Your motivation for homebrewing

[MagTheGrate]

Just wondering what different peoples motivation for brewing their own beer was. I'm sure in lots of cases it was trying somebody else's homebrew and lovin it.

In my particular case, one day I just decided "if they could brew beer thousands of years ago, SURELY I can figure out how to do it!"

My first batch tasted like cardboard soaked in vinegar, but if anything, that just motivated me to do better.

Currently I have a stout on tap that kicks guiness's arse (imho) and i'm QUITE addicted to the craft!

[sullydavid]

I originally started while I was libing in Hawaii. They had a relatively poor beer selection and the prices were crazy on anything drinkable. So the initial beginings were for $$$. But I got back into it more because I thought it was kinda cool (more of a neat cool than a showboaty cool). Now I am so hooked on the flavor and experience I think I am hooked for life.

Now if ever stuck on a deserted island I may not be able to build myself a shelter but can get drunk enough to not care :)

[wortchillergoal]

I got into it for a number of reasons. I had always liked different beers. I was working for a restaurant supply house that started selling homebrew supplies. I had several friends that were brewing and my ex wife told me just before she left that I wouldn't be able to do it. I don't miss her, and my new, wonderful wife loves my homebrew as much as I do. Get this, she loves the smell of wort and can drink barelywinw the best of them.

[Fast_Eddy]

MagTheGrate, Great topic

I started brewing because I want a position of prestige after the Revolution ;)

Actually, I love beer and I'm a crafty(mechanicing, repairs around the house,etc) kinda guy so it's a natural fit. I mentioned to my wife one year that I thought it would be fun to make my own beer so she bought me one of those beer in a box kits as a small Christmas gift. Well it turned out super sh!tty - big chunks of grain in it, recipe used table sugar,etc - so I thought to myself, "Hmmm, I know I can do better than this." I've never looked back....

[YamahaXS]

Ahh great thread!

I home brew because I can!

Really that pretty much sums it up. Why rely on someone else to make my beer when I can do it myself for half the cost and have a better tasting beer! Self-reliance, baby! Cut out the middle man, and do it yourself... I am that way with many aspects of life.

All in all, its a great hobby, one that I can enjoy during the production and consumption stages. My wife and friends enjoy my skills too. :D

[croc4]

Well speaking from a beginners perspective, I bought a xmas gift for a buddy (Mr beer kit), we both love brew, so it seemed a cool gift (I even got myself one). and Until recently we had not done anything with them, so I tried it out, the beer(bit of a stretch to call it that) tasted like crap!, and I knew making your own has to be better (using proper equipment that is). So I picked up a beginner kit and have brewed up a batch for the last three weekends (batch #4 this weekend!)
I guess it is the old world charm, the knowledge you gain about beer, makes you appreciate the history behind it, making something I enjoy from scratch, I guess it is similar to my other love, oil painting. A great escape from the high tech one dimensional world.
________
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[cyanide]

I've always liked to cook... and my love of beer and my desire to try making new things compelled me. I can't believe how easy it really was.

One of the problems is that there isn't a whole lot of beer here. So being able to try, say a dunkelweizen, wasn't an option, nor was a real english mild ale.

One of the main reasons is that I like to drink beer a lot, especially in the evening. I always went into the kitchen for a snack in the evening... but as I got older I became more allergic to dairy. So beer is now my replacement for ice cream, pie, whatever. Having a large supply of it around at all times is a plus.

Also, being a microbiology student in his 20s... I just had to... for science, of course...
But honestly, I do find the science very cool. I love cooking and I love biological sciences. What's really cool is making foods out of the yeast. Right now I'm making pretzels.

[barley ben]

one day i walked into a cooking store and found the most wonderful thing in the world(so i thought!) MR. BEER MACHINE... i had to have it. home-made beer in like 2 weeks. let me tell ya, it was horrible!!!! now i should have known when they tell ya to put table sugar in each bottle and turn the bottle a few time to dissolve it. from that point on i was hooked on brewing great beer.

