roasts of bean. Next thing I know I'll be rotating my own beans.

And then there's shaving.

Different razor blades, soaps, face oils, and aftershave looking for the perfect shave. What used to take 10 minutes with canned foam had become a 30 minute process involving different techniques for brushing up my own shaving cream, different shaving techniques, and again lots of notes on the results.

And then there's cooking.

So how has brewing changed your approach to unrelated aspects of life?

 

[kh54s10]

I don't know if there is a relation but I have been more adventurous in cooking than I was before starting to brew. I made Thai seafood for dinner yesterday.

I also started making bread, but that was to save money. Flour and yeast cost a lot less than a loaf at the supermarket.

I tried cheese with limited success so far. I once made a colby that turned into a blue cheese.

 

[seatazzz]

Other than boring some of my friends stupid when I start talking (raving?) about it, it's changed the way I process the flavor profiles in commercial beers. Coors Light (drink it on bowling nights) has a distinct banana-y flavor. Guinness is super meh to me. I fear daily that I'm turning into a beer snob but right now I like my homebrew better than anything I can get at the store or the bar...mainly because I made it, I like it, and it tastes good.

 

[grampamark]

Brewing hasn't really changed other aspects of my life. I didn't start brewing until I was 60. Having spent 40 years as a mechanic, farmer, carpenter, and pilot, I already had the attention to detail thing pretty well figured out. The fact that I had pursued a variety of other hobbies, all in the pre-Internet era, prevented the "anxious newbie syndrome" which is so prevalent on any special interest message board these days. I was accustomed to learning by doing. I've always been curious and willing to learn new things; brewing was just one more new thing. So, I suppose I could say that homebrewing is consistent with my lifestyle rather than representing a change in it.

 

[madscientist451]

It hasn't been all positive for me.
I drink more than I should, gained weight and feel like crap in the morning more than I would like.
But recently I've cut back on drinking, started running again and loosing some of the weight I've added.
Home brewing has pretty much ruined me for visiting breweries and trying the what they offer.
My home brew is better (to me) than a lot of mediocre commercial beers. It has to be really good for me to want another pint.
Since I've been brewing, I planted a small hobby cider orchard and added a bunch of raspberry bushes, so brewing added to my interest in those areas.

 

[catdaddy66]

I am a much more patient person.

 

[homebrewer_99]

It hasn't really changed me. It's just another part of who I've become.

I've always been a student of life, history, cultures, the arts, world traveler, and a general DIYer.

 

[cloudybrewer]

The only time I have for this hobby is after my kids go to bed and I finish my nightly chores. So I would say it has made me tired, very tired!

 

[LostHopper]

I've always been a DIY person. I make archery equipment, roast my own coffee and enjoy working my vegetable garden. Getting into brewing seemed like a natural fit.

 

[JimRausch]

I'm much better looking

 

[Hwk-I-St8]

I was starting to become a whale chaser in the craft beer scene: waiting in lines, paying obscene amounts for limited release BA stouts, going to every beer share I could find, and, of course, ensuring every sip was recorded in Untappd.

Now that I brew my own beer, I don't buy anywhere near as much, I find I'm not willing to wait in line for beer...I'd rather spend that time brewing my own. In general, I have a very "meh" attitude about commercial craft beer. I'll drink it and enjoy it if I'm somewhere for other reasons, but I rarely actively pursue it. As an example, I used to drive 5 hours round trip to decorah to get Toppling Goliath beers....I've only been there once in the last year.

I'd rather brew or volunteer at a homebrew competition than go to a limited release.

 

[TheAleRunner]

I have less money. So there's that.

 

[Br3w4u]

It has increased my waist line, decreased my bank account, and made me want to do things beer and brewing related in every minute of my free time. Oh and it has made it to where whenever I am supposed to be grocery shopping I am really just looking for things I can make beer with.

 

[Jayjay1976]

My beer intake has increased massively, as well as both my waistline and my dancing skillz.

 

[Kharnynb]

it has made my waistline increase, but I think it saves me money still...even decent beer is crazy expensive here in finland, meaning I'm drinking much more good, varied beer than before.

 

[Br3w4u]

My beer intake has increased massively, as well as both my waistline and my dancing skillz.

Haha are you sure the beer isn’t influencing your opinion on the latter? Nothing in the world could improve my dancing skillz.

 

[Braufessor]

I can echo most of what was stated above as well. In addition, another hobby I picked up that was probably as a result of brewing is fermenting vegetables...... In particular, I grow and ferment a lot of peppers, which I then turn into hot sauce.

 

[Jayjay1976]

Haha are you sure the beer isn’t influencing your opinion on the latter? Nothing in the world could improve my dancing skillz.

Oh yeah, I'd even go past likely all the way to probably on that.

 

[FloppyKnockers]

I drink better beer and give less f**ks.

 

[homebrewer_99]

I drink better beer and give less f**ks.

Wadda ya doin'...saving them?

 

[MaxStout]

I drink more home brew and less commercial beer. I'm still not saving any more $$ than before, though.

 

[FloppyKnockers]

Wadda ya doin'...saving them?

You never know when you're going to need a whole stash of f**ks. Maybe one day that'll be our currency and I'll be the richest man in the world *evil fingers and maniacal luagh *

 

[mr_stout]

It is interesting to know the process of making beer and all the different ingredients you can use and how they affect the beer. Learning about yeast eating the sugar to create alcohol was quite fascinating. You can make your own custom beers just the way you want.

 

[Br3w4u]

I drink better beer and give less f**ks.

Is it better to give or receive? I vote both!

 

[cloudybrewer]

You never know when you're going to need a whole stash of f**ks.

