I can also buy pulled pork and brisket, but I'm not ready to give up my smoker just yet either.
Why do people Quit brewing?
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I know someone (a good brewer) who says when they win in nationals and one other big comp they can “quit” Home brewing. We have many small and wonderful breweries to buy 4pks for 18-20 bucks.
I nearly quit after so many of my brews were poor quality. Started to seem pointless to spend the time making it, get halfway through a keg, get tired of it being crappy, and then dumping it.
Brewing known good recipes (vs making them up on the go at the LHBS), and learning about closed transfers, brought me back around. Suddenly I had delicious beer I was excited to have a glass of.
I think I'm echoing the earlier ideas that some people don't end up good at homebrewing and so they drop out. I don't blame them. Some probably even tried a lot and didn't quit quickly.
Brewing known good recipes (vs making them up on the go at the LHBS), and learning about closed transfers, brought me back around. Suddenly I had delicious beer I was excited to have a glass of.
I think I'm echoing the earlier ideas that some people don't end up good at homebrewing and so they drop out. I don't blame them. Some probably even tried a lot and didn't quit quickly.
I always said that I wanted to win a medal at NHC and I would stop entering competitions. I did that in 2019 and have only entered my club competitions since then.
Ironic that the OP hasn't been seen since 2016 so it would be logical to assume he/she has quit.
NickTheGreat
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This guy is a freaking moron. His first kid was about to be born in a few weeks, and then he takes a 6 or 7 year break from homebrewing, brews 2 or 3 more batches, and takes another 2 years off.
I often wonder if the raging New England/Hazy IPA style took its toll of home brewers who could not manage the whole oxygen avoidance thing, ending up with dumper after dumper. That would be dispiriting for sure...
Cheers!
BrewnWKopperKat
ʘ‿ʘ
Perhaps, but ..
It's likely that many people continue to enjoy the hobby but "out grow" the discussion forums
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I agree with this. I've only brewed kits and recipes. The few times I ventured outside, the results were ok but not stellar. Now I see a beer that looks interesting and look for tried and true recipes. Last year, BYO did a style article on grape ale. I found the ingredients online and brewed it up and it was fantastic.
I went back to the first few posts; back 16 years ago, 2007 and it echos the same as what most folks are posting now. So, in that time frame the reasons are still fairly the same. The hobby isn't dying, it's just changing a little, evolving depending on each brewers lives.
Thinking back sixteen years ago, my life was changing too - I had switched to all grain brewing but I was still trying to develop some solid recipes, I was also trying to figure out what I wanted to brew and what new equipment I needed.
After 129 posts we all sort of have the same reasons to slow down, pause or quit this hobby.
jerrylotto
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I think that brewing is a journey that surprises most people. You often start out with kits and recipes., following instructions. blindly and getting passible results. Then you start to understand what is going on a little better and begin to tweak and develop one or more processes that produce better (or worse and learn) results. Ultimately, you understand enough to develop your own recipes, home in on desired superior results (or have a good understanding of what went wrong). The learning curve changes the experience of home brewing drastically. Ultimately, there are three possible outcomes:
1) This is too technical for me, takes too much time, and/or I don't enjoy it anymore. I would rather just buy craft beer and enjoy it.
2) This is much better than when I started, I'm going to keep learning and get even better at this!
3) Hrm, maybe I can turn this into a business and make more money than I spend?
The 1s and half of the 3s end up quitting
1) This is too technical for me, takes too much time, and/or I don't enjoy it anymore. I would rather just buy craft beer and enjoy it.
2) This is much better than when I started, I'm going to keep learning and get even better at this!
3) Hrm, maybe I can turn this into a business and make more money than I spend?
The 1s and half of the 3s end up quitting
Pablo 54
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Life is hard most times and wicked hard some other times.
Me personally.....
Stopped from 2002 to 2015 due to kids becoming teenagers, working 80 hours a week, etc.
Stopped again from late fall 2022 to mid-summer 2023 due to a medical emergency.
