Why do you homebrew? Are people nuts?

[kestrelbrewing]

Not if you live in Canada, it is mostly taxes.

Weird … Most of the ingredients that go into beer qualifies as food in California so it's not taxed. And since there's no reporting to the government on your home-brew production, there's no federal or state taxes on that.

How is homebrewing taxed? Is it by province or federal? Do they tax the ingredients or the output?

 

[SteveH aka shetc]

I brew, therefore I am.

 

[jimyoung]

I think my motivation comes from growing up living heavily off the land. Looking at a batch of beer bottled, sitting in crates in 50 odd bottles, is such a great feeling - like you've prepared for winter. Reminds me of the crates of home-made jam, or bottled moose meat, or whatever, that we'd make as kids. Making beer is like a cave-dweller's way of feeling like you're stocking up and providing (except I'm the only one who drinks it...)

From there, I got really hooked on the process, the science, and the pseudo-science! tonnes of fun.

given how much beer I drink and how much I give away, and the never-ending costs of upgrading and trying new things, I'm quite sure I'm not saving much money, if any...

 

[Genuine]

I started homebrewing because after my first craft beer (DFH 90 Minute) I was wonderstruck as to how you could create this beverage at home. So, when I found that homebrewing was quite a challenge at first, I was bound and determined to figure out how to make the best beer I can, and try to make it taste as commercial as possible. 8 years later, I have an electric brewing system to cut down time on my brew day and switch to an RO water system so I can control the water chemistry to perfect my recipes. If I'm not brewing, I'm watching youtube videos on it, reading books (i.e. Scott Janish's) and browsing the forums. I also like the fact that it takes time to produce...and I'm always in awe when I pull the first few pints and enjoy the fruits of my labor. I also enjoy bringing in growlers for friends and co-workers since beer making is mysterious to many...and making good beer at that! Most people have had bad homebrew at some point so I like to show that homebrew can be very well made.

 

[Hoppy2bmerry]

Braaaiiiins. LOL Drinking great/good beer is a pleasure. Drinking great beer you’ve brewed yourself Is even more enjoyable.

 

[corkybstewart]

Back in 1981 I married a French woman and we spent that summer with her family. Her father introduced me to Belgian beer, a brother in law was a truck driver and he brought me beer from all over Europe. When we got back to our small town in New Mexico and I couldn't find any beer I had fallen in love with so I started thinking about homebrewing. It took 11 years to actually do it but I fell in love with the art and science of brewing. Within a few years I was making 10 gallon all grain batches with my own recipes. So I homebrew for the beer, but also because it's so much cheaper once you get the right equipment put together. I grew a lot of my own hops, and my wife even tried to get me to plant a crop of barley in our old horse pen. In 2006 we started having a homebrew Oktoberfest in our yard-homebrewed beer and/or home cooked food were required for entry(as was a Designated Driver or camping gear for staying overnight). We learned that the homebrewing community was just as much fun as homebrewing itself.

 

[Jayjay1976]

I had a neighbor who couldn't get his head around why I bother making my own beer when "good" beer is so cheap.... He was a BMC fan. He also repeatedly asked why I brew weird Belgian ales and 'dark' beers instead of something good like Coor's. I finally go the point across when we were over for a bbq; he was working the grill flipping burgers he'd made with his own secret recipe seasoning, I was standing there sipping a saison when I asked him why couldn't he just make a burger that tastes like McDonald's? He got that deer-in-the-headlights look and almost dropped his can of bud.

 

[raclark69]

Why do I brew my own beer? The same reason i grow my own vegetables and herbs. The same reason I make my own sandwich during lunch. The same reason I smoke my own meat. Not only does it taste better, it’s the happiness you get knowing it’s your own creation. That and it’s cool to hear others say “Damn that tastes good. Can I have another?”

 

[ncbrewer]

I brew, therefore I am.

+1000

 

[Dancy]

I had a neighbor who couldn't get his head around why I bother making my own beer when "good" beer is so cheap.... He was a BMC fan. He also repeatedly asked why I brew weird Belgian ales and 'dark' beers instead of something good like Coor's. I finally go the point across when we were over for a bbq; he was working the grill flipping burgers he'd made with his own secret recipe seasoning, I was standing there sipping a saison when I asked him why couldn't he just make a burger that tastes like McDonald's? He got that deer-in-the-headlights look and almost dropped his can of bud.

One of the best posts EVER!!!

 

[davidabcd]

I forgot about food not being taxed when it comes to brewing. I half-ordered on-line to make sure. It doesn't really matter but still nice to be reminded. There are many threads about "Why?' and my response hasn't changed.
Generally better beer, fun and price.

 

[Transamguy77]

I’ve read the OP and a couple after but then realized this thread is 10 years old so I think some of the perspectives have changed. I know for me that have, I started 10 years ago and I had some of those comments as opposed to what I get now.

