Brulosophy Home Brew Survey 2021

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MickDundee

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This has been published today
https://brulosophy.com/2021/09/30/2...aUks1CItGjOPg30-HHLp16dLfYwtEJD5L88wBLs_oBf60
Obviously it’s mainly targeted at the American market (63% of respondents are American) but quite interesting.

Surprised to see that the most popular age group is 30-39. That’s definitely an American thing because us 30-somethings are surely in the minority here in the U.K.

Also surprised at 72% of respondents using kegs and force carbing.
 
I saw the figures for those kegging and was slightly surprised. That said, the data is going to be biased toward the sort of brewer that is interested in brulosophy which, I think, is more likely to be taking the hobby a bit more seriously and will therefore be more likely to have made the move to kegs.

From the handful of home brewers I know personally, I'm the only one kegging but I'm also the only one who listens to the brulosophy podcast, worries about water chemistry etc.
 
I saw the figures for those kegging and was slightly surprised. That said, the data is going to be biased toward the sort of brewer that is interested in brulosophy which, I think, is more likely to be taking the hobby a bit more seriously and will therefore be more likely to have made the move to kegs.

From the handful of home brewers I know personally, I'm the only one kegging but I'm also the only one who listens to the brulosophy podcast, worries about water chemistry etc.
I think you're wrong to think that those who take their brewing more seriously have made the move to kegs. Why do you think that? All my beer's bottled, nowadays, but water chemistry, pH, oxidation, temperature, etc are no less important. When I used to use plastic PBs, these matters were still important.
I haven't listened to a Brulosophy podcast, I admit, but I've read plenty of the Brulosophy posts and, to be frank, I find them a bit pseudo-science.
 
The 30-39 age bracket perhaps needs viewing in the context of people who turned 21 during the growth of Americas craft beer market and the figures for home ownership, that they now have their own space to brew.
 
I think you're wrong to think that those who take their brewing more seriously have made the move to kegs. Why do you think that?

I'm not saying those who do bottle don't take brewing seriously. I know there are quite a few folk on here that don't keg and I'm confident they take the hobby at least as seriously as I do and no doubt produce excellent beers. Neither is better or the right way - it's just what suits the individual.

However, I do think that kegging is seen as a kind of "next level" thing to do which may appeal to those that have starting getting into it a bit more and who doesn't like buying some shiny new gear?

Basically, what I'm getting at is that I think there's bound to be a much larger proportion of "keggers" in brulosophy audience than in the general home-brewing population which will contain a lot of beginner or casual brewers. I'm still surprised at 70%+ figure though.
 
I haven't listened to a Brulosophy podcast, I admit, but I've read plenty of the Brulosophy posts and, to be frank, I find them a bit pseudo-science.

I’m interested to know what part you find pseudoscientific? My thoughts on listening and reading are; they make a good effort to isolate the variable under study, the blinded triangle tastings are fairly robust and they are very quick to change their point of view when the results contradict their pre-existing bias. They are also quick to acknowledge potential flaws in study design. At the end of the day they’re hobbyists, and there are plenty of academic departments and commercial labs doing more robust work. But they feed into the commercial side while the Bru team pitch their output at home brewers.
I have to credit them for not worrying about kettle trub, an easy fining method, becoming obsessive about cold side oxidation and most recently, harvesting yeast from overbuilt starters.
 
I find the brulosophy podcasts both different on their own quite light hearted but well geared towards the homebrewers who are like minded being intrigued by the process and key factors which contribute to everything from making good beer to having it go t1ts up at times.
Any exbeeriments are expressed in both scientific and layman's terms from start to finish including recipes and the findings from results.
The fact they take time and effort to put this out there and help others identify what is going right or wrong is great imo and I don't even have to subscribe unless I want the additional content whereas looking at the UK and Europe there are only a few willing to do this but a whole lot willing to criticise and they all started as homebrewers.
 
Basically, what I'm getting at is that I think there's bound to be a much larger proportion of "keggers" in brulosophy audience than in the general home-brewing population.
Agree, due to a largely an American audience brewing American styles that suit kegging and force carbonation. Personally I do both, british and Belgian styles get naturally carbonated or bottle conditioned, everything else force carbonated.

Don't have an issue with brulosophy, however the danger is when people amalgamate the isolated exbeeriments and think x, y and x don't matter, there's the potential for a cumulative lowering of quality.
 
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Don't have an issue with brulosophy, however the danger is when people amalgamate the isolated exbeeriments and think x, y and x don't matter, there's the potential for a cumulative lowering of quality.

Well, I think that is where their "Short and Shoddy" series comes in, to indeed see if they do things less formal, and not so extended, what the quality is of the beer that they can brew.

I think that is nice to show people that, yes, if you want you can brew nice beer in less time and with less perfectionism. That is good to attract people to the hobby. That is good to give people confidence in a shortened, less detailed brew.

In "Short and Shoddy" they do the things that matter, but in a less controlled way.
 

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