Now, instead of brewing once a month or more, I focus on producing a great beer with a low ABV (<4-4.5%) every six weeks. I don't hesitate to dump any product that I don't like and I let it "mature" in the keg for 4 weeks or longer.
My mantra is Quality over Quantity and everything in moderation.
Me personally.....
Stopped from 2002 to 2015 due to kids becoming teenagers, working 80 hours a week, etc.
Stopped again from late fall 2022 to mid-summer 2023 due to a medical emergency.
Now, instead of brewing once a month or more, I focus on producing a great beer with a low ABV (<4-4.5%) every six weeks. I don't hesitate to dump any product that I don't like and I let it "mature" in the keg for 4 weeks or longer.
My mantra is Quality over Quantity and everything in moderation.
capt82
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I view brewing like cooking. You have to eat/drink. Even though I will never be a chef, nor want to be a chef, I cook out of necessity. I cook well enough to get by and occasionally pull off something tasty. My alternative is to go out and get fast food or domestic beer. I can't afford to go to a restaurant or buy craft beer for a lot more money, although very tasty. Most people don't eat out their whole life. I can't cook a Tarte Flambee nor want to but I can make a decent pot of goulash, again, with left overs. Affordable and beats fast food any day. My worst beers have always been when I tried to brew something above my skill level, like a triple chocolate stout. I always resort back to a basic ale so I don't go thirsty. Still better than any domestic beer.
Some of the posts about drinking problems being the reason got me thinking... I usually have 2 to 3 pints of my homebrew (usually 5 to 6% abv) every day. Have one or two after work is done and another when I'm cooking, then I stop for the rest of the evening. Is this common among you guys or am I an outlier? Part of me wonders if this is too much, the other part says nah, you've got a handle on it. What say others?
capt82
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When I was younger drinking beer was about quantity over quality. As I aged and began to brew, its all about quality over quantity now. I like a higher ABV beer, abt 7% because I usually have 1 beer at night winding down. That one, 7%, seems to do the trick. Any lower and I find I'm craving another beer. If I am going to drink more beers for social events, I will stick with 4-5% beers. Also, as I get older, maintaining a healthy weight gets harder to do. The amount of beer I drink has a direct affect on that. Besides, I'm too old to be hung over. High ABV beers has a direct affect on that!
redrocker652002
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My way of doing it is simple. I don't drink on the days I work. Now, working nights makes that much easier as I am usually beat tired and in bed within an hour of getting home. Days off are different. If it is nice, I get my chores done and will just sit in the backyard and enjoy a beer or three. LOL. I don't do high ABV beers, I think 6 is about the highest I go usually. I just enjoy sitting in the back yard, put on some music and will relax. After about 3 I am usually done. Either nap time, or my wife comes home and wants to talk. LOL
It’s easy for most people too over due ETOH. After the first one, it all to easy to justify the second and the third. While some people seem to handle that just fine, others may not. Liver issues can show up in blood work, and CT scans etc. Bottom line is everyone is different and the only way to know if 3 every day is too much is to have a frank discussion with your doctor, who will likely intern suggest to cut back and evaluate for substance abuse. Now I am not meaning to imply that one who imbibes most days has a problem, it is the health professional’s duty to explore the idea.
When a person sets a reasonable limit for themselves and sticks with, under all circumstance, I think that shows some restraint. If one has health issue due to too much consumption of alcohol and doesn’t cut back or eliminate dinking that indicates a problem. Just an opinion with some education and life experience/work experience to validate it.
When I was working, I was in the same boat as Redrocker. But now I'm retired, but the work load seems to have increased. Quiting time is 3:00 no matter what and some rare I will have a beer earlier. I don't drink every day, have gone a week or more without a beer.
My heath is good. I do love beer so at times I do over serve myself. Brewing is an escape for me; I love the process and the history.
My heath is good. I do love beer so at times I do over serve myself. Brewing is an escape for me; I love the process and the history.