[toneyc]

Wow, there's a whole range of reasons, now that I think about it. One reason is that I just hate to give all my money to the mega corporations. I figured anyone that drinks as much beer as I do needs to make his own. Another reason is like Fast_Eddy said, after the Revolution, who's gonna be making the beer? Well, I've realized since then that it may not be a plausible thing but I'm having fun now! Cost is another factor. The beers that I was gravitating towards were getting more expensive. Two cases of Guinness at $8.50 a 6-pack is $68. I can make something better for $20. My wife is very much happier with the money I spend on beer, now. And as Fast_Eddy also said, I've always been a tinkerer, I couldn't resist!!!

:)
Toney.

[tallmikeG]

i'm a sucker for spending money, and i hate returning bottles. :)

being a relative newbie (12th batch is ready to keg tonight), i'm noticing that my original interest in brewing (good beer cheap) has led to an interest in microbiology, flavors, food, history, etc... Although i'm still doing the extract thing, I'm planning on moving towards an all-grain setup sometime soon...and i'm sure that plenty of questions will follow. i'm not sure what my point is, rather than that this hobby has been pure enjoyment and has broadened my perspective in many areas both inside and outside of the brew kitchen.

[BREWERDLUX]

Control!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I have control of what I drink. I make it like I want it. Its a good feeling when you make a beverage from scratch and serve it up to your friends. I started out when I bought my Dad a Mr. Beer Kit for faters day several years ago. He and I brewed up several batches and it sucked, but I made it.

Next thing you know Im brewing 5 gallons at a time and it is tasting better and better. My brew partner at that time and I had a conversation and I remember saying " I dont think I will ever do an all grain batch. Its just seems like too much work!" About three partial mashes later, Im building a mash tune.

Today Im building a three tier system with a hopback.... I have control of my beer and I dont care that Im saving money....

A good hobby that everyone around me can enjoy.......

[mmmBeer...]

My motivation started out when about 10 years ago my friend picked up Pap’s book and started brewing. I tried his stuff and thought it was pretty good, and started brewing with him. We had a few others join and made lots of beer. Then we all finished school and the home brewing ended.

My reason for starting up again was that I was spending a lot of money on beer and to be honest it wasn’t that great, or if it was, it was very expensive. Told my wife I could make beer at least as good if not better than the micro stuff we drink, and it would cost less. At first she was a little hesitant, but the first batch I made came out really good and won her over.

Plus, I love cooking and this is just an extension of that passion. I don’t even think about saving money now, I just make good beer and have fun doing it!

[mcarlson74]

First of all great thread!!

Most of my reasons seem to be a lot like everyone elses. I have a passion for cooking and a love of beer. I too got sick of spending quite a bit of money for "decent" beer. About 4 years ago I received a Mr. Beer kit also for Christmas. Like everyone else's mine came out tasting like crap. So unfortunately I let this discourage me for a while until last year when I picked the hobby back up and have never looked back. In the end I feel there is no greater satisfaction then sitting back and drinking a beer that you hand crafted.

[mmmBeer...]

Sounds like I was lucky and never had to try a Mr. Beer kit! My first beer was a John Bull kit, and I made it with extract not sugar (a bitter that came out pretty good for a first attempt!) That was the only kit I ever made, then I moved on to extract and specialty grains.

[paul84043]

I have always thought that it would be a cool thing to try, I'm a die hard gadget freak and I love to make things..
My Brother in law did the Mr. Beer thing and it pretty much sucked. He talked about it a few times but it never went beyond that.
We would drive to Wyoming from Utah to buy Corona, woo hoo....5% instead of 3.5%....man, that was the stuff!!
I knew that this wasn't what the Germans had been brewing for hundreds of years, it's only flavor came from the lime we put in it...
There had to be more...
I live in the Anti-fun hypocrite capital of the world, beer is evil, but you can drink Diet Coke until the aspartame rots your brain out and that's fine, you're still going to heaven....

One day, I was walking out of a bar, and there was this bright light in the sky that knocked me to the ground....no wait, that was a movie I watched the other day...
Oh, yeah...I just decided that I'm going to make beer, lots of it, in every flavor know to mankind....it's been all downhill from there....