This is my new favorite thread

 

[GnenieGone]

It hasn't been all positive for me.
I drink more than I should, gained weight and feel like crap in the morning more than I would like.
But recently I've cut back on drinking, started running again and loosing some of the weight I've added.
Home brewing has pretty much ruined me for visiting breweries and trying the what they offer.
My home brew is better (to me) than a lot of mediocre commercial beers. It has to be really good for me to want another pint.
Since I've been brewing, I planted a small hobby cider orchard and added a bunch of raspberry bushes, so brewing added to my interest in those areas.

Pretty much ditto. I do like to try other out-there beers just to get a flavor and tey to replicate.

 

[John Eberly]

I buy more and a wider variety of commercial beers. Curiosity and wanting to try everything and to understand my palate come right from home brewing.

It’s hard to know what else is from brewing and what is from age and experience as I have been doing this for 25 years.

 

[divrack]

I've been brewing for eight years now and the attention to detail, measuring, and desire for a little bit superior product or process has seeped into a couple of other parts of my life.

Coffee. I started doing pour over coffee and the next thing I know I'm on YouTube looking up process videos, adjusting my water temperature, bean grind, and pour process, while taking notes on the changes. Not to mention the search for different varieties and roasts of bean. Next thing I know I'll be rotating my own beans.

And then there's shaving.

Different razor blades, soaps, face oils, and aftershave looking for the perfect shave. What used to take 10 minutes with canned foam had become a 30 minute process involving different techniques for brushing up my own shaving cream, different shaving techniques, and again lots of notes on the results.

And then there's cooking.

So how has brewing changed your approach to unrelated aspects of life?

I used to get told off in class for rotating my own beans

 

[divrack]

Thees days pepul r always saying stuff and I'm more like What R u SAying t to me bastard I'll kill you but before I was like uhhuhuhu yeah whatever but morenow like WHAT RE YOU SAYING TO ME SHUTUP you badtsrd but anyway it's probably 4 the best because deep down I love you man really and I don't know why there school sacked me it's not like i meant to start the fire but anyway it's all good now except I can't find me car keys probably dropped them when I was stick in the window..

 

[grampamark]

The dude abides...

 

[AMessenger]

Homebrewing replaced all interest in the time suck that is World of Warcraft and the $$$ suck that is golfing.

I find Homebrewing to be a much more engaging hobby and you get free beer at the end

 

[BoB Lever]

The dude abides...

imbibes

 

[geejay]

I go to events more. I'm not very social, but I make way too much beer and events are an obvious way to get rid of a few dozen gallons of beer.

 

[treacheroustexan]

It hasn't been all positive for me.
I drink more than I should, gained weight and feel like crap in the morning more than I would like.
But recently I've cut back on drinking, started running again and loosing some of the weight I've added.
Home brewing has pretty much ruined me for visiting breweries and trying the what they offer.
My home brew is better (to me) than a lot of mediocre commercial beers. It has to be really good for me to want another pint.
Since I've been brewing, I planted a small hobby cider orchard and added a bunch of raspberry bushes, so brewing added to my interest in those areas.

This is my life story, minus the cider/raspberry thing.. although that doesn't sound like an awful idea. I still love going out to breweries when on vacation/out of town and what not, but it unfortunately ruined a lot of local breweries for me.. Brewing has got me more into cooking from scratch and it definitely makes me feel more creative. I will say I love that now that I have my system down, I can brew 5 gallons for $20 rather than buying a bomber of a single mediocre beer for $8.99.

 

[shetc]

I have become an even bigger font of useless knowledge.

 

[divrack]

I've become the kind of arsehole that useds different glasses for different types of beer. I even specify in pubs when they make a mistake.

 

[JohnSand]

Only that when I travel, I always seek local beer and breweries. Also on nice weekends, we often take a ride that stops at a brewery.

 

[pinchegil]

Brewing has really made me question the definition of good beer. Standard knowledge would say we can judge it buy guidelines. But who sets up those guidelines? A bunch of people that think they know beer, based upon beer that has been brewed for centuries but probably doesn't taste the same today as it did 30 years ago. Microbreweries which were once the bastions for craft beer have gone to using San Diego Super Yeast for everything because of the short ferment time and the need to please investors. John Palmers Book, a great place to start, but the trouble with John Palmers book, is its John Palmers book, people read it and assume that it is the whole truth, when it is actually a great place to start but brewing is much more complicated. How has brewing changed me? It has made me question everything, I will never use any kind of yeast who's name indicates that it should wear a cape, read Palmer as well as Brulosophy and decide for yourself, never sell out to Inbev, and check your guidelines at the door, brew what tastes good to you . my $.02

 

[Transamguy77]

I don't think brewing has changed me, I have always been a person who pays attention to detail and enjoyed the process of things and brewing is all about detail and process so it was a perfect new hobby.......well new 8 years ago now.

 

[Frank-the-Tank]

I've been brewing for eight years now and the attention to detail, measuring, and desire for a little bit superior product or process has seeped into a couple of other parts of my life.

Coffee. I started doing pour over coffee and the next thing I know I'm on YouTube looking up process videos, adjusting my water temperature, bean grind, and pour process, while taking notes on the changes. Not to mention the search for different varieties and roasts of bean. Next thing I know I'll be rotating my own beans.

And then there's shaving.

Different razor blades, soaps, face oils, and aftershave looking for the perfect shave. What used to take 10 minutes with canned foam had become a 30 minute process involving different techniques for brushing up my own shaving cream, different shaving techniques, and again lots of notes on the results.

And then there's cooking.

So how has brewing changed your approach to unrelated aspects of life?

I noticed many try to go all Adolphus Busch and stop shaving altogether.