Buying Beer As A Homebrewer

[Broken Crow]

I've been following this thread and just waiting, but no-one else has mentioned Disability as a cause for buying as well as homebrewing. Not just because of the physical difficulty, but because of the reduced income injured workers with well-heeled employers who deny anything happened have to face, and desire to have good beer. I've been unable to brew a batch of better-than-I-can-afford beer sine last May or June because I had to devote my limited use of my body to some minor repairs around the house.

 

[davidabcd]

I got all my equipment for free. I have added 3-4, 7.9 gallon fermenters; made a wort chiller; I bought some flip-tops; a new sieve. There really isn't much to my whole setup.
The kind of beer I like is expensive and so encourages me to make more homebrew.
Edit: Just bought some of that expensive beer I was talking about. Going to order a few batches of ingredients from AIHB tomorrow.

 

[bwible]

I've been following this thread and just waiting, but no-one else has mentioned Disability as a cause for buying as well as homebrewing. Not just because of the physical difficulty, but because of the reduced income injured workers with well-heeled employers who deny anything happened have to face, and desire to have good beer. I've been unable to brew a batch of better-than-I-can-afford beer sine last May or June because I had to devote my limited use of my body to some minor repairs around the house.

And the over 65, sometimes over 70 crowd. It’s physical activity, lifting, etc. We can only do it for so long. I know a couple long time brewers who had to retire. Just age and inability. The one guy only gets to brew a couple times a year now when his son comes home to help.

 

[bwible]

I got all my equipment for free. I have added 3-4, 7.9 gallon fermenters; made a wort chiller; I bought some flip-tops; a new sieve. There really isn't much to my whole setup.
The kind of beer I like is expensive and so encourages me to make more homebrew.
Edit: Just bought some of that expensive beer I was talking about. Going to order a few batches of ingredients from AIHB tomorrow.

We were just looking at Dogfish Head 120 min IPA. $36 for 4 bottles. Thats not a typo.

 

[davidabcd]

We were just looking at Dogfish Head 120 min IPA. $36 for 4 bottles. Thats not a typo.

That I'm shocked about and it says it's time to make that at home. I've arbitrarily set my limit at $5/store-bought bottle.

 

[bwible]

That I'm shocked about and it says it's time to make that at home. I've arbitrarily set my limit at $5/store-bought bottle.

I was too til I read about it. I guess its not what I thought it was. It’s an 18% super imperial IPA. So that makes sense. I don’t know if i could brew an 18% beer. I never tried anything more than 12%. Most beer yeasts won’t go that high and my mash tun isn’t close to holding enough grain for even 3 gallons of that gravity. Would take a bunch of extract or an iterated mash, probably need some enzyme.

18% IPA, why isn’t this in the American barleywine category? Or is it just marketing?

 

[davidabcd]

I was too til I read about it. I guess its not what I thought it was. It’s an 18% super imperial IPA. So that makes sense. I don’t know if i could brew an 18% beer. I never tried anything more than 12%. Most beer yeasts won’t go that high and my mash tun isn’t close to holding enough grain for even 3 gallons of that gravity. Would take a bunch of extract or an iterated mash, probably need some enzyme.

18% IPA, why isn’t this in the American barleywine category? Or is it just marketing?

I've noticed that super-high ABV equals high prices. It's not that hard to do most of it at home. I can glide in and land a 13% ABV Belgian triple that's pretty good and without it tasting like an alcohol bomb. I'm curious about super-high ABVs in stores but not enough to pursue them.
Kveik (one type or another), which I haven't used, has a 15% tolerance on the label which makes it appealing just based on that.
Volume limits are a consideration, as you pointed out. I use extract and I have a big pot so I'm not handcuffed in any way that's relevant for my purposes.
I went through a "how high can I go?" phase, which I'm over now, but I was satisfied that I don't need to go higher than 11% to achieve what I like. I'll do 12% or 13% if the need or recipe arises but I'm good with the constraints of it all.

 

[bwible]

I've noticed that super-high ABV equals high prices. It's not that hard to do most of it at home. I can glide in and land a 13% ABV Belgian triple that's pretty good and without it tasting like an alcohol bomb. I'm curious about super-high ABVs in stores but not enough to pursue them.
Kveik (one type or another), which I haven't used, has a 15% tolerance on the label which makes it appealing just based on that.
Volume limits are a consideration, as you pointed out. I use extract and I have a big pot so I'm not handcuffed in any way that's relevant for my purposes.
I went through a "how high can I go?" phase, which I'm over now, but I was satisfied that I don't need to go higher than 11% to achieve what I like. I'll do 12% or 13% if the need or recipe arises but I'm good with the constraints of it all.

Exactly. When I do barleywines anymore I go English barleywine and go for 9.5%. I’m happy with that.

 

[davidabcd]

barleywines

I got to do one of those. It sounds really, really good. Honestly, for someone who has been brewing for a long time, I don't technically know what a barley wine is...or an English bitter.

 

[Gorm]

No way i,m payin 36 bucks for 4 bottles, it’s not like it’s the last beer of my life. To each their own.
I , like Many, also went thru how high a abv can I go and like above, 9-9.5 abv for any style is more than enough for me.

last barely wine was 8.9 abv and wonderful.

