Brewing with Kids?

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allynlyon

allynlyon

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My middle daughter has asked if she can brew with me lately. (She's 9). I am certain her desire to brew with me is all about just spending time with me. Although in the day and age of overly sensitive people I did take pause about saying yes immediately. I look at it as cooking and teaching her about science. Am I being to simple about this? Any parents out there that think I'm promoting underage drinking or any other crazy stuff? Oh and clearly I wouldn't let her play with the burner or anything else. I do have some sense.

I did tell her that maybe I could brew some Root Beer for the kids.
 
I think letting them help out with little brew day/bottling day jobs helps de-mistify beer/alcohol. Let her weight the hops,or dump them in the BK. Maybe stir when it needs it. That sort of thing. I remember before I was brewing when my daughter was 4. I was making breakfast one Saturday. She grabbed a spautula & pulled a chair over next to me. "Daddy,I help you?"...aaaaw...ain't that just the cutest thing for daddy to hear?! Ime,daddy is God in the eyes of a little girl.
 
There are insane people who will accuse you of all kinds of things. Many would also say that you are educating her, which presents an opportunity for you to make sure she understands what can happen if you don't treat things like burners, large pots of hot liquid, and alcohol (not by giving alcohol to her, of course) with respect.

I'd be interested to hear what others have to say as well. My wife and I haven't decided on kids at this stage of our lives, but, I did ask her thoughts on brewing with a kid in the house. We decided that likely being aware of the risks and dangers associated with brewing and consuming alcohol is probably beneficial.
 
My 7 year old helps me all the time and I doubt she is thinking about going out on a bender. For her it's like making cupcakes, or brownies we are just cooking something that dad likes. She also helps me bottle and pick hops. Enjoy the time with her because before you know it won't be cool to spend time with her dad.
 
Brewing does entale basic cooking skills,after all. so that's a good point about large kettles of hot liquids,etc that could just as well be soup or something. As the teacher,you have to remember all this stuff so they get a more complete understanding about how it applies to making a meal. And that this can be part of a meal,that sort of thing...beyond the obvious physical stuff. She even got to the point that when mommy & daddy were making bbq dinner for our parents,she'd drag out her easy bake oven & lil ice cream maker to make fresh desserts for everyone. Grandma & grandpa were all smiles over that. JNow she's a cooking school grad running her own bake shop in Hollywood...Cookie Me Happy. She's doing well,looking at a new brick-n-morter location...even a food truck. And all because we encouraged her helping mommy & daddy.
 
allynlyon said:
I did tell her that maybe I could brew some Root Beer for the kids.
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This is what I do with my kids. It's a pretty quick process all around so they don't get bored. We form an assembly line when it's time to bottle. One kid sanitizes them with the vinator, the next kid fills it with the bottling wand and I screw the cap on tight. In a couple of days we have root beer that "they" made. :)

Get some plastic bottles and Gnome Extract (tastes the best IMO) and your good to go!
 
I think promoting knowledge is a good policy in most circumstances. So yes, let her help create an adult beverage. Is it going to promote binge drinking in her adult life? Of course not.

Personally, to me 9 years old is a good age to start really learning complex things like safety ( get her working with the burner!!!... supervised). Brewing a root beer with her another time is a great idea.
 
I don't have kids yet but I don't have a problem with it. I wouldn't even judge you for letting her taste it.

I think half the problems with alcohol in the US could be eliminated with education and taking away the taboo nature of it.
 
My point of letting them help on brew/bottling day. Takes the mysterious taboo quality out of it imo. Besides teaching them some basic skills & doing something cool & constructive with them. You want them to have those good childhood memories. Now is the time,because you sure as hell won't get another chance later! At my age,I've learned that.
 