Brewing is my hobby and I love my hobby! The drinking is secondary to the brew day. I bottle and give half the beer to my son, but he's not as into beer these days. I'll usually have one after dinner on workdays and a couple a day on the weekends. When I have a high ABV or special beer, maybe one or two during the week.
The OP is still alive and well apparently as he responded to one of your posts in April of this year
Davedrinksbeer
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I’ve been brewing now for 9 years, I’ve been thinking about hanging up the brewing pot, my reason though is my wife Now works for a beer distributor and I can basically get beer free or at cost and now with all the microbreweries around there far better beer out there to drink than in the years past. 
Good advice above to limit drinking on days you work. I might have 1 beer with dinner, for example if we’re having tacos or a burger or something. Sometimes we have wine with dinner if its steak or something like that. I’ve learned alot about pairing food and wine. A bottle of wine is about 4 glasses so I don’t see 2 glasses of wine as a big deal. Just don’t open a second bottle.
I brew, I have the capacity to put 5 corny kegs on draft. I also bottle and usually have about 10 kinds of my beer in bottles, mostly stronger stuff. Barleywines brewed each year for about the past 5 years and imperial stouts. But that doesn’t mean I don’t also buy beer. I have a seperate beer fridge for purchased bottles and cans.
I also buy wine and I keep pretty much a full bar. Bourbon, Scotch, Irish Whiskey, Canadian Whiskey, 4 kinds of rum, at least 2 gins, vodka, blanco and reposada tequila, brandy, etc i have a nice bar with a lighted color changing 3 tier display that holds 25 liquor bottles. Mixed drinks is usually for weekends, days off or we have one as a nightcap. Or holidays or when family comes over, etc.
I used to own a homebrew store. The biggest reason people would say they quit was not having time anymore, and that was usually due to kids.
I know other guys who quit due to age. They got into their 70s and can’t lift things and do the work anymore.
I know other guys who quit due to age. They got into their 70s and can’t lift things and do the work anymore.
This is from 2015 but it is a thing now. Session beers! There’s a great book with the title.
I’ve been brewing lower alcohol stuff since I first started. Bitters and mild ale have always been among my most favorite styles. Around 3%, so I guess I wouldn’t say extremely low alcohol but lower than average.
For diet beers, Michelob Ultra advertises 95 calories and 2.6 carbs. But still 4%. Miller Lite advertises 96 calories and 3.2 carbs. Still 4%. Having compared them side by side, I’ll take Miller Lite out of those 2 all day long for the extra 1 calorie and fraction of a carb.
Davedrinksbeer
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Main reason why I still make extract beer, 3 hours from start to finish. Wake up on Saturday around 8am, brew and done by 11am. Still have the rest of the day for family. As far as age, I’m 57 and have to use both hands now to carry a fermenting bucket of beer up and down the basement steps.
I just finished a brew day, well almost finished. A few posts ago someone mentioned 10-12 hours brewing your own. I took notes on this brew.
This session I spread over three days. The first two were an hour total. The third (today) I'll have five maybe six hours in. So, for me to brew my own I have about 8 hours invested. Time wise, this is typical for me to brew a ten gallon batch.
I suppose I could be spending my day fishing or playing golf instead of brewing, but I don't do either. Brewing is my hobby.
This session I spread over three days. The first two were an hour total. The third (today) I'll have five maybe six hours in. So, for me to brew my own I have about 8 hours invested. Time wise, this is typical for me to brew a ten gallon batch.
I suppose I could be spending my day fishing or playing golf instead of brewing, but I don't do either. Brewing is my hobby.
10-12 hours is a long brew day. I typically spend between 5 and 6 hours for an all grain batch - and thats from grinding grain to finishing cleanup. It can be as little as 3 hours for an extract batch.
And this is where we get into why we brew or got started brewing vs why people quit. The hobby comment is spot on. People don’t spend thousands of dollars on lathes and chisels and pieces of exotic wood to build things out of wood cheaper.