 

[bwible]

I got to do one of those. It sounds really, really good. Honestly, for someone who has been brewing for a long time, I don't technically know what a barley wine is...or an English bitter.

Two opposite ends of the gravity range.

Bitter is 1.040ish amber beer of British origin owing to wartime material shortages. Hopped with British hops, usually Kent Golding or Fuggle or similar. Maris Otter malt and some crystal malt at its simplest, can include things like biscuit malt. British ale yeast. We can usually find Boddingtons here in a nitro can. Otherwise not too well known here in the US.

Barleywine is a strong beer all about excess. American versions are usually in excess of 1.100 starting gravity and hopped with a whole bunch of high alpha American hops, American ale yeast. 12%ish. British versions are usually not as strong, 9-10%ish, British hops, British yeast. American examples are things like Sierra Nevada Bigfoot or we can usually find Wyerbacher Blithering Idiot here. Britsh Versions are things like Youngs Old Nick (not sure if they still make that) or Fuller’s Golden Pride.

 

[Brooothru]

And the over 65, sometimes over 70 crowd. It’s physical activity, lifting, etc. We can only do it for so long. I know a couple long time brewers who had to retire. Just age and inability. The one guy only gets to brew a couple times a year now when his son comes home to help.

Sadly, I can identify. One by one my leisure pastimes have been fading: skiing, golf, racket sports, strenuous trail hikes; you get the idea. Repetitive stress takes its toll, but as Jimmy Buffet says, "I ain't done yet!" Long walks and occasional bedroom encounters are still on the menu, so there's that. And I'm still able to brew, though more care and forethought is given to the "heavy lifting" aspects of the hobby.

As one pundit put it, "If I'd known I was gonna' live this long, I'd have taken better care of myself in my youth."

 

[Gorm]

I brew the badass burton ale which can also be called a barley wine.
20 lb marris otter
1 lb L10
4 oz goldings and fuggles, home grown, @ 60
4 oz goldings and fuggles @ 10
Usually pour finished wort over a Nottingham yeast cake that made a Irish stout splitting into 2 fermenters to prevent beer loss due to very active fermention.
Bottle in a month, start drinking at 6 months. Dam good!!!
Not hard at all.

 

[bwible]

Sadly, I can identify. One by one my leisure pastimes have been fading: skiing, golf, racket sports, strenuous trail hikes; you get the idea. Repetitive stress takes its toll, but as Jimmy Buffet says, "I ain't done yet!" Long walks and occasional bedroom encounters are still on the menu, so there's that. And I'm still able to brew, though more care and forethought is given to the "heavy lifting" aspects of the hobby.

As one pundit put it, "If I'd known I was gonna' live this long, I'd have taken better care of myself in my youth."

I took to brewing 3 gallon batches years ago and that helps too. All the containers are smaller and lighter and its all around easier. Same effort for less beer, but at least I can manage it.

 

[Gorm]

I think I’ll be able to Handel 5 gal fermenters by mid June if all goes well. If not , #1 son has been threatening to set up a pump and line system to the cellar where the ferment takes place so we will see.

 

[JAReeves]

Great thread! I buy representative samples of the style to know what it is that people are jazzed about before I embark on making a beer I have not tried making yet. SoCal also has so many great breweries that when I am traveling by car, I bring a cooler to fill with crowlers and such as well from various breweries. Day trips to Stone or Pizza Port happen a couple times a year, for example. I try to brew 5G 2x a month, plus cider or wine or mead. I could live off what I make, but going somewhere new and tasting what they love to make is always an adventure.

 

[Brooothru]

I took to brewing 3 gallon batches years ago and that helps too. All the containers are smaller and lighter and its all around easier. Same effort for less beer, but at least I can manage it.

I've built rolling platforms for my all-in-one Braumeister, my conical, unitank, and 7 gallon kegmenter, and have CIP incorporated into everything but the kegmenter (no low point drain), so most of the heavy lifting has been mitigated if not totally eliminated. Still, there's lots of bending, lifting, twisting, reaching involved in a typical brew day.

Fortunately at the end of a day-long brew session (assuming I haven't wrenched my back too badly [again]), there's a whirlpooling hot tub and a cold home brew to ease my weary body.

 

[Blazinlow86]

I've noticed on several threads people mentioning buying beer. This surprised me because one huge reason I got back into homebrewing was so that I would not ever have to buy beer again. Since I can make it cheaper and at least as good (and many times better) as store bought, I see no need to purchase beer. In fact, when people bring me 6 packs of this or that, I find myself annoyed that I have to drink a few inferior beers because it is against the law to throw drinkable beer away (as we all know).

Some people prefer variety, drinking the same few beers gets boring after awhile. Give it some time and you will see the same

 

[Ren06]

I went to the city the other day and picked up several four packs, and left a C-note behind.
St Bernardus Abt 12
Trois Pistoles
Celebrator
Gluden Drak - White bottle
Gluden Drak - Black bottle

I have a Belgian Quad on tap, as well as numerous bottles from over the years of my Quads, but just wanted something a bit different and as for the Celebrator, I have yet to brew a Dopplebock, but need to soon.

All of those you picked up are EXCELLENT Belgians and right up my alley