Decline in Hombrewing.

[Megary]

I still think its a natural phenonemem (spelling?)
It comes, it goes...
But it seems like a lot of new brewers invest straight away into fancy (expensive) equipment. Then their first couple of brews are not what they think it should be and thats the end.
I frankly still don't understand why a new brewer buys a grainfather or something and starts with brewing 50 litre batches.
Slow down, couple of 5 to 10 litre batches on the stove. See if you enjoy it and take it from there.

I could have said it simpler.
KISS.
Small batch, low expense, learn. Then invest in what you really want

Indeed. I also think many new homebrewers aren’t coming from the DIY side of things as in years past. Not their fault mind you, it's just that what homebrew shop wouldn’t rather sell an all-in-one instead of a brew bag? The initial outlay might seem overwhelming to the uninitiated when it certainly doesn’t have to be.

 

[west1m]

I too have been brewing for a few years (Grainfather system), and do enjoy producing my own beers that are usually very good, and can compare to many micro brew offerings. Brew days for me are enjoyable and I have recently started kegging my brews, which requires a bit of acquired knowledge as well.

However, my thoughts on the decline of brewing participants MAY be due to the amount of time required for cleaning and sanitizing all equipment to insure positive and enjoyable results.

It certainly might be an eye opener regarding the time commitment required in this regard, that many new brewers may find excessive, especially with the demands of a growing family etc. And although you do become more efficient at this process over time, there is no avoiding it if you expect decent results.

Often people might start this hobby without fully realizing the overall time demands, just figuring - I can just throw a new brew on to save a few bucks..... It should be pretty easy!

So what you are saying is... Todays young people are a bunch of lazy slugs?

 

[PHB2234]

More like competing priorities. It wasn’t until after my kids were out of the house that I could take up the hobby.

But the point made about the time commitment required for cleaning and maintenance is spot on. If you don’t like cleaning up, then home brewing may not be for you. Non brewers always seem surprised when I tell them how much time between grain and glass. Hard to compete with the instant gratification available at the local bottle shop or taproom.

 

[GFHomebrew]

Been thinking about my life and hombrewing I didn't start out even thinking about brewing until I settled down and was in the same place for more than a year! This was late 20's like 28 29 years old.

Before this I was gallivanting around Australia in a little Suzuki Vitara a dog and my future wife.

This brewing thing needs stability in one's life and usually a home.
This usually doesn't come till later in life so yeah its not a young person's game I don't think.

I'm probably wrong but I can't see it attracting many young people if I think about it like thus.

In short your not going to get into hombrewing without some stability in your life for me that wasn't until I hit 30...

 

[jmcnamara]

Been thinking about my life and hombrewing I didn't start out even thinking about brewing until I settled down and was in the same place for more than a year! This was late 20's like 28 29 years old.

Before this I was gallivanting around Australia in a little Suzuki Vitara a dog and my future wife.

This brewing thing needs stability in one's life and usually a home.
This usually doesn't come till later in life so yeah its not a young person's game I don't think.

I'm probably wrong but I can't see it attracting many young people if I think about it like thus.

In short your not going to get into hombrewing without some stability in your life for me that wasn't until I hit 30...

Yeah, that was around the time I got really into it, experimenting and all. I was living in a condo with my future wife, so didn't have the space for a whole lot. But made 10 gallons each of 2 beers in that place for our wedding. And started kegging shortly before we bought a house and moved out

 

[Zambi]

I was making wine in my late teens up to 30's
Then instead of settling down, I moved abroad, different countries etc.
Brewing beer started in my early 50's, sort of inspired by a friend who just started making wine

 

[GFHomebrew]

I was making wine in my late teens up to 30's
Then instead of settling down, I moved abroad, different countries etc.
Brewing beer started in my early 50's, sort of inspired by a friend who just started making wine

Well there ya go wow that's an early endeavour into winemaking/hombrewing!

 

[NorthCoastBrewer]

"State of the Art Homebrewing": While not directly related to decline in home brewing or changes at AHA, the first 5 (or so) minutes and last five (or so) minutes of BeerSmith PodCast #300 (where John Palmer is overviewing / summarizing) are worth a listen.

eta: the opening segment starts around 3:30 and runs for about 10 minutes. The rest of the podcast is worth a listen as well!

 

[Craigerrr]

I still think its a natural phenonemem (spelling?)

I think it is spelled Mahna Mahna

 

[Craigerrr]

If you don’t like cleaning up, then home brewing may not be for you.

Brewing is what we do on occasion when we aren't cleaning.
Welcome to BF there @PHB2234 !

 

[Ward Chillington]

Hard to compete with the instant gratification available at the local bottle shop or taproom.

And those guys aren't doing too bad!

https://www.brewersassociation.org/...0-producing-craft-brewing-companies-for-2023/

Pennsylvania #1 ... woot woot!

 

[NorthCoastBrewer]

https://www.brewersassociation.org/...0-producing-craft-brewing-companies-for-2023/

It's been interesting to watch how the "top 20" change over the years. I see there are a couple of "holding companies" in the top 10 this year.

 

[Ward Chillington]

It's been interesting to watch how the "top 20" change over the years. I see there are a couple of "holding companies" in the top 10 this year.

Ebb and flow...ebb and flow.

 

[Beerbelly]

Been thinking about my life and hombrewing I didn't start out even thinking about brewing until I settled down and was in the same place for more than a year! This was late 20's like 28 29 years old.

Before this I was gallivanting around Australia in a little Suzuki Vitara a dog and my future wife.

This brewing thing needs stability in one's life and usually a home.
This usually doesn't come till later in life so yeah its not a young person's game I don't think.

I'm probably wrong but I can't see it attracting many young people if I think about it like thus.

In short your not going to get into hombrewing without some stability in your life for me that wasn't until I hit 30...

That's a great observation; a stable location is important, and one of the reasons I didn't start brewing until we'd bought a home. I'd moved many times before then as a young man, and it would be challenging to create recipes based on local ingredient availability, water chemistry, etc. Once you've settled, you can start a foundation for future brewing. I'm lucky to have naturally soft water and two top-notch homebrew supply stores near me.