Why Is This So Addictive?

[Crunched]

After getting back into home brew after a few years, I'm finding now after a few brews that I am addicted.

I'm checking my brews before bed then again when I wake. I'm devising weird ways to keep temps right - raiding the laundry for good blankets, taking unwanted food out of the freezer to put more water bottles in there etc. I'm eyeing off the honey in the pantry, as well as the brown sugar and the oats. I'm logging on to AHB numerous times a day to see what I can learn more about. I'm looking in local classifieds to see if there are any cheap fridges. I'm stopping at book stores in my lunch break to check for good beer/brewing books.

Right now I'm trying to work out the best way to get my 3 fermenters going at the same time while still being able to rack to secondary. Hell, on the weekend while putting together a new brew I decided to drain off an amount of the wort to use in 2 test batches, to which I added rediculous ingredients and am sure have no chance of turning into anything drinkable.

What is it that makes this hobby so addictive? Please tell me you guys also do strange things that almost make this hobby seem an obsession?

 

[datman510]

because its as manly as making jerky... now thats manly.

i also check my brew before bed and first thing in the morning

 

[domonsura]

What is it that makes this hobby so addictive? Please tell me you guys also do strange things that almost make this hobby seem an obsession?

Nah...you guys are just WEIRD. We don't do any of those things..... h34r: :lol: (I'm joking....my day starts with making a coffee and doing the rounds through the backyard to check on each of the hops progress, then into the shed to check the fermenting & cold conditioning brews. Then it's on to another coffee and open up AHB to see if anyone has said anything interesting.........then down to the shop for more beer related stuff, all the while looking forward to the end of the day so I can head back out into the yard (torch in hand) to see how much the hops have grown and have a beer......)

This isn't obsession, this is a lifestyle. My wife calls it an obsession, but what the hell does she know.......

 

[datman510]

she probably doesnt like jerky either..... pfft

 

[Crunched]

Yep, the other half definately doesn't appreciate my efforts... She thinks I should get through my existing beers before I brew any more, but I can't seem to explain to her that some of them need to sit for quite a while...so it's like they don't exist really, so I need to brew more....

Then again, I can't really understand sewing and painting...but if that's what she likes doing, then more power to her!

 

[KHB]

Nah...you guys are just WEIRD. We don't do any of those things..... h34r: :lol: (I'm joking....my day starts with making a coffee and doing the rounds through the backyard to check on each of the hops progress, then into the shed to check the fermenting & cold conditioning brews. Then it's on to another coffee and open up AHB to see if anyone has said anything interesting.........then down to the shop for more beer related stuff, all the while looking forward to the end of the day so I can head back out into the yard (torch in hand) to see how much the hops have grown and have a beer......)

This isn't obsession, this is a lifestyle. My wife calls it an obsession, but what the hell does she know.......

MAN that sounds a lot like my day too

 

[Timmsy]

Because beer is best and brewing is beaut

 

[PostModern]

I decided to drain off an amount of the wort to use in 2 test batches, to which I added rediculous ingredients and am sure have no chance of turning into anything drinkable.

You'll eventually get over this and start trying to brew good beer without weird additives, with any luck.

 

[mouapp12]

Yep, the other half definately doesn't appreciate my efforts... She thinks I should get through my existing beers before I brew any more, but I can't seem to explain to her that some of them need to sit for quite a while...so it's like they don't exist really, so I need to brew more....

not being married im having the same problem with my mum, she seems to be terrified of large amounts of beer

 

[~MikE]

not being married im having the same problem with my mum, she seems to be terrified of large amounts of beer

just wait until you turn an old fridge into a keggerator :lol:

 

[matt white]

After getting back into home brew after a few years, I'm finding now after a few brews that I am addicted.

I'm checking my brews before bed then again when I wake. I'm devising weird ways to keep temps right - raiding the laundry for good blankets, taking unwanted food out of the freezer to put more water bottles in there etc. I'm eyeing off the honey in the pantry, as well as the brown sugar and the oats. I'm logging on to AHB numerous times a day to see what I can learn more about. I'm looking in local classifieds to see if there are any cheap fridges. I'm stopping at book stores in my lunch break to check for good beer/brewing books.

