Self Restraint????

[Velnerj]

For those of you who have kegging systems: How do you control your intake of homebrew??? I just installed my new draft system and I constantly have the urge to pull a pint- Working from home now which introduces a new challenge to that whole scenario.

I bottled for a couple of years and I could easily gauge my intake. Opening a bottle was usually a special event, and a 5 gallon batch would last me a couple of months at least. I have a feeling my keg will kick in half that time easily.

Did you all notice an uptake in intake after you started to keg?

 

[Franktalk]

Yup.

 

[LittleRiver]

Nope. No increase in uptake after I built my keezer.

Does more beer get given away to friends who now stop by more often? Absolutely.

 

[Pappers_]

Opposite for me - when you open a bottle, you drink all 12 ounces. I routinely pour 6 ounces from kegs. Not all the time, but often.

 

[Velnerj]

Opposite for me - when you open a bottle, you drink all 12 ounces. I routinely pour 6 ounces from kegs. Not all the time, but often.

Here in Europe we use 0.5L bottles (I guess that is around 16oz) on occasion you can find 0.33 bottles but most of my bottle collection are half liters. That is often why I wouldn't necessarily crack one open all the time especially if it was up in ABV. It can be too much to go with dinner or have as a night cap etc.

I can see me definitely drinking smaller pours but the frequency will go way up which I think will mean faster overall consumption.

 

[beernutz]

I try to wait until 5 before having one from the keezer and I usually make it until noon at least.

I keep 10 ounce cups next to the keezer and fill them about 1/2 way several times per day, however I drink a 10 ounce cup of water in between each beer.

It does add up but at least spreads out the consumption over time and I get the exercise of walking downstairs to get to the keezer and then back up to my office to drink.

 

[Dland]

One way I've introduced a little self restraint is to keep kegs of finished beer in cellar of my garage/shop next door. Having to go outside and take a short walk & down the stairs helps. Of course then I counter that restraint by decanting pints, oh well.

Also, I do start after 5 or when all my trucks have made it back to yard, this helps too. The fact is if my crews arn't home, there is the possibility I'll have to drive should something not go to plan or break down, this keeps me honest, as I can't drive intoxicated (commercial license and all).

 

[S-Met]

Initially yes, and it's hard to stop a rolling train when friends are over for a backyard bbq. But I don't pull from the keg daily. Heck, under ordinary circumstances, I don't usually drink daily, but it's been an unusual year.

 

[SouthBounds]

I got used to mine after 6 months or so. Now I just pour a half glass every once in awhile to see how the beers are aging.

My friends on the other hand are still enthralled. Last keg...1 1/2 days.

 

[Konadog]

Opposite for me - when you open a bottle, you drink all 12 ounces. I routinely pour 6 ounces from kegs. Not all the time, but often.

Exactly what I have learned, pour 1/2 glass now, and as an added benefit, no warm beer to drink as it's gone before it gets warm.

 

[deuc224]

Exactly what I have learned, pour 1/2 glass now, and as an added benefit, no warm beer to drink as it's gone before it gets warm.

Get a Yeti pint lol jk dont listen to me, those are dangerous to have around.

 

[Konadog]

Yea, bottom line is restraint. In the beginning, I drank twice as fast at first....

 

[Snuffy]

Did you all notice an uptake in intake after you started to keg?

Definitely. Mostly when I really need the keg for another batch. Then I drink all of it I can stand and pour the rest into an inflatable wading pool and roll around in it.

 

[dpeters]

IDK, I am certainly suspicious when a keg kicks so fast. The other day I went out in the garage and noticed the tap plug sitting on the drip tray and it was on a beer I haven't had lately, I asked my 19 year old son if he knew anything about it and he said no, so who knows.

 

[wsmith1625]

I try restraint, but my kegs still kick pretty quickly. My idea of restraint is sticking to 1 beer a day, but then the weekend comes and I have 2 or 3. My kegs don't usually last long at that rate. I've also tried going dry during the week, but it's doesn't work for me.

I've only kegged 4 batches, so maybe I'm still a newbie.

 

[srussell999]

Here in Europe we use 0.5L bottles (I guess that is around 16oz) on occasion you can find 0.33 bottles but most of my bottle collection are half liters. That is often why I wouldn't necessarily crack one open all the time especially if it was up in ABV. It can be too much to go with dinner or have as a night cap etc.

I can see me definitely drinking smaller pours but the frequency will go way up which I think will mean faster overall consumption.

When I lived in Germany the local brewery delivered, to my house, a case of 20 - 0.5L bottles each week. No beer went to waste. Yes, there were people that visited and had a beer or two, but I also visited their home and had a beer or two there. To give you and idea of how long ago that was, the cost of the beer was 11 DM per case which was equivalent $2.75. I changed it from $3.75 to $2.75. It was 4 Marks to the dollar. My math was bad.

