How on earth did this happen?

[rifraf]

I got my first brew kit just after New Year's, figuring I'd brew a few batches here and there for fun and if really liked it maybe work on having one "house beer" that was mine to serve at home and take to parties.

There are now three buckets in the basement bubbling away, a carboy waiting to receive one for some blueberries and my next two brews planned.

How did this happen??

 

[TwiggyTwig]

I've been wondering the same thing. I purchased a kit in late December, and batch #6 (American Brown) is getting brewed this week.

 

[Yooper]

I wonder the same thing! One day I had a bucket and an airlock. The next day I had a 1/2 barrel all electric indoor HERMS. I have no idea how THAT happened.

 

[Rascal]

LOL. You sound like me. I started brewing 3 or 4 months ago with the same intentions you had. Right now I have 2 in the primary, 1 in the secondary, and 2 conditioning in bottles. This stuff is addictive. I forgot to mention I still have half of two different brews sitting in the fridge. I don't have anything left to ferment in and am running out of bottles but I've been sitting around today trying to decide what to brew next weekend. My wife says she hasn't seen me this relaxed in years. She even seems to enjoy helping me out on brew day and bottling day (probably a good thing because I tend to enjoy a few home brews on brew day and sort of lose track of some of the steps). She usually helps me pull it off though.

 

[beergolf]

hahahahaha.....
It sounds like me. I brewed. 4. batches before I even tasted my first one. Now XXXX batches later I still can't explain it...

 

[DoubleAught]

I do this with every hobby I get into. I bought my first Harley in '08 and tens of thousands dollars later and a different bike I now think I have just what I want.

I'm sure I can spend that kind of money homebrewing as well, but so far it's been cheaper...lol

 

[MikeWI]

I know! I got a kit for Christmas and took a week before I converted the bottling bucket from the kit into a second fermenter, and it just feels weird whenever one is empty. I just did batch #5 yesterday (Honey Blonde Ale) and have the recipes for 6, 7 and 8 mostly figured out (Irish Red, American Brown, and Oatmeal Stout).

I have another question for you all. Who's gonna drink all this beer????

Mike

 

[user 103393]

Pretty much the same here. Christmas got a Mr. Beer kit, and now I'm trying to hunt down a cheap freezer to make a fermenter that can handle 3 buckets/carboys.

Must make more beer.

 

[NocturnalEMT]

Addictive...hmmmm...I don't think thats quite the word to use. I seriously brewed my first batch in January this year. Brewed a second the very next day and by god, i just finished my Keezer before I even tasted either beer.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/my-future-keezer-293860/

Thats ridiculous. But the SWMBO enjoys it.

 

[malevolent]

Well I was brewing 25 gallon batches with a guy at my work and decided to brew my own hef, then it turned to a big chocolate stout, then to sours, and it just keeps sucking me in!

 

[Coastiebrewer]

Went into my lhbs for a part to help assemble the kegerator I got for Christmas. Walked out with the part and all the usual homebrew starting equipment. He was a great salesman!!!!

 

[WoolyBooger]

It's insanely addictive! I started brewing because I can't get my favorite beer anywhere near where I live. That was about a 6 weeks ago and I'm now on my third brew (double bock, honey wheat, and IPA) and I just bottled the first this weekend! Its pretty much the best hobby ever!

 

[Doomsday]

I have to talk myself out of buying more things than I really need.....

ONLY because money is tight right now.
If I had the money it would be going into more homebrew equipment.

 

[Trail]

As soon as I get paid it's time to go buy two pounds of hops, a bottle of starsan, and a carboy handle. And then a second carboy. And some more grain.

 

[venquessa]

+1, beer kit for xmas. Batch 8 - An attempted lager went in the fridge on Friday night. I have a red ale to bottle on Thursday night and Batch 9 will be in the kettle Saturday morning, assuming the weather isn't good for paragliding.

