Retirement hobby

[ditchdodger]

Hi there!
Retired last year and recently decided to add home brewing to my hobby list. Years ago I used to brew from kits in 5 gallon batches but quickly grew tired of the bottle washing/bottling aspect of the hobby. This time I decided to go with small batch brewing and limit myself to 1 gallon batches. So far I'm loving it! Being somewhat handy I've also been getting a kick out of designing/building some my own equipment including an immersion chiller sized for my brew pot and a small cooler style mash tun which is proving to be extremely effective.

The BeerSmith 2 app on my iPad has helped me produce a couple of good brews already but I can do better, hopefully with the assistance of this forum's knowledgeable members. Watch for my posts requesting advice and help.
DD

[Londor]

Brewing is a very delicate job, you have to know exactly the dose of all components, temperature, time of ferment and many other aspects, to get some good beer.

[Kevin58]

Brewing is a very delicate job, you have to know exactly the dose of all components, temperature, time of ferment and many other aspects, to get some good beer.

That's funny. I have begun practicing what I call "no stress brewing". I found I was getting too wound up over precise temperatures, times and exact measurements. It's not that I ignore those things I just don't worry if things don't work out.

Welcome ditchdodger! I am retired also and love being able to brew when I want to and not when my work schedule allows. Brew the beers that make you happy. Brew with the equipment and techniques that make you happy. You've spent a lifetime working on other peoples schedules and by their rules. It is our time to enjoy and be our own bosses.

[BOB357]

Welcome to to the retirement world and back to homebrewing. I've been retired coming up on 7 years. Have gone to smarter and less physical techniques over the past few years, but still brewing 5 gallon batches. Between having more time to drink and more nagging I just can't see small batch brewing in my future.

[Group W]

BeerSmith is a wonderful recipe builder. If you have used spreadsheets, it’s easy to understand. Welcome back to the hobby!

[BOB357]

Well, howdy Dan. Been a while.

[Group W]

Just a toe in the water Bob. We can catch up later.