Brewing Is Contagious

[Danhutch333]

It's amazing how enthusiasm for just about anything will bring people out of the woodwork.

I've been travelling along my brewing road for 8 - 10 months and would have to say that I'm fairly excited about the journey. I've made a few fine beers and some not so fine. I've discovered a bunch of different hops and the significant changes which can be made by selecting one over the other. I've got my first all extract + crystal beer almost ready to put in a bottle and I'm blown away by the improvement over my kits & bits brews. I've been taking notes all the way along and I'm looking forward to the brews to come to see where this craft will take me (and my taste buds).

Through out all of this I've been chatting to friends, family and work mates and the contagion is spreading.
A friend now has a fermenter, my brother has just purchased a fresh wort beer kit as a "family" present (3 birthdays in 3 days - my wife, my son and me) and I am about to hold an impromptu brew day for friends at the conclusion of the combined family birthday party.

Now, I'm not a good brewer by any stretch but I am enthusiastic about what I do. I've been quick to point out both the positives and negatives when sharing one of my beers with someone AND despite all my failings I've been pleasantly surprised by how many people come back for more. I've been even more surprised by how many friends are now talking about putting a brew together, even my brother who was dead-set against it for a long time.

Good-times all round!

 

[CONNOR BREWARE]

It's amazing how enthusiasm for just about anything will bring people out of the woodwork.

I've been travelling along my brewing road for 8 - 10 months and would have to say that I'm fairly excited about the journey. I've made a few fine beers and some not so fine. I've discovered a bunch of different hops and the significant changes which can be made by selecting one over the other. I've got my first all extract + crystal beer almost ready to put in a bottle and I'm blown away by the improvement over my kits & bits brews. I've been taking notes all the way along and I'm looking forward to the brews to come to see where this craft will take me (and my taste buds).

Through out all of this I've been chatting to friends, family and work mates and the contagion is spreading.
A friend now has a fermenter, my brother has just purchased a fresh wort beer kit as a "family" present (3 birthdays in 3 days - my wife, my son and me) and I am about to hold an impromptu brew day for friends at the conclusion of the combined family birthday party.

Now, I'm not a good brewer by any stretch but I am enthusiastic about what I do. I've been quick to point out both the positives and negatives when sharing one of my beers with someone AND despite all my failings I've been pleasantly surprised by how many people come back for more. I've been even more surprised by how many friends are now talking about putting a brew together, even my brother who was dead-set against it for a long time.

Good-times all round!

Glad to hear it Dan, it sounds like your wife hasnt attempted to ban you from talking about it yet.

Have to to agree with the sentiment. It was nice when both sides of the family asked if I'd be putting on a Chistmas keg for the dinners.

 

[yum beer]

Brewing is very contagious,

I caught the bug many a year ago, still hasn't gone away.



Theres nothing like giving someone who is expecting your homebrew to taste like shit, a homebrew that doesnt taste like shit, oh wow you can make that....how do I do it.

Had a few rello's over last weekend who hadnt tried my brews, wow said 1, 'thats better than the crownies I was drinking the other week', I would hope so, compliment taken.

Other says 'it tastes commercial' which I think meant 'it doesnt taste like homebrew'. Few extra bottles into the freezer (I wasnt prepared for their visit).

Mate of the brother who 'doesn't' drink beer unless its European had a glass of a saaz/hallertau lager, 'mmm it taste like Grolsch, I like it'.

A couple of eyes opened to homebrew and what can be done.
'

 

[Danhutch333]

Brewing is very contagious,

I caught the bug many a year ago, still hasn't gone away.


Theres nothing like giving someone who is expecting your homebrew to taste like shit, a homebrew that doesnt taste like shit, oh wow you can make that....how do I do it.
'

Well, the brew day went as planned. Our family birthday BBQ finished up around 4 in the afternoon because the kids got tired. Leaving just my brother and his family remaining.

His "family" present turned out to be an All Extract kit of Rogue - Dead Guy Ale (my wife was amused, mostly because it was the first time he has ever bought a present without having to be told to). He also included a sample bottle of the same beer so I knew what I was aiming for.

