State of Homebrewing

Something happened today and I thought this may be related. Uneducated public. I gave my wife’s friend a glass of my Oyster Stout. Her reaction baffled me. “This is so good, creamy and smooth,I can’t believe you made it” I was insulted so I asked what she meant by that? She tried to dig herself out of the hole by saying she just meant it tasted to professional. I told her keep digging.
I understand what she was trying to say though and I guess there’s still a perception one cannot make good homebrew. We know that is nonsense. Just buying a brewery and hanging out a shingle doesn’t mean you make good beer.

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I agree that this sentiment still lingers. ‘No way someone could make brewery quality beer at home.’ And with that it makes me think- is homebrewing really dying out, OR, is it leveling out to what it once was? I mean, maybe the homebrewing boom came about by people thinking they could make quality beer right out of the gates with little to no effort and in minimal amount of time. After a batch, they realized it takes work, practice, and experience and time they may not have. And now this knowledge is spread around and it easier to go to the local craft brewery. :man_shrugging:
Hope this makes sense! :joy:

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So do they get an “F” for lack of effort?
Sneezles

My wife and I recently took a hiatus from drinking. Her idea but I agreed a break would be good. It wasn’t easy when part of my world was home brewing. It was a good test of our willpower and we went about 5 months.

We finally decided we missed having a few once in a while and in moderation it would be OK.

During that time homebrewing didn’t sound like a good idea so my equipment gathered more dust.

With a 20 gallon system I always thought making smaller batches was kind of a waste. Brewing that big is an entire day and sometimes more so it is not only time consuming but tough on my old body. That makes it hard to convince myself to get brewing. It also makes for a lot of beer and not all my friends drink something that doesn’t have “light” or “Lite” in the name.

This summer I have to talk myself into brewing something and find taste testers to drink it up because I don’t want to give it up. My 17 year old system still works and I know how to use it so I won’t be buying any equipment but I will still be here at NB, this coming December will make 25 years.

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Yes, an ‘f’ for effort. I know a few people who bought kits, used it once, then never again. We live in a world of instant gratification. Make something that takes me 3 hours today, then a couple hours a few weeks later, then wait an additional 2 weeks? NO THANKS! Especially if it doesn’t turn out well.

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Congrats on 25 years! This November will be 17 for me. Seems like it can’t be that long but it is. I also looked at some of my orders made through a competitor… I’ve spent a LOT of money on this hobby. And that’s just at one spot! :joy:

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25 years wow. I started somewhere between 2010 and 2013 so lets call it 14yrs. But I’m always learning new stuff. Its been fun.

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I once got the best compliment from a friend, saying essentially the same thing as “I can’t believe you made this” but in a great way. He told me a beer I make is one of the best beers he has ever had, period. No add-on of “for a home brew”. I was a proud brew-papa that day, and it encouraged me to not only make that beer again and again, but it also encouraged me to keep trying stuff out. It was a recipe I created through research and taste, and I have been enjoying doing more of that. More of a “no one can recreate my brews 100% because it was all made up in my head” kinda feeling. When it turns out badly, I can chalk it up to being an idiot. When it turns out great, I’m a genius!

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You can’t always win, be you’d be a bigger looser for not even trying.
Sneezles

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