 

[AllHopAbandon]

I don't recognize any of this. I started brewing in December and I have only two batches under my belt. I'm even taking a little break right now. I'll start brewing again when my Coleman cooler is delivered and converted into a mash tun. And I'm expecting a mini fridge today and a terrarium heating pad later this week. Then all I need to do is wire up the ebay temp controller and build my fermentation chamber. The 9 pounds of hops in my freezer aren't going anywhere. So no obsession here. Really.

 

[Trail]

So no obsession here. Really.

It's good that you have the maturity to keep a handle on your impulses like that.

 

[thetragichero]

got a kit for christmas, my second brew is about to be transferred to secondary for dry hopping
what's really held me back is only having one carboy and one bottling bucket, but i think i see another carboy in my future so i can have at least two going at once (there's also the fact that i can't brew during the week or weekends when my band has shows booked... but i'm getting there!)

 

[Mase]

Just great. I brewed my my first batch this last Saturday and this is what I have to look forward to? In all seriousness, If I didn't work full time, go to school part time and this weekend I wasn't running a 5K, going to the Floridas Brewers Guild Beer Fest and a Rays v. Twins spring training game, I would probably be working on batch number 2 and 3!

 

[malevolent]

Just great. I brewed my my first batch this last Saturday and this is what I have to look forward to? In all seriousness, If I didn't work full time, go to school part time and this weekend I wasn't running a 5K, going to the Floridas Brewers Guild Beer Fest and a Rays v. Twins spring training game, I would probably be working on batch number 2 and 3!

I wish I could live in Tampa, at least during spring training...Good weather, cheap Yankee tickets, super easy and quick to brew a berlinerweisse, year round perfect weather for hefs. No negatives

 

[thetragichero]

No negatives

except the snowbirds coming to see the yankees!

 

[BrewerinBR]

I got a Mr. Beer for Christmas 2010, by Feb 2011 I was all grain, by fall 2011 I had a room for brewing built. Batch 30 will go into the fermenter this weekend (Hopped up Rye Pale Ale). Batch 29, 28, 27 are fermenting in buckets, batch 26, 25 and 24 are in bottles being conditioned. Drinking batch 23 and 22. My fermentation box is full, my closets are full and I am running out of bottles. I can't stop .... Please DO NOT Stop me.

 

[Mase]

I wish I could live in Tampa, at least during spring training...Good weather, cheap Yankee tickets, super easy and quick to brew a berlinerweisse, year round perfect weather for hefs. No negatives

Tampa is great. Only problems for brewing would be too warm for lagering temps unless you are a.) doing small batches in the fridge or b.) have a fermentation cooling chamber.

Spot on about the hefs though. The only other negative is all the Yankees and Red Sox fans at the Trop the past decade or so (it's gotten a lot better now).

 

[william_shakes_beer]

For me the sport is in the tweaking the recipie. Last week, i was preparing to brew a PM guiness stout clone. To prepare my taste buds, I went to a restaurant and bought a guiness draft. After a few sips i decided that this brew really needed some chocolate malt. Do you think Guiness is taking suggestions on their recipie after 250 years? how did THAT happen?

 

[Trail]

what's really held me back is only having one carboy and one bottling bucket,

Dude, it's super simple. Go to a grocery store with a bakery and ask for an empty frosting bucket. Bam, instant fermenter. Those things are 5 gal, which is plenty for brewing either a 3-gallon batch or conditioning a 4 in secondary.

Just make sure you get ALL the frosting out. I missed a little, despite washing and sanitizing, and it was floating on the top at the end. Newbie mistake, but it was still delicious and the hydrogenated oils didn't affect the amazing head retention…

 

[ScoRas]

Signed! SWMBO bought me a morebeer kit for my birthday in January. The first batch is getting bottled Sunday, I have one more extract kit on the way, and I'm already planning on my first BIAB all-grain attempt. Pricing out the right brew kettle to do full boils.

 

[malevolent]

Just realized that in the next month I'm bottling 4 batches of beer