Decline in Hombrewing.

Iliff Avenue Brewhouse said:
Meh with climate change, the circumstances will start to be even more noticeable with grain and hops yield/quality. Brewers will get priced out of ingredients or the quality be highly degraded. I’m enjoying it while I can. Soon it will be mad max beer

I don’t think homebrewing will be a thing in 10 years
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I'll still be at it, might be growing/malting my own barley by then(LOL), already grow almost all the hops I use...

 
I hope the craft of homebrewing remains strong, but I brew for the freedom and the cost savings it gives me. And, because after years of tinkering with recipes I brew a porter --my favorite style-- that I like much better than any I've ever tried commercially or at craft brew tasting events.

Is that because I'm a great brewer? For sure, I'm not! But homebrewing gives me the freedom to pursue my dream of a great pint.

Consider if I were approaching the boss at a large production brewery with a request to tinker on a porter recipe right now:

Advertising says TV commercials are already in the works for the Super Bowl cheapest suds ever and then green beer mania follows.
You are out of season and out of bounds, Penalty!

Well, how about next fall, then? Marketing says the all of our budget we allot to porter went for rebranding our cheap knockoff to a new catchy name, "how does Sallys Nickers grab you?"
Busted!

But boss, I married your ugliest daughter!
Okay, what 's the most unique ingredient in your recipe? Well I use about 8% brown malt to give it a more complex taste than what we have now. Brown Malt !!! That would cost us an extra penny per case. Accounting would hang me by my "stones" and then I'd have to give up my annual beer sabbatical to Tahiti because of the extra expense.

Out of the question!

Get the picture? As homebrewers we get to do what we want, when we want, and how we want. It's a labor of love for me and most homebrewers.
 
DarkVader2 said:
I hope the craft of homebrewing remains strong, but I brew for the freedom and the cost savings it gives me. And, because after years of tinkering with recipes I brew a porter --my favorite style-- that I like much better than any I've ever tried commercially or at craft brew tasting events.

Is that because I'm a great brewer? For sure, I'm not! But homebrewing gives me the freedom to pursue my dream of a great pint.

Consider if I were approaching the boss at a large production brewery with a request to tinker on a porter recipe right now:

Advertising says TV commercials are already in the works for the Super Bowl cheapest suds ever and then green beer mania follows.
You are out of season and out of bounds, Penalty!

Well, how about next fall, then? Marketing says the all of our budget we allot to porter went for rebranding our cheap knockoff to a new catchy name, "how does Sallys Nickers grab you?"
Busted!

But boss, I married your ugliest daughter!
Okay, what 's the most unique ingredient in your recipe? Well I use about 8% brown malt to give it a more complex taste than what we have now. Brown Malt !!! That would cost us an extra penny per case. Accounting would hang me by my "stones" and then I'd have to give up my annual beer sabbatical to Tahiti because of the extra expense.

Out of the question!

Get the picture? As homebrewers we get to do what we want, when we want, and how we want. It's a labor of love for me and most homebrewers.
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Tell me more about this "annual beer sabbatical to Tahiti"...
 
richbon said:
I've been watching a lot of brewing YouTube lately, and one comment I liked was from Mike of the Brew Dudes who pointed out that the hobby is a great way to keep beer styles alive that are otherwise falling out of favor (like my fav amber ales) commercially. I know just being able to brew decent beers that I know I'm going to like was a motivator for me to get back into the hobby. That and learning about BIAB as a technique. Also the cost of entry at my level (2-3 gallon batches and bottling) was relatively low (200-250$). Maybe I'm an exception, but there are factors in the current environment that could be bringing in new (or new-ish - ahem) folks into the hobby.
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That's the reason I started 6-7 years ago, Belgian Wits had virtually disappeared and Imperial Stouts were scarce as hen's teeth.

Still haven't made a Wit I'm happy with and there's so many stouts in the shop I don't really need to brew them (as long as I don't mind the insane pastry side of the stout world). Still I'm enjoying myself. Very proud of my imperial stout. Though I'm too scared to try a Wit again because it will never compare to those nights drinking them super fresh in Belgium.
 
I always think of witbier as a daytime drink :)
 
This latest brulosophy podcast really shows a dark cloud above AHA.
Man I think it sux to be apart of American Hombrewing.
I hope there is light at the end of the tunnel because the Ship that's steering the show is about to sink!

Im kinda Glad I'm Ceoliac and feel I'm distanced a bit more from mainstream hombrewing.
 
GFHomebrew said:
This latest brulosophy podcast really shows a dark cloud above AHA.
Man I think it sux to be apart of American Hombrewing.
I hope there is light at the end of the tunnel because the Ship that's steering the show is about to sink!

Im kinda Glad I'm Ceoliac and feel I'm distanced a bit more from mainstream hombrewing.
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Unfortunately when you let a bureaucracy make decisions, things rarely get better.

Fortunately, you don't have to participate ; )
 
10years ago we had 2 breweries within an hour drive. Now there are 23 so I'm not brewing as much as I used to. I'll probably continue with lighter quaffable beers and styles I like but do not see often, such as a Cali Common. Also keeping WCIPA and dry roasty stout alive!
 
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Over The Cliff Brewing said:
I just got an email stating my lhbs closed. Bummer!
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Mine closed for good this past Sunday. I am still bummed! I have read that the younger generations aren't drinking as much/if at all or are preferring other ways to relax (aka weed). I wonder how much of that has an impact on the interest in homebrewing?
 
Simonpyman said:
Mine closed for good this past Sunday. I am still bummed! I have read that the younger generations aren't drinking as much/if at all or are preferring other ways to relax (aka weed). I wonder how much of that has an impact on the interest in homebrewing?
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(Middle aged white guy) that's me that's the majority.

Fortunately we here on the forum are graced with a few Female hombrewers supporting the minority.

Hombrewing it seems isn't a young "person's" game anymore. I got into hombrewing late 20's but I grew up drinking beer I guess teenages/ young adults have found a new way to escape reality and have a good time with their friends?
 
GFHomebrew said:
(Middle aged white guy) that's me that's the majority.

Fortunately we here on the forum are graced with a few Female hombrewers supporting the minority.

Hombrewing it seems isn't a young "person's" game anymore. I got into hombrewing late 20's but I grew up drinking beer I guess teenages/ young adults have found a new way to escape reality and have a good time with their friends?
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Middle aged white guy as well. Got my younger (30’s) female friend From work into home brewing. Looking forward to sharing the knowledge
 
GFHomebrew said:
(Middle aged white guy) that's me that's the majority.

Fortunately we here on the forum are graced with a few Female hombrewers supporting the minority.

Hombrewing it seems isn't a young "person's" game anymore. I got into hombrewing late 20's but I grew up drinking beer I guess teenages/ young adults have found a new way to escape reality and have a good time with their friends?
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You gotta consider that you need some space and extra cash to do this hobby. That's pretty hard to come by in your mid to early 20s
 
jmcnamara said:
You gotta consider that you need some space and extra cash to do this hobby. That's pretty hard to come by in your mid to early 20s
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I should add, now in my (very)early 40s, the trick is finding the time to brew. I've got the space and extra money part figured out
 
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