What do we enjoy about brewing - the process, the results or the tinkering?

[Andrew Hodgson]

I'm not a tinkerer. My background isn't in messing around with mechanical things at all, and while I am sure as I continue to brew I will grow more comfortable with this aspect of brewing I am more interested in the process that creates a result I enjoy. Brewing is therapeutic to me, knowing that every other week or so I will get to have a nice relaxing (maybe) day making a beer is comforting to me. This is why I wouldn't want to cloud that with too much by focusing on minutia and fussing over every detail. Looking for a solid recipe, trying new processes and seeing how they affect the outcome is what I enjoy.

Simplicity balanced with complexity, refinement balanced with instinctual, this is how I like my beers and how I like to brew them.

 

[NewJersey]

process>tinker>result
Years ago I didn't care about time, but having two young kids forced my hand in pursuing shortest brewdays.

 

[bracconiere]

I've been brewing every week for 14 years. and my one goal that whole time was to achieve a .99 twelve pack! i can happily say as of new years 2016, i achieved it with a 92 cent 8% twelver! all it took was a scare from ABInBev, and malting my own!

edit: and now i've got to do the only work, deculming... brew day today!

 

[Hwk-I-St8]

I'm some of all of it. I've always been a cook. I like to create food, enjoy it myself and, more importantly, share it with friends and family. I have a reputation for outstanding BBQ, I win about 90% of the work cooking competitions, and my hardcore beer nerd friends (they travel on beercations, spend hours waiting in line for limited releases, host shares with high end beer from all over the country, etc.) all think I should open a brewery. I love that I can make things that people love. I read and try to learn constantly to improve the quality of what I make, which takes me to point two.

I'm a learner. I love learning new things and tackle new hobbies voraciously. I got into sailing in the 80's and by the end of the decade I was part of a national championship sailing duo.

But there's more. I'm an engineer, woodworker, DIY guy who fixes my own appliances and such. I don't like work that adds nothing to the result. In other words, I'll go to the nth degree to get a better result, but all things being equal, I'd prefer to make it easier. For example: I currently have to store all my equipment in the south end of my basement, but brew in the garage in the north end of the house. I have to go halfway south across the house, down stairs back to the north, then double back to the south end in the basement, then back north to the spot under the stairs to get and return the equipment. I also have my fermentation chamber in the south end of the basement. I drop 30-60 minutes each brewday hauling crap around. That's extra work that adds nothing to the product and I want it gone. I also have to go in and out of the garage a billion times to get to the sink when cleaning. Wasted effort, huge PITA.

Also, living in Iowa, brewing in the garage during the winter sucks...big time. I want to brew in an environment that's as nice as the one I cook in.

I love milling, mashing, sparging, boiling, measuring, recording, etc. I love the sights and smells. I love the art and science of making recipes and following them. I don't care if my brew day is 6 hours, as long as it's actually brewing....not hauling, washing, setting up and tearing down. So, I'm trying to streamline my process to minimize the things I don't like and retain the things I do like.

To that end, I'm planning an electric brewery in a dedicated space with facilities to store, brew, ferment, package and clean all in the same general area. That minimizes the crap and should make for an enjoyable brew day.

Also, I mostly brew alone because I generally prefer it. I always feel like I have to entertain people when they hang out while I'm brewing and I inevitably make mistakes because I get distracted. I would love...LOVE....LOVE to have an actual brewing partner. Someone who knows the rig, knows the process, understands the recipe and can help without being told what to do. I've had a couple friends who dabbled in brewing, but quickly decided it wasn't their thing. I've tried to get my wife involved (she loves my NEIPAs), but she's not really interested.

So, that's why I brew, and that's why I'm also a person trying to streamline my day.

 

[brewcat]

The girls...

 

[Dgallo]

The girls...

Lol

 

[bracconiere]

The girls...

and here i thought they went for the angry tweakers! lol

 

[Velnerj]

I live in a country where they produce the best beer in the world: pilsner urquell. I understand that's my opinion... But to me there's pilsner urquell and everything else is just a derivative. Not only that but comparatively speaking the beer here is quite cheap even in pubs (less than $2/ 0.5L).

I really can't produce a beer that'll be better or much cheaper but I still love it.

I love learning things about beer making whether it be hops, yeast water etc. I read books, blogs, forums and listen to podcasts almost daily.

I'm not much of a tinkerer though some of my equipment is DIY but that's usually only for financial reasons.

The time part though makes this hobby difficult. I've only managed to brew once every 2 months. I work a lot, got a wife and a young daughter -any free time is a premium and to get 6 hours strung together usually takes a miracle.

However if brewing only took 30 minutes I'm not sure I would enjoy it as much.

Since I started, more or less on my own, brewing has always been a really enjoyable challenge. It's the rigorous work, the painstaking planning, the meticulous attention to detail that makes the pint at the end of the rainbow all worth it.

