Why do people Quit brewing?

[beersk]

Speaking of moderation - I got a book I wanted for Christmas, biography of Winston Churchill. I was reading some of that about him and have also seen other things online about his alcohol intake. Aside from allegedly smoking an estimated 1/2 million cigars in his lifetime (how that is possible I can’t even imagine) his alcohol intake was legendary. No moderation there. I’m looking forward to this book. There were a couple tv series, one where John Lithgow played him and I thought it was very good, made me want to learn more about this man.

Man, some people are just on another level. Churchill, no doubt, was on another level from most of us. Many many high functioning alcohol abusers. Some just have a higher tolerance for it. I think those who don't tend to have depression/anxiety issues probably handle it better. I do, however, have depression/anxiety issues, and it's gotten worse with the pandemic and switching to work-from-home life. So I definitely benefit from drinking less.

 

[bwible]

Man, some people are just on another level. Churchill, no doubt, was on another level from most of us. Many many high functioning alcohol abusers. Some just have a higher tolerance for it. I think those who don't tend to have depression/anxiety issues probably handle it better. I do, however, have depression/anxiety issues, and it's gotten worse with the pandemic and switching to work-from-home life. So I definitely benefit from drinking less.

Oh man, I work in IT for a big company that is a household name - and we were never allowed to work from home even though there was no reason we couldn’t. Covid hit and I guess it took a national pandemic, but they just about literally threw laptops at us and told us to get out and go work from home. Some of us didn’t like it at first, it did take some getting used to. But when I add it up: I get to sleep later, I get about 2 hours of my life back every work day that I don’t spend driving, I save gas and wear and tear on my car, and I don’t have to put up with managers. Out of sight out of mind. We worked from home for just about 3 years before they made people come back. Now they make us come in 1 day a week. Rumors say that senior management wants everybody back every day. So far it hasn’t happened. But for me there are many benefits to working from home and I don’t see any reason why I even need to go back to the orifice at all. And its even more absurd when they have people doing this work from cubicles in India - literally on the other side of the planet. Yeah but they’re worried about me working from home

 

[beersk]

Oh man, I work in IT for a big company that is a household name - and we were never allowed to work from home even though there was no reason we couldn’t. Covid hit and I guess it took a national pandemic, but they just about literally threw laptops at us and told us to get out and go work from home. Some of us didn’t like it at first, it did take some getting used to. But when I add it up: I get to sleep later, I get about 2 hours of my life back every work day that I don’t spend driving, I save gas and wear and tear on my car, and I don’t have to put up with managers. Out of sight out of mind. We worked from home for just about 3 years before they made people come back. Now they make us come in 1 day a week. Rumors say that senior management wants everybody back every day. So far it hasn’t happened. But for me there are many benefits to working from home and I don’t see any reason why I even need to go back to the orifice at all. And its even more absurd when they have people doing this work from cubicles in India - literally on the other side of the planet. Yeah but they’re worried about me working from home

Funny, a former co-worker and friend of mine used to call it the orifice as well. Haha. I work for a global education company as well (you could probably guess which one) and they have not made us come back. In fact, they closed our office down in Iowa City. I used to bike to work every day. That was my commute and also my exercise. It was a HUGE part of my life. And working from home completely took that away. Now I actually have to think about exercise rather than getting two birds stoned at once by biking to work.

But you're right, there are definitely huge benefits to working from home. I loved it at first, it felt like Friday everyday. Then after a while I got super tired of it and BORED. I miss the office. I'm almost to the point of wanting to get a different job that actually has an office.
So you can see that mental health is a huge factor in my not drinking 4+ pints everyday.

 

[mac_1103]

Aside from allegedly smoking an estimated 1/2 million cigars in his lifetime (how that is possible I can’t even imagine) his alcohol intake was legendary.

Come on, that's less than 20 cigars a day for 70 years.

BTW, which biography? There might be half a million Churchill bios too.

