Why Did You Start Brewing? Can You Answer These Questions?

[Charst]

Hi Everyone!
I am currently doing some research on the home-brewing business for a Consumer Behaviour class in my Graduate MBA program and need YOUR input!

Can you help me out by answering all (or some) of the following questions? Any responses would be extremely helpful and your honesty and greatly appreciated!

1) What inspired you to start home-brewing? Why do you continue to home-brew?
A love of good beer, a love of diversity and self reliance. 2 of which are the the same reasons I grow veg.

2) How did you go about finding the equipment?
Brought a Unsed kit on ebay and then went to a home brew shop

3) Was it hard to find the necessary equipment?
Not overly, It just hard to find it cheap.

4) Did you buy a starter kit or did you buy the equipment individually?
Starter kit

5) What's the best part about brewing?
The Knowledge that I made something from scratch, and sharing it with friends

6) At what age did you start brewing?
27

7) How would you describe the home-brewing community in Melbourne, AUS? In your local community? Do you think it is growing?
I think beer education is growing and home brewing will come with it. I find when i meet other brewers everyone is shy for a moment and then the passion takes over and you can have a 30 minute conversation with anyone.

8) How often do you brew during the year on average? Not often enough. 7-8 times?


9) Is there any type of equipment that you wish it would have been easier to find?
Wired up temp controllers.

10) When you have a question about brewing or beer in general, where do you go for answers?
Books First (How to Brew, Brewing Classic Styles, Designing Great Beers), AHB Second, HBS third (due to ease of access)


11) Do you experiment making multiple types of beer - using a unique blend of ingredients - or just stick with the out-of-the-box recipes? How do you find out about unique recipes?
Experiment, yet to make the same beer twice I haven't been brewing long enough to really lock down a recipe.
Books are the first port of call fro a recipe then AHB or from fellow home brewer.

12) Do you sometimes brew with other people? Yes.


Dear Moderator,
I am not certain if this is the correct place to place this question? If not, can you direct me to the proper location with a hope to get as many responses as possible. Thanks!

Thanks for your help and input everyone!!

MBSstu

 

[Nick JD]

1) What inspired you to start home-brewing? Why do you continue to home-brew?

Being able to drink beer when I was not able to buy it (underage with cool folks). I continue to brew because commercial beer is second rate.

2) How did you go about finding the equipment?

When I started it was an old drycleaning solvent container. Now, it's much the same, really. I get a kick out of making a quality product without quality equipment.

3) Was it hard to find the necessary equipment?

No. I'd brew in a toilet cistern if you gave me the ingredients.

4) Did you buy a starter kit or did you buy the equipment individually?

What's a starter kit?

5) What's the best part about brewing?

Satisfaction while reviewing your creation.

6) At what age did you start brewing?

15.

7) How would you describe the home-brewing community in Melbourne, AUS? In your local community? Do you think it is growing?

Homebrewing has community, but the internet is broadening it.

8) How often do you brew during the year on average?

Every 10-15 days I make 19L.

9) Is there any type of equipment that you wish it would have been easier to find?

No.

10) When you have a question about brewing or beer in general, where do you go for answers?

Here.

11) Do you experiment making multiple types of beer - using a unique blend of ingredients - or just stick with the out-of-the-box recipes? How do you find out about unique recipes?

I make a lot of different STYLES of beer. Unique recipes are not something you "find out about" - they are something only you brewed. Stupid question.

12) Do you sometimes brew with other people?

If I'm teaching someone how to do it, yes. Otherwise, just me and two Galahs.

 

[ekul]

3) Was it hard to find the necessary equipment?

No. I'd brew in a toilet cistern if you gave me the ingredients.

Have you spent a bit of time inside nick? It must be great to use malt, hops and yeast rather than jam packets, tomato sauce and mouldy bread.

 

[Nick JD]

Have you spent a bit of time inside nick? It must be great to use malt, hops and yeast rather than jam packets, tomato sauce and mouldy bread.

I sold River Phoenix the speedball and TISM the rights.

 

[bum]

I don't think I've ever seen "homebrew" being advertised - certainly not to a broad audience. With this in mind I think you might have chosen the wrong industry to research a consumer base.

Coopers have posters up throughout my local shopping centre throughout summer every year.

They also had tv, radio and print ads when their new kit came out last year.

But you know everything.

As usual.

 

[Nick JD]

Coopers have posters up throughout my local shopping centre throughout summer every year.

They also had tv, radio and print ads when their new kit came out last year.

But you know everything.

As usual.

I've never seen an advertisement for homebrew.

Like what I wrote, that's just what I've experienced. If I lived in Melbourne and hung out at the mall with you cool kids, then maybe I would have seen these ads for Coopers Homebrew.

Can I ask the other members here - have you ever seen a homebrew ad?

As yes, bum - I do know everything. I even know about you and that goat when you were 17.

 

[going down a hill]

Coopers have a website that I would consider to be advertising.

 

[Silo Ted]

I've never seen an advertisement for homebrew.