That book ("Session Beers" from Jennifer Talley) is just about the most worthless homebrewing book I have. You would think that a woman that worked as a brewer making a range of styles as "3.2 beers" (3.2% alcohol by weight or 4% alcohol by volume) would have a bunch of great advice and a catalog of sub 4% recipes. Instead there is a lot of meandering content about the history of session beers, one weak chapter on techniques to brew session beers, and most of the recipes are for 4.5% to 5.2% styles that are already in that abv level. I don't really need a special book to find a recipe for a 4.5% Blonde Ale, or a 5.2% Bavarian Lager. The recipes are often from top notch breweries, but instead of talking with breweries and getting their input on making session beers, the book just includes a 1 page generic overview of the brewery.
I had high hopes for that book. Lucky I got it free years ago with my AHA renewal.
There is growing information on making NA and Low ABV beers. As a homebrewer, beers in the 2% to 4% range might be a better range than struggling to make a beer less than 0.5% ABV just to meet government regulations. I do try to keep Hop Water on tap these days. I find it hits that "I am thirsty and craving a beer" urge. I find that Hop Water goes well with food and does not pile on the calories like a beer plus food does.
acrowe
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I really like beer and enjoy brewing. Just this weekend I had a conversation with a friend I hadn't seen for a while (at a brewery taproom) who was asking if I was still brewing. He figured lots of people probably gave it up as the number of breweries exploded where you could get interesting and really great beers massively increased in the last few years.
Brewing for me is part of my enjoyment of doing things on my own instead of using a mass produced thing. I fly fish and tie my own flies, I like building things and working on my own vehicles and mountain bikes, and I really enjoy learning to cook really well and making meals for family and friends. I get a lot out of brewing but I am time limited so I don't brew as much as I might.
Brewing for me is part of my enjoyment of doing things on my own instead of using a mass produced thing. I fly fish and tie my own flies, I like building things and working on my own vehicles and mountain bikes, and I really enjoy learning to cook really well and making meals for family and friends. I get a lot out of brewing but I am time limited so I don't brew as much as I might.
We have had a lot of guys in our club quit the hobby the last few years as Covid caused many to lose interest. a Cooler bottle share and Zoom meetings was just not enough to keep everyone invested. But there was underlying reasons besides Covid also, guys moved out of state, had kids, one decided to start a BBQ business full time, one who was already a pro brewer also became part owner of the brewery, etc etc. What was a small club of 30 at it's peak is down to about 8-9 guys, of which only 5-6 show up every month.
As for me, my end of line for brewing may come when we downsize our house in the next few years and move into a condo. Won't have a dedicated lager fridge and a dedicated upright fridge kegerator at my disposal anymore, so that will crimp my lager brewing somewhat. But who knows, maybe I just store it all at my son's house and brew there instead.
As for me, my end of line for brewing may come when we downsize our house in the next few years and move into a condo. Won't have a dedicated lager fridge and a dedicated upright fridge kegerator at my disposal anymore, so that will crimp my lager brewing somewhat. But who knows, maybe I just store it all at my son's house and brew there instead.
The COVID area made me realize how important the social aspect of the hobby is. That I don't just brew to have alcohol to drink at home, but mostly so I can hang out with friends at homebrew club meetings and get together to share beers. I had lots of free time to brew, but the stock piled up as I did not have any easy way for others to help me drink it.
capt82
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I view brewing my own beer as a survival skill like cooking, home repairs, and equipment repairs. I recently moved to an area without a homebrew store. I had to reinvent my whole supply and brewing process in order to continue to brew, affordably.
How many people would you say quit brewing because supplies were too hard to get or too expensive to buy online? I would say this is my biggest challenge.
That Session Beers book by Jennifer Talley is absolutely fantastic.
This is of course totally anecdotal, but a lot of people I know who've quit brewing said something along the lines of "it's just too much equipment and stuff to have around." Which to me, along with what a lot of other folks have pointed out, is a great argument for small batch brewing.
