Do you brew alone or in company

[MyQul]

I shamelessly stole this thread idea from HBT because I liked reading the responses there.

The is the OP from the HBT thread;

"Just wondering, how many are solitary brewers and how many like to brew with friends or as a group.
I personally prefer to be a solitary brewer. It's my "me time". My wonderful wife understands and usually plans a girls day for brew day. Brew day for me is a stress reliever where I can forget about everything for a while.
How do you brew?"

I brew alone. My kitchen is too small to have anyone else in there whilst I'm brewing. So I wait till MrsMQ goes out, else we'd get in each others way.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

I make my stuff alone i am so OCD about everything in the kitchen Mrs Tea doesn't go anywhere near it in case i have a hissy fit.

 

[Gunge]

I just have the cats for company - no moaning and no dodgy advice.

 

[GerritT]

It works best when I'm alone. Other people tend to be in the way or just, be there. Distracting. Company kills the zen of brewing.

 

[AdeDunn]

I brew with my wife. She pours the grain in when we dough in, and pours in the sparge water as her hands are steadier than mine, plus I usually get a few more points on the SG when she helps me. :thumb: Oh and sometimes she helps to lift the grain bag out if it's a heavy grain bill too.

I'd quite happily let her do more, but she always tells me "when you start to crochet for me, I'll start to brew for you..." and even the thought of using a crochet hook makes my fingers ache.

 

[Drunkula]

I try and do it alone but it all goes wrong and I get "You know that cooker is actually made for cooking food, don't you?" and I try and hold their glare so they don't actually look at down or notice that sticky sound their pink-slippered footsteps are making as they flounce away.

 

[Honk]

I get Fridays off so that's my brewday whilst everyone else is out the house, then I just need to get all the mess cleaned up before my wife gets home.
Would be fun to have a brewday with mates round doing lots of sampling but I'd get even more drunk then.

 

[Andy lemon]

brew with my wife she' generally better at kitchen type things

 

[Mungri]

Generally brew alone, though the missus does help if things go tits up (as they often do). It's only fair, she drinks half of it anyway.

 

[Ajhutch]

I’m very similar to the quote in the OP, I like to brew alone as it’s my hobby and escape time. I try to plan brews around my wife and kids’ activities so it doesn’t become an inconvenience. I have done one brew day with a mate which was nice though, you get plenty of time to just chat and catch up.

 

[chthon]

I also brew alone, mostly on Friday evening, in the kitchen, when my wife and daughter watch a show on the telly. Water and milled malt are prepared the day before.
I have a Facebook page where I do try to interest other (local) people in brewing, but while I have spectators, nobody has ever requested on how to start brewing.

 

[Leon103]

I brew alone. I would welcome a fellow brewer but I rather the wife and kids out of the way.

 

[Lawrence22]

I brew alone in the garage, usually on a Tuesday as my son has after school activities on Tuesdays so more time for me to get everything done and cleaned up. I wouldn't mind a bit of company if it was with someone interested in the process.

 

[foxbat]

I start alone because I get up so early in the morning to kick off the day. The wife gets roped in as assistant brewer to tip the grains into the bag while I stir and later to hold up the bag while I squeeze every last drop out of it.

It's a team effort and I give her credit for not complaining about it.

 

[Slid]

I like to brew on my own and get slightly ratty when they come into my kitchen and make their breakfasts, complaining the whole time about access to cupboards blocked by the GF.

Not sure about brewing with a buddy as there really isn't much to do for one brewer most of the time, let alone two.

Maybe if it were a Parti-Gyle day?

 

[Brewed_Force]

I like to brew alone early on a Sunday morning.
Usually I can mash and boil and clean up before the family gets up.
I may have to move to a Saturday evening slot after tea, as I intend to do no chill, like MyQul, using cling film over my pot. Then I can finish off into the FV, alone, on Sunday morning.

 

[MarkBowie]

Alone if my brother isn’t around. Although now I’ve moved I can do it on the patio whilst daughter plays on garden so might be a with whoever’s about now. I’m quite relaxed about stuff like this so I’m not bothered either way.

 

[Gerryjo]

I've brewed twice with a mate who is also a fellow brewer and we would regularly bottle swap,order grains and bits together and talk about recipes etc as we also work together be it different jobs.I enjoy brewing alone and because I work shifts that could litterally mean anytime day or night as I don't hog the kitchen and brew either in the utility room or garage depending on electric or gas and besides they all complain and say "That smells rotten"

 

[LarryF]

I make them all breakfast and then banish them out of my kitchen, turn the radio on and then it's me time.

 

[MyQul]

I like to brew alone early on a Sunday morning.
Usually I can mash and boil and clean up before the family gets up.
I may have to move to a Saturday evening slot after tea, as I intend to do no chill, like MyQul, using cling film over my pot. Then I can finish off into the FV, alone, on Sunday morning.

I no-chill in a spare FV rather than my pot