Why do you brew?

[Dan]

Brewing is a creative expression.. a rewarding hobby to throw yourself into. I use to make the best sourdough bread you ever had. My specialty was sourdough made from a wild yeast caught from the environment, organic flour, sea salt, and spring water. My God was it good! But I moved and life changed; I lost the environmental leverage, the enthusiastic attitude and personal drive. I then delved on to woodworking at novice level; made alot of nice home improvements and projects I'm still proud of.

Brewing is a wonderful hobby. I don't even try to pretend to be in the league of guys like Bobby M, Donosborn, or the guy who got me thinking I could homebrew in the first place - Craig Farraway. I respect the heck out of those guys because each of them has unselfishly taught and shared so much with us. I believe HBT is one of the greatest contributions to homebrewing as there ever was. John Palmer, "Charlie" Papazian and many others have given us a direction, a base to make our own brewing hobby start.

I would like to say thank you to all those I have mentioned above and wish all homebrewers the best of luck to you and may all your dreams come true.. sounds corny I know, but I mean it :rockin:

 

[BBKing]

I love Newbies

I brew because its allows me to make whatever beer I want. Which is a plus in my little town filled with Busch and Bud drinkers. I can find SNPA and maybe some Stone (a few times a year) but thats if I'm halfway lucky.

Oh, and I can make those mentioned beers and dryhop til my hearts content. Try Yoopers DogFish Head 60 recipe. Freshest beer you will have, EVER.

 

[Dan]

I love Newbies

I brew because its allows me to make whatever beer I want. Which is a plus in my little town filled with Busch and Bud drinkers. I can find SNPA and maybe some Stone (a few times a year) but thats if I'm halfway lucky.

Oh, and I can make those mentioned beers and dryhop til my hearts content. Try Yoopers DogFish Head 60 recipe. Freshest beer you will have, EVER.

I know exacty what you mean. BTW I might be a newbie to the HBT, not to brewing

 

[chumpsteak]

I brew because I love to cook and drink beer. Until recently I never considered that I could be as creative with beer making as I am with cooking. I've found that beermaking is just like cooking. Using subtle tweaks on simple ingredients you can create a wide range of flavors and profiles. I used to feel sorry for people that don't cook, now I equally feel sorry for people who don't brew. They just don't know what they're missing. The kettle is my canvas.

 

[LandoLincoln]

I brew because I love hardware, and this hobby lets me collect ungodly amounts of it.

 

[lumpher]

i brew for a lot of reasons.
i can get great beer
i can get it cheap
i love knowing i'm the 1 who did this
i don't have to leave the house when the case runs out (i keg)
it's fun
brewing is "my time"
etc...

 

[Dan]

i brew because i love to cook and drink beer. Until recently i never considered that i could be as creative with beer making as i am with cooking. I've found that beermaking is just like cooking. Using subtle tweaks on simple ingredients you can create a wide range of flavors and profiles. I used to feel sorry for people that don't cook, now i equally feel sorry for people who don't brew. They just don't know what they're missing. The kettle is my canvas.

+1

 

[Dan]

Please, more!

 

[Yuri_Rage]

I like beer.

I like to make stuff.

I like to make beer and the stuff that makes beer.

 

[JefeTheVol]

Chicks, money, power....and chicks!

 

[BBKing]

I know exacty what you mean. BTW I might be a newbie to the HBT, not to brewing

I was going to laugh about your "Why do you brew" attitude/threads, but I decided that I just might be wrong. (Being stubborn, I highly doubt that I am)

Either way, welcome to HBT.

God loves beer, and those that make it.

BTW, take a look at my sig, and donate a buck or two eh?

 

[Dan]

I like beer.

I like to make stuff.

I like to make beer and the stuff that makes beer.

Yuri, your answer must be why you have like our 11,000+ posts, because no matter if you leave a long post or a short one.. You get to the point. I like that!

 

[chumpsteak]

First you make the beer, then you get the money, then you get the power, then you get the women.....

