Why and when did you start brewing?

[JiBiru8]

Love all the stories on here so far.

My parents bought me a Mr. Beer kit when I was in high school, and the beer I made was disgusting. Well, it may not have been disgusting, but being a dumb high school kid I thought everything was disgusting, even Sierra Nevada (the crème de la crème back then). Years later, I was working a desk job that had a lot of down time. I spent a lot of that time on the Internet, and John Palmer's How to Brew website was a site I quickly got interested in. Not having really brewed before, a lot of the information was over my head, but I understood that it was possible to make beer at home, and "real" beer, not just dumping powder in a plastic tub like Mr. Beer.

After quitting that job and having some time, I went to my LHBS, picked up a kit, and have been loving home brewing ever since! I can't remember the last time I drank a commercial beer at home. Also, I recently made the first beer that my wife truly liked, EdWort's Robust Porter (though not as robust as his recipe). Thanks Ed!

 

[Zabuza]

Did a morebeer kit my Junior year of college, can't remember how I discovered that. Thought it would be pretty cool to "make beer." I was all like, "I can do whatever I WANT, man!" Had ideas for hopbursted stouts, lager malt profiles being fermented with ale yeasts, making fruit beers for chicks...

Then I found out how the morebeer kits worked and I was PISSED. There had to be a more customizable way of doing this, I thought. Did a bunch of research online, got a summer job, saved up a bunch of money....

And way overspent myself on a 27 gal Blichmann fermenator and associated equipment. Huge ass brew kettle, burner, hosing, pump to move the wort, counter-flow chiller, etc. Thought I could make a lot of my money back by selling quality beer at a slight profit that would still be cheap enough for undergrads to buy. Needless to say, people didn't want to pay $50 for 50 beer corny kegs, they wanted to pay $15 for a 30-stone. Made a few batches that were way too large for myself and my friends, then gave up.

Didn't brew for the 4 years between senior year and now (grad school's a *****), but started up again in April after tons of reading and whatnot (one good thing about being in philosophy is you get used to reading and researching topics). Downsized to 5 gal batches and couldn't be happier. I've made 17 batches so far (one each week). Huzzah! I've finally found my stride.

 

[PapsD]

I'd always been into beer other than the typical light lager crap. I'm a lifelong hunter and fisherman and also enjoyed cooking. I always bought something different when buying beer. After I graduated highschool I joined the Navy and was stationed in Japan and tried all the beer NEX mini mart and base club had to offer and got hooked on Heineken and Stella Artois. When I was deployed to SE Asia at the time of the world cup in 2006 and discovered Carlsburg thanks to all the bars in Singapore with Carlsburg specials. I also got into wine for a brief period. After I got out and came back to the Chicago area I discovered binny's beverage depot and tried a lot more craft beers when I was going to community college. I was about to graduate in May of 2010 and I had a job got a few good paychecks. Was drinking some beer and surfing amazon.com and bought a homebrew kit from 7 bridges cooperative. It was an awesome west coast red ale. And I've been brewing and trying every craft beer I can find ever since. I bought a house later in 2010 and have been brewing all grain since 2011. I did a few BIAB batches without even knowing what is was. It's an awesome hobby that really complements my other hobbies of hunting and cooking. I've been brewing less frequently lately because I'm also trying to restore my landcruiser. a 1984 fj60 to aid me in my hobbies and owning a home.

 

[November]

I took up brewing about 5 years ago. I was in an accident that had severed my hand, the doctors reattached it, but I was left unable to work for about 8 months. A friend recommended that I take up brewing as a hobby. It helped pass the time between operations and probably made me more tolerable to my wife. I've been brewing more or less non-stop ever since.

 

[Genuine]

Started for me last year when I helped a friend brew a milk chocolate stout. I've been hooked ever since. I got all the gear I needed for all grain and haven't looked back. I have a simple set up, but it works and works well. Just got into kegging and it's a great experience. I've met a lot of great friends through beer and brewing!

 

[Jakeintoledo]

My wife got me a homebrew kit as a gift for Christmas last year. After opening it, I told her I'd either "Hate it or turn the basement into a brewery".

Guess which end of the spectrum I"m at? lol.

I've only been doing it for 8-1/2 months. I've obviously got a ****LOAD to learn, but so far, it's been a blast. I average about 5 gallons a week, and give half of it away. It's made me a somewhat popular guy in my circle of friends.

 

[KraphtBier]

I got a phone call in the middle of the night three and a half years ago. My friends wife had left him and he was incrediably upset. I sent a mutual friend to get him (a 6 hour round trip). A week later he shows up at my house after work and has all the equipment needed to produce beer. I indulged him because he said it would help him heal and I thought it would be cool to make my own beer. That was several hundred gallons of beer ago.

 

[bottlebomber]

I started sitting in on extract brews with a friend in about 2008. It quickly dawned on me that he didn't know what the heck he was doing, even after being at it for years. He would buy and hang on to ingredients for eons, and then direct pitch a vial that was expired for many months. He had no passion for brewing. Once I had him order me a kit, used his equipment, and it blew away anything he had made ever. After that, he had me do the brewing. Finally I broke away from his scene, and took up all grain brewing at the beginning of last year. I have a strong background in cooking, so making recipes and trying new techniques is what I'm all about.

 

[Jim1234]

I was lucky enough to have my inlaws (sister's husband's parents) own the local homebrew shop, and I got a beginner brew kit for my 21st birthday!!!

 

[BrewinHooligan]

For Christmas last year my wife gave me a Mr Beer kit thinking it would be something I would play with a little and move on. She obviously doesn't know me too well because after 4 Mr Beer brews, I jumped head first into all grain brewing with the encouragement of our friend who has been brewing for 6 years and now 1/4 of the garage is filled with bottles, kettles, buckets, and a newly acquired propane burner. She has started complaining some about all the stuff, but she got me started so she can only blame herself and I'm paying less for beer(apart from equipment but am in for less than $200 right now) than I used to and drinking better beer too.

 

[BrewingRugger]

It was about three years ago me and swmbo were talking about getting into a hobby together to spend time together that did not involve our kids. We came across homebrewing on the internet, found out there was a lhbs near our house and went in to check it out. We did not buy anything that first time or the even the third. We got as much information for the owner and the employees as we could about making beer and wine. We got a tax refund check went to the LHBS got a starter kit and an IPA better brewers kit and took off. After a couple kits found out swmbo was pregnet and our hobby quickly became my hobby. Now there is no looking back doing all-grain, want to do competitions, and I am starting my own homebrew club.

 

[HeavyHandedBrewing]

Two years after starting this thread it continues to amaze me at the multitude of ways people find out and start this hobby. Homebrewing is my mistress and my wife is okay with it, which is awesome.