Who can brew beer at home

[mailforabrown]

Most people I tell are really impressed when I tell them I brew beer. They are even more impressed when I tell them the price per pint!
Then I start explaining about malt and mashing and their eyes start to glaze over.....

 

[chrisb8]

Most people I tell are really impressed when I tell them I brew beer. They are even more impressed when I tell them the price per pint!

Someone recently asked me how much it costs me to make a pint and I replied around 50-60p - I was dumbfounded when he replied 'oh not really that cheap then'!

 

[obscure]

A quick google search shows Aldi sells beer at £1.22 a litre so not much more than 60 p a pint I suppose that is understandable. And cider is even cheaper.

Point is if my sole aim was to get drunk as cheaply as possible I probably wouldn’t do it via home brewing. It’s a hobby first and foremost (although getting beer just the way I want it for less than a £1 a pint is pretty good too).

 

[chrisb8]

A quick google search shows Aldi sells beer at £1.22 a litre so not much more than 60 p a pint I suppose that is understandable. And cider is even cheaper.

Point is if my sole aim was to get drunk as cheaply as possible I probably wouldn’t do it via home brewing. It’s a hobby first and foremost (although getting beer just the way I want it for less than a £1 a pint is pretty good too).

Fair point and I agree that the reason I brew is not to make cheap beer. I guess that we would all like to think that our own beer that we have worked hard to produce is much better than the cheapest that can be bought...

 

[pms67]

£4 for 5 kilo of grain
£1.50 for yeast
£3.50 for hops
£9 for 40 bottles
Call it 23p a bottle

 

[steveinUS]

I’ve been in the hobby for 25+ years (our club turns 26 this year). Our members are probably a representative sample of the general homebrewing population. We have a few of almost everything... legal and medical professionals, auto mechanics, builders, educators, computer programmers and tech support, accountants and other similar naer-do-wells (just kidding there), a CAD operator, artists and musicians, one crime scene technician, at least one No Such Agency employee that I’m aware of, a few local and federal government workers, a delivery man for a medical cannabis grower, housewives, retail clerks, and retirees. My take is that homebrewing is a great equalizer. People from all walks of life suddenly have lots in common to talk (and drink) about together.

 

[hedgerowpete]

proffessional tea drinker and shouter here, senior construction site manager on commercial food sites, i started a million years ago when the terrible reputation of home brew wine and beer was at its highest, some of the recipes and drinks people used to make back in the 1970's and 1980's where blooming awlfull by any standards, the term C*** in a can springs to mind so does images of little old ladies fermenting garden produce in crock pots and open jars with muslin. The guy that used to run my local wine circle, used to support beer, wines and spirits as well as shop brought wines and beers, he taught me to break down a recipe and see how it interacts with each other as well as to question recipes and there so called wine expert authers, because he had such a high regard for drinks as a whole and intollerant of poor quality the wine circle used to do very well with compititions and shows, we also had a large amount of club owned kit. the first time you turned up we did a tea wine, drinkable in six weeks and by the end of that he had you doing fruit wines which took a year to come through.

there used to be a motto for wine people a million years ago, "ferment so you have a bottle a day" or "a gallon a week"

as for this curupter of young people, try the local head master, we had serious managers and proffessionals as well as me a plasterer at the time, as well as a farmer or two and and far to many retired ladies, word of warning never trust little old grey haired ladies and wine bottle contents, some of them used to blow your brains out

 

[pilgrimhudd]

I also work in Operating Theatres mainly OP alongside A+E and ITU. My colleagues are mostly interested in my homebrewing and i've brought in a few bottles for some of them, even talk of malt and mashing intrigues them! I 've got into homebrewing because of the dearth of decent beer down here in Cornwall, there is some great beer, just a lack of variety in my opinion. I like stouts and porters and thats what I wanted to brew and that's what Cornwall is lacking, funnily enough i've only brewed 2 stouts so far and no porters!