I just moved to a new house and the last brew I did in the driveway I had probably 20 people ask what I was making or want to come check it out. Beer is what brings the neighborhood together

 

[Conehead]

Weird … Most of the ingredients that go into beer qualifies as food in California so it's not taxed. And since there's no reporting to the government on your home-brew production, there's no federal or state taxes on that.

How is homebrewing taxed? Is it by province or federal? Do they tax the ingredients or the output?

I mean store bought beer, not homebrew.

 

[corkybstewart]

I just moved to a new house and the last brew I did in the driveway I had probably 20 people ask what I was making or want to come check it out. Beer is what brings the neighborhood together

I have lived in the country for the past 30 years, so we dealt with meth production issues. About 10 years ago a new neighbor watched me bust out my counterflow chiller in the driveway and promptly called the sheriff's department. Add of course within minutes I had uninvited guests in my driveway. But it was cool, one of the cops even came back for a homebrew later that day.

 

[jimdkc]

I turn water into beer... what's your superpower?

 

[wsmith1625]

I always get the same reactions. One is surprise that it's good beer and not sludge. For some reason, most people I speak with have tried home brew in the past and had a bad experience with it. Another reaction is how strong it is. I don't actually brew strong beers, typically 5 - 6 % ABV, but you can taste the malt and hops which they're not used to in their BMC preferences. Last, I always get told how patient I am when I tell them when the next batch will be ready. How far from the truth that actually is.

 

[JAReeves]

I have coworkers that still believe, no matter how many times I repeat myself, that what I am doing is bootlegging and they are going to get arrested for hanging out with me or for drinking my beer, wine, cider, or mead.

I just like making things, like 99% of the people on this site (well, and drinking my own creations). It's more legal than the stuff the dude two houses down sells...

 

[Squirrels]

I grew up in a dry house. I didn't have my first beer until I was 20. I was sitting in Dublin on St. Patrick's day in a pub and enjoyed a Guinness. From there, my beer adventures started.

I began brewing with a Mr. Beer kit and over the course of two years moved into all grain biab. I then built an all electric brewery in my basement. I think I brew because I like the process and the result. I feel pride in my creations. I can also brew a mean BMC beer for the masses (and me too). The cost benefit is nice too; BMC is a buck a bottle and I can make something similar for about 30 cents a bottle. So for me it is enjoyment, pride, and saving a few pennies.

 

[seatazzz]

Wow old thread, but very apropos. Homebrewing is the only hobby (other than working on cars, which isn't really a hobby but a necessity) that I've managed to keep going for longer than a year. I've made many stellar beers in four years, also some phenomenal dumpers; but each one has taught me something. I'm a big DIY gal, would rather do something myself than pay someone else to do it (within reason, plumbing and electrical stuff is beyond me). Yes I am married to a person of the opposite gender but he's not the best at DIY; he does one home project a year and I'm good with that. He's also the first to brag about his homebrewing/car fixing wife.

Homebrewing is the penultimate DIY for me. What is more satisfying than pulling a pint, or pouring a bottle, of something you made yourself? Whether from a kit, a proven recipe, or something you came up with out of your own head? NOTHING, in my very biased opinion. I'm sitting here right now typing after a very successful brewday, a recipe of my own making, that will be a very good beer in a couple weeks.

Another point; there aren't many female home brewers out there (at least that I personally know, @HoppytobeMerry and @Yooper I love you gals), and I like to prove we can do just as well as the men. When I read about brewing history and found that most homebrewers back in the day were women, I was intrigued.

TLDR; but I am a homebrewer, and I love it for the process, the end result, and the kudos I get from friends and family. And being able to make what I want, WHEN I want.

 

[Mtrhdltd]

I make everything, so why would beer be different? I even grow a garden and raise meat. I also like knowing where the things I put in my body come from. I went all grain to save money, if only I quit making and buying new equipment I might actually save over buying beer!

 

[corkybstewart]

Why would anyone bake their own cookies?
Why would anyone wash their own car?
Why would anyone paint their own house?

If someone doesn't understand why anyone would want to brew their own beer, then they are a typical "over civilized person"... as I like to call it. They are one of those people who have grown up thinking that its more civilized to BUY something than it is to MAKE it for yourself. I take pride in trying to do everything myself. I've never put my own car in the repair shop. I make my own beer, maple syrup, jam and a few other things (kind of limited right now with no garden space.) I fish and hunt for my own food. I build almost all of my furniture.

There are a lot of things that most of us just can't do on our own. I don't have the time to make my own clothes or build my own car from scratch... But I do have the time to make certain necessities for myself and I take pride in it.

Washing your car? Why?

 

[Squirrels]

Washing your car? Why?

Well... In Wisconsin we need to get salt off of our vehicles or the will wear out much quicker.

 

[Snark_Wolf_Brewing]

I turn water into beer... what's your superpower?

I turn beer back into water by filtering it through my kidneys.