Worst Part About Homebrewing

[paranode]

Worst would probably be ruining a batch but I've never had it happen so far. I would have to agree with bottling though. That's why I just bought a keg setup and a Sanyo minifridge.

 

[Kevin Dean]

The worst part of homebrewing to me is "Rut Guilt".

I haven't brewed a batch of beer in 4 weeks now, this coming off of brewing every weekend. It began when I couldn't find anything I wanted to brew, so I ended up doing "other stuff". Then I had something to do the following week. The third week I tried to brew, but hit a stuck sparge and got SO frustrated with that (I started pissed, which probably explains the problem) I ended up draining it all and making starter wort. This past weekend I slightly feared another stuck sparge, more wasted time and more annoyance. I got a new car this weekend so I decided I'd ride the excitement and do driving.

The worst part of the process for me is walking through my basement, which is where my gear is stored. Normally, it sings to me and beckons me to brewing. This past week, it was cussing at me, cursing me for spending so much money on all that stuff and then choosing to do other things.

Next week is kind of like my litmus test. Either I'll brew, or spend time with SWMBO's parents.

 

[TexLaw]

The worst part about homebrewing is thinking how I'll likely never brew everything I ever wanted to, but the fun is trying.

And, Kevin, don't force it! Don't let brewing become that jealous mistress.


TL

 

[Beerthoven]

For me, the worst part about brewing is cleaning. Especially at the end of an AG brewday when its 12 midnight and I'm half druck.

I also need to find a good space to store all my stuff. Its taking up space in the home office right now and its in the way.

 

[zoebisch01]

For me, the worst part about brewing is cleaning..

Yeah, if I had one thing I didn't care for it'd probably be that. Cleaning as you go helps though.

Either that or, not having enough time to do it more often. That's the worst part of Homebrewing.

 

[iamjonsharp]

#1 getting an infected batch.

#2: cleaning, but nowhere close to as bad as #1

 

[RegionalChaos]

Finding time that fits into both my schedule and SWMBO's...

 

[DSV]

Worst ever for me was dropping the carboy about 30 seconds after I pitched the yeast. Five gallons of beautiful wort gone, pricey glassware gone AND I had to clean up the whole wicked sharp sticky mess... That one hurt.

 

[|-|edghog]

Worst ever for me was dropping the carboy about 30 seconds after I pitched the yeast. Five gallons of beautiful wort gone, pricey glassware gone AND I had to clean up the whole wicked sharp sticky mess... That one hurt.

My imagination runs wild with the nastiness of this occurrence.

 

[bgrubb7]

Cleaning and sterilizing is like watching paint dry for me. It takes everything I've got not to let laziness get the best of me and start cutting corners.

Bottling, however I actually enjoy. It's kinda like sanding that last coat of drywall or grouting a tile floor. It's that moment when all your work and waiting is finally starting to resemble a finished product, and the personal satisfaction starts setting in. Now the finish line is in site and my ambition to start my next batch kicks into high gear.

 

[Flipper]

Has to be cleaning for me as well! SWMBO and I bottle together, so that is really enjoyable. Good thing the wife see's how beneficial kegging will be! We are working towards getting everything together!

 

[Jekster]

Cleanup is pretty high on the list; although bottling would be a close second if I did bottle.

Also, I think having a beer turn out with some off flavor or not the way you want it. I had a lot of problems getting my three extract batches to not have a weird twang and it was highly disappointing to produce brew that I was not satisfied with and didn't like to drink. Since I moved to AG I haven't had this problem and really attribute the weird flavors to the LME I used.

 

[Cookiebaggs]

Bottling, however I actually enjoy. It's kinda like sanding that last coat of drywall or grouting a tile floor. It's that moment when all your work and waiting is finally starting to resemble a finished product, and the personal satisfaction starts setting in. Now the finish line is in site and my ambition to start my next batch kicks into high gear.

+1

Great attitude with regard to bottling! I feel the same way. Only a little longer and it's time to enjoy the fruits of all the work and patience.

 

[Revvy]

Bottling, however I actually enjoy. It's kinda like sanding that last coat of drywall or grouting a tile floor. It's that moment when all your work and waiting is finally starting to resemble a finished product, and the personal satisfaction starts setting in. Now the finish line is in site and my ambition to start my next batch kicks into high gear.

I agree with you. I think I've finally got my process down after fiddling with it for several batches. There's sort of a zen feeling of being "in the moment" while I'm doing it now...

