For the love of brewing

[brew_cat]

What do you all love about this hobby? I can't put a finger on it but I love coming up with ideas for brews and making them. Very rarely follow guidelines and even my tried and true usually get a tweak. I used to brew 10s and 15s but I like the simplicity of 5 gallons. Only time I'll do a big batch nowadays is for a party request.

[voodoo_donut]

For me it's recipe research and formulation; followed closely by the brewday itself(except cleanup).
Brewday gets me away from work, television, etc and allows me to focus on the task at hand while listening to hours of good music, which I regrettably rarely do otherwise.

[sneezles61]

Wow, didn't really think about this piece of the puzzle... When you try a brew that captures your attention... doing some "looking"... Then to try to recreate what you tried... Then, you get that first taste when its really ready... Its the anticipation... after years of hanging around this Forum, I've been able to produce brews that I would rather drink than alot of the craft beer out there in our neck of the woods..Not dissing any ones elses...Just saying.
Like Voodoo, I get to get away from the other clutter the world offers.. Zero in in whats happening... Tweaxing.. Even the cleanup isn't so bad... As I keep daydreaming.. about the brews! I could go on into even way more of the detail, but then that would be digressing.. All of it! Sneezles61

[jimrmaine]

As those above, I love the whole brewing process- from trying a commercial beer and wondering if I can match it, then doing the research to find out what it might take, then designing a recipe, tweaking it, then brewing it. Sure I do like the drinking process, but I actually get more gratification from getting feedback from others.
And yes, I also find myself spending WAY too much time on this forum, as well as HBT and AHA forums. Brewers are some special kind of people.

[loopie_beer]

I too enjoy the entire process. One thing I don’t really see mentioned, and possibly my favorite part, is sharing it with others. Love to hear them say, “you made this? This is one of the best beers I’ve had.” Better when it comes to non-beer drinkers or usual BMC drinkers.

One thing I’ve noticed is now that I’m part of opening a brewery my willingness to experiment has really blossomed. Before I would make 2.05gal test batches before going all in. Now, I will do 10gal and if it gets dumped it gets dumped. Not sure why, maybe because I’ve got more people to pawn bad beer on!

[wilcolandzaat]

For me thinking. While diving about creating a recipy. Than put on paper. Put every thing together. Grain bill what kind of hops. Yeast and so on. Do like 10 gal batches. Actually the boil add the hop schedule. Final result. Taste makes me happy when people say. Damm good beer. Its a fun and nice hobby. Makes me relaxed. During brew day. Loud music. Metal music only. Few beers. But only start drinking about 10 min before end of boil. And most the time its only my brew buddy and me. My wife not around. Me getting excited about building my own brew area. So can brew at night as well

[WMNoob]

I think for me it's the chance to learn new stuff, exercise my creativity, and most of all spending quality time with my son doing something we both enjoy. I enjoy making beers WE like as well as trying different commercial brews and then working on our own versions of them. It's fun to develop a recipe on paper, brew it, tweak it, and brew it again until it fits that picture in our heads of how it should taste and look. I like exploring the different styles, techniques in brewing, the process itself, and of course sharing. Like others said above, it's fun to hear people say our stuff is the best they've ever had. I take those comments with a grain of salt. Homemade beer is so fresh and clean something like homemade bread compared to store bought. I do get great satisfaction out of sharing though. I would rather drink our own than most commercial since I know what's in it and it's made with our own well water.

[hd4mark]

It started out as a hobby making craft beer because it was fun and produced beer I could not buy. I could buy good beer of course but not exactly what I wanted. Now it is still fun, except the clean up part, and I can keep myself in beer that is really good, not expensive compared to what I would pay and if I am not happy or bored with I can just adjust it to my own liking.

I used to enter competitions and didn't do too bad but realized I don't care what anyone else thinks about my beer as long as I like it. The pat on the back was nice but the brew in my stomach is what counts.

I will admit to being somewhat stuck in a rut creativity wise because I have been basically brewing the same style beers for a long time.Sure once in a while I will go off the deep end and brew something off the wall but for the most part it's what I really like to drink and what is wrong with that?

Another cool thing is hanging out here. If it wasn't for reading about brewing I would brew an IPA, a Belgian, a wheat and a Stout then start over. You guys are the spark for me to actually get creative.

