19 replies to this topic

[CarlosM]

what does it mean to you, what does it give you? Why spend 6 hours on a brew day to wait a few 3-4 weeks to be even able to drink it? 

 

 

Im doing research for a video I Want to produce and well, I figured I would reach for the passion I once had with brewing but want to also know what it means to other people as well.

[positiveContact]

i like creating things that are good.  it's nice that the beer isn't around forever either so i don't have to keep it.

[SchwanzBrewer]

Brewing for me is about creating something that brings people joy. I give away 90% of the beer I brew. After a few beers, people are usually happier, and that makes me happy, especially when I'm a couple deep myself. 

 

It's also a great blend of art and science that gives me a creative outlet. Brewing is hard work and when it's all done and you drink that beer, it's incredibly satisfying to know you can make something so damn good.

[Poptop]

I get great enjoyment in sharing my beer with friends and they have become excited to try my new batches and favorite oldies.  I am realizing that I do a pretty good job and many commercial beers pale in comparison to even my so-so batches.  I like the whole process as it also compliments my already broad experience in culinary. So.... in total it is a very gratifying hobby. 

[denny]

what does it mean to you, what does it give you? Why spend 6 hours on a brew day to wait a few 3-4 weeks to be even able to drink it? 

 

 

Im doing research for a video I Want to produce and well, I figured I would reach for the passion I once had with brewing but want to also know what it means to other people as well.

 

If it was only about the beer, I'd agree.  But for me, and a lot of others, it's about the hobby and process.  It's about sharing something you handcrafted with people who enjoy it.  I mean, why do fisherman buy boats and spend hours fishing when they could just go buy fish?

[MakeMeHoppy]

What appeals to be is that beer is made from such simple ingredients and can be brewed in such a wide range of flavors/styles. My equipment is very basic just a cooler mash tun, a large kettle a wort chiller and the carboy is all it takes. I also like to watch the wort become beer watching the krausen start to rise and eventually fall.  The challenge in brewing is taking the few ingredients and getting the right recipe to tailor the final taste profile.As far as the hobby you can just throw some ingredients together and make beer or you can study the chemistry and biology to understand what is going on. It appeals to a wide range of interests.

Once it is done then as others said it's about sharing the beer with friends

[Big Nake]

I agree with every post so far. I like the sharing and I like the creating. I like that there are so many different ingredients you could use and that there are so many variables between all of the ingredients and all of the processes. I love that I could make something better than commercial beer because they have budgetary constraints and I have more wiggle room to do the things I want to do. I love the taste of fresh, well-made beer. I like the process of designing a recipe, nailing down all of the variables, using the freshest ingredients and then following through and making what I originally envisioned. I like sharing information with other brewers and talking beer & brewing with other brewers. Brewers (in general) are some of the greatest people I have met... down-to-Earth, smart, funny, generous, etc. It's a culture not just a hobby. I would expect you might get similar answers from people who bake their own bread, make their own soup, etc. I like to cook too so it's all connected. Good luck on your project Carlos.

[Gus13]

I'm very into hands on type things.  I'm also very OCD and slightly ADD.  This is a perfect hobby to occupy my mind.  My homebrew has also brought more of my friends into the craft beer world.  I look at that as a bonus in more than just one way.

 

I also brew because I can't always find the styles I like most to buy commercially.  And like the above, it really isn't just a hobby.  Craft beer/homebrewing is a lifestyle. 

[pods8]

Creating stuff is fun, that's the majority of it.

 

There is a cost component to a certain extent as well, folks will bring up ingredients/time/equipment if that rational comes up and its certainly harder to justify with the cheaper commercial styles.  But when you get into certain beers being $10+ for a 22oz if you can brew up something similar you offset a lot of that equipment cost.

 

But mainly the fun in creating/enjoying stuff.

Edited by pods8, 07 May 2014 - 02:15 PM.

[Big Nake]

Creating stuff is fun, that's the majority of it. There is a cost component to a certain extent as well, folks will bring up ingredients/time/equipment if that rational comes up and its certainly harder to justify with the cheaper commercial styles.  But when you get into certain beers being $10+ for a 22oz if you can brew up something similar you offset a lot of that equipment cost.  But mainly the fun in creating/enjoying stuff.

