To drink while brewing or not to drink.. That is the question

[edco76]

Ive only done 1 batch but I can already tell you. Drink.

I even said to my wife. "You know what the best part of making beer is? Drinking beer"

 

[Riot]

I drink all day when I'm brewing, both start around noon. Pacing yourself is very important if you want yeast pitched in a sanitary fashion however.

 

[camilagss]

I usually drink one pint while sparging, then one pint after mt 60' hop addition, then one pint after I'm done. More than that and I know for sure I'll mess something up haha.

 

[BallisticGourd]

A hot scotchie after Sparging has started and a pint during cleanup works pretty well for me.

 

[masskrug]

If you know what you are doing and have your ingredients ready to go, do it.

If you are drunk, weighing and milling grains, weighing hops and playing with fire, then no.

 

[Hoppity]

Are we not men? DEVO
My wife doesn't watch me brew, why not drink? Since I eliminated the glass I feel much safer.

 

[bscott1011]

I usually have one at flame out, then another when cleaning and scrubbing the mash tun and kettle. Oh and I have a sample or two during bottling but I don't want to get too tipsy before I'm done.

 

[hbhudy]

1 at 60 min, 1 when I begin to chill the wort, and 1 when i get carboy into fermentation chamber.

 

[MaxStout]

I usually brew in the morning, so I don't crack one open until well into the process. Usually enjoy a brew during the boil, when I'm just sitting around anyway and things aren't too crazy.

 

[Auger]

I don't start drinking until I've reviewed my recipe 2-3 times, gotten water heating, and confirmed everything is clean, in place and ready to go. Once that's done...game on. I'll usually have 5 or 6 of whatever I have on tap at the time throughout the brew process. I've tried brewing without drinking. It felt weird. And at the end, I was like...what was the point of that?

I will admit that I really didn't drink much for my first 4-6 batches of all grain because I was too busy fussing over every little detail. Now that I'm more comfortable with the process its easier to sit back and enjoy a few beers while mashing, boiling, etc.

 

[chisena]

I don't start drinking until I have disconnected my 30A 240V eHERMS and moved onto the boil (gas). Seems like the smart move... for me anyways. Don't really want to fry myself.

 

[Hoppity]

My last two batches have been BIAB after being an All Grain brewer for 3+ years. I'm impressed with the amount of time it saves me for drinking.

 

[Quaffman]

My last brew day was the first time I really drank much throughout the day. It was primarily because I was teaching a friend to brew and he wanted to taste some things I had on tap. I felt like I was missing steps throughout, so this Friday while teaching more friends to brew, I think I'll wait until after the fermenter is in the chamber before pulling the tap handle.

 

[watermelon83]

Homebrewing round one: drank from start to finish. This round: I crack the first one as the burner goes out and water to immersion chiller is turned on.

 

[Frozer860]

I made it a tradition to drink my last homebrew while brewing the new recipe. Usually drunk when it's time to clean up but the beer always comes out good. 10 batches under my belt

 

[Remmy]

My last brew day was the first time I really drank much throughout the day. It was primarily because I was teaching a friend to brew and he wanted to taste some things I had on tap. I felt like I was missing steps throughout, so this Friday while teaching more friends to brew, I think I'll wait until after the fermenter is in the chamber before pulling the tap handle.

That's going to defeat the purpose of brew day.

 

[GHBWNY]

Since most of my brewdays start at 6 AM, and a good portion of them are double brew days, I usually do not drink while brewing.

Haven't you heard the expression, "It's 5 AM somewhere"?

 

[CJ1]

I always have one of my most recently finished while making the next one. Just my thing.

 

[day_trippr]

My inner Puritan disallows drinking while brewing...

Cheers!

 

[govner1]

I don't have anything until after the first hop addition following full boil.i find I make fewer mistakes so I finish sooner and can then drink more.

 

[petey_c]

I make more mistakes if I'm drinking and brewing, but I'm more relaxed about it....

 

[HB_in_Subic]

I am usually too busy until the boil is under control (I bottle and brew the same day). Once the boil is started I will have 2 during that and 1 after it has cooled. I have to keep my whits about me to make sure I do not forget to add the yeast . As it is always 85 degrees in the early evening, I am usually hydrating as I am bottling and steeping the grains. I generally brew after dark as it is cooler and don't have to deal with flies vying for the water and sugar.

