39 replies to this topic

[Big Nake]

Chad: Congrats to you and your wife... fun times ahead. I have 3 kids (ages 13, 11, 9) and they have grown up with brewing. They see the equipment, smell the hops, etc. and it doesn't surprise them anymore. Since I work at home, I always brew early in the morning on weekdays so it has little to no impact on everyone else. I start around 6am and get the mash going, then make lunches & bring the kids to school and then proceed with the brewday. I'm done by 11am or so and then start working. It's not entirely impossible to handle a work situation and brew at the same time but I'd rather not & I usually pick a day to brew where I expect the next day to be uneventful work-wise. But my kids are so active on the weekends (basketball, baseball, softball, football, Tae Kwon Do, etc.) that there is absolutely no time for me to brew & I'd rather not make that mess with my wife around (and she doesn't want to smell it). When the kids are very young, they can be napping or in a bouncy-seat while you brew. Your brewing schedule may be a little slow for awhile, but no worries... you'll be fine.

[ash]

These are all sound ideas. I have 2 kids, ages 3 and 1. My wife doesn't like beer and so I don't get a lot of leeway when brewing. I can usually get home an hour or so before I have to get the kids so I will get everything ready the night before, then when I get home I will heat the mash water and dough in. When I am satisfied that my temps are right and stable, I will go get the kids and forget about the batch(save for a few quick temp checks), until the kids go to sleep. (roughly 3-3.5 hours later). I then complete my process and usually pitch between 11:30 and 12. I tried all sorts of ways to brew during other times, but I found I can concentrate more on what I am doing when I don't have outside distractions.

Edited by ash, 01 June 2009 - 08:48 AM.

[chadm75]

Thanks for the tips and suggestions fellas! I'm brewing up this week what will probably be my last two batches for the summer. I have a feeling once the little lady arrives in a couple of weeks, the Potomac Brewing Company will be on hiatus for a few months (or at least until we get into a routine). It's cool though because I'll have four batches aging/fermenting and couple that with getting back to some of my favorite craft commercials, I'll make it through!

[The Brew Dude]

It perchance should be noted that once your spawn obtains the proper age, they can be most helpful during the bottling process. I have two kids, ten and seven years old. The older child fills the bottles (using Phil's Philler), and the younger places bottle caps in the capper. It is amazing how quickly bottling proceeds when they assist.

[3rd party JKor]

I just transferred a beer out of secondary that I brewed before my daughter was born. She's 7 months now. That should tell you how much time you'll be having to brew.

[chadm75]

I just transferred a beer out of secondary that I brewed before my daughter was born. She's 7 months now. That should tell you how much time you'll be having to brew.

You're kidding me?! Say it ain't so...

[3rd party JKor]

You're kidding me?! Say it ain't so...

No, I'm not kidding. Sorry.

[stangbat]

Do any of you guys have family close by? I don't have kids but judging by the way my parents go nuts for my nephew if I did have kids they'd be over before I could hang up the phone if I asked them to come over and watch a little one for a day while I brewed.

This is what helps me out the most. My mom often comes over and helps watch the kids when I brew.

[Deerslyr]

You're kidding me?! Say it ain't so...

Yeah... but he hasn't said "what" it was. My bet is he brewed some high gravity beer that will benefit from a LONG secondary and aging in the bottles... something that would hold up and mature over time until say... his daughters wedding. Just kidding.J... what was it that you had in secondary for 7 months?

[3rd party JKor]

Yeah... but he hasn't said "what" it was. My bet is he brewed some high gravity beer that will benefit from a LONG secondary and aging in the bottles... something that would hold up and mature over time until say... his daughters wedding. Just kidding.J... what was it that you had in secondary for 7 months?

Dry stout. I way underestimated my system efficiency, so it's more like an dry extra stout. I think the OG was 1068 (I haven't taken an FG that I can remember). I should've transferred earlier, but i was just out of brewing mode for a while. It even got a little moldy , tastes fine though .