I meant to mention cost and for me, it really works because I make a lot of styles that are easy to make. I don't dedicate a lot of 'specialized' equipment like Solera barrels or whatever. I make middle-of-the-road beers that can cost me only $15 or so per 5 gallons to produce so there is definitely a nice angle to that. I always have to mention the saying (probably seen on another board, etc) about the cost of homebrewing... Homebrewing to save money on beer is like buying a boat to save money on a fish dinner. My setup is so unbelievably ghetto that this saying does not apply to me!

[djinkc]

Really the whole process is fun for me.  From thinking about what ingredients to buy.  Sometimes even buying them since I see friends at bulk buy pickups.  Coming up with recipes - and sometimes doing something off the wall.

 

Brewdays are usually kind of a Zen thing.  The flow of usually kegging, prepping, and brewing at the same time is satisfying.

 

Sharing brews of course is another great part of it.  I've met a lot of people over the years that remain friends I never would have met otherwise.

 

And of course I get to drink the beer I brew - that's nice.  And as Ken says, time excepted, it can be cheaper.  And since almost all my equipment is DIY it really wasn't all that expensive.  

 

But, cleaning still sucks........

[Big Nake]

But, cleaning still sucks........

LOL.

[BarelyBrews]

I like the great taste and making good tasting beer, beer making takes me back to what i would imagine as the Prohibitionist era. I do feel like im beating the system if im in not getting in line to buy their overpriced beer.

[pods8]

I meant to mention cost and for me, it really works because I make a lot of styles that are easy to make. I don't dedicate a lot of 'specialized' equipment like Solera barrels or whatever. I make middle-of-the-road beers that can cost me only $15 or so per 5 gallons to produce so there is definitely a nice angle to that. I always have to mention the saying (probably seen on another board, etc) about the cost of homebrewing... Homebrewing to save money on beer is like buying a boat to save money on a fish dinner. My setup is so unbelievably ghetto that this saying does not apply to me!

 

I'm in the middle, I don't have a fancy sculpture but did at one point spend a couple bucks on a plate chiller, pump, and 3roller mill so that has to be subsidized away.

[Big Nake]

I'm in the middle, I don't have a fancy sculpture but did at one point spend a couple bucks on a plate chiller, pump, and 3roller mill so that has to be subsidized away.

Right. Hmm, let's see... a 10-gallon Polarware pot was a few dollars, a $100 Thermapen, a $60 pH meter. My cooler/MT is very ghetto. My brewpot is vanilla... it's only feature is a lid. I do have some money in fridges and my taps but that's more on the "back end" as opposed to the brewing side of things. Oh and I have the Barley Crusher which was $130 or something.

[Bklmt2000]

I enjoy the challenge of making a beer, in my own home, with my two hands, and with very simple equipment, that I'd otherwise be willing and happy to pay for, were it brewed commercially.

[pods8]

Right. Hmm, let's see... a 10-gallon Polarware pot was a few dollars, a $100 Thermapen, a $60 pH meter. My cooler/MT is very ghetto. My brewpot is vanilla... it's only feature is a lid. I do have some money in fridges and my taps but that's more on the "back end" as opposed to the brewing side of things. Oh and I have the Barley Crusher which was $130 or something.

 

Yeah I have like $40-50 into my keggle, can't recall what I paid for my burner but I'd guess under $50.  Cooler MT, $40 thermometer.  Probably $180 for the chiller back in the day, $100 for pump/hoses, don't recall at all on the mill. 

 

Most of my money was in kegging/kegorator supplies (previously was running 4 co2 and 1 nitro tap).

[ChicagoWaterGuy]

I've spent a significant amount in equipment but bought most of it used. I'm sure I could at least get my money back if I had to sell. Cornies were going for $5 to $15 when I started brewing and that wasn't too long ago.

 

Homebrewing is a great combination of science and art. It has something for everyone. There are plenty of facets to geek out over. If you're an artist, you can make fancy labels or tap handles. An engineer might design a kick ass sculpture or arduino controlled fermentation chamber. If you enjoy cooking, there's new combinations of flavors and ingredients. And the icing on the cake is the great sense of community. 

[GaryNConcord]

My 35+ career has been wrapped around water chemistry/treatment and brewing falls right in line with my avocation. I also brew for the same reason that I garden, cook, keep bees, deer hunt, built my AR15 (now looking at a flintlock). It all ties in to doing something with my own hands and enjoying the results of my labor.

[CarlosM]

Very cool to all of you