My son always helps me. He wants to help bottle and I let him drop the hops in and i help him with brewing vocabulary. My wife came home and he told her "mommy, today we brewed IPA and stout!" I don't see a problem with it at all. I was about his age, 4, when I first had a sip if beer and I never had it again until I was 22, so I don't see him sneaking beers or anything in the future. Of course my first sip was Milwaukees best light. If he does sneak some later on I'll just tell him he needs to brew more to replace what he drinks. He wouldn't drink it for a while though anyway since it's not French fry or chicken nugget flavored.
 
Also I should note that I remember when I was somewhere between the age of 7-9 I asked my Dad for a taste of his beer and he gave it to me. I thought it was awful. I also was the "bartender" when our family would come over I was mixing drinks for Grandma and Grandpa, I can still remember the smell of Chivas Regal.

Oddly enough my oldest son (almost 15) hates when I brew because he says the house "smells awful". ;)
 
My daughter loves helping me. I didn't even give saying no a consideration. She records temps, time and gravities for me. She stirs mash. She thinks it is fun. She is 7. I say go for it. Goog time to teach chemistry, cooking lessons and safety, and spend time with your kid.
 
Its a judgement call...your the parent and you must do what is right. I already know I will let my son brew with me (almost 2).

In fact my plan is to train him straight through college and have him open a brewery. Use my recipes. He spends all the money, takes all the risk, I get all the credit. :ban:

Seriously though, if you do, emphasize the "craft" aspect. How malts taste, what it will bring to "daddy's juice" or whatever you call it. Make sure you treat everything else like that as well, cooking etc. The idea is that your teaching your child to be thoughtful and do things with a purpose. That way, no matter what they do in life, they will approach it the right way and have a passion for it.

Showing your kids something you are passionate about is never wrong. Just be cautious.
 
My 6-8 yr olds usually don't have any interest in helping me but if they do become interested I will be all for it. I did take my 8 year old on a tour at a local brewery with me and he had fun. My 2 year old is the hardcore brewer it's awesome if I'm brewing he grabs his backpack (he rides on my back in) and drags it to the front door and cries at the front door. Smart little turd he is.
 
LoloMT7 said:
My 6-8 yr olds usually don't have any interest in helping me but if they do become interested I will be all for it. I did take my 8 year old on a tour at a local brewery with me and he had fun. My 2 year old is the hardcore brewer it's awesome if I'm brewing he grabs his backpack (he rides on my back in) and drags it to the front door and cries at the front door. Smart little turd he is.
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This is also a good point. I have taken our kids on a brewery tour as well and didn't think anything of it. Of course that was in Wisconsin where kids can go in bars. ;) The first time I went to my LHBS I had my 2 year old with me and after I walked in I stopped and said, wait can she be in here? It was fine but Indiana is much more strict about alcohol and minors. When I waitressed at 18 I wasn't allowed to clear glasses from a table that had been used to serve alcohol even if they were empty. For my friends that worked at a grocery store they had to have someone over 21 come over and ring up any alcohol that was purchased.
 
My 7 year old loves to help me out. She like adding the hops and stirring. She also likes to help me bottle. I'm with you, though, I think it's more about spending time with me. It's not like she's helping me drink it!!:D
 
Someone also mentioned hops, I had my 2 year old also help with hops this summer I just thought about it as a plant though. I would say let's go check the hops and she'd head to where they were located and bend down and start looking at the plant. :)
 
My son has brewed with me but really doesn't have the patience for it. He does come with me to the LHBS to weigh out everything. Mostly he likes to taste the malts. Last time I went without him, I picked him up a few ounces of various crystal malts as a snack. Went over big and now I have something relatively healthy to give him that is convenient and won't spoil quickly.
 
I say go for it! My 10 yr old daughter isn't that interested, but when she asks to help with bottling, I let her. (not going to turn down help!) We actually have fun doing that together. And she is showing some interest in the science behind it. (like when my slant grew mold and we had a discussion on how the littlest bit of dust can carry organisms.) It's not like your standing there handing your son a beer to drink while you brew. It's educational and good time together.
 
my daughter helps me (She's 5), mostly at bottling time, but we are planning on making a batch of rootbeer together between thanksgiving and christmas. i say go for it, take advantage now like someone else said eventually they wont want anything to do with us (until it's time to pay for something) use it as a learning experience, counting weighing measuring temperatures... i'd maybe hold off on the burner for another year or two just one dads opinion to another.
 