 

[TexLaw]

For those that hate cleaning, you do not have to dread it so much. Believe me, I'm not one to get all excited about cleaning, but it is no burden. Just clean as you go when you have downtime during the session, and it's no burden at all. I clean the mash tun and paddle and most everything else during the boil. Everything else gets cleaned immediately after I'm done using it. The wort chiller gets cleaned while stuff settles in the cooled wort, for example. By the time I pitch, all I have left is to clean the kettle and put some stuff up.

On that kettle, if you keep your fire just where you need it, you don't have a bunch of crud on the bottom of your kettle to clean. For extract brewers, you also need to make sure you have your extract FULLY reconstituted before you start the fire back up. To get rid of brewer's stone, just put a little water and white vinegar in, scrub it around, and rinse it out.

To be fair, I have a backyard where I can just hose everything down, and that makes life much easier. I dreaded cleaning much more when I was apartment brewing.

I also use Fermcap-S in the primary, so that's also a cinch to clean. For those that who do not use that stuff, you must try it. It adds all of about fifty cents or a dollar to your batch cost (depending on whether you also use it in the kettle, which I recommend). It's the best two or four bits you can spend on a batch.

Now, for those that hate cleaning just because you hate cleaning, I can't help you.


TL

 

[Rhoobarb]

No doubt, cleaning for me, too.

Waiting doesn't bother me. I've always had a lot of patience, even as child. I built complicated models from kits that most kids would tire of after a day or two. I would keep at it non-stop until it was done and I enjoyed the process.

I didn't mind bottling, it was finding the time to do it that was the PITA for me. Glad I recently went to kegging after all these years.

Second to cleaning up would be an infected batch. Fortunately, I've only had one round of those.

 

[rnrchemnerd]

The worst part for me was/is all the weight I've gained from drinking high carb/high calorie homebrew...Well, that's not quite true. The WORST part is SWMBO bitching about me sporting a homebrew belly.

 

[Buford]

Bottling. I bottled my first few batches then went whole hog into kegging and haven't looked back.

Smelling the compost heap in the back yard a few days after dumping spent grain on it :cross:

 

[RLinNH]

In a word

"waiting".

Nearly all the problems posted on the board can be solved by this, yet we keep sampling after 1 week .

Another Vote for Waiting.

 

[avidhomebrewer]

For me, the worst part of hb (besides running out of hb and waiting for more) had to be when I got my first mill for ag batches, a Corona. I thought that it couldn't be too hard/take too long to run 10# of grain through by hand-cranking. After about 3 beers and 45 minutes later, it was done. Quickly, I got a real mill, and now hb is quite easy, no hassles.

 

[VA Brew]

1. Infected batch
2. Cleaning
3. Anticipation for first taste and not quite what you expected
4. Wife complaining about equipment "all over the house" and time taken to brew

Best part...drinking...and knowing exactly why the homebrew tastes better than other beers.

 

[WBC]

I don't hate anything about brewing. It is a hobby and I have been at it since 1972. I have never had a bad batch............ well not infected anyway. I have most of my equipment and supplies in one place and keg all my beer. I always am looking for ways to improve my process and it's just fun to brew and watch smiles on peoples faces when they try my brews for the first time. Sometimes someone almost expects to just come by daily and be a pest and drink up as though I just make beer for them but I can spot them fairly good and set them straight. I tell them to go brew some for yourself, it's not an open bar. This stuff costs me money. I don't mind giving away beer but not being taken advantage of. I do keep several kegs on hand (aging or finished) so I never run out. I buy everything in bulk. I brew 12 gallon batches. I keep everything clean and like it that way as I know that is why the beer comes out great. Go by your instincts and if you think that your hands just touched something that is not sterile (or anything else is not sterile) then wash and sterilize again.

 

[SuperiorBrew]

Mine is getting rid of it so I can brew some more.
I like the beer I make but I am not a big drinker, maybe one or two beers a few times a week. SWMBO hates beer so I end up bottling a bunch with my beergun which I dont really mind. I usually bottle 3 mixed cases (kegerator holds 9 cornys & is always full with others ready to go) & give it away in mixed 6 packs or 12 packs. I get lots of bottles and other perks from the people i give my beers to. So far I have never given anyone some that did not want or ask for more.
I am into the brewing part of this hobby, the beer is just a great perk for me.

