Tips on keeping the Mrs. happy

[jstewartgt]

Outside is the key. I keep all my equipment in the basement and brew outside. Typically anything I don't do outside I do in the basement bathroom which is pretty much mine to clean anyway.

The one time I tried to clean my MLT in the kitchen I never heard the end of it. My hoses outside were frozen so I thought it would be a good option to get everything clean...until I dumped about 6 lbs of grains in the floor and apparently left quite a few around the sink as well. Now I just have to commit to staying out of the kitchen

 

[zacster]

When I said "Always leave the kitchen cleaner than it ever otherwise is", I'm just pointing out the fact that our sanitaion methods far exceed any home cooks. I sanitize the counters and the table. This is just so I don't have to worry about accidentally touching a hose to the counter. I'm also very liberal with the Oxyclean. I wipe everything down with it when I'm done since it is already mixed up.

My Blichmann pot of course is shining stainless steel before it gets put away, our regular cookware not so much.
Our floor is a different story...

 

[GulfCoastGirl]

When I said "Always leave the kitchen cleaner than it ever otherwise is", I'm just pointing out the fact that our sanitaion methods far exceed any home cooks.

I think the ribbing about it is due to the notion that that's a great way to get yourself roped into doing a whole bunch more cleaning around the house.... yanno.... since you're so good at it

 

[GulfCoastGirl]

Oh and a note to you guys..... we women are WELL AWARE that your pitiful attempts at cleaning anything around the house that doesn't interest you is all a big ruse to get us to take over and "do it the right way". It's one of the many reasons we make sure that "honey do" list always has plenty to do on it

 

[rifraf]

Oh and a note to you guys..... we women are WELL AWARE that your pitiful attempts at cleaning anything around the house that doesn't interest you is all a big ruse to get us to take over and "do it the right way". It's one of the many reasons we make sure that "honey do" list always has plenty to do on it

Here I was thinking I was getting away with stuff.

 

[Stardust]

I forgot to mention that my wife also uses some of my spent grains to make delicious homemade bread. Win - win - win!

I'd love to have her recipe. DO you think you could PM it me or ask her if she would mind sharing it? Thanks, mate

 

[malevolent]

Make her a nice red wine. She'll be happy

 

[JohnnyO]

Two females posting in the same thread?

Ruh roh.


As for this thread, one thing I try to do is check in with my wife every half hour or so. We have a 7 month old at home. She's a trooper with him on brewdays. However, I've had to put off my clean up to later in the day so I can give her some relief after I've pitched.

 

[LandoLincoln]

You ever notice that there's never any threads about "Tips on keeping the Mr. happy?" Other than Cosmopolitan magazine forum, perhaps.

 

[onthekeg]

I told her that I would give up the hookers and blow to stay home and brew. That didn't work too well since I didn't have that habit yet. As far as hobbies go, the other ones I have take me away from home so she is pretty good about my brewing.
Aviation and Motocross aren't in home hobbies.

 

[DonutMuncher]

This has been a fun thread to read

Lots of good suggestions here for keeping SWMBO happy. I brew in the kitchen and she doesn't mind at all, but I make sure to clean up after myself and try to leave the kitchen looking very clean.

I'm lucky mine enjoys pretty much any type of beer (like me), so she is a little easier to please when I know she'll be partaking in the final product. She tends to help me out too, especially on bottling day. It's always a plus if they want to get involved.

Some good tips here about making sure you brew something she likes every now and then, cleaning up thoroughly after you're done, and trying not to completely ignore her on brew day

 

[brian4508]

^ +1

 

[Grinnan5150]

I make it a point to tell my wife at least a month in advance that I want to brew. Her biggest beef is that it takes 4 to 6 hours of my time leaving her with a cranky toddler half the day. Advance notice is key and then giving her the remaining free time of the weekend and I take over the parenting duties.

I also make sure to make every other batch something she likes also. Whenever possible I will take a PTO day during the week so I can brew when no one is there.

 

[jfrank85]

I try to correspond the brew day with my wife's girl's only days. They go out and get pedicures and drink wine and the guys brew beer, talk beer, drink beer, and play video games. Pretty sweet deal if you ask me!

 

[Grinnan5150]

I try to correspond the brew day with my wife's girl's only days. They go out and get pedicures and drink wine and the guys brew beer, talk beer, drink beer, and play video games. Pretty sweet deal if you ask me!

You got a great gig going there!

 

[beerspitnight]

i try to correspond the brew day with my wife's girl's only days. They go out and get pedicures and drink wine and the guys brew beer, talk beer, drink beer, and play video games. Pretty sweet deal if you ask me!

+1!!!

 

[MoesTavern]

Factors such as cleanup, smell, drunkenness, etc… those are just matters of domestic common sense. IOW, show her the respect she deserves & don’t be a slob, and she can’t really object to homebrewing. It’s not much different from having a passion for cooking chili, right?

Hobbies in general keep me sane. So that’s pretty much the end of the discussion in our household. Take away my hobbies and I soon become a grumpy pain in the neck.