I'm all for letting the kids be involved if they are curious as long as it is done in a safe manner. I will not let my kids sample until they are much older, but I don't want alcohol to be a mystery to them and something they abuse behind my back. Here is a pic of me and my 3 yr old on a brewday. She loves to help stir the mash

ForumRunner_20131120_135126.jpg
 
My 3yo daughter likes to help, so I let her help me when I weigh things out. I let my 1yo daughter help me check my fermentors, actually both girls get a kick out of the "Farting" noises of the blow off tubes. My oldest always wants to help, both girls enjoy watching me "Cook" outside. I call it daddah juice, have only mentioned beer a few times, but they love watching. I feel like most guys do, as long as you make it a learning lesson like science or Cooking, or just giving them an opportunity to be creative if you will; then hell yeah, party on Garth ! Plus I love my lil blessings and time spent together, plus Kaili knows we always follow it up with a bike ride.
 
Yet another good kid-related idea mentioned a couple times. I'm trying to get my boys interested in brewing real rootbeer. I sure wish pop was still around to taste the great beers I'm learning to brew bein around y'all.:mug:
 
sundaypapers said:
My son always helps me. He wants to help bottle and I let him drop the hops in and i help him with brewing vocabulary. My wife came home and he told her "mommy, today we brewed IPA and stout!" I don't see a problem with it at all. I was about his age, 4, when I first had a sip if beer and I never had it again until I was 22, so I don't see him sneaking beers or anything in the future. Of course my first sip was Milwaukees best light. If he does sneak some later on I'll just tell him he needs to brew more to replace what he drinks. He wouldn't drink it for a while though anyway since it's not French fry or chicken nugget flavored.
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i am not a parent yet, but i will never feed my kids fries, chicken nuggets, or mac and cheese. 'murica..... smh
no issues on brewing with kids imo
 
Imagine a kid growing up with a homebrewer and having gallons and gallons of beer available at any time, and that kid regularly helped their parent homebrew and was allowed to take a sip of the final product now and then, even though the kid would always wrinkle their noses when they did.

Now imagine a kid growing up with a homebrewing parent that kept their hobby away from the kid. The kid knew that their parent homebrewed, but they weren't allowed to participate, and they were NEVER allowed to taste the homebrew.

Now imagine those two kids in their late teens at a party with no adult supervision, and someone brought a keg of beer.

Which one do you think would be way more likely to get hammered on that keg of beer?

I believe it's a homebrewer's responsibility to demystify beer to their kids.
 
Try my mac-n-cheese on'em. I use velveeta & a jar of salsa. Melt the cheese,mix in the salsa,cook a pound or two of macaroni. Mix together & pour half in a biscuit pan,top with half the shredded cheese. Pour in the rest & top with the rest of the shredded cheese. Bake till shredded cheese is melted & bubbling. Serve with whatever meet you like & a pale ale or IPA.
 
I don't yet have kids, but when I do, I will certainly let them help - if they want.
Obviously I'll give them age appropriate tasks.
I also don't see a problem with allowing a sip when done - I think that it's something, along with the rest of the process, that does help to de-mystify beer and alcohol so they will be less likely to abuse it, (or worse yet, drink Bud, Miller or Coors :D ) when they get older.
 
LandoLincoln said:
Imagine a kid growing up with a homebrewer and having gallons and gallons of beer available at any time, and that kid regularly helped their parent homebrew and was allowed to take a sip of the final product now and then, even though the kid would always wrinkle their noses when they did.

Now imagine a kid growing up with a homebrewing parent that kept their hobby away from the kid. The kid knew that their parent homebrewed, but they weren't allowed to participate, and they were NEVER allowed to taste the homebrew.