[Brownbeard]

My reason for beginning was a little different. My friends and I are big hockey fans. We wanted to brew our own beer for our big opening night party. Well, the friends never showed, but I went out and got an equipment kit, a friend in college did the Mr Beer, so I knew better. I started my first beer, which I will bottle on sunday, from a Brewer's Best kit. A friend from work has brewed for a while now, he is more into wine though, he came over to help. I have always been an avid cook, and this seemed to be the obvious extension. Having not even tasted my first batch yet, I can't imagine I will ever stop brewing.

[paul84043]

You're screwed man....you're beer is going to come out great and you're going to be stuck with the rest of us, drinking good beer until the second coming, or untill we die, whichever comes first!!

Welcome aboard, get your second batch started ASAP! You'll need it.

[Brownbeard]

I am trying to decide now what to do for my next brew. I am thinking about a wheat or an English Pale Ale. Any good recipes?

[paul84043]

I have only done quality extract kits so far including 1 partial mash. The kits are so good, I haven't had a reason yet to go it on my own!!
I buy from austin homebrew on line, free shipping over 60$, annapolishomebrew.com, and my local homebrew shop.
Our house favorite is a Black&Tan kit from thebeernut.com (my local shop)
But I would be very hard pressed to pick out a personal favorite. My IPA kicks ass, but that's just my opinion...
Ales, Hefe's, stouts, I did a Cerveca Lager, which is good, but boring compared to the rest of the beers. I also did it as an ale and it was much faster and a bit more lively.
Hefe's dissapear around here like you wouldn't believe.
Right now I'm enjoying a double chocolate stout from austin homebrew. Sounds strange, but is very tasty!!
I'd do a couple that require little aging just to get some good beer going that you can drink.
Hefe's are done very young, regular ales like an amber ale, or a good pilsner or Kolsch are as well, the higher the gravity, typically the longer it will take to peak...

My first was a regular Amber ale, then a black&tan...

Let us know what you decide.....

[Fast_Eddy]

Originally posted by paul84043

Hefe's are done very young, regular ales like an amber ale, or a good pilsner or Kolsch are as well, the higher the gravity, typically the longer it will take to peak...


A good pilsner should be cold fermented which takes longer than a normal ferment and then it should be cold lagered for at least 2 weeks after secondary - I usually try to go 3-4 weeks. Pils change very noticeable over those weeks of lagering.

Hey Brownbeard welcome to the best, most obssessive hobby ever ;)

Here's the recipe for the wheat I am currently drinking. I decided that I wanted to make something simple and exceptional so this is what I came up with(sorry it's all grain but it's easy to convert):

Eddy's Wheat

A ProMash Recipe Report

Recipe Specifics
----------------

Grain/Extract/Sugar

% Amount Name Origin Potential SRM
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
47.1 4.00 lbs. Wheat Malt America 1.038 2
52.9 4.50 lbs. Pilsener Germany 1.038 2

Potential represented as SG per pound per gallon.


Hops

Amount Name Form Alpha IBU Boil Time
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
0.75 oz. Hallertau Hersbrucker Pellet 4.75 13.3 40 min.


Yeast
-----
WYeast 3068 Weihenstephan Weizen


Mash Schedule
-------------
Mash Type: Single Step

Grain Lbs: 8.50
Water Qts: 10.80 - Before Additional Infusions
Water Gal: 2.70 - Before Additional Infusions

Qts Water Per Lbs Grain: 1.27 - Before Additional Infusions

Saccharification Rest Temp : 155 Time: 60
Mash-out Rest Temp : 170 Time: 10
Sparge Temp : 170 Time: 0


Total Mash Volume Gal: 3.38 - Dough-In Infusion Only

All temperature measurements are degrees Fahrenheit.

[Brownbeard]

Originally posted by paul84043
I have only done quality extract kits so far including 1 partial mash. The kits are so good, I haven't had a reason yet to go it on my own!!
I buy from austin homebrew on line, free shipping over 60$, annapolishomebrew.com, and my local homebrew shop.


I was really impressed with that site.