Right now I'm trying to work out the best way to get my 3 fermenters going at the same time while still being able to rack to secondary. Hell, on the weekend while putting together a new brew I decided to drain off an amount of the wort to use in 2 test batches, to which I added rediculous ingredients and am sure have no chance of turning into anything drinkable.

What is it that makes this hobby so addictive? Please tell me you guys also do strange things that almost make this hobby seem an obsession?

It's because of the end result! If it were jam or bread or woodwork you would not be as obsessed!

 

[Swinging Beef]

Ha!
You will get over it... its just something new to play with till it hurts.
Much like early teen years. :wub:

 

[bouncingcastle]

Ha!
You will get over it... its just something new to play with till it hurts.
Much like early teen years. :wub:

Was I meant to stop doing that???

 

[Swinging Beef]

Was I meant to stop doing that???

I like the way you have to ask that, looking at your avatar.

 

[petesbrew]

Why? cos you can brew ANYTHING you want for bugger all.

I feel like Belgian... hmm $100-200 from DM's... how about I just brew it for $20-30.

Plus it's fun. I mean that bleach smell is awesome when i'm sanitising crown seals

 

[the_fuzz]

Ha!
You will get over it... its just something new to play with till it hurts.

When will this happen? I'm still very much obsessed

 

[Bribie G]

There's something so appealing about brewing - I lived briefly in Turkey and still remember a quote in my textbook about learning the beautiful and intriguing Turkish Language: "after six months you think you know everything there is to know about the language - after six years you know you never will".

Applies to our craft as well.

 

[blue_dog]

Obsessed? Addictive? Hmmm let me check my diary....
​

Friday Acted as Brewers Assistant & Hop Quartermaster - Brewed 21 litres of Oliver Cromwell
​

- Made a Yeast Starter of British Ale (from Slant I'd prepared earlier)​

Saturday B.A & H.Q & Y.W (yeast wrangler) - Brewed 21 litres of Bosun's Best Bitter Ale​

- Made a Yeast Starter of Nottingham Ale (from slant)​

​

- Make 500ml DME wort - Fed British Ale Yeast & placed on stir-plate​

​

Sunday B.A., H.Q. & YW - Brewer 21 litres of American Pale Ale​

​

- Made a Yeast Starter of American Ale (from Slant)​

​

- Make 500ml DME wort - Fed the Nottingham Ale Yeast & placed on stir-plate​

​

- Pitched British Ale Yeast starter into the Friday's Oliver Cromwell​

​

Monday - Made 500ml DME - Fed the American Ale yeast & placed on stirplate
​

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- Pitched Nottingham into the Saturday's Bosun's Best Brew​

​

Tuesday - Pitched American Ale yeast into Sunday's APA​

- made some new tags to put on containers and laminated them so we can write & wipe​

​

Wednesday & Thursday - I'm FREE to pursue own hobbies (once I've prepared costings & adjusted inventory of grains/hops & yeasts)
​

​

Friday begin the cycle again - intended brew - a wheat beer - Schofferhoffer Weizen - note to self, get onto Beersmith and prepare recipe with our weights/equipment so the Brewer is ready for Friday.
​

​

Is this obsessive?​

The Brewer says that all wives do this for their AHB husbands ? B)​

The Brewer's Wife BA HQ YW​

I've always wanted letters after my name
​

​

​

 

[Katherine]

What about in your dreams?

 

[Bribie G]

What about in your dreams?

Had a beer dream last night! Was heading uphill from the office to the train station and overtook a female colleague - it looked like we were going to miss the train so I said "how about popping into the Whistle Stop bar for a couple?".
Now most non brewer guys at that stage would go on to dream about what happened after the Whistle Stop Bar :wub: but oh no not me, the dream then involved being served a pint of mild that turned out to be straw coloured, the consquent argument with the barman, the fact that it was actually quite well hopped although advertised as mild........

Hopeless case