Wife's reaction to new brewing hobby?

[Beernip]

My wife likes me to have hobbies -some more than others. Brewing beer is an at home hobby - riding my motorcycle is an away hobby. Guess which one she likes best?

Which ever one you are not doing at the moment?

Here at "Cast a Gate" brewery the swmbo has been less then thrilled with me making beer. I tend to ignore that little fact. Mine has been much more tolerable of my brewing since I move operations outside and letting her know of brew days. She is slowly coming around since her friends love my beer and I made a sweet cider that she loves. Mwahahahah.

 

[Baldy_Beer_Brewery]

My old hobby involved Asian prostitutes. While brewing takes a little more money, there is less time involved. So far my wife is happy.

 

[Brooklyn-Brewtality]

My wife just the other day suggested that I move my whole operation out of the guest room closet to the coat closet in the living room/kitchen. Very win/win. She gets the guest room back, I get center stage. Here is my new brew supply closet. not bad for NYC

 

[dontman]

My wife likes me to have hobbies -some more than others. Brewing beer is an at home hobby - riding my motorcycle is an away hobby. Guess which one she likes best?

Totally depends on length of marriage.

<5 years = Brewing at home

>10 years = Riding

 

[triggerman72]

dontman, that's beautiful...poetic, really.

My wife is "tolerant", I'd say. She did a good impression of me the other day implying that I was trying to hug my fermenting bucket. Point taken...I was checking up on it twice a day...maybe a tad overboard...

What's the deal with all the IT people? I'm in software. I saw one guy here is a baker, which makes a lot more sense than us IT people...

 

[ThreeTaps]

What's the deal with all the IT people? I'm in software. I saw one guy here is a baker, which makes a lot more sense than us IT people...

Not necessarily true! Us IT / Engineer people have very inquisitive minds, and like to create our own environments. This includes understanding how everything (and I do mean everything) works, and using our minds to create superb beer! Chefs and bakers also have that enthusiasm, just for a different line of work. Both make great beer though

 

[fredGSX]

Not necessarily true! Us IT / Engineer people have very inquisitive minds, and like to create our own environments. This includes understanding how everything (and I do mean everything) works, and using our minds to create superb beer! Chefs and bakers also have that enthusiasm, just for a different line of work. Both make great beer though

I can’t agree more! I have enjoyed the hobby of wrenching on cars since the age of 16, now 26. I have just started home brewing and I am a Mechanical Engineer by degree, Manufacturing Engineer by night. I have only been doing this since the beginning of July and I MUST know everything and know how it works.

My wife got me my equipment as a birthday gift and she like me making beer instead of working on the car. Not only is it less expensive, but we both get to enjoy the results. I enjoy them more than her, but there is a satisfaction on both ends.

 

[Pappers_]

My old hobby involved Asian prostitutes. While brewing takes a little more money, there is less time involved. So far my wife is happy.

Thank you for a good belly laugh!

 

[DNW]

My wife hates (drinking) beer and only cares for sweet wine/wine coolers, but she is my biggest supporter of brewing and wine making. She keeps on asking me when we are going to sell our ranch in the country and get a place in town where we could have a real nanobrewery and winery with a tasting room and the whole works including sales to local pubs and restaurants...

Seriously, I don't see how any married couple can go through life unless what makes your partner happy makes you happy. I am blessed.

 

[roofpig]

What's the deal with all the IT people? I'm in software. I saw one guy here is a baker, which makes a lot more sense than us IT people...

I'm an artist posing as an IT guy (gotta make money for home brewing somehow), so viewing the home brewing thing as art and science is easy for me. My wife is also an artist, so I think that helps her understand my passion for it.

 

[dontman]

What's the deal with all the IT people? I'm in software. I saw one guy here is a baker, which makes a lot more sense than us IT people...

I also think there is a geek factor to this. Believe this or not I actually know a bunch of brewers who don't belong here and almost never consult the interweb for brewing advice or to showcase their DIY builds. Crazy, I know, but true.

I think as a group IT people are perhaps more likely to utilize IT in their brewing efforts which might contribute to a higher than standard sampling.

That said, there are quite a few chefs around. I retired from chefdom a couple decades back but the food science bug is still strongly in my genes.

