What to do with all your brew?

[ursa_minor]

I'm sure this must be a common problem around here - I can make homebrew much faster than I can get rid of it!

I've started brewing 5 gallon batches at a rate of approximately once a month. I like brewing at this frequency because I'm new to the game and want to get in enough of a rhythm to learn the basic set of skills without having to re-learn all of my tricks from brew day to brew day. But I find that even if I try, I can't go through a batch in a month (it's hard to stay committed to a single beer for a whole month, especially if it's been brewed by a novice brewer like myself and might not be perfect. Plus there are too many tempting non-home brews...)

So what do you all do? Drink faster? Give a lot away? Trade for other beers? Or have many of you reached the stage where you might have many homebrewed options to choose from and don't suffer from the same lack of options that I do now?

 

[day_trippr]

We somehow manage to dispose of brews at the rate of 10 gallons every 2.6 weeks through a legal year.

But...it's actually not much of a mystery.
Most of that consumption is by me, at roughly four pints poured per day...

Cheers!

 

[Dixon9717]

Mine magically disappears and I don't worry about it I just brew more. The SWMBO though sees it differently...

 

[brewcat]

You could try doing smaller batches. Or get more storage vessels.

 

[flars]

Brew once a week, but brew a few beers that require 6 to 24 months of aging. If they turn out really good I'll help you dispose of them. I will pay shipping costs.

 

[brick_haus]

I brew right at the legal limit every year. In Cali, we can legally pour at events sponsored by non profit organizations. I donate a lot to charity!!! And it's a blast!!!

 

[Michigan_Wolfman]

At the moment, I just brew one batch and savor it until it's gone, then brew a new batch. Might last me longer than 1 month, but at least I'm not spending money on BudMillerCoors or other mass produced swill.

 

[actech]

Sounds like you need to either start working out that liver harder or get some friends that like free beer. (pretty damn easy to find)

 

[SeraW]

I brew 3 gal batches for this reason. Diverse offerings, continuing to condition old batches in the closet while new ones work and plenty in the fridge. Brew once a month.

 

[brewbama]

5 gal lasts about 10 to 14 daze around here. 640 oz at 20 oz pints avg 3 pours a day.

 

[Brewenstein]

"But I find that even if I try, I can't go through a batch in a month (it's hard to stay committed to a single beer for a whole month, especially if it's been brewed by a novice brewer like myself and might not be perfect. "

All the more reason to brew more often. Then you will have a larger selection of home brew to choose from. So you then can drink according to your taste that day. And beers that aren't as good as you would like have a chance to get some age on them, which may improve their taste.

 

[JimRausch]

At last count I had over 300 filled bottles of around 18 different batches. Variety is the spice of life says I. They stay in Styrofoam lined boxes in my garage which stays around 65-70 even in the summer. What I plan to consume in the next week, go in the fridge. I do give a fair amount away, and always bring a cooler of at least 24 bottles to every family/friend gathering. I usually brew 2-3 batches per month from sept-may, then take the summer off.

 

[55x11]

At last count I had over 300 filled bottles of around 18 different batches. Variety is the spice of life says I. They stay in Styrofoam lined boxes in my garage which stays around 65-70 even in the summer. What I plan to consume in the next week, go in the fridge. I do give a fair amount away, and always bring a cooler of at least 24 bottles to every family/friend gathering. I usually brew 2-3 batches per month from sept-may, then take the summer off.

I agree - you need to go on a brewing binge and have a few months when you brew more often - maybe 2-3 times a month. Mostly to build variety. Have some beers that can be aged. Have a few parties if storage is an issue, or give them away. But after a few months you will have a variety of beers and then you can go back to brewing once a month, except each time you will pad your "collection" of home-brew with another "species".

 

[chawn]

I sell mine. :rockin:

Just kidding. Most of mine is given to colleagues and friends. There's no way I could drink all that I brew.

 

[TheBigLebrewsk1]

I give most it away through social events, BBQ's, Bdays, etc. I've usually managed to find a few of those guys that love good beer in my neighborhoods over the years.

When we moved in our current home, I pimped out my beer to the people that introduced themselves as neighbors and I was able to filter out the good people from the ones I would not hang out with pretty easily but seeing how the reacted to the proposition of drinking real actual home made beer. It worked I still hang with those neighbors.

 

[Sammy86]

My wife's family gets together ALOT...minimum once a month so I share with the kin folk. They enjoy the brews and frankly are honest if it sucks or if they don't like it.

My Uncle Joe has been brewing since the 60's and he loves the fact I started brewing.

Always good to spend time with family and drink some home brew!

 

[unionrdr]

After they carb & condition, store the bottles in the cooler basement. Filling your pipeline with beer is always a good thing. Just keep'em outta the light so they don't skunk. Then you've got plenty for barbecues, etc.

 

[catdaddy66]

Mostly I drink mine. I'm really the only beer drinker in my house so I am it. I do trade some with my brother who also brews. Occasionally some is gifted. No cirrhosis as of yet, despite averaging 10-15 beers each week.

