How much should I be brewing?

[NYShooterGuy]

I started brewing the very beginning of October of this year. I'm about to brew next 5 gallon batch tonight. I just realized, I have been making approximately 5 gallons of beer every two weeks. I've only given away about a gallon of beer, and have drank almost all of it. I do share some with my wife, approximately 20%, but I'm getting to be a little worried that my consumption of all of this homebrew it's turning me into somewhat of an alcoholic. I do have to admit that the hobby of homebrewing is what's making me go through so much, but the lack of enough bottles propels me to drink them to make room for my next batch. I've been able to figure out some of my mistakes and correct them such as fermentation temperatures to limit the off flavors, but I'm also running into a tight bind of having a lot of yeast that I have washed. Just asking, am i doing too much?

 

[Hammy71]

Like every hobby, it usually starts with a bang and slows down. I remember when I purchased my first kegerator and keg....went through a half barrel in less than a month. That was years ago and now beer lasts a lot longer in the house. I usually brew every other week during the spring/summer/fall. So sounds like your pretty normal to me. As you gather more equipment (bottles,etc) it will calm down.

 

[Psylocide]

Home brewers don't turn into alcoholics, alcoholics turn into home brewers.

Just kidding, sounded good though. Seriously though, don't drink so much? If that's what you're worried about?

 

[binabik]

Have friends over. Give it as presents. Enter competitions. Have a party. Brew smaller batches. At one point (before Christmas) I had 20+ gallons bottled. I'm down to about 12 gallons. It won't stop me from brewing. I'm in it to learn more about the different styles and how all the pieces work. I enjoy my beer, and hope other do too. If I have cases of beer left, it doesn't bother me. It will eventually be consumed and recycled. Enjoy your hobby. If you are concerned about consumption, then buy more bottles.

 

[vincentAlpha]

Sounds about right to me, and my SWMBO doesn't drink beer so I had no one to share with! These days I'm around once a week but when I moved the pipeline got emptied and needs to be refilled.

 

[emclinux]

If I drink say 1 with dinner and one say a little after dinner (2 a night) say we had 2 extra a day on Saturday and Sunday (4 a day or 8 a weekend) makes the two week total of 36. Add your wife's 20% in that and you are right at a 5gal batch and likely never got a buzz. I don't think home brewing is an alcoholic's game. Two expensive for that. That's why there is pbr and 10$ whiskey. You drink craft and homebrew for taste and not effect usually.

Just my 2 cents

 

[Sailingeric]

I started about the same time as you. I have been brewing a 5 gallon batch every weekend for the last month. I am going to try to get a good stock pile going because the house at perfect fermentation temp and I have plenty of room in the garage for beer storage. I try to limit myself to 1 22 oz a night, maybe a couple extra on the weekend. Once it warms up I will be scaling back my brewing until I can score an old fridge to ferment in. If you enjoy the brewing and trying out different kinds, get some friends to chip in to the cause in exchange for taking some off your hands.

 

[Natdavis777]

Ive been on par with a batch every 2-3 weeks since I started 4 years ago. I do 10gal so if my brother throws in and helps, he takes 5 gal. I give some away to people too. I dont buy nearly as much beer at the store as I used to since I started my hobby.

I think its benificial to brew a bunch bc you are able to refine your process, get better, and tweak batches you have brewed over and over again to how you want them... I say brew on brother

 

[ruger988]

I brew every couple weeks, but I still have at least a couple bottles from just about every batch I've ever done. I drink, but no in excess. If you want to brew more often and not "have" to drink as much, make 2.5/3 gallon batches.

 

[JONNYROTTEN]

Im 10 minutes away and will take your homebrew off your hands whenever it becomes to much. I keg so I never need to worry about keeping count.With one glass theres no proof

 

[northcal]

How much were you drinking before making your own?

Probably the same or even more.

Carry on,

 

[NYShooterGuy]

I drink about 12-24 twelve oz. beers a week.

 

[watermelon83]

I drink about 12-24 twelve oz. beers a week.

Call me when you get serious about drinking.

 

[NYShooterGuy]

Call me when you get serious about drinking.

Yeah. I know. Sometimes I drink a little more, sometimes a lot less.

 

[Braufessor]

Hmmmm...... I read this and checked my beer log. I just realized I brewed 14 batches of beer (5 gallons) in the last 6 weeks

I had only brewed 5 batches in the 10 weeks before that though, so I have that going for me.....

