Stop-start Brewing

[kocken42]

Last year I was drowning in home-brewed beer! I spent hours upon hours on these forums reading, creating and trying to master the art. Even that stint would have been my 3rd homebrew 'period' where I brew hard for a few months, then stop.

My question is, why do you stop brewing? and when you start again, why do you start again?

At the current moment in time, I find myself longing to get a brew cranking! The reason being because I was sifting through some rubbish in the shed and stumbled upon a few cartons of homebrew (about 9 months old). I cracked one open immediately and melted due the deliciousness of it! (I think it was a Dr. Smurto's Golden Ale - Extract version)

I have a feeling I'm about to slip (for the 4th time) down 'that' slippery slope once again.

 

[TedAu]

I gave up when I was 21 as I was tired of washing bottles and was moving about it.

I took it up again this year as a 38 year old, as I've finally settled into a house, and could make the investment into kegging.

 

[Blackapple]

Bloody work gets in the way of brewing beer!

 

[Braumoasta]

Interesting. I've done the same with other hobbies in the past, real surges in interest, then I forget about it for a while.. don't know why. Luckily I don't think this will happen with brewing, simply due to the returns... the sweet, sweet, alcoholic returns. :chug:

 

[MitchDudarko]

I gave up due to not being happy with K&K results. I started back up because a mate of mine read NickJD's thread on stovetop BIAB, and gave it a go. Since then, I've got so much AG stuff it's not funny, and I'm running out of room to put my kegs, let alone the masses of bottles I have. I love the freedom that AG gives to experiment.

 

[probablynathan]

I stopped brewing K&K when I decided that they quality of beer I was brewing wasn't worth my time and money, I didn't know a lot about what to do and I got some bad advice about fermentation (fast and hot).
Then I started to make meads and fruit wines and found it much more rewarding, but it wasn't until I was given a copy of "The Complete Guide to Beer and Brewing" that I discovered all grain brewing a few years ago.

Haven't looked back since.

 

[kelbygreen]

OT but you got a good mead recipe nathan?? I been meaning to do one but havnt looked to far into it yet.

 

[CONNOR BREWARE]

I'd love to hear any good mead recipe as well. I harvested 22kgs from my bee hive for the first time yesterday and I want to make good mead with it the first time round. One thing that is interesting is that it's raw, unpasteurised, and I wonder if the extra pollen will affect the mead. Any tips Nathan? I've been reading the mead thread but indulge please.

Now as for the OP. I'm on my third period of mad brewing. I'm not sure why this last one started but it's been three years straight. It's similar to strange tugging on your mind that fishing gives you if ignored for too long. After a while it creeps into your thoughts at odd moments. The world starts to take on a brewing related prism. In fact I was in the giant tingle Forrest of Wapole, SW WA, in April and found my self shaking my head in disgust that the settlers hadn't had the foresight to logg the ancient Forrest and plant barley fields.

Seriously though it's too good to give up for too long and there is bucket loads to always learn. Liven it.

 

[amiddler]

I gave up for a few years whilst moving house's (3 times) which was good for me because it gave me 2 years to research and start building my All Grain rig. Once set up in the new house it was time to make the move from K&K to AG and I've never looked like stopping yet. I have a slow month from time to time but when beer stocks get low I have no hesitation in getting the rig out for a double brew day.

Drew

 

[Lecterfan]

Now I'm AG I feel a constant fever and rush to be brewing all the time - to be experientially learning as much as for any other reason. By the end of a long K+K and extract/partial stretch it was almost a chore.

Bottling doesn't upset me as much as it does other people. I allow myself a few beers and tend to bottle two batches at a time so it is more of an "event" that happens every month or so rather than a regular hassle.

Can't see myself slowing down at this stage other than slowly putting some financials aside to upgrade the kettle and other equipment (and even that won't slow me down with the bulk-buy grain that I'm chewing through like a rat with a 7" tapeworm).

 

[Tim F]

I mostly tail off brewing beer because of the cleaning! Hate it. I also try not to drink that much beer though - drink wine most evenings, and it's that much easier to make yourself enough wine to last a year in just a few weekends work But then after I've done the years wine I get fired up and brew a few batches of beer again. I do love the process and the results, apart from the cleaning up.

 

[kymba]

i stopped bcz it took 2 yrs to build my mill. I brewed intermittently with store bought pre-milled grain, but there is nothing like hand cranking 14kg of grain. you get the sweat dripping off the shirt, adding to the mash chemistry

oh and i am very lazy and my mill sucks

 

[probablynathan]

OT: kelbygreen and Duke of Paddy There is tones of great info in the mead thread. The best bit of advice I can give it to keep it simple and not go overboard with the spices, use the best honey you can find and you will make some great mead.

Oh and also patience (I'm still working on that)

Let us know how you go.

 

[DUANNE]

i started brewing when iwas 16 and needed cheap piss. at that stage i thought that if a beer dropped below 25d it would end up shit. i got older and could afford more grog due to gettin a job and gave it up vowing id never make cats piss shitty home brew again. then 3 or so years ago i got it in my head i should have another go and save some dollars again and went from cans to ag in about 6 months and read the forums and realized home brew doesnt have to taste shithouse. been giong without break since then and im damn sure i havent saved a cent yet, if any thing it cost me more to drink now. damn beer geekiness stopping me from buying shit beer and always buying stuff i may or may not need in the brewery. its become an obsession, but i love it.

 

[Siborg]

Bloody work gets in the way of brewing beer!

same here.

I usually get a day off every month, and try to use that day to do my brewing. I took some annual leave over easter and did a couple of brews that week and cubed them. took me weeks longer to actually pitch some yeast to them.

 

[bonj]

I lose my brewing mojo. Then it comes back. Right now... no mojo. It's coming back though.... slowly.

 

[winkle]

I lose my brewing mojo. Then it comes back. Right now... no mojo. It's coming back though.... slowly.

Once you have sex with an inflatable sheep (again) Bonj, It'll all come back again.
Quickly.

 

[mika]

I lose my brewing mojo. Then it comes back. Right now... no mojo. It's coming back though.... slowly.

Ditto
Other hobbies that I want to finish getting in the way. And really, I don't drink that much so the kegs were lasting a while. Then when I ran out of a keg I was waiting for a free weekend before brewing again. Have a list of idea's a Roo couldn't jump over.
But I feel a stirring. The project's almost finished and then I'm going to go nuts filling up my new keg fridge.

 

[andreic]

Stopped brewing when we moved overseas. Moved back to Sydney beginning of this year and have dusted off the old brew gear. Started brewing again yesterday - my first brewday in almost 3 years!

I stopped due to a move overseas (left my brewery in storage), and have started again now because I'm sick of paying too much for some beer styles. I cannot believe I can get a case of pilsner urquell for $35, but it costs almost $30 for a sick pack of schofferhofer. That's plain wrong... so I brewed a hefe yesterday... will be doing a dunkelweizen next week, then an APA, then an aussie pale ale... gonna chuck them down quick smart over the next month or so. Can't wait to be back into the swing of designing and tasting different beers.

 

[Bizier]

I am in the middle of a brew build. I should brew using the parts, but it is annoying that I can brew at one level, but I have most of the parts to brew at another, so I feel no impetus, even though I know I sincerely want home made beer on tap.