 

[ABVIBUSRM]

i try and limit drinking while brewing not for safety but to keep my mind sharp so i dont forget things

 

[campbellmike]

My brewing day is a fun day as I thoroughly enjoy the process. A couple of beers while I brew is just part of the event. I just sip a bit as I go starting after I set the timer for the mash. I have a wonderful brew partner, my wife, who helps to keep things in order but that goes for whether I'm drinking beer or not and no matter what I'm doing.

 

[dominicmsu]

wait, people don't drink while brewing?
I do not care if it is 6am or 11pm I have at least a beer or two, usually 3-4, typically not more than 6.
Seems appropriate to sip on a beer or two appreciating the beer and creating anticipation for the one you are brewing.

 

[ABVIBUSRM]

wait, people don't drink while brewing?
I do not care if it is 6am or 11pm I have at least a beer or two, usually 3-4, typically not more than 6.
Seems appropriate to sip on a beer or two appreciating the beer and creating anticipation for the one you are brewing.

oh i drink when i brew i just dont get smacked until the yeast is pitched

 

[m00ps]

I usually start brewing around 6-7pm. I have a rule that me, and anyone else hanging out during the session, needs to be drinking the entire time. I'm not talking about pounding beers or anything, just sipping on something. Usually by yeast pitching time I'll be maybe 6 beers deep which is enough to make a lightweight like me a bit sloppy...

 

[ArkotRamathorn]

If I am by myself and I know I won't be doing anything but brewing that day, yes, if I'm on the ball and keeping up with the cleaning (so I don't have to do it after) I'll start during the mash. If not, I'll wait till the boil and leave the cleaning till the next day.

3 or 4 fingers of scotch (Glenfidditch is perfect for this) during the boil, pull out whatever book I am reading at the time (for the nerds out there book 9 of the Malazan series) and just sit back and chill (literally now that its basically winter in Wisconsin.

When I was first starting out, and when other people are around, I will not drink, at least the most I will have during the course of 4 hours is (maybe) 2 lower gravity beers total. I would get in deep doody if SWMBO was around and I was half in the bag and dumped 5 gallons of boiling wort all over the place.

 

[brew_ny]

I brew in the AM started at 4 AM yesterday brewing an all grain robust porter

I may drink a beer at the end while cooling then one after pitching my yeast

well I have a keg of porter that is about empty and of course is very nice tasting

well I did not have any glassware in the shed and did not want to walk into the house at that time with my dogs

so I saw a plastic drink cup so I washed it out filled it up and put the lid on it with straw

I was chilling my wort at 10:30 AM with about three in me and realized why I wait

but boy did they taste good but the straw was a really bad idea

all the best

S_M

 

[max384]

I'm usually pretty sloppy by the end of a brew day. Thus far, I've never had a dry brewing session.


However, me and my fiance are doing a booze-free November, and I've got a brew coming up... So I guess I'll give a dry brew session a go.

 

[MNBrewDad]

I always like to crack open one of my most recently finished homebrews before I turn the burner on and another one after sealing up the fermenter. I like to have everything clean and organized before imbibing, so come boil time it's generally smooth sailing. Since I only brew extract it's pretty hard to mess anything up too badly. If I have too many during brew day then chilling and pitching yeast get much more difficult. However if it's below zero and I'm brewing in my unheated garage then I tend to drink several beers during the boil. Cheers!

 

[chato]

Having a couple of beers while I brew doesn't present a problem when I'm brewing alone. What messes me up is brewing with someone else present. Inevitably I'll miss some timed process or addition due to yacking instead of watching the clock. That rarely happens when I'm brewing alone.

 

[Ozarks Mountain Brewery]

what I will never do again is drink while brewing being tired after work, had a bad freak accident with boiling wart dumped on my had and ended up with 3rd degree burns, after 6 months its still pink a bad reminder, for me any way now I drink coffee and pay attention

 

[ABVIBUSRM]

Having a couple of beers while I brew doesn't present a problem when I'm brewing alone. What messes me up is brewing with someone else present. Inevitably I'll miss some timed process or addition due to yacking instead of watching the clock. That rarely happens when I'm brewing alone.

same for me.. hate being distracted while brewing always causes more problems then drinking while brewing

 

[Icepicktrotski]

Once the wort hits the brew kettle...game on!

 

[Monkey-BB]

I actually tried a quick 5 gallon brew yesterday.... No Homebrew till well into the boil and was surprised on how well it went... Not used to that at all.

 

[brewbeginner]

I like to crack a home brew on brew day, but have learned that if I start to drink to soon my method tends to lack