 

[Revvy]

Mine is getting rid of it so I can brew some more.
I like the beer I make but I am not a big drinker, maybe one or two beers a few times a week. SWMBO hates beer so I end up bottling a bunch with my beergun which I dont really mind. I usually bottle 3 mixed cases (kegerator holds 9 cornys & is always full with others ready to go) & give it away in mixed 6 packs or 12 packs. I get lots of bottles and other perks from the people i give my beers to. So far I have never given anyone some that did not want or ask for more.
I am into the brewing part of this hobby, the beer is just a great perk for me.

Gee, "Birthday Brew" I wish I was your neighbor...especially since some of the brews on your sigline look mighty tasty!

 

[cronxitawney]

The worst part has to be listening to my wife b!tch about the smell when I am brewing

 

[FSR402]

The worst part was the 20 pounds I gained in the first 3 months of brewing.

now that the weight is gone I would have to say cleanning. Thus, I have two fermenters that have needed to be cleaned for over a month now. I have even thought about just pitching them and buying new.... I'm also a guy that traded in a truck on a new one because the windsheld washer fluid ran out. Hey, the new truck can full.. lol

 

[mrk305]

The worst part is drinking the very last bottle of a really good batch. The best part would be drinking the last bottle of a really good batch.

 

[Baldy_Beer_Brewery]

The worst part has to be listening to my wife b!tch about the smell when I am brewing

You too? I can't understand that. Boiling wort and mashing grains are the greatest things I've ever smelled.

 

[NikolausXX]

good advise, I texted my buddy, he popped the lid to find a large crausin ring and alot of head on the beer, and a gravity the best he could tell of 1.020, which means it must have had an air leak. Problem solved I guess, he said it smelled good, so hopefully it didnt get infected. Hopefully it keeps dropping it started it 1.050 which is higher with the molases we added than we have been getting from the kits.

 

[BigKahuna]

Worst Part (So Far):
All excited about making a chili beer...But after 2 months in the bottle it is PUTRID PURE HEARTBURN.

SKIP FORWARD 8 Years.

Best Part. (Sorta making up for the bad anyway)
Finding Putrid Heartburn Ale in the basement, cracking open a bottle to find that it is one of the better beers I've made. Just needed to rest a bit.

 

[Kevin Dean]

The WORST part is SWMBO bitching about me sporting a homebrew belly.

Six-packs are overrated anyway, kegs bring more merriment!

 

[doubleb]

OK everyone I got it...

The worst part of brewing isn't bottling at all. Bottling is easy.

The worst part of homebrewing is sanitizing.

Am I right?

 

[5 Is Not Enough]

As batch size increases, its evident that the worst part is bottling.
When I was bottling ~50 bottles at a time, I thought it wasn't that bad. The last batch I bottled, we did about 150 bottles, between two guys. It was rigorous.

 

[fermenator]

I would have to say cleanup after brewing sucks the most for me, I actually enjoy bottling for the most part. Although im not doing more than a 5 gallon batch at a time.

 

[MULE]

I just spent the last two days (on my free time) cleaning four cases of bottles.

Need keg fridge and corny - Groan!

 

[brewnman]

I would have to say when life/work gets in the way of homebrewing.

 

[missing link]

It seems every brew session I have some new gadget to try out. I don't think I've brewed 2 batches with exactly the same process. Luckily my beer is getting better and better.

I really detest cleaning up and not having a brew dedicated room. Carrying the pots, coolers and ingredients from the basement to the garage, pre-cleaning, brewing then washing, drying and carrying everything back down is a real chore.

Someday I'll have a brew shed or some type of dedicated brew area.

Linc

 

[EdWort]

For me, the worst part about brewing is cleaning.

yeah, I wish I had magic buckets, kettles & kegs that would be magically cleaned and put away at the end of a brew session.

Maybe a brew elf is in order...

 

[archmaker]

Worse for me.

The worrying
Am I doing this right?
Are my temps going to hit the mark or not
Will I have a stuck sparge
Will my starter work
Will my beer start fermenting
Will my beer STOP fermenting (Said after a month)
Will my beer get infected.

Yes this is a very relaxing hobby. Better than some of my others, the worry there, was "when I pull this back will it snap off and poke my eye out?" (Homemade wood bows)

It is the worrying that I hate the most. I can handle the cleaning, the boil over, and any problem that comes my way, it is the worrying about what could happen.

Cheers!

 

[mummasan]

The worst part of homebrewing for me is simply the amount of time it takes to brew. In theory, mash for one hour, boil for one hour - wtf - where did I spend the last FIVE hours??

My worst experience brewing was - during the same brew session - dropping a glass carboy, and burning both hands picking up a hot pot of water. The beer turnout to be drinkable but I still have a scar on my foot.