 

[tribalfather]

So, I have a bit of a random question that I think I already know the answer to. Are there certain people whom it it acceptable to brew beer at home?

context to this question is that I am professionally qualified and work in operating theatres, I’m also a service regular Officer in the British Army. Anyone who asks my hobbies I say the usual of walking, time with family but when I say I HomeBrew they looked shocked. I then discuss why it’s acceptable to have a wine tasting night or pair food with wine but beer is different. Currently planning a beer night in the mess, but I’d be interested in what trades and professions people belong to.

As a member of HMF, you may homebrew in married quarters. But not if living in barracks/mess. Did try and bend rules, but QR's said NO

 

[tribalfather]

Hgv driver, normally long hours, planning ahead that far was impossible. Not driving for a while so have a Wherry getting down my neck and 2 number 1 wines fermenting away

 

[Cwrw666]

I think the homebrewer cliché of a fat, bearded, middle-aged bloke in socks and sandals is a very dated view

But that's me!

 

[MickDundee]

£4 for 5 kilo of grain
£1.50 for yeast
£3.50 for hops
£9 for 40 bottles
Call it 23p a bottle

I think I managed 8p a bottle once (it was a spiced brown ale so I only needed to wave a couple of hop pellets at it). With the exception of 200 for £10 from a “retiring” brewer I’ve never bought bottles though I just rely on friends and family giving me their empties.

For contrast I’ve also used £18 of hops in one brew.

 

[VW911]

I run a homebrew shop.
People always seem to be talking to me about beer and wine...

...Can't figure it out!

 

[Nicks90]

Global service manager for a multinational IT company and i have never told anyone i do home brew! I can only imagine the reaction from half the cocktail bar drinking, BMW driving, willy-waving commercial types...
however i spend most of my time working from home or at the customers headoffice - and they are a great bunch of guys, one of whom has just bought himself a grainfather!
Whilst officially i am not allowed to give him any beer (customer supplier gifts and all that), i do regularly take him samples.

oh and i am clean shaven, 45, lots of tattoos and dont own any sandals.

 

[pms67]

I think I managed 8p a bottle once (it was a spiced brown ale so I only needed to wave a couple of hop pellets at it). With the exception of 200 for £10 from a “retiring” brewer I’ve never bought bottles though I just rely on friends and family giving me their empties.

For contrast I’ve also used £18 of hops in one brew.

I reuse any Punk IPA bottles I buy from Asda for £2.50 for the 660ml
Yeah, the hops, I emptied 300g of Simcoe, Centennial and Amarillo from my FV last night, ouch ££££

 

[Sput]

Great thread.

I am a corporate lawyer, 36, no beard, no beer belly (I like to think), no piercings, no tattoos, but absolutely entitled to brew beer.

Amongst clients and colleagues I am the only brewer and am definitely unusual for it (I can drink wine and cocktails just fine btw). I started it as a creative counterpoint to work but it has, I am sure, improved my career because of that unusual thing to talk about and be remembered by. I am actually visiting a client's offices this week to give them an unofficial tasting session after much demand.

It is a real pleasure to enjoy drinking your own beer, and then to share it with others who are surprised / impressed / interested once they've got past all of the above initial reactions.

 

[Leon103]

£4 for 5 kilo of grain
£1.50 for yeast
£3.50 for hops
£9 for 40 bottles
Call it 23p a bottle

Water, electric, equipment to make and ferment. Caps for bottles.

Plus who only spends £3.50 on hops these days.

 

[HarryFlatters]

Plus who only spends £3.50 on hops these days.

Me. I can't bloody stand overly hoppy beer.

 

[Leon103]

Me. I can't bloody stand overly hoppy beer.

Maybe one day there is a hop you like

 

[MyQul]

Plus who only spends £3.50 on hops these days.

Me. All of the beers I make are relatively low in hopping because of the OG or hopping rates