 

[day_trippr]

[...] I get to sleep later, I get about 2 hours of my life back every work day that I don’t spend driving, I save gas and wear and tear on my car, and I don’t have to put up with managers.

^That^ was why I went independent in 2007 for the last 12 years of my career. Designed SSDs for a company that starts with M and ends with N with an HQ in Boise of all places and never had to leave the house...

Cheers!

 

[MaxStout]

I did want to add to this ... I was discussing all this with a lifelong friend the other day and he quipped that taking breaks, like Dry January, is akin to dieting and tends to lead to cravings and overconsumption. I hadn't thought of it that way, and I suspect that the majority of the population who participates in it does not think of it that way. And it's true, I've experienced that myself after prolonged breaks. It's better to cut back overall consumption and be consistent with it rather than all or nothing. It's a process to try and improve that mindset, no doubt about that. I always seem to be on the self-improvement journey...

You friend's analogy to dieting is apt. Going cold-turkey can make you crave it more.

Several years ago I had a physical and got some high A1C numbers, like "pre-diabetic." Not wanting to get the beetus, I decided to shed some pounds. I don't eat the best stuff, but I eat things I like. So I just moderated. Instead of 4 slices of pizza I would eat 2. Going out to some fast-casual restaurant where they serve you a massive portion? Eat half and take the rest home. I continued to eat what I enjoyed, just less of it. And I stopped the boredom snacking. All that, with walking a couple miles a day helped me drop 45 pounds. I've kept it off since.

My drinking is limited to a baseline of 2 moderate ABV or 1 high ABV beer a day. Sometimes I skip a day. I'm mostly retired, and in my part-time solo practice I WFH, so I'm around the house a lot. No drinking before about 3PM, despite the beer fridge full of goodies. Some exceptions, like when together with friends, etc. And a few breweries open at noon, so we go for lunch and a beer. But I never drink beyond getting a light buzz.

I enjoy brewing. I enjoy beer. I enjoy hard cider. I enjoy a nice cocktail. I enjoy good whiskey. I don't want to lose that by overindulging. I think if I developed a drinking problem my wife and other people around me would let me know.

 

[beersk]

You friend's analogy to dieting is apt. Going cold-turkey can make you crave it more.

Several years ago I had a physical and got some high A1C numbers, like "pre-diabetic." Not wanting to get the beetus, I decided to shed some pounds. I don't eat the best stuff, but I eat things I like. So I just moderated. Instead of 4 slices of pizza I would eat 2. Going out to some fast-casual restaurant where they serve you a massive portion? Eat half and take the rest home. I continued to eat what I enjoyed, just less of it. And I stopped the boredom snacking. All that, with walking a couple miles a day helped me drop 45 pounds. I've kept it off since.

My drinking is limited to a baseline of 2 moderate ABV or 1 high ABV beer a day. Sometimes I skip a day. I'm mostly retired, and in my part-time solo practice I WFH, so I'm around the house a lot. No drinking before about 3PM, despite the beer fridge full of goodies. Some exceptions, like when together with friends, etc. And a few breweries open at noon, so we go for lunch and a beer. But I never drink beyond getting a light buzz.

I enjoy brewing. I enjoy beer. I enjoy hard cider. I enjoy a nice cocktail. I enjoy good whiskey. I don't want to lose that by overindulging. I think if I developed a drinking problem my wife and other people around me would let me know.

Nice work. It makes sense to not deprive yourself of what you love but rather just be mindful and have less of it. Easier said than done though. Often, during the mask-wearing, lockdown days, I was at home, bored. I would do a lot of my beer drinking out of boredom. Now I'm a lot more mindful of that, but it took me a good 2-3 years to realize it, as ridiculous as that sounds. I never put on much weight, but it sure affected my mental health, big time.
I'm trying to get back to appreciating craft beer and really focus on the enjoyment of it rather than just whether it's something I can drink 4-6 of. I really think it's a less-is-more sort of thing.