 

[smurfwar]

Do you have friends that are married? Have them over for a brew day. Brew with the husband if the wife's are not into it, make it a fun afternoon, and brewing will become part of a social fun day, a play-date as it were.

Couldn't agree more. Plus it brings them back to try the beer they helped brew. Brings a social aspect to your home life. Some times her coworkers some times out of town guests.
Tends to be fun. Just make sure to help prep the house for company.

 

[Clt2DC]

Clean up after yourself and make something for her pretty simple.

And people with SWMBOs need to ditch them and get with someone cool. Life is to short to spend it with a beat-down.

 

[GulfCoastGirl]

And people with SWMBOs need to ditch them and get with someone cool. Life is to short to spend it with a beat-down.

+ infinity!

I'm a female and I couldn't agree more! Sometimes the roles are reversed but the sentiment is the same. Life is too short to spend it under the thumb of a controlling person

 

[Atonk]

Become completely incompetent at everything else in your home life. Screw it up immensely. But when you brew beer, do it well. She will ask you to brew just to stay out of her hair.

This method has worked well for me. Of course, I figured it out by accident.

This about made me spit my beer out - great!

 

[samsonave]

Rule #1, set firm dates and times for brewing. When she knows I'm brewing, the expectation is set that it's the only thing I will be doing during that time. She used to come down to my garage and see me sitting, listening to music and drinking and thought,"well, I guess he can do other stuff instead of just sitting and getting drunk. Looks like a whole lot of watching" I just educated her on the brewing process and how relaxing is an important aspect

Rule #2, about every 4 batches I ask her what fruity concoction she wants for me to brew for her. I brew it, she drinks it over the course of 2 months, we're good.

Rule #3, she never see's any of my brew stuff as getting in the way. I clean it up promptly and try to contain it as much as possible to my brew garage.

Rule #4, Frequently show her my ridiculous graph that shows how much money I have spend all-time on brewing vrs. what I would have spent on commercial brews or brews on tap at a bar. ( It's kind of fun to show that a hobby has saved me well over $5000 over the past 3 years....)

Given these rules, peace is maintained.

Excellent advice!

 

[brewguy82]

buy her flowers....tell her how u love her...help her find a hobby...watch the kids and brew

 

[BrnBtlFlzy]

So about lady brewers. How do you keep the husband/SO happy?

I know, it's beer, and I even made it and cleaned up. It wasn't fruity, and I let your friends drink as much as they want. In my experience though, even telling a significant other about making beer hasn't gone so well. They don't want to help, and they don't want you to be taken away by something as base as making alcohol.

Someone asked me about romance the other day, and I looked at them blankly while replying, "Romance? Is that the thing that happens between a brewer and their yeast?" Which is probably why we are all here. I do love my fermentations, but it's not mutually exclusive to loving other people, and I'm certainly open to a threesome.

 

[Yooper]

So about lady brewers. How do you keep the husband/SO happy?

I guess that my answer is "I don't care!"

Not really, but we all have interests and hobbies. I don't get obsessed with March Madness but he does so I suck it up as he spends hours talking/discussing/picking bets on his college BB stuff. He also gardens (yawn) many hours a week.

People without hobbies or interests are exceedingly dull and one dimensional, so any SO should be happy to see their partner happy and enjoying themselves.

I could take up a more expensive hobby- aviation lessons, or scuba diving for starters. But I'm happy brewing, and I enjoy it and find it relaxing. If your partner gives you **** for it, maybe the relationship is the problem, not the brewing.

 

[stbnj]

I stay outside as much as possible, I do come in for water and to clean up but the brewing is done outside. I also start early so I am done at a reasonable time and always cook a nice breakfast on brew days. I also brew on request for her friends, a summer shandy here, a blueberry wheat there, a strawberry blonde ale for her sister, etc. Doing this also opened the door for me to start kegging for parties. I think the biggest thing though is doing more than my fair share the week leading up to brewing to buy some credit with the Mrs. She knows when I am planning to brew when the flask and stir plate come out mid week. She also makes fun of me when I use the refractometer.

 

[TOWEYWACKER]

1. My wife works every other weekend, so I try to time it up on the weekends that she works
2. I brew in the garage (no smells, no "in-house" mess)
3. Clean, clean, clean after you brew
4. Definitely brew some batches for her, no matter how fruity she likes it
5. Don't get wasted!
6. Show excitement and interest in the "science" of the hobby
7. If she is present, make it an event and invite other married couples over (let her choose some couples)
8. Show some interest and respect for her hobbies
9. Don't let brewing get in the way of dates, dinners, get togethers, or other events
10. Be an all around decent husband she can be proud of and she will support homebrewing

 

[Komodo]

Use your leftover Starsan to clean the shower. Its freaking awesome. Nothing grows for quite some time.

 

[dooman333]

I support her hobby (horses) & she supports mine (beer). Easy.

Our relationship exactly.

 

[IrregularPulse]

clean up after yourself
don't use/break/lose her kitchen gadgets
don't spill/leak starsan on non-stone countertops

These are the mistakes I've made brew an occasional batch that she prefers.