Over 2 1/2 hours we steeped grain, boiled hops and mixed extract. All my practice must be paying off because when we got to the end the initial gravity was only one point off of where it was meant to be - 1.064 instead of 1.063. Along the way we had a good laugh and a good discussion about brewing principles. I'm pretty sure he is hooked now but I am certain he will be when he gets to taste the end result. My plan is to put the homebrew back in the sample bottle and we'll see how close it is in taste.

Potentially I have made a rod for my own back as he will want to come back and do it all again but it is a lot of fun and I would be doing it anyway.
This way I get more ideas and practice of what to mix up next. I'm also predicting he will want to put down some brews of his own and, until he gets his own setup, it will happen at my house. So I can see some case swaps happening = more beers to sample and a shared work load.

So, I see a golden time of brewing and good laughs..........that is..... until wifey gets sick of my buddies crowding around the stove, talking beer.
Then I'll be banished elsewhere. Ha ha.

 

[Black Devil Dog]

It's amazing how quickly attitudes towards home brew can change. Literally within a mouthful or two, former sceptics go from chortling about the supposed inferiority of it to saying things like "it tastes like a commercial beer, actually that's not bad". A mate of mine who loves his Tooheys Old, is adamant that mine is identical, he is going to start brewing soon. A converted sceptic.

Still get the likes of my brother in law who drinks cocktails or some other girls drinks and thinks home brewing is just for Aussie bogans, as though that's a bad thing..................

 

[domfergo]

black devil care to share you old recipe?

 

[yum beer]

Still get the likes of my brother in law who drinks cocktails or some other girls drinks and thinks home brewing is just for Aussie bogans, as though that's a bad thing..................

Wife showed me a youtube vid of fitzy and his radio partner(name escapes me now...to lazy to check) do a take of gangnam style called 'aussie battler style'....

I think I fit his description incredibly well right down to car I drive and the shoes I wear.......I dont think I'm a bogan but jesus christ I might just be......

If only I could think over thses old ac/dc records blasting at full volume......

 

[Wal05]

I love the way that some of the non-believers scoff and laugh at first, that is until they are almost forced to try it and then can't stop. One of my brothers was like that, in jest, he would be taking cheap shots at my brewing and thought it was a great joke.

I've only been brewing for about a year and a half now so I had been quietly scheming in my tiny little brain of how to win him over, so I waited until I had a couple of cracking brews bottled and aged. Then when he came around home a couple of months ago (Sandown 500 weekend) I wedged a few into him. He arrived with an esky full of megaswill, and left with a wobbly boot and the same esky full of megaswill!!! Every time we have a gathering now he calls me in advance to make sure that I have some 'extra' beer to bring along for him as well. Mission complete.

Another example was on Saturday night at my sister's 40th birthday party, where I knew there would be some sceptics and some willing to try something different. I had quite a good supply of some different styles so I took a reasonable stash with me. A lot of the comments I got were like "Mmm, that's not bad". "Can I try some of your others". "That's better than this crap I bought at the shop". "That tastes nothing like the homebrew my father used to make!!". Mostly everyone was complimentary, curious and very thirsty.....!!!
The word Bogan wasn't used....but I actually quite like the idea of making beer in me shed!!! B)

 

[Black Devil Dog]

black devil care to share you old recipe?

My brewing is still at a very basic level and when I say basic I mean it.

1 can Morgans Old.
1 kg dark dme.
kit yeast.
The end.

I would have to say that it is one of the nicest K&K's that I have done. Other people have tried this beer and really like it, but he nearly always drinks Tooheys Old as his first preference beer, so when he say's that it is like the original I am happy to accept his word.

 

[Black Devil Dog]

Just want to clarify how my mate actually compares my brew to the real Tooheys Old.

He was here tonight and we did a comparison test. It was really obvious which one was mine.

For starters, the head on mine was much creamier, the Tooheys head dissipated very quickly, mine stayed right until the end.
The mouth feel on mine was smoother and tasted maltier, he commented that mine tasted "flatter" and that there was more "fizz" in the Tooheys.

Overall I would say that whilst definitely not identical as I stated previously, my home brew is probably better in some respects. But if you are after an imitation there are other ingredients that will need to be considered.

Personally, I won't be changing anything.