Now imagine those two kids in their late teens at a party with no adult supervision, and someone brought a keg of beer.

Which one do you think would be way more likely to get hammered on that keg of beer?

I believe it's a homebrewer's responsibility to demystify beer to their kids.
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OMG!! I JUST had this conversation with my wife, my oldest daughter (14) is who we were having the conversation about and yes I have to agree she will not be drinking some light beer from a keg at a party.

I have been brewing for about 3 years now and all of my kids have been helping me from the beginning, my oldest son (now 16) doesn't really have any interest but the other 4 almost always help me with something.
 
My 7 yo daughter "helped" me brew my first batch a couple of weeks ago. At some point, she got bored with it and kind of wandered in and out. She did like throwing the hops in (and watching the brew come within a whisker of boiling over). At one point as I was taking temps she says "this is like a science project!" Well, yeah, basically it is. Wonder what her 3rd grade teacher would think if she showed up at the science fair with some homebrew? :).
 
My little grain snatchers "help" with the whole brew day. There are some parts they enjoy more than others, but just being outside with them while the longer timed stages take place if awesome. I have been brewing longer than they have been alive, so they must just think everyone brews beer on the weekends.



image-2136412392.jpg
 
Two of my three kids help me and I'm sure my youngest will once he's older (only one year old) but then again his sister is only two and loves adding hops to the pot. My oldest is thirteen and helps bottle he has only asked to taste it once and I'll admit I let him ( over the top bitter ipa that he spit out immediately) and he has never shown interest in any others
 
ehope411 said:
LMAO - please repost your position on fries, etc. after you become a parent.
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+1 on that for sure.

In terms of letting your kids help you brew, why not? I let my 4 and 2 year old boys help me all the time and they really love it. Plus I get to spend time with my kids and spend time on a hobby I enjoy at the same time. Much better than daddy being locked in a garage all day where they can't come in. WIN/WIN

Been looking at some root/ginger beer recipes to try so they can enjoy the fruits of their labor as well.
 
This topic came up before and this is what I posted

My 17 son could brew and doesn't dislike the taste of beer so he takes interest in what went in to a batch and the taste it produces, he has said that a possible employment interest is brew master. Since he was about 13 we have taken an approach much like my parents we don't let him "drink" but if he asked what it tastes like we would let him have a small sip. When I turned 16 and getting my license most of my friends were sneaking around and my dad brings home a six pack and puts it in the fridge and says there that is yours you drink outside this house you won't drive until your 18 bday when you WILL move out. I didn't feel the need to sneak around when I could go home and have one.

I've given my son that same speech and the one about make sure you don't get in a car with someone who has been drinking, but never have I told him not to drink. I know it has been offered to him and he just says no thank you and I get the feeling that he couldn't be peer pressured into it either.
 
My 10 year old helped me brew last weekend; we had a great time. She and her 13 year old sister have helped me bottle before, but this is the first time either one has shown any interest in helping brew. Her interest was prompted by boredom and just wanting to spend time with me, but before long she seemed to find it interesting for its own sake. It was a great afternoon; I hope she helps me again.

We also make wine every fall with another family. Some years the kids are too busy playing to want to help, other years they're very into it. Their favorite part is helping operate the wine press (and when they were little, playing with and making a mess with the pressed grapes!)

Like others have said, I think this may help promote a healthy attitude about alcohol. In our home, making and drinking beer and wine is just a part of life. There's no great mystique or allure about alcohol, no taboo either.

Would some people find this inappropriate? Probably. After all, some people think alcohol is bad in and of itself.
 
NewJersey said:
i am not a parent yet, but i will never feed my kids fries, chicken nuggets, or mac and cheese. 'murica..... smh
no issues on brewing with kids imo
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As a parent of several kids this post gave me the best laugh of the day, thanks!

P.S - Good luck with that ;)
 
I thought the entire point of having kids was to create a good supply of captive assistant brewers. What other reason is there for having them?
 

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