[flars]

I enjoy the process of brewing beer I like and the beers others will drop hints for that they need more. The process has become more relaxing learning that I no longer need to stress over minutes. Learning more and more about the entire process and keeping brewing fairly simple has been a major part of keeping it relaxing. I've learned quite a bit here that hasn't been in the books. A little trial and error also. At one time I thought adding electronic components was too advanced. Now I find some electronics adds to keeping it simple.

Brewing also keeps memories of my Dad alive. My Dad talked about his work at the Medford Brewery during a Canadian fishing trip in the late eighties. Christmas I gave him a starter brewing kit. This was also my entry into home brewing helping with the bottling and sampling different styles.

[brewmanchu]

A little over 5 years ago my wife told me I needed a hobby. Now I'm 61 batches in, built a cool little keezer, keep at least 10 pounds of hops in the freezer and have some very nice equipment to brew with. Now we've added standing in long lines on can release day to our resume as well. Brew day is the best, though. The science, the process and the amazing smells I can take all day long. You can have the cleanup, that's the worst part! In the end it is so rewarding to sit at your own bar and drink your own beer along side a few friends that enjoy it as well. Thank God and all of you that I've only had to dump 2 batches (1 for infection and 1 was just not what I wanted).

I enjoy creating different recipes and reading others' recipes and experiences as well. Buying hops is one thing I must start to get a grip on. I tend to buy anything that's a good deal whether I'm using them or not

[Rburrelli]

For me, it is the satisfaction of creating something. Even if it a kit recipe, I still get satisfaction from most results. Sure there is the occasional stinker but you get to learn from those things. Since s started about three years ago I have gone from 1 gal extract to 5 gal all grain. Making my first lager which was my first self created recipe as well was a great experience. You all keep me up to date. Learned a lot on this and other forums.

I need to be creative. Whether it is cooking, music, woodworking, cycling or whatever it allows me to keep my mind active. And the fact that you get beer from the process is a bonus.

[rebuiltcellars]

For me, it has changed over time. When I first started, I was fascinated by the science of what was going on - combined with the realization that I could make better beer at home (to my taste at least) than I could buy. After that, the drive was to push the limits and see just how good my beer could get. Not just by creating new recipes, but by perfecting my techniques and experimenting with new and historical techniques to see what I could learn from them.
Finding a community of like-minded beer nerds on-line was key to keeping me going. When I moved away from the US, there was basically zero homebrew culture here, and it was great to be able to hang out and share experiences.
Now that I'm running my own winery, I don't get much time to brew, but I still look forward to those rare brew days. Not sure how such a busy day can at the same time be so relaxing.
And I still like the fact that I can brew better beer at home than I can buy.

[sneezles61]

RBC, you must be waiting for the next big "must" session... Good to hear from you! Sneezles61

[rebuiltcellars]

It is great to check in when I can, though with so little time to brew, it can be a bit depressing as well. Blueberries are being picked in the woods now, and raspberries will be soon, along with cloudberries. So yes, about to get very busy again.

[jmck]

For me it’s the creative outlet. Not just in brewing my own recipes or other people’s kits but the whole shebang. I’m kinda nerdy, and brewing also gives me an outlet for my other hobbies. Made my own temperature controller for the fermenter which let me apply my electronics and programming hobbies, and recently 3D Printing. I also have a wiki server for tracking my recipes and brew days.

I love how you can get into brewing with just a pot, a bucket, a bottling wand, capper and some empty bottles, but can go crazy in a hundred different directions as you grow from there. I do have a bit of Gear Acquisition Syndrome, I’m not sure where I’m going next... Maybe a recirculating pump for the mash tun, maybe an electric kettle, so I can do larger boils indoors.

I also love how people say, “You brew BEER?” Or better still, “YOU made this beer” as if they believe I have some magical powers.

[radagast]

I enjoy the process of brewday. It gives me a dedicated period of time where I don't have to think about work or anything else really and just relax in the garage with some good tunes. I lurk here all day during the week while I'm at work and keep up on all the conversations and ideas bouncing back and forth. I haven't had the time to venture out and create my own recipes yet, been brewing mostly kits from our host and clone recipes that intrigue me. It's a release valve for me from the stress of running a family business I'm struggling to change after 75 years in the business. Plus, as others have mentioned I love the comments from friends on the results.

Rad

[WMNoob]

Had to share this.

[Rburrelli]

Love it!