I don’t know if it is because the weather has been changing or football season is back in full swing but it seems like my brewing has increased substantially lately.
Is it just me or has you brewing increased lately as well?
Summer is very busy for a lot of people including me. So yeah, I’ll be brewing a lot more this fall. On deck for me is my apple ale, a few ciders, Belgian dubbel, and another barleywine.
There is something about fall that makes me want to brew. What is that? Every year I get the itch to brew around this time of the year. I will say that I probably brew a little less in the summer and there is always a good amount of beer drinking going on around here in the summer and we also have a number of gatherings in the later summer (a number of family birthdays and an annual Labor Day gathering) where a good amount of beer is put away so maybe I feel the need to brew in the fall because my supply is getting short! I have about 8 or 10 beer recipes lined up and ready to go along with multiple 50-lb sacks of grain & some excellent hops too. Cheers.
It’s a great time of year to brew. Weather’s cool enough to not mind slaving over hot wort, but not so cold that all you want to do is stay in bed. Harvests are coming in, meaning new ingredients to play with.
Sadly, this year I won’t be doing any Autumn batches. On the plus side, I’m enjoying being a new dad with twins.
I also picked up my brew schedule but mostly due to the cooler ground water for chilling and the cooler temps in my Bierkeller for fermenting.
[quote=“sampothepancake”]It’s a great time of year to brew. Weather’s cool enough to not mind slaving over hot wort, but not so cold that all you want to do is stay in bed. Harvests are coming in, meaning new ingredients to play with.
Sadly, this year I won’t be doing any Autumn batches. On the plus side, I’m enjoying being a new dad with twins.[/quote]
Congrats. My brewing went wayyyy down when my kids were born. But my 3 kids are now 14, 16 and 18 so GIDDY UP! Cheers.
I typically do all my brewing late fall through early spring. Now that I have a toddler, I often need to pick out 3 brew days and hope one of them happens.
I really slow down during summer; love to brew when it is cooler.
Yeah, I took July and August off. I just don’t like that steamy kettle when it’s 80 degrees out. Have done 3 batches since Labor Day and have 6 more planned before Jan. 1.
My brewing habits definitely change with the seasons. It’s just too damn hot to stand around a burner in the summertime around here. I’d much rather brew Fall-Spring. We are expecting our 2nd son in January (right in the middle of brewing season, I know) so I have one batch that’s about to be bottled and then 5 more batches lined up to be brewed between now and then. When my second “assistant brewmaster” shows up, we will see how much time is left for my “hobby”. :cheers:
I’m always too busy to brew during the summer. When the weather is warm, it’s time to enjoy the outdoors. That only happens for a few weeks a year here. :?
But I definitely pick it up come autumn. That is the best time to brew, though I keep it up pretty steady through the winter and spring as well.
What is it about people saying they’re so much busier in summer? What are you doing differently? I can see if you have kids and they play sports or whatever. But otherwise, what are you guys doing that you’re so much busier in summer? I mean, I bike and stuff more in the warmer months, but I’m not occupied with that 24/7 that I can’t brew just as much.
I agree though that fall is the best time to brew. Although, the honeybees have been hanging around my kettle a lot this fall, which as been a bit of an annoyance. Once got in my house the other day, must’ve been on the chiller or something. But he didn’t last long, I think the heat weakened and all but killed him.
[quote=“Beersk”]What is it about people saying they’re so much busier in summer? What are you doing differently? I can see if you have kids and they play sports or whatever. But otherwise, what are you guys doing that you’re so much busier in summer? I mean, I bike and stuff more in the warmer months, but I’m not occupied with that 24/7 that I can’t brew just as much.
I agree though that fall is the best time to brew. Although, the honeybees have been hanging around my kettle a lot this fall, which as been a bit of an annoyance. Once got in my house the other day, must’ve been on the chiller or something. But he didn’t last long, I think the heat weakened and all but killed him.[/quote]
I suppose anyone who has to battle brutal winters wants to spend as much free time outside when the weather is nice. I do have kids and the summers are/were saturated with sports so that certainly played a part. But I also want to run, bike, swim, chill in the summer and I could see some people just wanting to claim that time for themselves.
[quote=“Ken Lenard”][quote=“Beersk”]What is it about people saying they’re so much busier in summer? What are you doing differently? I can see if you have kids and they play sports or whatever. But otherwise, what are you guys doing that you’re so much busier in summer? I mean, I bike and stuff more in the warmer months, but I’m not occupied with that 24/7 that I can’t brew just as much.
I agree though that fall is the best time to brew. Although, the honeybees have been hanging around my kettle a lot this fall, which as been a bit of an annoyance. Once got in my house the other day, must’ve been on the chiller or something. But he didn’t last long, I think the heat weakened and all but killed him.[/quote]
I suppose anyone who has to battle brutal winters wants to spend as much free time outside when the weather is nice. I do have kids and the summers are/were saturated with sports so that certainly played a part. But I also want to run, bike, swim, chill in the summer and I could see some people just wanting to claim that time for themselves.[/quote]
Well, brewing if mostly for ourselves, isn’t it? And for most of us it’s also outside. Just sayin’…
I have stepped up the brewing schedule in the past two months compared to the summer. I have been averaging about one brew day per month until late August. I have done 4 batches since then and have another planned for this weekend. I also caught a flash 20% sale from our host that I had to take advantage of, darn what a shame, I just have to brew again. :lol:
I have some travel for work coming up plus a 10 year anniversary trip with SWMBO that’s gonna keep me busy through mid-November so I’m trying to get a head start on the process. That coupled with the fact that I’m trying to get brews lined up and ready for Christmas a bit earlier than last year so I’ll have the patience and available beer to let them sit until they’re ready rather than pushing the limits of readiness as I did last year.
I must admit there is something really nice about brewing in the fall though, the weather is perfect, ground water temps drop so chilling is faster, and my two little brewery assistants and I can play outside while the boil is going. Then when the timer goes off they both yell, “Ooh! what can I add to your beer for you!?” 
:cheers:
Rad
For me, I brewed a LOT between Nov -Feb. seems to be the time I have the most open fermenters and kegs since I drink more heavily in summer and fall.
Wonder why the belt always gets a litter more snug around this time too. ???
Did a few saisons during the warmer months, but now that it’s cooling off, I’ve got all three fermenters going, and have a couple more brews planned that will get going as soon as I have an empty fermenter. I leave the fermenters in the basement, so ambient temp is crucial to the style/amount I’m able to brew. Now that the cooler temps are upon us…GAME ON!!!
