motobrewer
I'm no atheist scientist, but...
just stop giving them beer.
I think each brewer has to decide what they want out of the homebrewing experience... for me, I can't imagine drinking 5 or 10 gallon batches of beer on my own, so I love sharing. If you're THAT emotionally invested in your beer that you can't stomach other people drinking it with less than the fanatical savoring that you employ, it might be time to stop sharing at all.
I think if I had this problem, I would go on strike. I brew for fun, and if someone else is sucking the joy out of it, I'm done (for now).I have one - my brother in law actually - who completely and utterly takes the piss. I have a keg of cream stout that he's particularly zeroed in on (after almost single handedly demolishing my Belgian Summer Ale) and any time he comes over, it's with an empty growler (or two). (When he does come over, this is usually the only reason he's doing it too, not to hang out or see his sister...)
And of course, being "family", I've been informed that it's not right to ask for or expect payment.
SOO a couple of them declared that they were gonna go on a Grolsch drinking spree and bring me all of the empties lol.
Ah, that's the thing - that's how it started out. I have absolutely ZERO problem in giving my beer away when folks come over, and revel around like a pig in poo when I'm showered with the "Holy crap, you made this? You MADE this?!?! This is amazing!" compliments. When people are at my house, I make sure I tell them where the keezer is, where the glasses are, and that's it - help yourself.Thing is, I've never asked. Mainly because, as with "loans" to friends and family members, I never give out expecting to get back. I CHOOSE to share it, so I don't feel the need to be compensated for it. I've even turned down $10 for a bomber of my robust porter from a friend that had already drunk it, who insisted it was the best beer he'd ever had... and he's a fellow aficionado. I told him as long as he enjoyed it that much, I would enjoy making it and sharing it.
But there's always the folks - like my brother in law - who take advantage of it. Started off he came over to watch a ball game, sampled the beers, enjoyed them. Next time he came over, had a couple of beers, and asked if he could take a growler home to his wife, since he'd told her how good they were, and she was dying to try them. Sure! Now he doesn't come over without a growler, and recently a second growler appeared. When that happened, I actually made a comment like "Dude, you're pushing your luck, here!" and he hesitatingly offered to pay for them, but of course I can't charge family. And so it goes, I get a visit a couple times a month from the anti-beer fairy, usually for just enough time to fill the growlers and ask one or two questions, and lose a gallon each time. Hah!
You can make them buy ingredients and brew it for them.... to me thats different then selling beer.
Prices here are insane for beer. I recently paid 24$ for a 12 pack of Bud Light Lime for my girlfriend. 24$ !
Many may not realize that producing home brew is more expensive than buying a 8$ case of BMC (or whatever insanely low prices some of you Americans are paying)...
The only enforcement wich can be had is a swift kick to the curb. I doubt that friends who don't offer to pitch in or split the cost when they come specifically to get growlers filled or get their piss on will understand when a tip jar appears.
But I can see myself brewing something ridiculously cheap like Apfelwein to have around when people just want to get ****faced.
lol...i already told them i didn't want to sell them the beer, but i need them to pay for the ingredients... im just a bit worried about how to enforce this, at the end its up to them.
Haha I was just discussing this with a friend the other day. My two roommates help me brew (not financially, they stand in our garage with me while I brew. Sometimes they'll toss in a hop addition). But i've noticed they drink the finished beer at a slightly greater rate than I do. They also give away singles to people who pass through, telling them "take one of our beers home and try it out." Haha, I guess that's just part of the game. I always throw a six pack of each batch in my closet anyway, to drink at my leisure as it ages.
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