 

[northernlad]

I have the agree with the other gentlemen's comments...
Mark your brewdates on the family calendar so to avoid confusion and overlapping of family plans. If your misses is anything like my lovely wife, she'll take the kid(s) out of the house while you are brewing so that you can fully concentrate on your brew. Less distractions from curious 5 yr olds definately makes better beer.
Also, be sure to support your wife in all of her hobbies as well. Make sure that she gets equal or slightly more hobby time to keep the household happy. My wife recently has gotten into making spagetti sauce, dill pickles and canning with our successful efforts in gardening this year. I make sure that our son stays out of her hair by taking him fishing, or out to my parent's farm. She gets some quiet time to enjoy her hobby and I get some bonding time with our son.

Redbeard5289

This cracks me up.
My wife has no hobbies and is pretty much good with giving me all the time I need. Like 5 hours the other day to can pears by myself.
I garden, I can, I make my own bread, now I brew, and she gets to enjoy it.
She goes to the gym for me.

 

[Overdue4Brew]

it crew signing in

 

[dantodd]

This cracks me up.
My wife has no hobbies and is pretty much good with giving me all the time I need. Like 5 hours the other day to can pears by myself.
I garden, I can, I make my own bread, now I brew, and she gets to enjoy it.
She goes to the gym for me.

Sounds a lot like our house, I do the cooking, I make jam out of our apricots each year, Working on getting the whole bread thing down. Make beer, make soda, used to make ginger beer, basically, I like starting things from zero and working through the whole process. No room for raising/malting barley though.

 

[agroff383]

My wife heckled me once. Once...

LOL

I get my fiancee involved, and she knows I go balls to the wall in anything I do so she might as well help me brew and learn something, she's a great sport about it, always tries the brews, but she isn't a big beer person. Yet.

 

[JamieT]

You know what you did wrong if your wife / girlfriend keeps coming out of the kitchen to bug you about your hobbies?
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..
Tied her chain too long!!!!


Another bad one I know... But I am blessed to have married an extremely tolerant woman..

JT

 

[Vuarra]

This cracks me up.... I garden, I can, I make my own bread, now I brew, and she gets to enjoy it.
She goes to the gym for me.

Funny... I work for my wife... I wish she went to the gym for me. Ah, beggars can't be losers, can they?

 

[bad67z]

Here is my SWMBO and her reaction to my new obsession... I mean hobby. A picture is worth a thousand words..... Really she is quite supportive and likes the finished product.

 

[northernlad]

Funny... I work for my wife... I wish she went to the gym for me. Ah, beggars can't be losers, can they?

She spends a lot of time on a machine that does some amazing things to, ummm...well, its worth all the work on my end is what I am saying.

 

[Marius]

Mine drinks half of my beer

 

[arcto]

One of the upsides of Irish women is that most of them like beer! Or cider!

Ill experiment with chatting people up by telling them i brew my own :L XD

Welcome and good luck brewing!

 

[dasBuhbuh]

When I met my girlfriend 2 years ago, she couldnt even stand the "normal" beers. Since I started homebrewing, she has become almost as big of a beer snob as I am. Rather touching really...

She can't stand the smell though. Not sure why though. I think it's fantastic!

I try to keep her involved during brew day...it made a world of difference since she practically lives with me.

 

[Trooper-Orange]

I actually started brewing because my wife urged me to.

My normal hobby would be gaming. Well she always has these creative hobbies like making jewelry and glass beads etc...

So for my birthday she said "you need a hobby that makes something, you should look into brewing" ... and voila, here I am.

 

[Joker]

My wife is the opposite loves the smell of brewing but isn't a beer drinker, well not often anyway.

 

[SFBEER]

My wife became much more supportive once she learned that she can "order" the styles she likes and I will for the most part make them for her. I've made cider and red ale just because she requested them and she has left me alone for the most part about it. She does however seem to enjoy drinking all the beer not just the ones she asked for. I will starting my first batch of wine this weekend to keep her happy. Around Christmas I am going to brew a batch of either Brandy or Grand Marnier. They sell kits at my HBS for those now. Now she is happy.

 

[niko]

IT checking in! Lots of us on here. My SWMBO doesn't mind me brewing but I make sure I do it when our 20 month old is napping or otherwise being entertained or I get that eye.

 

[Snafu]

I actually started brewing because my wife urged me to.