As yes, bum - I do know everything. I even know about you and that goat when you were 17.

Careful, he'll start calling you names again.

 

[bum]

As yes, bum - I do know everything. I even know about you and that goat when you were 17.

What sort of brewer doesn't have any goat stories?

You've exposed yourself as a try-hard once again, Nick.

 

[kelbygreen]

1) What inspired you to start home-brewing? Why do you continue to home-brew? To save money, I continue as it saves me money and I can make some good beers
2) How did you go about finding the equipment? I bought a starter kit from the home brew shop and since have built up a bit of gear, some from ebay (fridges, chest freezer for a keg fridge, temp controllers for fridges) and kegging gear from home brew shops, pots and burners from other places
3) Was it hard to find the necessary equipment? No its easy hardest part is finding the right equipment for your needs but this forum helps alot
4) Did you buy a starter kit or did you buy the equipment individually? starter kit
5) What's the best part about brewing?drinkinh home brew while brewing and making up a new recipe
6) At what age did you start brewing? 24
7) How would you describe the home-brewing community in Melbourne, AUS? In your local community? Do you think it is growing? dont live in melbourne but I think its growing in AUS altogether
8) How often do you brew during the year on average? I brew once a week one week I do 1 brew and the next I do 2 brews. I do have weeks where I do not brew though like if my kegs are full I have to drink them first lol
9) Is there any type of equipment that you wish it would have been easier to find? No not at the moment all has been relatively easy to find
10) When you have a question about brewing or beer in general, where do you go for answers? This forum or local brewers
11) Do you experiment making multiple types of beer - using a unique blend of ingredients - or just stick with the out-of-the-box recipes? How do you find out about unique recipes? I never stick to a recipe always just make my own beers but get ideas from other recipes of what I might like and make it around the hops, malt and yeast on hand
12) Do you sometimes brew with other people? No not yet I have watched a local member brew but his system isnt really to hands on well not for hands that doesnt know what they are doing lol

 

[Nick JD]

You've exposed yourself as a try-hard once again, Nick.

Damn. I thought I had, too.

Trying hard is one of my faults. That, and being a perfectionist.

 

[mje1980]

You're one to talk bum, you'll comment on anything and everything, for no other reason that you obviously love to see what you've written. Oh, and to then reply 6000 times to all the people who point out that you're an idiot.

 

[bum]

You're one to talk bum, you'll comment on anything and everything, for no other reason that you obviously love to see what you've written. Oh, and to then reply 6000 times to all the people who point out that you're an idiot.

It was a (pretty obvious) joke. You'll notice I wasn't truly having a dig by the fact that Nick didn't get upset.

Enjoy your beer.

 

[InCider]

Damn. I thought I had, too.

Trying hard is one of my faults. That, and being a perfectionist.

...or which is also one of your faults :lol:

 

[gone_fishing]

Because i am not muslim and i can :lol:
GF

 

[DKS]

Because i am not muslim and i can :lol:
GF

:blink:

 

[bradsbrew]

If you change brewing to wanking in the questionaire it makes it quite funny.

 

[TmC]

Because i am not muslim and i can :lol:
GF

:blink:

For some reason this made me laugh, might be the beer :icon_cheers:

 

[Will88]

1) What inspired you to start home-brewing? Why do you continue to home-brew?
2) How did you go about finding the equipment?
3) Was it hard to find the necessary equipment?
4) Did you buy a starter kit or did you buy the equipment individually?
5) What's the best part about brewing?
6) At what age did you start brewing?
7) How would you describe the home-brewing community in Melbourne, AUS? In your local community? Do you think it is growing?
8) How often do you brew during the year on average?
9) Is there any type of equipment that you wish it would have been easier to find?
10) When you have a question about brewing or beer in general, where do you go for answers?
11) Do you experiment making multiple types of beer - using a unique blend of ingredients - or just stick with the out-of-the-box recipes? How do you find out about unique recipes?
12) Do you sometimes brew with other people?

1. My dad used to brew a little back in the day and showed me how to get started. I keep brewing because I can make great beers cheaply and it also gives me a better understanding of the other beers I drink.
2. My dad gave me his old gear and I picked up the other necessary stuff from a local home brew shop.
3. Not at all. There is a home brew shop a five minute drive from my house.
4. I had a starter kit passed down to me and bought a few other bits and pieces individually.
5. Being able to make a beer of your own tailored exactly to your own tastes.
6. 18.
7. No idea about Melbourne. In general it's quite friendly and helpful and is definitely growing. Just in the last few months I've encouraged a few friends to become home brewers themselves and they don't appear to be giving it up any time soon.
8. On average, about 1 batch per two months.
9. No.
10. The first place I try is the AHB forum.
11. I experiment with unique recipes. I started off just reading about some of the out there stuff other people did and copying that. These days I like to try my own ideas and see how they go.
12. Yes. I will collaborate with other brewing friends and sometimes non-brewing friends like to help out just to see how it's all done.

 

[Pennywise]

For some reason this made me laugh, might be the beer :icon_cheers:

Nah, it was funny