 

[fargo234]

Reasons why I brew... a perfectly proportioned eleven point list.

1. Homebrew tastes awesome. Well, at least mine does.
2. Homebrewing is challenging and rewarding.
3. My wife and kids can't stand the smell, so it's all me time!
4. People saying, "You MAKE beer? Awesome!"
5. I like math now.
6. Buying Sam Adams is now an investment (bottles...)
7. I now have a good reason to have a commercial size refrigerator in my garage! (Those deviled eggs for T-day will fit right on top of those six cases of homebrews.)
8. While beer drinking in and of itself is an admirable hobby, making it yourself is like telling people, "You watched the Superbowl last year? Great. Wanna see my ring?"
9. Brewing is like a gate-way drug... I use my experience and equipment now to make mead. And enormous quantities of chili.
10. For about the same cost as a case of S*** Light, I can bring a case of Awesome to the game. And I get treated like a celebrity chef on Food Network.
11. After 11 years, I'm more interested in it than ever. Never gets boring.

 

[Dan]

I brew because I love hardware, and this hobby lets me collect ungodly amounts of it.

Know what you mean. I built a brewpot out of a keg, built a stand that would hold the 15.5 keg, built an immersion chiller, pre-chiller, etc etc... the best thing about this hobby to me is building stuff.

 

[kdfelge]

I brew because I love hardware, and this hobby lets me collect ungodly amounts of it.

+1. And I like the feeling of accomplishment when the beer turns out great and most of your friends/family drink it and drink it and drink it.....drunk

 

[IffyG]

I brew because I got tired of paying 10-12 bucks for a six pack of poorly handled, old commercial beer. Turnover of beer in this area is pretty low and that's pretty much the kiss of death for hoppy beers.

 

[chumpsteak]

Wait....you share with friends and family? I thought the point was to get me drunk? I'm afraid of rejection. Not because of the way it reflects on me but on them. They might not like it and then I would be forced to think less of them because I KNOW how good my beer is.

 

[Dan]

I was going to laugh about your "Why do you brew" attitude/threads, but I decided that I just might be wrong. (Being stubborn, I highly doubt that I am)

Either way, welcome to HBT.

God loves beer, and those that make it.

BTW, take a look at my sig, and donate a buck or two eh?

Took a look and found out you'e a geat guy. Not willing to give up money yet bro.

 

[jiggs_casey]

Dude, you get to make beer!

 

[bbrim]

The kettle as canvas... I love this comment. I've been thinking about this one for a while and the possibilities for expression are endless. I am friends with some artists and so I have tried to find the perfect analogy to relate brewing to painting. Water is the canvas. Malt selection is the type of paint you will use. Hops represent the colors, and the way you arrange them. Yeast is the brushstroke.
Water as canvas is simple. It is the medium upon which an artistic expression will be created.
Malt selection as type of paint is harder for me to work out. But think about this one.Base malt are subtle and will blend in many different specialty malts in subtle ways. Dark malts are more like oils which simply coat the canvas, and dominate the bottom notes.
Hops can create bright refreshing notes when pushed to the forefront, light a bright color scheme. Lower hopped beers feel more like a darker color scheme. And the timing of you addition affects the contrast of the beer. A beer with only late additions will have low IBUs and great hop flavor, much like a dark painting with bright spots on it (think Starry Night).
The yeast is the way you lay it on on the canvas. Is it clean, messy, or are the strokes all in an upward stoke? Does the yeast have very little expression, is it hot, does bring banana and clove?
This is just a random musing I have been entertaining for some time. Feel free to present to contributions to the thought, or point out shortcomings in its conceptions.

 

[BBKing]

Reasons why I brew... a perfectly proportioned eleven point list.

