How old are you? How long have you been brewing?

[abarnett]

I'm 37, been brewing for 17 years. It dawned on me in college that they don't card you when you buy malt and hops... you just have to be patient and plan ahead.

 

[DrunkleJon]

[Standing in the middle of the kitchen, arms folded across chest, tapping foot]Damnit...somebody has GOT to be older than I am on this list!!! I'll turn 67 tomorrow...and my second grandchild [a GIRL] was born yesterday. Somebody fess up![Sitting down and enjoying a delicious Midnight Beatdown Wheaten Porter]

glenn514

Glenn, if it makes you feel better back on this entry https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f14/ho...u-been-brewing-144760/index4.html#post1663999 rico567 claimed the age of 65 way back in 2009, and is still active on the board. That would make you not the oldest on the board, or even in this thread.

 

[LAHammer]

Easy glenn - only old as you feel, right?
I'm 62 and just started in March - brewing #17 tonight.
I'm partial mash/extract and loving it.

 

[unionrdr]

If you're as old as you feel,then I must be 197! I can barely walk with a cane,& my lower half can hardly rotate anymore to get in the car. & I love drivin.

 

[NewWestBrewer]

38 and been brewing for 5 months with a buddy. We are up to 18 batches so far. Went from extract with grains to now AG BIAB method. Love this hobby but the only problem is what to brew next.

 

[wailingguitar]

45yo... been brewing for 24 years. Started at Bell's, then known as Kalamazoo Brewing Co., about a month and a half after my 21st birthday. I had read Papazian's book several times before that, but didn't have the $ to get started. I worked in packaging first, but observed brewing pretty much daily and could have brewed successfully on the little brewhouse that was there at the time before I got my home brew stuff together. I made a few beers at home and Larry was impressed enough with what I was doing to move me over to brewing about 6 months after I started. That was a fun time in my life I have been brewing sometimes home, sometimes commercial, sometimes both, ever since.

 

[unionrdr]

Now that's an interesting home brewer story! :rockin:

 

[wailingguitar]

Now that's an interesting home brewer story! :rockin:

Thanks, brother I owe my career to Larry Bell and John Maier. I guess I have brewed at 11 commercial breweries for 5 different companies. I have been out of the brewing side of the industry for a few years, doing some industry consulting here and there to keep my hand in, but I am putting the boots back on soon. I accepted a position as brewmaster at a new startup here in Florence, AL, we are supposed to be receiving our brewhouse and first tank shipment in about a week and should be in production by year's end.

 

[Ridire]

45yo... been brewing for 24 years. Started at Bell's, then known as Kalamazoo Brewing Co., about a month and a half after my 21st birthday. I had read Papazian's book several times before that, but didn't have the $ to get started. I worked in packaging first, but observed brewing pretty much daily and could have brewed successfully on the little brewhouse that was there at the time before I got my home brew stuff together. I made a few beers at home and Larry was impressed enough with what I was doing to move me over to brewing about 6 months after I started. That was a fun time in my life I have been brewing sometimes home, sometimes commercial, sometimes both, ever since.

I bought my first home brewing setup from Larry Bell back in the early 1990's. We were too stupid, inpatient and intent on brewing 10% ABV to do anything good with that kit. But I remembered the process nearly 20 years later and started the hobby again, with a better perspective.

 

[wailingguitar]

I bought my first home brewing setup from Larry Bell back in the early 1990's. We were too stupid, inpatient and intent on brewing 10% ABV to do anything good with that kit. But I remembered the process nearly 20 years later and started the hobby again, with a better perspective.

Ah well, live and learn! Pretty cool that you got set up by Kzoo Brewing. Do you remember specifically what year that was or any of the folks working there at the time?

 

[scubasteve03]

I'm 28. Been brewing for 3 years, 4 if you count Mr. Beer.

 

[fuzzy2133]

32. Started brewing last November (2012)

 

[palys2]

I'm 34, started brewing almost 2 years ago. I make the switch to all grain last year, and I'm totally hooked.

 

[Adaman05]

I'm 29. Started brewing in college when I was 21 but I didn't do much with it. Extract brews every of couple years. Never really dove headlong into it until about a year ago. Made the switch to all-grain 10 gallon batches and I'm also hooked. Switching to all-grain has been so much fun and it has definitely improved the quality of my beer immensely.

 

[Tomsamba]

Started brewing in 1981 after seeing an ad in a magazine(pre-internet). It was hopped extract w/ a crappy packet of pulverized hops and same kind of crappy yeast packet. Drank it all and my buddy said it was great. Don't remember enough about it to comment either way. Started sending for books and information. Subscribed to Zymurgy in 1984?85? and made beer like a nutcase for years.... off and on ever since....

 

[wailingguitar]

Started brewing in 1981 after seeing an ad in a magazine(pre-internet). It was hopped extract w/ a crappy packet of pulverized hops and same kind of crappy yeast packet. Drank it all and my buddy said it was great. Don't remember enough about it to comment either way. Started sending for books and information. Subscribed to Zymurgy in 1984?85? and made beer like a nutcase for years.... off and on ever since....

Nice... Did you have the Zymurgy issue with Kathy Ireland? I think I still have mine around somewhere

 

[kevinv]

I'm 27. I had only brewed 3-4 batches per year over the past 4 years, each time with my Dad while I was visiting. I've been into it since the first time I brewed with him, furiously reading and learning everything that I could get my hands on. I just never took the leap myself until about 6 months ago when I randomly received a 1 gallon small batch kit in the mail from my Dad.