[ncbeerbrewer]

Hey J, It happens to the best of us. Some on here are not much for secondary conditioning and hey your beer will probably be just fine. And to think that I was worried that I have not transferred a Hefeweizen I brewed 2 weeks ago off the yeast yet either. I have a Dry Stout in secondary been there since Feb so eventually I will get to drinking that too.

[3rd party JKor]

Dry stout. I way underestimated my system efficiency, so it's more like an dry extra stout. I think the OG was 1068 (I haven't taken an FG that I can remember). I should've transferred earlier, but i was just out of brewing mode for a while. It even got a little moldy , tastes fine though .

It finished out at 1.013, a healthy 7.3% ABV. Mmmmmmm...

[mach5]

I would agree that you will have less time to brew! I have a 2 year old son and 7 mo old twin daughters so I'm slightly qualified to talk about this. The important thing is that you MAKE time to brew...after taking care of kids it saps so much of your energy that you will not want to brew or it will be too much bother...but you NEED to find time and do it...it will help you destress.My dad really likes my beer, he also likes spending time with his grandkids...WIN, WIN! So, I invite my parents over to watch the kids, and they get to spend time with them while I brew and I keep my dad supplied in HB whenever he comes over, or I'll take growlers over to their house. You could also agree with the lady to watch the kids while you brew, then you offer her equal time in her hobby, or a shopping trip, time at the spa, etc. You can both spend time doing mini-"getaways" doing whatever you want to, and just taking time to unwind from the kids. Doing this with ONE kid is no sweat, but with three its slightly more complicated, but can still work.Also, brew LARGER batches. You have less time to brew so make it worth while and brew 10 gallons. Invite some brew buddies over to help you as well. Last time I brewed we did 20 gallons, I normally do ONE 5 gallon batch. But I had 2 buddies that each took 5 gallons home then I kept 10 gallons, and we did 2 different beers.You can also find time in the evenings after everyone is in bed or early in the morning before they wake up to do little tasks like kegging, bottling or cleaning. You also may need to compromise on a few things to save time. For instance, I don't always have time to clean everything up right away, so I'll do a half assed job then fill my carboys or whatever up with water and let them soak for a few days and come back to them later. I honestly don't like to make it a habbit, but sometimes you just gotta do it...just be sure not to let it go too long...promise yourself you'll find time by the end of the week to clean everything up.I also hear a lot of people do the overnight mash thing. The idea is you mash in the night before after everyone is in bed. Go to bed, then get up early, sparge and start the boil and you can minimize time away from the family, because a lot of the work is done when everyone is sleeping. You may have to compromise on YOUR sleep a little to do this, but hey, your a parent now you don't sleep anymore anyway!

[Fatman]

How about when the kids get older? If I get my daughter to develop a taste for IPA's, stouts, and the like, will she turn up her nose at the sub-BMC fare (Sierra, Black Label, Meister chow, etc.) offered at the typical college party, thus keeping her nose in the books?Or is that just wishful thinking?

[ThroatwobblerMangrove]

How about when the kids get older? If I get my daughter to develop a taste for IPA's, stouts, and the like, will she turn up her nose at the sub-BMC fare (Sierra, Black Label, Meister chow, etc.) offered at the typical college party, thus keeping her nose in the books?Or is that just wishful thinking?

It probably just means she'll do what I did and rock out vodka and rum until she can buy her own (decent) beer.

[3rd party JKor]

It probably just means she'll do what I did and rock out vodka and rum until she can buy her own (decent) beer.

Or, just keep asking daddy for more money to buy good beer.

[ThroatwobblerMangrove]

Or, just keep asking daddy for more money to buy good beer.

Well there was a period of time where I wasn't the one doing the buying so I didn't have as much say in the matter

[chadm75]

I have a feeling I'm going to be referring to this thread over....and over....and over! Lots of good tips advice from the pros! I'm in the process of a double brew week! My Wit from last night is bubbling away and I'm working in BeerTools to create my hop blend for my IPA this coming weekend. I want it to be citrusy so I'm thinking a Cascade, Amarillo, and Centennial blend...bittering with Chinook! I'm building up my inventory for the shutdown this summer!