1. Homebrew tastes awesome. Well, at least mine does.
2. Homebrewing is challenging and rewarding.
3. My wife and kids can't stand the smell, so it's all me time!
4. People saying, "You MAKE beer? Awesome!"
5. I like math now.
6. Buying Sam Adams is now an investment (bottles...)
7. I now have a good reason to have a commercial size refrigerator in my garage! (Those deviled eggs for T-day will fit right on top of those six cases of homebrews.)
8. While beer drinking in and of itself is an admirable hobby, making it yourself is like telling people, "You watched the Superbowl last year? Great. Wanna see my ring?"
9. Brewing is like a gate-way drug... I use my experience and equipment now to make mead. And enormous quantities of chili.
10. For about the same cost as a case of S*** Light, I can bring a case of Awesome to the game. And I get treated like a celebrity chef on Food Network.
11. After 11 years, I'm more interested in it than ever. Never gets boring.

I've never seen a more creative and funny 4th post. I'm tempted to throw down on a years script for this guy.

 

[starrfish]

The kettle as canvas... I love this comment. I've been thinking about this one for a while and the possibilities for expression are endless. I am friends with some artists and so I have tried to find the perfect analogy to relate brewing to painting. Water is the canvas. Malt selection is the type of paint you will use. Hops represent the colors, and the way you arrange them. Yeast is the brushstroke.
Water as canvas is simple. It is the medium upon which an artistic expression will be created.
Malt selection as type of paint is harder for me to work out. But think about this one.Base malt are subtle and will blend in many different specialty malts in subtle ways. Dark malts are more like oils which simply coat the canvas, and dominate the bottom notes.
Hops can create bright refreshing notes when pushed to the forefront, light a bright color scheme. Lower hopped beers feel more like a darker color scheme. And the timing of you addition affects the contrast of the beer. A beer with only late additions will have low IBUs and great hop flavor, much like a dark painting with bright spots on it (think Starry Night).
The yeast is the way you lay it on on the canvas. Is it clean, messy, or are the strokes all in an upward stoke? Does the yeast have very little expression, is it hot, does bring banana and clove?
This is just a random musing I have been entertaining for some time. Feel free to present to contributions to the thought, or point out shortcomings in its conceptions.

I am an artist... I design & paint for a living. I LOVE beer. I cook as well... I make my own sauces formulate recipes, beer and cooking. I've made beers I cant get ANYWHERE else but my own taps. Had a happy accident of a sour 2 years ago and plan on souring my next brown with my last bottle of that oops! how cool is that!

 

[Dan]

I am an artist... I design & paint for a living. I LOVE beer. I cook as well... I make my own sauces formulate recipes, beer and cooking. I've made beers I cant get ANYWHERE else but my own taps. Had a happy accident of a sour 2 years ago and plan on souring my next brown with my last bottle of that oops! how cool is that!

It's what it is all about. I do not believe brewing a great beer is any different than making great food!

 

[Dan]

May I take a poll?

 

[starrfish]

It's what it is all about. I do not believe brewing a great beer is any different than making great food!

exactly!

 

[starrfish]

May I take a poll?

poll away!

 

[starrfish]

It's what it is all about. I do not believe brewing a great beer is any different than making great food!

I made a lemon balm (herb) cream ale for last years fishing camp out week end. fished with one of the guys today and he asked what's on tap this year?!

We killed a 5 gallon keg in 3 days... made me feel good, my buddies of different beer tastes killed a keg in a few days! in my mind. SUCCESS!

 

[chumpsteak]

The kettle as canvas... I love this comment. I've been thinking about this one for a while and the possibilities for expression are endless. I am friends with some artists and so I have tried to find the perfect analogy to relate brewing to painting. Water is the canvas. Malt selection is the type of paint you will use. Hops represent the colors, and the way you arrange them. Yeast is the brushstroke.
Water as canvas is simple. It is the medium upon which an artistic expression will be created.
Malt selection as type of paint is harder for me to work out. But think about this one.Base malt are subtle and will blend in many different specialty malts in subtle ways. Dark malts are more like oils which simply coat the canvas, and dominate the bottom notes.
Hops can create bright refreshing notes when pushed to the forefront, light a bright color scheme. Lower hopped beers feel more like a darker color scheme. And the timing of you addition affects the contrast of the beer. A beer with only late additions will have low IBUs and great hop flavor, much like a dark painting with bright spots on it (think Starry Night).
The yeast is the way you lay it on on the canvas. Is it clean, messy, or are the strokes all in an upward stoke? Does the yeast have very little expression, is it hot, does bring banana and clove?
This is just a random musing I have been entertaining for some time. Feel free to present to contributions to the thought, or point out shortcomings in its conceptions.