 

[mongoose33]

Interesting to me that so many use brewing software. I'll use EZ Water if I'm doing something new, to get the water right, but as for ingredients, timing, and so on, I just write it down.

There's a funny thing about this for me. I have background in Statistics and Research that would choke a horse. Measurement is one of my areas of expertise, and brewing is nothing if not about measurement.

Early on, I was all into the data. Temps, PH, gravity, if it could be measured I'd be trying to measure it. I'm trained as a scientist, so it came naturally that I would be trying to quantify and model all this.

But something happened on the way to the scientific method of brewing. More and more, I began to treat brewing as an art, and less so as a science. When I'm making up a new recipe or thinking of changing something, I just think really hard about it and then rely on my experience and intuition.

I have no doubt that this intuition was formed and is informed by all the data gathering I did early on. At some point I no longer felt the need to measure so much--I just KNEW.

I'm a big believer in intuition, gut feelings, and the like. It has worked for me in brewing. I'm up to 121 batches, and they've all been enjoyable to do.

* * * * *​

One batch in particular. A new brewery opened here, and one of their ideas was to have local home brewers brew their recipes on their 1-barrel test system and sell it. I was the first one to try. They didn't have an Amber on tap, I have a good recipe and process for one, so I brewed my Ambitious Amber for them.

I've long thought the only true measure of a beer's quality is whether people buy it, and then buy it again. Setting aside styles (I don't like Belgians, but I can tell you if it's a good one), my mantra is this: "Do they have another?"

And with Ambitious Amber, they did. People liked it, and had more. I was excited as I had 3 or 4 more beers I wanted to get on tap and see if the reaction was the same. The Amber isn't my signature beer--Darth Lager is--but it was a first test.

Alas, the brewery closed a couple weeks after my beer was on tap. A couple of friends were teasing me about that, but it had nothing to do with my beer. It's a long, long story, a cautionary tale about what NOT to do in opening a brewery, and maybe I'll post that somewhere else.

I wish I could find someone else nearby that needs a brewer to add variety to their taps.

 

[MaxStout]

One batch in particular. A new brewery opened here, and one of their ideas was to have local home brewers brew their recipes on their 1-barrel test system and sell it. I was the first one to try. They didn't have an Amber on tap, I have a good recipe and process for one, so I brewed my Ambitious Amber for them.

I've long thought the only true measure of a beer's quality is whether people buy it, and then buy it again. Setting aside styles (I don't like Belgians, but I can tell you if it's a good one), my mantra is this: "Do they have another?"

And with Ambitious Amber, they did. People liked it, and had more. I was excited as I had 3 or 4 more beers I wanted to get on tap and see if the reaction was the same. The Amber isn't my signature beer--Darth Lager is--but it was a first test.

Alas, the brewery closed a couple weeks after my beer was on tap. A couple of friends were teasing me about that, but it had nothing to do with my beer. It's a long, long story, a cautionary tale about what NOT to do in opening a brewery, and maybe I'll post that somewhere else.

I wish I could find someone else nearby that needs a brewer to add variety to their taps.

It's nice to get invited by a brewery to brew a batch and watch the beer become successful. There's a lot of satisfaction in that for a homebrewer. I did a pro/am at a local brewery, 15 bbl of Grodziskie, and it's selling well. It was a culmination of a rapport I had with the head brewer over the past few years. I would bring in bottles of homebrew for feed back, and one day he invited me to brew one he particularly liked.

 

[Alan Reginato]

I would suggest to "keep it simple".

I have some friends that used to brew. All of them were using complicated systems at some point. Some started with it, others evolved to it... All-in-ones, plate chillers, kegs, even a pressure fermentor appeared.

Having a mini brewery at home is a cool thing, until cleanup. In industry they use hot caustic soda. DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME.

Also, spare parts are important, because having a lot of small things that can go wrong in the brew day isn't the best motivational plan.

Brew beers that can easily be bought, also isn't a good long term strategy. Brew something different. Like a clear classic IPA (just kidding).