 

[LokiM4]

My kegs (usually have 2 in the kegerator, sometimes one partial in the fridge on a picnic tap) last about 2-3 months. And that’s what my consumption well up with ‘stay at home’, previously it was 3-4 months.

When you think about it though, a keg (~50 beers) isn’t really that much-one beer a day average is only just over 7 weeks.

I do fill growlers for friends and family who visit, after they sit and sample a pint of course and choose which one they want.

 

[govner1]

For those of you who have kegging systems: How do you control your intake of homebrew??? I just installed my new draft system and I constantly have the urge to pull a pint- Working from home now which introduces a new challenge to that whole scenario.

I bottled for a couple of years and I could easily gauge my intake. Opening a bottle was usually a special event, and a 5 gallon batch would last me a couple of months at least. I have a feeling my keg will kick in half that time easily.

Did you all notice an uptake in intake after you started to keg?

I'm married so I have a built in "monitor"!

 

[TheMadKing]

You get used to it and it becomes less tempting over time.

Like others I keep small glasses nearby, I use 4oz tasting glasses and will very rarely pull a full pint anymore. I also set a time constraint on myself when I'm home all day so that I don't allow myself any beer until after I'm done with projects for the day. It really is just a matter of self discipline, which is a good exercise anyway

 

[myndflyte]

I have 4 taps so I've just made it my personal policy that I don't drink until Friday and the weekend. There are some exceptions like having to pull a sample to check carbonation or if my dad comes over but it's too slippery a slope if I go outside of that.

 

[BrewboyTK]

My kegs don't seem to kick anywhere near as fast as you guys are talking about. Hmmmm.....come to think of it, I do have 8 on tap. Maybe that has something to do with it!!

 

[AJinJacksonville]

If you do some simple math Brewboy...you probably have a problem...haha.

I will say that having a pandemic, a full keg, three teenagers under the same roof and my wife working off-site, I am definitely drinking more...and yes...having a keg makes it way too easy. Especially when doing yardwork and it is between the inside fridge (for water rehydration) and the keg in the garage. I *try* to alternate between glasses of water and pints of beer...*try*.

 

[firerat]

Yes.

I find myself topping off my glass a lot once I get started and not going empty until bed time. Where as on the rare occasion I bottle I may only have 1 or 2 a night during the week.

 

[MikeCrigger]

I pull pints, to help me count how many I've had. 2 taps, with an extra keg conditioning in the keezer. If a keg lasts me 3 weeks, I'm a happy camper. Usually only make it 2 weeks. Most of my friends are BMC drinkers and my wife only likes Blue Moon. So it's all my fault.

 

[bleme]

I only drink with dinner so for me the only difference is that all my bottles were 12oz, but now I often pour 16-20oz glasses, especially if it is under 5% ABV.

 

[seatazzz]

I only ever have two beers a day...the first, and the last. All kidding aside, I usually drink out of a brewfest tasting glass and keep it real. Mostly my kegs last about 1.5 weeks, if only one on tap. Now that I have a three-tap kegerator (with three actually on tap) I notice they are lasting longer. Try one, to see how it tastes now. Then another, to see if it changed from the day before. And the last, so it doesn't feel left out. Oh crap I have a problem, don't I. Nah, I'm just a happy homebrewer.

 

[wsmith1625]

I only drink with dinner so for me the only difference is that all my bottles were 12oz, but now I often pour 16-20oz glasses, especially if it is under 5% ABV.

I do enjoy a beer with dinner, but when I'm cutting back, I save it for later when I can relax and really enjoy it.

 

[Transamguy77]

I don’t think my consumption really changed I’ve had 1 or 2 a night since I started Homebrewing, I do go in waves and more on the weekends but a keg will last me 2-3 weeks if I have 3+ on tap

 

[bracconiere]

i don't use restraint...but i do use these for counting, for calorie reasons...even have a custom food in my program for fermented dry beer.....


https://www.ebay.com/itm/223288376315

 

[SFC Rudy]

When I lived in Germany the local brewery delivered, to my house, a case of 20 - 0.5L bottles each week. No beer went to waste. Yes, there were people that visited and had a beer or two, but I also visited their home and had a beer or two there. To give you and idea of how long ago that was, the cost of the beer was 11 DM per case which was equivalent $2.75. I changed it from $3.75 to $2.75. It was 4 Marks to the dollar. My math was bad.

Yea, I miss being in Germany!

 

[beersk]

You get used to it and it becomes less tempting over time.

Like others I keep small glasses nearby, I use 4oz tasting glasses and will very rarely pull a full pint anymore. I also set a time constraint on myself when I'm home all day so that I don't allow myself any beer until after I'm done with projects for the day. It really is just a matter of self discipline, which is a good exercise anyway

It really is a matter of self restraint and discipline. Since I started kegging 10 years ago, my consumption did go up. I go in waves where I'll cut back, then I'll roar back and go through a period of drinking a lot. It's hard to find a happy medium especially if you have several really good beers on tap. I'll be hanging out with my girlfriend, cooking/grilling out, having a good time; thinking about only having 1 or 2 beers doesn't really cross my mind...I just want to keep going. It's like everyday is Friday right now.