You sir are my hero.

I've always been more of the scientific type than artistic, but through cooking and now brewing I have been able to express myself in an artistic fashion without my stupid brain getting in the way. The beauty of both disciplines is that there are no rules. Structured people can feel free to break the bonds of formulas and guidelines and break into unbridled expression through grain, hops, and yeast! Plus, fermentation is cool as sh*t.

 

[Dan]

Know what you mean. I built a brewpot out of a keg, built a stand that would hold the 15.5 keg, built an immersion chiller, pre-chiller, etc etc... the best thing about this hobby to me is building stuff.

Me too. The building is the best!

 

[jancan123]

Brewing smells great when cooking... the technique that goes into brewing is scientific and pretty darn interesting. Especially when my husband is the brew master.

 

[Dan]

Sorry I posted the same post twice

 

[starrfish]

Me too. The building is the best!

building is cool too! built my mash tun & CPVC manifold, wort chiller, red oak stir paddle, and customized my brew pot with a drain valve. LOL also built a picnic table so I wouldn't need to use as many milk crates!

 

[abrdnck]

I decided to try my hand at beer making shortly after I realized I could make my own yogurt. The skills are essentially the same, and cleanliness is terribly important for both, as is temperature control. I make better yogurt than I can buy, at a fraction of the price. Why not try that with beer, which gives me so much more pleasure? I'm still learning and refining techniques, and I admit that none of my batches have turned out exactly as I envisioned. Still, I have made some excellent beer. My most recent batch is a black IPA which I would place up against any commercial beer that I've had the pleasure of drinking. I know that I am biased, but that is part of what makes the hobby so alluring. Plus, I love knowing that I've got over 100 bottles of beer in 6 different styles in my basement, and another 28L waiting to be bottled.

 

[starrfish]

I'm drinking an OK wheat... not quite what I had in mind. but my last APA was so good (may do a double batch if I can borrow a keggle) brewing that again as is, brewing wheat again later in fall and know where I will make changes! just to get it "just right".

 

[scrambledegg81]

Because I can.

 

[sacrifice]

I really have no idea - I do my own wine, beer, bread, can food, grow a garden, build my own computers, reload, and one and on. But why? Got me.......Maybe I just enjoy doing something with my time other than TV. Or maybe my wife is right - I am nuts! :rockin:

 

[Boy]

I brew to satisfy my taste buds and obsession with beer. I love it. However I also love how much it occupies me. I usually spend 2 months perfecting a recipe before I brew it. Usually requires multiple hours on google, HBT, Brew365 before I am happy with it. Keeps me very busy. I also love DIY and finding what I have laying around the house from remodels, motorcycle building, snowboarding that can be converted to brewing. I let my ADD take control in recipes and so far have not been let down. I love this hobby as a new outlet to exert my extra time and energies.

 

[bmud0314]

I grew up in a very hands on manner on a dairy farm, so I've always like tinkering, building, thinking, over thinking, fixing, making, etc. I am also a science nerd. And I found a love of good beer. Enter the new addiction...

 

[mhenry41h]

I think I have multiple answers to this question. 1) I love beer and the styles I prefer aren't often "wallet friendly." 2) I enjoy challenges: the task of writing a recipe, nailing the processes, and running a clean fermentation is an enjoyable endeavor. 3) having friends and family look astonished at what you hand them and comments like, "I would pay for this at a pub or distributor" makes it all worthwhile!

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