I started with a borrowed all-in-one system and bought myself a very simple BIAB setup. Bottling is ok, if you don't rely too much on dry hoping, also some beers ages very well and maturation is a thing. Temperature controler is optional if you use Saison like yeast in the hot season. Having a microbiological lab is out of question, starters too.
My brew day is smooth and the cleaning part is easy. I brew beers that isn't easy to buy here. And I keep brewing while others quit.

So, my guess is that people quit brewing because it got too complicated.

 

[Norton from Piney]

LOL I was talking to a friend of mine yesterday and he suggested "moist January" too. Made me laugh. I know a lot of people have an issue with the word "moist" and I like to push that button whenever possible. It's the ONLY way to describe a good cake. You can't NOT use the word "moist".

I think the fact that I got such an intense craving to drink beer yesterday signifies to me that maybe I really do have a problem that I should take more seriously. Quitting seems unrealistic, but moderating can be hard sometimes. I'm glad I didn't give in and have any beer. I feel good. Life feels more full of color without alcohol. It's kind of amazing really. But yesterday's intense craving threw me for a loop. I couldn't pinpoint exactly why I got it or what it was I wanted to drink. I just wanted to drink beer. Not sure that's good...

Doing my second dry January. Lost 7 of the 11 pounds I gained during the holidays and in the month of November during my Mom’s journey through hospice. Did this last year and lost 9 of 20 pounds I needed to fit into a tux for my son’s wedding.

This did not stop me from brewing. And I fell off the wagon, so to speak, during the national championship game and on brew day, so my dry January will extend until Groundhogs Day.

It’s actually easier than you think.

 

[beersk]

Doing my second dry January. Lost 7 of the 11 pounds I gained during the holidays and in the month of November during my Mom’s journey through hospice. Did this last year and lost 9 of 20 pounds I needed to fit into a tux for my son’s wedding.

This did not stop me from brewing. And I fell off the wagon, so to speak, during the national championship game and on brew day, so my dry January will extend until Groundhogs Day.

It’s actually easier than you think.

It is easier than you think yeah. And using that excuse (as if one should need an excuse for not drinking) works surprisingly well when in social gatherings. It's sad that we live in a society where people question you if you don't drink. They don't question you if you don't smoke pot, shoot heroin, snort coke, etc. I mean, for real, it's ridiculous.
I did 2 weeks free and clear of alcohol, then decided to do no more than 1 pint a day through February. I feel like it's the perfect compromise for me. I'm hoping to turn it into a healthier habit to get into indefinitely. Special occasions might be different, but those don't happen all too often.
I don't lose weight when I quit drinking, even when I don't change anything else. I think there's a point where your body, without alcohol, starts to actually process food and absorb nutrients better, which aids to a healthier overall body, but doesn't aid in weight loss. A month is not enough time for the body to adjust from years and years of regularly drinking beers everyday. Most people when they claim to lose weight are just losing water weight mostly initially.

 

[Norton from Piney]

People think less of someone for not drinking? Find different people.

As for the weight loss, I exercise at least an hour most days (5 or 6 out of 7), so that accounts forpart of it. The no beer / whiskey regimen seems to speed it up for me.

Plus, it's only temporary, the dry part.

 

[beersk]

People think less of someone for not drinking? Find different people.

Yeah man! It's crazy. It's like you can't do anything social without alcohol involved. I went out for Taco Tuesday with some folks last week and didn't order a beer and one of my friends said to me, "What? No beer???"
I'll bet you...after work today I'm going over to a friend's house where a bunch of people will be. He and some friends built an igloo in his back yard and I want to check it out. I don't plan to drink anything as I don't want to deal with it/would rather wait until after dinner when I can sit down and enjoy a pint of my homebrew. Betcha people will ask my if/why I'm not drinking anything. I'll report back... lol

Well, I suppose it's justified as I do usually drink beer... So maybe I'm just blowin' smoke...