I drink 2-3 per day on average probably. Wife probably averages 1-2 per day. I give quite a bit away, I have people over for drinks and throw a party from time to time where 5-10 gallons will get polished off pretty easily. I enter competitions and that takes up some. Homebrew club takes up some...... I would say find ways to share some with friends.
Does not sound like you are brewing a crazy amount...... but, of course, that is coming from a crazy person.

 

[Pataka]

You sound like a classic case of "I only drink to support my brewing habit". I agree with the others on here. What you're doing isn't excessive. If you enjoy doing it, then keep at it. If you're worried you're drinking too much, then you can always give it away, or brew smaller batches.

I got a 5 gallon fermenter for Xmas, and while it's great to have decent gear at last, I won't stop using my 1 gal carboy for beer. Instead, I'm going to designate it as my 'boutique' brewery, and use the 5 gal as the 'mainstream' one. I don't have the equipment to do a boil or a cool down of a 5 gallon batch, so will probably stick to kits at that size (perhaps with additional dry hops) but will do as I wish with the 1 gal batches. So in a sense, the larger fermenter gives me my beer supply, but the smaller one gives me my craft brewing fix.

 

[cantrell00]

Im 10 minutes away and will take your homebrew off your hands whenever it becomes to much. I keg so I never need to worry about keeping count.With one glass theres no proof

Heh... I have always said the same about my kegged beer.

My wife says that i built it just so she could no longer keep count of how much I have had...

 

[ph0ngwh0ng]

5 gallons is 60 beers...

80% of that is 48 beers.

48 beers divided by 14 gives about 3.5 beers per day.

Depending on your situation (children, job, etc.), I'd say that's a bit too much. Give more, throw more parties, brew less/littler batches, experiment and throw away what you don't like....

If you think there's a problem, fix it.

 

[NYShooterGuy]

5 gallons is 60 beers...

80% of that is 48 beers.

48 beers divided by 14 gives about 3.5 beers per day.

Depending on your situation (children, job, etc.), I'd say that's a bit too much. Give more, throw more parties, brew less/littler batches, experiment and throw away what you don't like....

If you think there's a problem, fix it.

Yeah, I have had a few mornings of waking up.and not remembering the ending of the previous night. Maybe I should scale back a bit.

 

[sandyeggoxj]

I think you are fine. People who do not brew think I am crazy when I volunteer free beer. I like brewing more than drinking. It is okay to admit!

It has also forced me to be okay dumping beer that is just okay. I have plenty of great beer so why keep something that isn't perfect.

 

[Psylocide]

5 gallons is 60 beers...

80% of that is 48 beers.

48 beers divided by 14 gives about 3.5 beers per day.

Depending on your situation (children, job, etc.), I'd say that's a bit too much. Give more, throw more parties, brew less/littler batches, experiment and throw away what you don't like....

If you think there's a problem, fix it.

I respectfully disagree with your opinion on that.

3.5 beers a day is nothing to some, i.e. me. I have a full time professional job and a toddler. Some can hang, some can't.

But I do agree with your last statement. Only the OP can figure this out.

 

[Kampenken]

5 gallons is 60 beers...

80% of that is 48 beers.

48 beers divided by 14 gives about 3.5 beers per day.

Depending on your situation (children, job, etc.), I'd say that's a bit too much. Give more, throw more parties, brew less/littler batches, experiment and throw away what you don't like....

If you think there's a problem, fix it.

5 gallons is NOT 60 beers, at best 53. 128oz to 1 gal * 5 = 640 oz / 12oz = 53.3. If you get 5gal into a fermenter you will lose (especially if you dry hop) another .5g minimum, and hopefully you get 48 beers. So 80% of 48 is 38 / 14 days = 2.7 beers / day. Still more than I drink (1 -1 .5/day) but too much?? meh.. I do agree, if you think there's a problem, then fix it. That's why I won't keg! I'd find its a problem and have to get rid of the kegging equipment!


+1 on brewing smaller batches. I just bought a cheapy 3g plastic conical to mess around with smaller batches instead of my 7gal conical or bucket, a lot of fun!

Cheers!

 

[Sailingeric]

5 gallons is NOT 60 beers, at best 53. 128oz to 1 gal * 5 = 640 oz / 12oz = 53.3. If you get 5gal into a fermenter you will lose (especially if you dry hop) another .5g minimum, and hopefully you get 48 beers. So 80% of 48 is 38 / 14 days = 2.7 beers / day. Still more than I drink (1 -1 .5/day) but too much?? meh.. I do agree, if you think there's a problem, then fix it. That's why I won't keg! I'd find its a problem and have to get rid of the kegging equipment!