Back when I was in grad school I'd do 10 gallons nearly every week and it'd disappear because, well, grad school and lots of people who like free beer.
Nowadays I typically have one beer after work if that, so it'd take me months to go through even 5 gallons, which is a big reason that when I started brewing again I started with 1-gallon batches. That way I can experiment more, and more frequently, without having so much beer around that I could never drink it all.
I'll probably scale up slightly to do maybe 2-gallon batches of stuff I really enjoy and get some 2.5-gallon kegs in a kegerator, but unless I know I'm brewing for a party or to give a bunch away, I can't imagine doing 5-gallon batches again, let alone 10.
And even though I have a dedicated brewing space I really, really enjoy the smaller scale of all the equipment. Easier to store and clean, easier to manage, and the whole process just feels less overwhelming.
Just throwing all this out there as food for thought. Makes me wonder how 5 gallons became the de facto standard batch size to begin with, and how many people if they scaled back from that might find themselves still enjoying it.
Back when I was in grad school I'd do 10 gallons nearly every week and it'd disappear because, well, grad school and lots of people who like free beer.
Nowadays I typically have one beer after work if that, so it'd take me months to go through even 5 gallons, which is a big reason that when I started brewing again I started with 1-gallon batches. That way I can experiment more, and more frequently, without having so much beer around that I could never drink it all.
I'll probably scale up slightly to do maybe 2-gallon batches of stuff I really enjoy and get some 2.5-gallon kegs in a kegerator, but unless I know I'm brewing for a party or to give a bunch away, I can't imagine doing 5-gallon batches again, let alone 10.
And even though I have a dedicated brewing space I really, really enjoy the smaller scale of all the equipment. Easier to store and clean, easier to manage, and the whole process just feels less overwhelming.
Just throwing all this out there as food for thought. Makes me wonder how 5 gallons became the de facto standard batch size to begin with, and how many people if they scaled back from that might find themselves still enjoying it.
I can't imagine brewing less than ten gallon batches. For me though I'll split a batch for a fruit addition or just a full batch of beers I love. One gallon batches seem unimaginable but maybe I'd change my mind if I scaled down and tried it.
To each their own, that's what makes this hobby so enjoyable!
Wow. I'm surprised to hear such a negative opinion of it, but I suppose it depends on what you're looking to get out of it. To me I really appreciated the historical context and the way she placed session beers in the overall landscape, particularly in the era of higher ABV being a badge of honor or, for some, an implicit indication of quality.
It's not a how-to book per se, but I thought the focus on the value of nuance in an age of stunt beers, and the value of being able to have a couple of beers with friends and not winding up on the floor, was great.
I also really liked the recipes at the end and the inclusion of thoughts from a lot of legends in craft brewing.
As I said, it's more about why than how, and for me was a great reminder of one of the big reasons we drink beer in the first place, namely community.
Anyway, totally get how it might not be for everyone depending on what you were looking to get out of it, but I thought it was a fantastic read and definitely got my brain spinning.
It's not a how-to book per se, but I thought the focus on the value of nuance in an age of stunt beers, and the value of being able to have a couple of beers with friends and not winding up on the floor, was great.
I also really liked the recipes at the end and the inclusion of thoughts from a lot of legends in craft brewing.
As I said, it's more about why than how, and for me was a great reminder of one of the big reasons we drink beer in the first place, namely community.
Anyway, totally get how it might not be for everyone depending on what you were looking to get out of it, but I thought it was a fantastic read and definitely got my brain spinning.
Pablo 54
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I'm supposed to stay close to two drinks per day but I don't normally drink during the work week. On weekends, I generally will have 3 pints on a Friday and 3 pints on a Saturday. To keep myself in balance, when I finish my first pint, I fill up my glass with water and drink that then move on to my second pint. Good for the kidneys.
Home brewing, lagers are always 5 gallons since I know it will take me a few months to finish them off and ales are 3 gallons or less.
Home brewing, lagers are always 5 gallons since I know it will take me a few months to finish them off and ales are 3 gallons or less.