 

[budbo]

Share with friends

 

[Qhrumphf]

Option 1: Just drink more. Perhaps not the best advice medically or for your relationships, but hey, I like it.

Option 2: Brew smaller batches. If you want to keep your skills in top form, perhaps won't matter that it takes almost the same amount of time (give or take) to brew 1 gallon as it does 10 gallons. But you can brew more often, experiment more, and if something goes awry less to dump. Plus it'd make it easier to consume batches at their freshest if need be.

Option 3: Vary your brewing style. Brew some monster beers and/or sours, ie something that's going to age for a major length of time either in the fermenter or in the bottle. Then brew smaller beers in between. Plus if you do it right it makes repitching yeast easy. Brew an Ordinary Bitter. Then repitch the yeast into a 12% English Barleywine.


Or you can give beer away if you want. I give some away, but not much. And I brew probably ~150 gallons a year with a wife who for all practical purposes does not drink beer (maybe a tall boy of PBR once a year, that's about it).

 

[55x11]

Option 1: Just drink more. Perhaps not the best advice medically or for your relationships, but hey, I like it.

Option 2: Brew smaller batches. If you want to keep your skills in top form, perhaps won't matter that it takes almost the same amount of time (give or take) to brew 1 gallon as it does 10 gallons. But you can brew more often, experiment more, and if something goes awry less to dump. Plus it'd make it easier to consume batches at their freshest if need be.

Option 3: Vary your brewing style. Brew some monster beers and/or sours, ie something that's going to age for a major length of time either in the fermenter or in the bottle. Then brew smaller beers in between. Plus if you do it right it makes repitching yeast easy. Brew an Ordinary Bitter. Then repitch the yeast into a 12% English Barleywine.


Or you can give beer away if you want. I give some away, but not much. And I brew probably ~150 gallons a year with a wife who for all practical purposes does not drink beer (maybe a tall boy of PBR once a year, that's about it).

this is great advice.

to OP, if you brew once a month, that's about 50 12-oz bottles a month, or 1.6 bottles a day average. You can drink it!

one issue with giving bottles away is that you need new empties to replace bottles you gave away (unless your friends will return them). Which means buying commercial beers and drinking them (I prefer buying bottles that come with beer in them). so in a way that doesn't *help*. Of course you can ask friends to give you empties or buy the case of empty bottles.

Also - just to add, having variety of brews helps a lot. If you brew some imperial stouts, leave them to age for a few months or year+. In between brew some 4% beers that will go quickly.

 

[budbo]

Share with friends and Drink it, kinda a dumb question

 

[Kharnynb]

hmm...nope, never had that problem, if anything it goes too fast.

The only beer that i've kept longer than a month, short of a few bottles to save for someone coming by later, is a belgian abbey beer that needs aging...

 

[shortyz]

i have 3 taps and ive yet to brew enough and keep it around long enough to support all 3 lol

 

[NewJersey]

Just give more away! Anytime people are over I force them to have some beer. (Typically a pretty easy task)
I make 10 gallons at a time now and recently gave my friend half in exchange for a small favor.
Giving it away it as enjoyable to me as consuming it myself.
My wife also enjoys craft beer and helps out consuming the stockpile when she can.

 

[Billy-Klubb]

Option 1: Just drink more. Perhaps not the best advice medically or for your relationships, but hey, I like it.

Option 2: Brew smaller batches. If you want to keep your skills in top form, perhaps won't matter that it takes almost the same amount of time (give or take) to brew 1 gallon as it does 10 gallons. But you can brew more often, experiment more, and if something goes awry less to dump. Plus it'd make it easier to consume batches at their freshest if need be.

Option 3: Vary your brewing style. Brew some monster beers and/or sours, ie something that's going to age for a major length of time either in the fermenter or in the bottle. Then brew smaller beers in between. Plus if you do it right it makes repitching yeast easy. Brew an Ordinary Bitter. Then repitch the yeast into a 12% English Barleywine.


Or you can give beer away if you want. I give some away, but not much. And I brew probably ~150 gallons a year with a wife who for all practical purposes does not drink beer (maybe a tall boy of PBR once a year, that's about it).

I decided to try my hand at the long term sours/funk. I currently have 3 vessels waiting for their bottling time. one of them has approximately 8.5 gallons. one vessel has a blend of meads not yet ready, and my other has a short term I should probably keg this weekend. I have 1 vessel for short terms at the moment. I need more vessels or I need to cool it on long term beers a little.

 

[kh54s10]

When I started I brewed on average every 2 weeks. I had at one time about 200-300 bottles of 12 different beers. I have slacked to about once a month or a little more. I give some away but drink most myself.

 

[Billy-Klubb]

When I started I brewed on average every 2 weeks. I had at one time about 200-300 bottles of 12 different beers. I have slacked to about once a month or a little more. I give some away but drink most myself.

when I started brewing, it was once every 1-2 weeks. even the not-so-great batches went fast. gutter/drunk punks will drink some less-than-par stuff. I hung out with a lot of them.:rockin:

 

[wallybangbang]

I turn mine into pee!