+1 on brewing smaller batches. I just bought a cheapy 3g plastic conical to mess around with smaller batches instead of my 7gal conical or bucket, a lot of fun!

Cheers!

Bottle in 22 oz bombers, gets you about 26-28 bottles, have one a night and a batch will last about 3 weeks. That can be a decent and steady brew schedule

 

[NYShooterGuy]

Tonight's brew was a Bavarian Wheat that I plan to add cherry extract at bottling. I had some homebrew, but tend to think that homebrew has a greater effect then commercial beer.

I wonder if anyone else would agree?

 

[ph0ngwh0ng]

Yeah, I have had a few mornings of waking up.and not remembering the ending of the previous night. Maybe I should scale back a bit.

Hahahah yeah been there when I started homebrewing. You're just overwhelmed with high quality beer, what's a man to do??

I had about the same number of beers as you and , for me, YMMV, it was too much and I saw it was beginning to cause problems around me. I'm just not as good a father/husband when I'm hungover and cranky... I quit drinking for 30 days and, after that, limited myself to drinking 2x22oz on friday and saturday nights and social events. Did myself a great deal of good. Of course, I still binge from time to time on special events, but that has become the exception rather than the rule.

Hope you find your happy zone.

 

[ph0ngwh0ng]

Tonight's brew was a Bavarian Wheat that I plan to add cherry extract at bottling. I had some homebrew, but tend to think that homebrew has a greater effect then commercial beer.

I wonder if anyone else would agree?

ABV for ABV, there is no reason why that should be...

 

[NYShooterGuy]

Maybe I've calculated my abv wrong? Most of my beer has been between 4-6% abv, but I drink less of them and feel the effects greater than commercial beers

 

[Malty_Dog]

I brew every couple weeks, but I still have at least a couple bottles from just about every batch I've ever done. I drink, but no in excess. If you want to brew more often and not "have" to drink as much, make 2.5/3 gallon batches.

There's your answer. Scale it down. Less bottles required, less drinking, same rate of brewing.

 

[Un-sane]

A 5 gal keg is only 40 - 16 oz beers. I say drink less, use bigger glasses

 

[Psylocide]

Maybe I've calculated my abv wrong? Most of my beer has been between 4-6% abv, but I drink less of them and feel the effects greater than commercial beers

That would be the dopamine and serotonin.

You're enjoying something you made at a level which you do not get from just running down to the store and buying a sixer and drinking it. You worked hard on that, and the brain rewards you by releasing happy chemicals.

This in conjunction with the alcohol is most-probably increasing the "effect" you feel when quaffing homebrew.

 

[Hello]

Maybe I've calculated my abv wrong? Most of my beer has been between 4-6% abv, but I drink less of them and feel the effects greater than commercial beers

Doubtful that you're calculating every batch wrong. Either way, I've read that people feel more affected by home brew than commercial beers. Maybe commercial beers are wrong. (I'm kidding)

Here's what I think. First, only you can decide what is excessive. There is more than enough anecdotal and scientific evidence on the effects of beer both positive and negative. With that, choices can and should be made on frequency of consumption as well as quantity. I definitely stick with the opinion that each person should make their own decisions on how much, what, and when to drink. If you want to go through the assessment phase with your drinking, then you can ask yourself questions that pertain to the negative effects, such as weight gain, ability to function normally, financial burden, and so on. If you've seen more weight gain since you've started to increase your drinking then perhaps you should look at cutting back or exercising more, or both.

If you feel as though alcohol is really the only thing that makes you feel better then I'd say that is an issue. I'm not a doctor, I'm just a fellow drinker and brewer who can easily justify your drinking and would if someone else above had not already done the math. Personally, I'm not seeing anything excessive based on the amount you consume daily. There are weeks when I could consume in 4 days what you consume in a full week. Sharing my home brew has allowed me to brew more without having things sit around. I love the process just as much as I love the product.

I think there is a balance for everyone and for everyone, it is going to be different. I'm not a parent and I don't have to worry about being cranky on Monday if I over-consume on Sunday. I don't want to be cranky regardless, but if I am, I am the only one who suffers. I don't want to be hungover and again, if I am, I am the only one who suffers. I don't make others suffer for my silly decisions. Or I try not to.

So like someone else said above, find your happy place and stick with it. Give your brew away, have parties, enter competitions, find places you can take a few bottles and share them, or even brew smaller batches. It takes the same amount of time, but you'll have less on hand.