Why did you get into brewing?

[Charlie Mops]

Everyone has a diffrent answer to this question and I would like to hear them all.

I got into brewing for a few reasons. It starts with my first 2 hobbies I ever had, drinking and nitro powered R.C. hydroplanes. Living in Canada I have very long and cold winters. Making my R.C. hobby useless for 8 months out of the year. I would compensate this with my other hobby of drinking. In Canada we pay about $45 for a case of 24 good beers. On my way to the beer store it was -45 so I ducked into the only store there was on the way to the beer store in order to warm up. It was a store called Brewers Direct. I was looking around while warming up and they had a beer kit on sale for $5. What a deal $5 for 5 gallons beer I thought to my self. They also had a brewers starter kit on sale for $20 which came with everything you needed to get started. I made the beer kit and I was happy with it but I also decided id rather be satisfied with it instead of just happy. I tried many different kits until my grandfather in law gave me a book on how to brew beer........ now here I am with another hobby and a new appreciation for barley and hops.

[KEKO482]

I got into making beer for a few reasons, one being that I like to drink beer and some friends told me that I can't do it. I have many hobbies but making beer seems to be the one leading. I started on a MR BEER kit and have since went to all grain. I also make several cured meats over winter.

[Rep]

I spent most of my work life organizing people to do things.

I retired last summer with no hobbies.  I like beer and the rest fell into place.

I enjoy the hobby because it has so many facets and you can take it in so many directions.  All leading to good beer.

[NZHomebrewer]

Have you ever tried New Zealand beer? 

Seriously, when we moved here from Germany we found the beer boring and expensive. I know meanwhile better and there are dozens of micro breweries. But that's even more expensive (i.e 4 0.33 litre  bottles = NZ$17).

Our first landlord in new Zealand brought me into brewing. I started with supermarket kits but soon stepped up to All Grain. And it fits very well into our self-sufficiency idea. We try to make as much as possible ourselves.

It is much better and cheaper beer as I can get in the bottle shops and it is fun! 

Cheers

Peter

[BeerSmith]

Interesting,
  This is a bit of a philosophical question.  I don't know if I have ever really thought about it too much.  I started brewing shortly after college because I thought it would make for an interesting hobby.  The first few batches were not so great, but eventually I got better at it.

  I think I stayed with it because it presents an interesting challenge, is one that can be shared with friends, and can be a bit of fun without consuming extreme amounts of time.

Cheers,
Brad

[altgeeky1]

Because I like good beer.


Seriously, I got a brewing kit as a present on my 22nd birthday. I'd been drinking for 7 years by then (shh!) and when my parents got me the kit I was like. WTF why didn't I think of this BEFORE?

Since I started homebrewing, my taste in beer graduated from Bug Lite to Dundee's Honey Brown and Michelob Bock... up to proper Belgian's and Imperial IPAs. Homebrewing let me try different things and show my progress. Most of my friends are still on weak beers, but brewing is cheap and I give lots away.

I like that brewing is cheaper, and it's pretty damn easy. All grain allows for more things to go wrong, but I''m getting used to it now (3rd AG batch tonight, after 50 extract batches spanning 15 years). Beer is goood. Nuff said?

[Charlie Mops]

Because I like good beer.


Most of my friends are still on weak beers, but brewing is cheap and I give lots away.

It is amazing how that works. I give lots away to my friends too. They some how just seem to know when it is done. If only my car knew to break down when they were all over so I could have some help fixing it.

[bonjour]

My son got me a "gag gift", a Mr. Beer kit for Christmas 2001.  Little did he know what he would unleash.

From 2% Mr. Beer to 15%+ homebrew.

Fred

[BeerSmith]

Fred,
  I can safely say you are way beyond "Mr Beer" now!

Brad

[Andrewqld]

I discovered the joys of brewing when I was in high school 30 odd years ago, I had a secret brewing cupboard in my bedroom and loved the smell of the brew as it fermented, Mum didn't and removed my stash .
Since that day I have been fascinated with brewing, winemaking, cheesemaking, sausage making, cold smoking ect ect. The list goes on, but brewing has been a pretty constant passion with me for the last 30 years.

Cheers
Andrew

[Beer_Tigger]

Many years ago, I had a neighbor who brewed.  I thought it would be fun and brewed a batch.  It was like liquid candy so good.

I moved and years later in my current home, became best friends with one of my new neighbors and he brewed.  My wife and I both thought that it would be great to have good beer again since that one batch all those years ago.

I love great tasting beer, I love the creativity of tweeking recipes and trying different ingredients, and I love great tasting beer.  Did I mention the love of great tasting beer?

It's a really great creative outlet.  Plus a conversation starter.

[Charlie Mops]

Beer_Tigger im not to sure yet but I get the feeling that you like great tasting beer. 
How many people here have made a "bad" batch but still drank it out of spite? When I first got into brewing I was using coopers kits when my fermentation started to slow down I decided to add some more sugar 1 week later when it slowed down I didn't have any bottles yet so I add more sugar (this went on for about 3 months. anyways the first beer didn't taste to good but the next one was great!

[Dr. Sideburns]

   I am a scatterbrain and a procrastinator, though I try to fight it on a daily basis. Nothing seems to keep my interest for too long but for some reason home brewing does. I have always been into cooking and experimenting and am pretty good at it for the most part. I think brewing is much the same. For example, why go to a restaurant that serves average food for an above average price when you can do it yourself cheaper and way better? I love brewpubs, their atmosphere and food is usually great no matter where I go. The beer always has that personal touch and it makes the experience that much better. I say to myself "I wanna be that guy." All that and encouragement from friends who dabble in wine and beer and my fiance got me going. And who doesn't love just like when you cook the look of satisfaction and the words "Wow! this kicks ass! you made this?" I think I too give away more than I get to have. Gotta get that feedback. I still have some of my first brew left haha occasionally I have to open one to remember what not to do. Anyway yeah.

-Joe

[harebare]

Everyone has a diffrent answer to this question and I would like to hear them all.

I think it's a natural extention of my passion for cooking. I make my own pasta, my own puff pastry, when I can I grow my own herbs... When I learned about how craft beer was made I said, "I'd like to try that!"

I'm still trying. But I'm getting there.

- Hare

p.s. I find that it's more fun/less filling to brew with a friend. When I first started brewing I brewed with my "domestic partner." He likes Killian. Dare I say more? We don't brew together and we're not domestic partners anymore. I now brew with my best buddy from High School. He keeps his motorcycle in my motorcycle garage, away from the evil wife. We have a blast and like the same beers. MUCH better sitiuation.

[Maine Homebrewer]

Back in highschool my old man made a batch of raspberry wine, it was awesome.
Shortly after spreading my wings I discovered beer, and quickly found that you got what you paid for.
I then went to cooking school, discovered that cooking for a living was work, and went back to college for computer science.
Meanwhile, as a previous poster said, I learned that with few exceptions I could cook at home for a fraction of the cost of going out to eat, get just as good if not a better produce, and since I drink a lot of beer I figured "what the heck?".

Nearly ten years later I've gone from extract recipes going into bottles, to making up all-grain recipes on the fly and putting them into corny kegs.

I've got a chest freezer being delivered soon that will be plugged into a gadget that converts it into a fridge, will be installing a tap as well (no more lifting the lid), planted my first rhyzomes today, and have three batches in secondary and one in primary.

There comes a time when one cannot differentiate between hobby and obsession, I will say no more....