 

[Airborneguy]

My closest friend and my cousin who is like a brother to me are both sober. I will never be, but I certainly respect their choices as both fought really hard battles to get to where they are today.

Only a really low person would give gruff to someone who chooses not to partake. No explanation is ever necessary.

 

[MaxStout]

My closest friend and my cousin who is like a brother to me are both sober. I will never be, but I certainly respect their choices as both fought really hard battles to get to where they are today.

Only a really low person would give gruff to someone who chooses not to partake. No explanation is ever necessary.

My older brother is too, sober for >30 years. And a good thing, as he turned into a raging a-hole after he had a few. Real Jekyll/Hyde kind of thing. His wife said, "give it up or I'm leaving."

I remember giving up weed back in the late 70s. Talk about peer pressure. I took a lot of shiat from friends who still imbibed. One even called me "Sgt. Stadanko," a character from a Cheech & Chong bit. But weed just didn't agree with me--I didn't like the brain fog the next day. It was interesting at parties when someone passed a joint around and I just handed it to the next person. "Whatsamatter Max, you passing up good weed?"

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

I would suggest to "keep it simple"

[...]

So, my guess is that people quit brewing because it got too complicated.

I suspect that most existing definitions of simple brew days are too simple.

Kits don't consider "water" and "oxygen".

Forum discussion seems to take "water" and "oxygen" to "professional grade".

Is there a middle ground? Perhaps.

---

For those who have resources to promote the hobby ...
... what's probably missing is ...
... a well documented and proven process ...
... to brew BJCP 35-ish beer.

The constraints appear to be ...
... 2.5 gal batches ...
... using (mostly) common kitchen equipment, and ...
... bottling for packaging.

 

[beersk]

My closest friend and my cousin who is like a brother to me are both sober. I will never be, but I certainly respect their choices as both fought really hard battles to get to where they are today.

Only a really low person would give gruff to someone who chooses not to partake. No explanation is ever necessary.

Absolutely agree. Anyone who tells me they don't drink gets nothing but praise from me. It's a great thing. I'd never call someone a p*ssy for not drinking, etc.

My older brother is too, sober for >30 years. And a good thing, as he turned into a raging a-hole after he had a few. Real Jekyll/Hyde kind of thing. His wife said, "give it up or I'm leaving."

I remember giving up weed back in the late 70s. Talk about peer pressure. I took a lot of shiat from friends who still imbibed. One even called me "Sgt. Stadanko," a character from a Cheech & Chong bit. But weed just didn't agree with me--I didn't like the brain fog the next day. It was interesting at parties when someone passed a joint around and I just handed it to the next person. "Whatsamatter Max, you passing up good weed?"

Thankfully many of my friends who partake don't give me crap for passing it up. Like you, I really really started to dislike the fog it gave me the next day. It was an easy choice to quit doing it. I smoked sometimes but did mostly gummies of late. Still affected me negatively either way even though the high is slightly different.
Thankfully I've got decent friends that don't give me crap if I chose not to drink either. We all have a friend who was hardcore, had a DUI or 2, got into a couple bad car accidents. He HAD to quit. When Redbull Vodkas are someone's drink, you KNOW they are deep in it and have to quit.

 

[bwible]

It is easier than you think yeah. And using that excuse (as if one should need an excuse for not drinking) works surprisingly well when in social gatherings. It's sad that we live in a society where people question you if you don't drink. They don't question you if you don't smoke pot, shoot heroin, snort coke, etc. I mean, for real, it's ridiculous.
I did 2 weeks free and clear of alcohol, then decided to do no more than 1 pint a day through February. I feel like it's the perfect compromise for me. I'm hoping to turn it into a healthier habit to get into indefinitely. Special occasions might be different, but those don't happen all too often.
I don't lose weight when I quit drinking, even when I don't change anything else. I think there's a point where your body, without alcohol, starts to actually process food and absorb nutrients better, which aids to a healthier overall body, but doesn't aid in weight loss. A month is not enough time for the body to adjust from years and years of regularly drinking beers everyday. Most people when they claim to lose weight are just losing water weight mostly initially.