I brewed my first batch, the "Dead Ringer IPA" kit from NB, the first weekend after receiving it. Despite helping with 10+ batches over the previous years, I messed up many times when doing it all myself. I remember spilling half of my steeping grains on the floor when the muslin bag slipped from my hands. I kept hearing "clean, clean, clean" over and over in my head, so I tried to keep everything clean along the way. I ended up washing my stirring spoon in the sink and rinsing it. When I saw the little colorful bubbles appear in my wort, I realized that I didn't quite rinse enough... Great, soap in my beer. The last was when I was trying to refill the ice in my sink for the ice bath, I had the lid off the wort and ended up accidentally dumping half of the ice into the kettle. DESPITE, all of those shortcomings, I was still pleased with the outcome.

I've since picked up many additional 1 gallon fermenters and brewed 12 batches since then. Each batch has improved over the previous, but I still learn something new with each brew, or try something that I read online (this forum has been invaluable to me). I enjoy brewing 1 gallon batches, but have been restraining myself from pulling out the debit card to move up to a larger setup. Soon...

 

[HopSong]

I'm 73.. started in '62 w/Pabst Blue Ribbon Malt Extract.. and junk yeast. Made bad but hi alky beer.. Quit for a long time and restarted in ~85.. still doing extract. In the past year, I've started AG via BIAB... and once in awhile conventional AG.. but, I really like small batches of BIAB.

 

[Ridire]

Ah well, live and learn! Pretty cool that you got set up by Kzoo Brewing. Do you remember specifically what year that was or any of the folks working there at the time?

I would guess 1993. I don't remember much about the guys working there. I was 20 years old and going to school at Western Michigan.

 

[HopinJim]

I'm 56, and started brewing about 10 years ago with a Mr. Beer kit. Wasn't terribly impressed, and took a LONG break until about a year and a half ago. Back to the Mr. Beer, but it just wasn't doing it for me. Then I bought a "starter kit" from MW, did exactly one extract kit, and ventured into AG a little over a year ago and haven't looked back!

 

[Gmulerulz]

I'm 50 and started lurking on this site to get an idea of what I needed as far as equipment goes in Dec waited to cash in my Christmas present certificate in Feb and brewed my first batch in order to have one ready for first game of Baseball season. I drank the 1st batch well before first pitch was ever thrown. Now I just finished batch 23 and doing 24 this coming weekend. Can't wait to start kegging since I hate to bottle now. That is this year's present since I've been AG BIAB since the 5th batch and there isn't much I really need to upgrade my system.... Ah hell there is always something I want but I just hate to bottle so a kegging system is #1 on my list. You guys have cost my SWMBO a chunk of change in the past 9 months and change. But keep it up everything I know about brewing has been learned from the people on this site and I thank you all even the new folks teach you something from the questions they ask.

 

[wailingguitar]

I would guess 1993. I don't remember much about the guys working there. I was 20 years old and going to school at Western Michigan.

Cool. I went to Western from 86-88. Lived in Smith-Burnham for 3 semesters then in West Campus apartments. Moved back in '89 to work at Bell's. Lived in Richland/Gull Lake for a little while then in a couple random apts. Band I was in (1990) used to play at Club Soda a lot and in a little music club at K College.

 

[Dmlsys23]

I am 33 and have been brewing since December of 2012. A whopping 6 batches so far!

 

[Ridire]

What band? We used to be kind of into the local music scene. Back then, the Verve Pipe and Sponge were little bar bands. I remember Knee Deep Shag, Kilgore Trout, the Sleestacks(sp?)...

I went to a birthday party about a month ago where Brian Vanderark, of Verve Pipe, was playing.

 

[wailingguitar]

What band? We used to be kind of into the local music scene. Back then, the Verve Pipe and Sponge were little bar bands. I remember Knee Deep Shag, Kilgore Trout, the Sleestacks(sp?)...

I went to a birthday party about a month ago where Brian Vanderark, of Verve Pipe, was playing.

My band's name was Cry, after I moved away they changed their name to Overman or something like that. I seem to remember Kilgore Trout being around then... some of the others were The Sinatras (they were really cool guys and we gigged with them several times), FAQ, The God Bullies, Parallel Lives (or something like that, Bill Clements' band).

We opened for people like Babes in Toyland and All/The Descendants at Club Soda

 

[LovesIPA]

38, been brewing for a year and a half. 35 batches and counting! Too bad not all of them were good

 

[RocknRollFun]

Im 34 and have just been brewing since January. 45 gallons now, and finally understanding more of the whole process.

But I really just wanted to say that is was sweet that someone mentioned Babes in Toyland

 

[Early8]

I started brewing and bottling in my mid twenties in a manhattan studio apartment; the hobby was still quite crude then. I never really loved what I made and it faded. I picked it up again in my mid forties, but I upped my game by doing full batch boils and kegging. I'm about to be fifty now and I prefer to drink my own beer. I do full batch boils now and keg my brews. I also have a four tap keezer. I love brewing and enjoying what I make! Call me 50.

I should add that I have evolved to a single big 20 gallon kettle and do brew 12 gallons at time using a hybrid BIAB system. Most of my beers are half grain and half DME. I toy with all grain from time to time, but I have not done it, yet, for a variety of reasons. Did I mention that I love my brews?

 

[bobbo219]

25. Been brewing for just under 2 years.

 

[SteveHeff]

I'm 29 and started a 4 years ago in Switzerland with a friend of mine. HE brewed stellar stuff. I've come close with a few of my own recipes but it's making a beer better than his that keeps me hunting.