Question for parents that brew

[soccerdad]

My grandson started assisting with beer and wine making when he was 4 or 5. He didn't start drinking until e was 8 or 9 (just kidding - he doesn't drink).

He also feeds pigs, shells pecans, helps tend the garden, bakes, makes chocolate, brews coffee, and makes a decent latte.

 

[bobeer]

My daughter has been helping me brew since she was about 6 months old. She likes to stir the mash, toss the hops in, etc. She's almost 2 now and knows the concept of hot stuff and is already starting to lose interest in the process. I don't see the issue with having the kids help if they're interested in it. As long as you're being a good parent and not putting them in harms way there isn't a problem. It's no different than grilling out, cooking in the kitchen, or being around a camp fire. All perfectly acceptable family activities.

 

[kadozen]

As long as you're being a good parent and not putting them in harms way there isn't a problem.

No matter how sweet they are, don't steep the baby. Got it.

 

[oceanic_brew]

You guys are making me wanna have kids hahha
My dog licks up the floor when wort spills, stares at me blankly, and then goes back to sleep on his pillow when he gets bored of watching Hahahha

Easy to deal with. Wanna have kids someday to help me brew. Me and the miss are almost 30 and no aspirations to have any.

 

[chickypad]

Yeah my "baby girl" is really good at spill clean up too. Glad I mostly keg though, she's a nightmare on bottling days - pit bull in a china shop. Can't beat her as far as loyal brew buddy though.

 

[kadozen]

Between you 2 and Wil Wheaton, I'm nagging the crap out of my wife about how we need to get a dog.

 

[jrgtr42]

Mine's a week short of 10 months, so he hasn't helped yet - he's just starting to get mobile, and as yet no concept of safe and not. As he gets older I will involve him when possible.
I have a photo hanging on the fridge of myself at maybe 2 years old having a sip of my dad's beer (Molson Brador, FTR) and I can see myself doing the same with my little guy, at least as he get a bit older. I do want to instill him a respect for alcohol - I saw as I was growing up the ones who were absolutely, expressly forbidden, the ones who went over the top in college, I don't want that to happen.
I certainly won't be pulling him a pint at 8 years old, but once we get into high school, maybe.

 

[bobeer]

You guys are making me wanna have kids hahha
My dog licks up the floor when wort spills, stares at me blankly, and then goes back to sleep on his pillow when he gets bored of watching Hahahha

Easy to deal with. Wanna have kids someday to help me brew. Me and the miss are almost 30 and no aspirations to have any.

We didn't have our first until we were 31. Now, my wife is 34 and we're having our 2nd and probably last. You guys still have time if you really want them. Lots of work but they're worth it!!

 

[Natdavis777]

I never skipped a beat when my son was born. He is 2.5 now, and hangs with me when I brew. I mostly brew during the week now (Brewing as we speak!) on my days off so I can have family time on the weekend.


For whatever reason, the new HBT rotates all of my pics now...

 

[wilcode190]

This is my 4 and 6 year old helping me plant hops. They love weighing out the hops and resealing them. They like the smell of the hops and the malt and enjoy the taste of the wort prehops. I always enjoy having them help add or stir ingredients. I love teaching them that you can make things from scratch and be creative.

View attachment 1458146336297.jpg

 

[DuckBrown]

My 13 year old son and 12 year old daughter will help when asked and can be quite useful. I only started brewing a year ago, so they were 12 and 11 at the time. Back when I used to bottle, my daughter loved being in charge of the capping.

Neither has expressed any interest in sampling the finished product, but I don't think I'll mind them having a taste when they do. Making something forbidden draws a teen to it like a moth to a flame, often with the same results. I don't want them drinking all my beer because that means less for me!

 

[signpost]

My daughter is 3 and she helps me weigh out my grain. She loves it and also drops grain all over the place, so I have to clean it up. She doesn't help out with the other parts, but who knows if she might get interested in helping more as she gets older.

 

[TurnipGreen]

I have a 2 year old and a 4 year old, both girls and they help. I brew in the kitchen and I do put the baby gate up when I'm moving hot or heavy stuff around, but it's a small kitchen and two girls and two dogs is a lot underfoot. Both girls help add the hops. My older girl helps stir the mash and she's a big help during bottling. All of us like to watch the actively fermenting carboys. Our oldest even knows that the "yeast eats the sugar and poops out beer."

Neither of them like the wort especially not once the hops is added.

It's sure nice to have helpers!

 

[BigPerm]

My daughters (3 and 5) love to help. They'll stir the mash, add hops and just watch and ask questions. I've let them try pre-fermentation gravity samples, and they love to have lunch at a local brewery and drink water out of tasting glasses. They both have small glass tasting snifters from which they drink juice and carbonated water. My kids understand that beer is an adult beverage and that it is my hobby, and I have no problems letting them be involved in it (just not the drinking)

Teaching kids to respect alcohol is a huge task of any parent. Teaching them that it is taboo is counterproductive.

 

[Joe61]

How old were your children when and if they started helping you?

Got into a small argument with my mother in law
<snip>
So, just because I'm a rebel, I make it a point to
<snip>

I don't know you but like you already. Nothing like pushing back against the nosy in-law.

I'm brand new to home brewing and my youngest is already 21, so I am not qualified to comment on the issue. However, common sense would seem to indicate it is a very good skill. Kids can learn many useful things - cooking, measuring, temperature, sanitization, organization, following instructions (a recipe) and patience. They also learn respect for heat, boiling liquids, etc.. All skills that easily transfer to many other activities. Going into grad-school science class understanding how to read a hydrometer (and what the readings mean) could only be a benefit.

As long as things are kept age-appropriate (e.g. don't leave a 2-year old to tend a boiling kettle) why would anyone have a problem with it.

Growing up in an Italian household, I was introduced to wine at a very young age. I completely understand the 21+ concept and am not recommending anyone serve any alcohol to a minor. However, I have found that alcohol, like many other things, becomes the sought-after "forbidden fruit" when completely denied. When thing are introduced to kids in the proper way and a controlled setting, they lose their mystery and are less likely to be experimented with in secret. All IMO - YMMV.

 

[Calichusetts]

3.

He helps with vorlaufing and hop additions mainly. Still loses interest quickly

 

[user 204491]

My daughter is 10. She lives full time with her mother but spends every spring break, summer vacation, and so on with me. When she came out last summer (she was 9) she told me she wanted to brew a beer together. She hadn't been much in to it prior to that. I let her pick the type of beer she wanted to brew with me - she said, "let's brew something with fruit, but something that's not sour because sour beer is gross." So we settled on a blueberry wheat. She pretty much enjoyed everything up until the mash when she asked me, "so now we have to wait an hour?" After which she disappeared to her room to play with Monster High dolls, and I didn't see a whole lot of her for the rest of the brew session.

I've let her have just very small sips of brews every once in a while since she was 8. So far she hasn't liked any of it and thinks that I'm a "weirdo" for drinking it.

My son is only 14 months, so he's not really helping with anything, but he does come out with mom sometimes and hang out a bit. He does thoroughly enjoy watching starters spin around on stir plates, and I think he could do that for hours one end.

 

[Stocktonbrew]

My Mother in law hates me and the idea that my son is my brew buddy. I have a lot of good memories of us brewing though. He would help make up recipes, taste grain, and hops. Then he turned sixteen and we bought him a car, he discovered girls, and if it's not dinner time, I never see the kid.