I think people today do question you for not smoking pot. Sometimes my wife and I feel like we’re the only ones anymore who don’t. Our families all do, people at work all do, etc. New Jersey made it “legal” a couple years ago and we can’t even go to the beach anymore without smelling it every couple of feet. (We live in PA) And this stuff today reeks like a skunk smashed on the highway. It doesn’t smell anything at all like it did back in the 70s.

 

[bwible]

Absolutely agree. Anyone who tells me they don't drink gets nothing but praise from me. It's a great thing. I'd never call someone a p*ssy for not drinking, etc.

Thankfully many of my friends who partake don't give me crap for passing it up. Like you, I really really started to dislike the fog it gave me the next day. It was an easy choice to quit doing it. I smoked sometimes but did mostly gummies of late. Still affected me negatively either way even though the high is slightly different.
Thankfully I've got decent friends that don't give me crap if I chose not to drink either. We all have a friend who was hardcore, had a DUI or 2, got into a couple bad car accidents. He HAD to quit. When Redbull Vodkas are someone's drink, you KNOW they are deep in it and have to quit.

My stepdaughters “boyfriend” brought a container of edibles to our family’s Thanksgiving. My nephew disappeared and played guitar in the basement for 2 hours, nobody wanted to cook the food, a 3 year old broke some expensive stuff because nobody was watching her. Everybody just sat around in a daze watching football. Ruined holiday.

 

[Kent88]

You just passed around a big container of edibles? And everyone took one??

What did you all think was going to happen?

 

[bwible]

You just passed around a big container of edibles? And everyone took one??

What did you all think was going to happen?

I didn’t bring it and I didn’t pass anything around and I didn’t have any.

I also did not go back to their house for Christmas because getting high and watching football is not how I wanted to spend Christmas.

 

[Alan Reginato]

How we went from "why do people quit brewing" to "I'm the only one not getting high"?

Just joking about. It must be quite fun, you can laugh at everyone, while remain sober, and remember that tomorrow. Just enjoy it. And take care of the 3 years old kid next time, surely it's more interesting than watching football with zombies.

 

[beersk]

My stepdaughters “boyfriend” brought a container of edibles to our family’s Thanksgiving. My nephew disappeared and played guitar in the basement for 2 hours, nobody wanted to cook the food, a 3 year old broke some expensive stuff because nobody was watching her. Everybody just sat around in a daze watching football. Ruined holiday.

That sounds miserable. It's an easy decision to quit it. Not drinking on the other hand is much harder. We all brew it...

 

[Kent88]

How we went from "why do people quit brewing" to "I'm the only one not getting high"?

Apparently there's a 3 year old that isn't getting high like we aren't.

 

[Airborneguy]

Uh… by my reading, that dude should have been arrested.

 

[beersk]

Doesn't sound to me like anyone underage took the edibles. He never said the 3 year old did...ease up, fellas.

Besides, this thread is about quitting brewing [beer]!

 

[Indian_villager]

Life gets complicated, their ADHD needs a new stim, more fancy new beer is available so you can just go buy and not down a whole keg, friends stop coming around as much so consumption slows down, financial situation changes, goblins have stolen your children and you must now quest to get them back, etc.

Life is messy, stuff happens, things change.

 

[beersk]

Life gets complicated, their ADHD needs a new stim, more fancy new beer is available so you can just go buy and not down a whole keg, friends stop coming around as much so consumption slows down, financial situation changes, goblins have stolen your children and you must now quest to get them back, etc.

Life is messy, stuff happens, things change.

This is true. Especially the goblins part...

 

[moreb33rplz]

In 2024 most of my beers will be easy drinking ales between 3-4%. I get the same amount of pleasure drinking low abv beer and it's healthier. I find i generally drink the same quantity of beer whether it's 3% or 7%