I used to play video games when I was a kid and I often view life through the lens of a video game. If the game was too easy and I could finish it rather quickly I didn't particularly enjoy or like that game, likewise if the game was too confusing and difficult with no success I'd get frustrated and stop playing. But brewing seems to be the right balance of difficulty and success. I'm usually quite happy with the end result but there's always something to do better or differently next time. This is probably what keeps drawing me back.

 

[balrog]

It's my hobby. Learn to do it repeatedly well, or make it better easier, tinkering with the scientific along the way to appease my dataphile personality. Some people enjoy the results and some don't. Doesn't bother me, other than knowing they're wrong and troglodytes.

Also this really struck a nerve, except my basement storage is just about under the garage while the basement steps are at the far side of the house. I feel your pain. Good for the FitBit though...

I currently have to store all my equipment in the south end of my basement, but brew in the garage in the north end of the house. I have to go halfway south across the house, down stairs back to the north, then double back to the south end in the basement, then back north to the spot under the stairs to get and return the equipment. I also have my fermentation chamber in the south end of the basement. I drop 30-60 minutes each brewday hauling crap around. That's extra work that adds nothing to the product and I want it gone. I also have to go in and out of the garage a billion times to get to the sink when cleaning. Wasted effort, huge PITA.

 

[bkz]

I find that I enjoy talking about brewing nearly as much as I enjoy the process. I actively browse a ton of different sites and groups just so I have constant fresh content to take in and respond to. It's an obsession.

 

[Hwk-I-St8]

It's my hobby. Learn to do it repeatedly well, or make it better easier, tinkering with the scientific along the way to appease my dataphile personality. Some people enjoy the results and some don't. Doesn't bother me, other than knowing they're wrong and troglodytes.

Also this really struck a nerve, except my basement storage is just about under the garage while the basement steps are at the far side of the house. I feel your pain. Good for the FitBit though...

Yep, I get my steps in on brew day. I'm also physically wiped when I'm done. I literally don't plan much for the evenings of a brew day because I have no energy. I usually just have a couple brews and watch movies or play games with the family.

 

[wepeeler]

All of the above. Plus talking beer with other home brewers. Getting feedback on my brew. Learning too!

 

[jmarkkaufman]

For me it’s about process, socializing during the brew, talking about beer and brewing, diy equipment, and drinking it. Not greatly fond of cleaning, but take it as it comes. Not too interested in automation as it is less hands on. Similarly I like working on my bike, my Pathfinder, and my house. Hell, I fixed a DVD player last night. I don’t really have a lot of time or money so everything tends to run a little behind, but the satisfaction of doing it myself and the process of problem solving, recipe development etc. keeps my brain happy and occupied.

 

[seatazzz]

Great responses. For me it's having a hobby that not only engrosses me to the point of boring the crap out of anyone who will listen, but keeps me home and occupied. I love the planning process; taking stock of what I have, do I have enough $$ to get what I need, and what I can do with it. My brewing journal entries can be 5 pages long before I even get to the brewday, what with planning, talking myself into or out of ideas, random thoughts, and tweaking recipes. Once it's finally brewday, I leap out of bed like a kid at Christmas and get to it. And it's my "me" time. I have two jobs, three if you count helping out at a local brewpub, and my brewdays are precious to me. I'm lucky enough to have a professional brewer as my mentor, who has taught me a lot of what I know, and is humble enough to listen to my ideas and expand on them. Not to mention cleaning out his shed and unloading his old homebrewing equipment on me so I could improve my own process.

But let's get to the REAL reason why most of us do this; we just love beer. Maybe not all styles, but for those of us who grew up in the 60's and 70's when there wasn't much out there other than light lagers and skunked imports, the plethora of recipes available to us now is fairly mind-boggling. I've loved the taste of beer as long as I can remember, as a little girl of four years who was proud to bring Dad a beer, and got a sip; by the time I was six I could have about 1/2 inch in a glass for myself. At 14 I was allowed to have a can to myself (took me over an hour to finish, and then slept a LONG time). As a result I wasn't one of the kids in school who stole Dad's beer to get drunk; I could have one when I wanted, and even today I don't like to get drunk for the sake of getting drunk, just love the taste of that beautiful fizzy deliciousness in my glass. Making my own has taught me more chemistry and math than I ever learned in school, and brought me satisfaction that no other hobby in my life has even come close to.

And I hope some of the noobs get to this part of this long rambling post; yes you're going to have failures, and mishaps, and feel like throwing your mash paddle through the window; all of us have. But to me there is no better feeling in the world like pulling the first glass of a perfectly carbed whatever I've brewed, tasting it, loving it, and proudly saying to myself, "I brewed this. It's really good. I'm damn proud of myself."

Brew what you like. Like what you brew. And always, ALWAYS, be constantly open to learning.

 

[50calshooter]

It's the process and finished product for me. I have no problem spending an entire day brewing. I still fly sparge and I still use a three vessel system. I still do 60 minute boils and I still build/repair all my own brewing equipment. To me there isn't much point in having a hobby if all you do is try to save time and do it faster.