My normal hobby would be gaming. Well she always has these creative hobbies like making jewelry and glass beads etc...

Dude, I feel for ya, my SWMBO is big time into beading and jewelry also! Have you ever stepped on one of those dang beads barefooted? Sweet jesus! Not to mention she's already "claimed" some of the bench space in the Man Cave. I of course said it was no problem, I'd rent her the space :rockin:

 

[brewhymn]

i started brewing my first batch the other day, and asked my wife to help for a minute... now she's about as hooked as i am! I guess i'm lucky! She's been picking out a recipe kit for our next go round.... probably get started on a holiday brew.

 

[Vuarra]

Not to mention she's already "claimed" some of the bench space in the Man Cave. I of course said it was no problem, I'd rent her the space :rockin:

Say WHAT!!! I don't even let her do the laundry NEAR the man-cave.

 

[oldschool45]

She beads and scrapbooks and I catch no grief for knife making and brewing. Now if she would get off the Blackberry and keep the 3 year old at a safe distance while I’m brewing it would all be good. Now when my pliers go missing for her beading work I’ll have an excuse to buy new ones same goes for the kitchen shears and flower arranging.

 

[wyzazz]

SWMBO asked; "Is this going to be expensive?" I fibbed a little and told her no.

I'll make her some Apfelwein and hopefully that will get me out of the doghouse!!!

 

[aggiejay06]

My wife bought me all the equipment and my first set of ingredients!

 

[dantodd]

SWMBO asked; "Is this going to be expensive?" I fibbed a little and told her no.

I'll make her some Apfelwein and hopefully that will get me out of the doghouse!!!

You didn't fib. You just didn't mention that you were comparing it to car collecting.

 

[permo]

My wife would hate to know what i have spent so far. I have a covert operation going. I take random, unused yet valuable, household items and sell them on ebay. The funds go into my paypal account and said funds are used to by equipment. Midwest supplies accepts paypal, so my wife has NO IDEA. I track the shipments and work from home on the scheduled delivery days so she never even sees the packages! The equipment goes to the basement and I am in the clear!

 

[SCBrew]

My wife is a good sport. She doesn't quite get my hobbies, but at least with this one she gets to enjoy the beer.

 

[rico567]

My wife has always been supportive of my pastimes, although she's never participated in any of them. I think she's possibly more appreciative of the brewing, because it pays dividends....she really enjoys my hefeweizen.....and sometimes an IPA. Well, maybe others, too.

 

[wild]

My exwife got me started in brewing.
Note: EX

My new gf supports my obsession and will taste the end product but will not hord it.
She's a keeper.

 

[Behemoth]

Permo says "My wife would hate to know what i have spent so far. I have a covert operation going. I take random, unused yet valuable, household items and sell them on ebay. The funds go into my paypal account and said funds are used to by equipment. Midwest supplies accepts paypal, so my wife has NO IDEA. I track the shipments and work from home on the scheduled delivery days so she never even sees the packages! The equipment goes to the basement and I am in the clear"

Someone get this man a drink. I'll bet your not even an IT guy!
Sorry guys. I Dont care what anyone sez... now that right there is funny!

 

[ks_medic]

My wife would hate to know what i have spent so far. I have a covert operation going. I take random, unused yet valuable, household items and sell them on ebay. The funds go into my paypal account and said funds are used to by equipment. Midwest supplies accepts paypal, so my wife has NO IDEA. I track the shipments and work from home on the scheduled delivery days so she never even sees the packages! The equipment goes to the basement and I am in the clear!

I always wonder where some of my old stuff disappears to, maybe my SWMBO has the same idea.

 

[jhonda00]

My wife bought me all the equipment and my first set of ingredients!

My girlfriend did the same for me. I think she didn't mind the extract or partial mash (which is an inside hobby,) but now that I do all grain outside for an entire saturday, I don't think she's as happy about my brewing. Now she is a beer drinker and enjoys most of what I brew, but there are times that she has said today we do "this" not brew beer. I think the most important thing to remember is to not be selfish and let your significant other have her hobbies too. Mine scrapbooks, and let me tell you, those damn stickers cost way more than a batch of beer, but like my delicious beer she gets to drink, I get to remember our fun times in the scrapbooks she makes. For instance, she made a Cambridge beer festival page from when we were in England over the summer!

Cheers guys,
Jacob