So, yes, OP, it's really hard to restrain oneself when you have good beer on tap. I always said since I started kegging, the danger is going back for half pours/pints...they add up QUICK. And before you know it, you're kinda drunk. But I love this hobby. Best hobby on the planet.

 

[pvpeacock]

After gaining 15 lbs., I decided to add a tap dedicated to soda water and rededicated one of my 4 taps to kombucha. Now, I don't drink beer during the week and, instead, have a soda water (or 10) or a kombucha. It's just a matter of using my will power to move my hand a few inches to the left to grab a non-beer tap handle. I've lost 28 lbs. ever since (well diet and exercise helped, too).

 

[TurnipGreen]

It’s awesome isn’t it!
My first keg got drained in no time. I was a bit embarrassed how quickly I drank that and reverted to my strict rules around when to drink beer. Only on days that I run, weekends and holidays, if anyone asks me if I want a beer, with specific foods, or after mowing the lawn.
Surprisingly, that long list does not add up to every day for me. I also use 8 and 10 oz mugs. And I think that helps, I like beer. I’d drink 16 oz pours every bit as quick as an 8 oz. It catches up with me quick when we go out to the bar or a restaurant.

 

[BruceH]

I can't think of anything less than .5 liters as a serving of beer. Consumption went up during lockdown, it also goes up during the PNW dreary, rainy, winter.

Consumption goes down during nicer weather when I can get out and do things. Beer makes having to stay inside for days on end more tolerable. It also adds weight, increases bp, and sometimes affects how I feel the next day.

Kegging has made me less aware of how much I've had. Currently on a pre surgical dry period to be followed by a dry period. When I finally start up again I'll have a chalk board on the fridge with kegs in it for tracking purposes.

It's time to do a reset on beer consumption for me.

 

[Gozie Boy]

Brewing/kegging has generally had an opposite effect on me versus many here. A batch (10-12 gals) is a major piece of time and work (for me): procure ingredients; yeast starter; clean and sanitize (3 kettles, fermenter and all the many various ancillary parts); long brew day; more cleanup; weeks of fermenting/conditioning; transferring; keg cleaning; kegging, etc. When I finish, hopefully I have something really nice (and quite pricey per unit). So I consider drinking each pint to be a special event, something to be savored, not to see how fast I can kick a keg. If I want mass quantities of beer, I'll go to the fridge and pop a few (cheaper) cans. In the end, I probably average just over 1 pint a day, weighted towards the weekend.

 

[camonick]

 

[crazyjake19]

Contrary to what I would've thought, having beer on tap at home has seen me drinking less, not more. We have a 4-tap bar in the dining room with beer, hard cider, cold brew coffee, and seltzer water on tap. We drink a lot of seltzer and cold brew, and maybe the occasional beer or cider with dinner. I also haven't had much time to drink, by the time I get home from work I'll have a coffee or two to give me a boost to get some work done, then maybe have one beer before bed. On my days off during the week I might have a few beers if I'm mowing the lawn or working around the house.

Having beer on tap allows you to pour only what you want to drink. If I open a 12oz bottle or 16oz can, I'm drinking the whole thing. If I only want to pour 6oz from the tap, that's all I pour.

 

[madscientist451]

Yeah I drank more and gained some weight in the process. I love drinking beer, but I've had to cut back how much and also have switched to mostly brewing session beers 4% or less ABV. In 4 months I've lost 20 lbs and feel way better.

 

[Carolina_Matt]

I definitely drink more. If it's around, I'll drink it. Same with food. I can easily go a year without buying any sort of cookies, ice cream, etc. But if there's a plate of brownies or cookies in front of me, game over.

I started kegging when I made my first batch 2 1/2 years ago. I have 1 keg of seltzer and 5 kegs of beer, and I get tempted to try a little of each every day. It's definitely dangerous, depending on your personality. I've actually considered selling my keezer and buying one that fits 4 kegs - that way I can have 1 seltzer, 1 blonde ale, one IPA, and one random beer. That would probably make me drink less, not having the other two kegs in there.

The other problem is that I'll sometimes make a beer that I think is fantastic, so I'll be tempted to drink it every day. But other times I'll brew one that's mediocre, so I drink it every day just to get through the keg. And I like the process of brewing, so if I don't have room in the keezer I figure out which keg has the least amount of beer, and I plow through it.

I do work out consistently and I eat a pretty healthy diet, so I haven't gained weight since I started brewing - but the beer definitely prevents me from moving from 'good shape' to 'great shape'.

 

[bracconiere]

It's hard to find a happy medium

nah, when i see i've avg'd 2600-2700 for the last week or even month...it's party time! i'll start throwing in some 3800-4000 days, you know don't want to be underweight!