What's your "discovering a fellow home brewer" experience?

[TKH]

I've been traveling for work all week and found myself in Madison, AL, meeting a random craigslist guy to buy 4 pin lock kegs. This guy evidently buys out Coke plants and then sells the kegs. I walked to the back of the garage where he was and he would barely look at me and hardly said a word. Thoughts of craigslist murders were running through my head. Finally he shows me the kegs and asks if I home brew. I ask him the same and somehow we got started talking about cider. Before I know it, Jeff (?) has invited me into his man cave, we've killed a half hour talking brewing, and I've sampled several of his brews, including a cider, berry saison, Belgian Whit, American Wheat, and a barrel aged stout, all of which were superb! He patiently answered a variety of my stupid questions (I'm still learning partial mashes while he is an experienced AG brewer) and was truly warm and hospitable... all from a craigslist deal. I wish I could have stayed longer!

I love how beer and the love of brewing can bring people together. What's your "discovering another home brewer" story?

 

[TheCADJockey]

Mine have all been bad. I have met 3 home brewers randomly in the public, often at bars or some event. Each has been standoff-ish, unpleasant and very short in conversation. Even when I had the chance to speak to a head brewer recently, he was the same way after someone mentioned that I brew at home.

Your experience sounds much better than those I have had.

 

[Psylocide]

I was just searching around on the internet and blammo, met like, a couple hundred thousand.

 

[1977Brewer]

I just met five Monday night, a couple were pretty standoffish but the rest were a blast to be around. We shared our comp entries, a pretty bad local Tripel Dunkel (yeah), and the KBS that was the grand prize for the comp. It was great, can't wait to hang with them again.

 

[botigol]

Only two so far:

1. I met the husband of a friend of my wife's friend at a party. I offered him a bottle thinking that he might appreciate a cellar-temp, English-style bitter carbed to 2 volumes. He accepted and started drinking the bottle-conditioned brew from the bottle. Not advisable, especially with S-04 in the bottle, but some people do this. He was nice enough about it, but quietly warned off another guy. The funny thing is that I ended up having more brewing conversation with the 'other' guy than the brewer.

2. As the result of a side comment, I realized that one of the other cub scout den leaders in my son's pack was a brewer. Amazing how the word 'brew' seems to stand out, even in a noisy environment We chit-chatted a bit, but had cub scout matters to work on at the time, so we'll see where this goes.

-1 + 1, net zero

I also would have been thinking 'craigslist killer' if I had been in your shoes, but at least you have a good story with a good ending.

 

[blizz81]

Besides musing on the obvious nature of people in general and how it applies to homebrewers as much as any other group, I will say that locally, in the past few years here there have been a few clubs that have become rather popular. And if you're not in these clubs, by default, you get looked down upon, as if the cream of the homebrewing crop has bubbled up to the top and that's what's resulted in the clubs. And when these brewers try your beer and they like it, it comes as an obvious surprise.

 

[Zekk]

Most of the homebrewers I have met at my club are pretty chill dudes. I have met some people in the homebrew club that I don't think brew and actually are just there for free beer and food. Outside the club I only know 1 other brewer and we lived together and started brewing together.

 

[normonster]

One time, at band camp.....

 

[dtgrdn]

I walked into my LHBS and there at the cash register checking out were 2 guys I work with. They're in a different department so we don't chat much but I found out from them that there are at least 3 other brewers in our office.