Teaching to brew?

[MacGregorBrewer]

Hello everyone!

Doing my good deed for the year today...teaching my buddy Ed to brew on his birthday. We'll be making an Irish stout this afternoon, but I was wondering:

Any tips on teaching someone to brew? We'll be doing a partial mash in a 2-gallon MLT, with a 90-minute mash.

I taught SWMBO to brew a couple years ago, but she had already read a couple of my books and was prepared for what was coming. All I've told Ed is that if he can make Mac-and-Cheese out of a box he can brew...

Thanks in advance!

The new guy,
Chuck

 

[Nurmey]

If I was teaching Ed, a few tips I would tell him are these:

1. Have patience!
* Yeast never looks at a calendar so even if the instructions say XX days, wait until the yeast is actually done it's job.
* If you have to asked if your beer is finished, it's not.

2. Don't panic!
* When something unexpected happens during your brew day (and it will) don't panic, over reacted and do something stupid.

3. It's really hard to mess up a beer!
* Just because it looks "weird" doesn't mean it's infected, ruined, tainted, or anything else.
* Time heals most weird flavors in a green beer.

4. Have fun!
* This is a hobby, it's suppose to be fun.

5. Have patience!
* You can't hurry beer no matter how fast you want to drink it.
* You can't say "have patience" enough.

 

[user 30639]

^^^
I'd say that's good advice. I tried to show my father in-law how to brew. But it was only my second batch so it was kind of like the blind leading the blind.

 

[Revvy]

I love teaching people to do this...make sure you have plenty of your own beers on hand, to describe...

But basically it's just show your process, explain what you are doing, and answer questions...and if possible have how to brew, or this place handy if he asks a question you don't know the answer for...just take a couple minutes and look something up...

Have fun!!

 

[JMSetzler]

Everything here sounds good, but there is one great piece of advice missing...

Let your friend do everything. YOU KEEP YOUR HANDS OFF and tell him what to do and explain what he's doing as he goes...

 

[MacGregorBrewer]

Worst brew day in a loooooooooooooooooooong time...

-my sister and brother in law came by for a "surprise" visit with my niece, and suddenly we had a housefull to cook for
-mash tun leaked
-once the leak was fixed couldn't get back up to temp
-ran out of propane, had to send SWMBO up to the hardware store for more
-whopping 35% efficeincy out of the mash
-burned hand

Luckily, my buddy got called into work, so he missed everything up to the last hop addition. In two weeks we're gonna try again, I let him pick out the recipe and he selected a Scottish 60/-.

Thanks for all the advice guys...I'm gonna go put a blowoff tube in that brew because it's presently puking all over the floor.

Yikers,
Chuck

 

[beerthirty]

First, let him know if he likes washing dishes he will love brewing. Then teach him sanitation. From there it is all fun and games, except for burning your hand. Not that second degree burns have stopped any of us from brewing again. Just ask Revvy There will always be some problem, sometimes more than one and we still end up with beer every time. Good luck on the next lessons.

 

[Revvy]

First, let him know if he likes washing dishes he will love brewing. Then teach him sanitation. From there it is all fun and games, except for burning your hand. Not that second degree burns have stopped any of us from brewing again. Just ask Revvy There will always be some problem, sometimes more than one and we still end up with beer every time. Good luck on the next lessons.

Yeah... 1st advice....Keep hands out of mash tun, even if the braid slips off....158 degree mash hurts your hand in ways you can't imagine. And lasts for several hours...

2nd piece of advice, your turkey fryer frame is quite hot after heating anything up, do NOT grab one of the legs with your bare hand to move it over....This one I did, and THEN I saw one of my buddies do the same thing on his rack. I yelled, but it was too late...He ended up needing an emergency prescription for burn creme.

*double owie*

 

[Nurmey]

Apparently you forgot #4 of my advice.

I hope it didn't turn you off from teaching or your friend from brewing. You guys will be able to have a laugh about it after down the road when you are brewing another batch and sipping some homebrew.

Sorry about the burn.