So we are expecting our first baby any day now. While I’m thrilled I’ll have a helper someday during the brew day I want some advice from those of you who have young ones.
I certainly don’t want him showing up to class one day and saying “I made beer” and it being weird. So when did you have your kids get involved if ever?
Secondly, do you think early exposure to this creates a healthy respect for alcohol compared to being raised by a case-a-day bud light dad?
I think the way you raise your kids is what is important, not their exposure to alcohol. I raised my kids so that I could have a young family I could enjoy spending time with - and that’s the key. Spending time with them. I would be considered a heavy drinker by most medical standards - but neither of my kids have any interest I’m alcohol.
By the way, oldest son is 17. I tried to have a beer with his a few months ago. He was excited until he tried it (IPA). He has not asked for another. 
My 4 year old had been helping me for a couple years now. I’ve never had anyone say anything seemed wierd. Homebrewing is a reasonably respected hobby for the most part. at least in the parts of the country where I have lived over the last several years.
If you want your kids to have a healthy relationship with alcohol you need to have one too. Combine that with lots of love and understanding and they will likely be fine.
In my personal opinion, raising children in a home where alcohol is not taboo will help them later in life not to abuse it. When it comes to home brewing we emphasize the science behind brewing with our kids. I have a 7 and 3 year old. My oldest (girl) likes to help me with kegging and is slightly interested in what I’m doing outside on brew days. My 3 year old (boy) is just know wanting to help Dad. As for drinking, I think if your kids see you drinking responsibly, the chances are they will have a healthy respect for alcohol and again be less likely later in life to abuse it.
Agree with everyone else. Kids learn by modeling their parents so modeling responsible behaviors is important. My daughter used to like to help bottling, but I lost a lot of beer when she helped.
In my experience, the fun of helping wears off somewhere around year 4. My son’s idea of helping is to stir up the sanitizer to make bubbles. He has helped fill bottles and cap them, but not really. One of my daughters used to help keg, but she’s no longer interested.
I think it’s great that they want to help and it give us another thing to do together. I wouldn’t want to keep them from it, because then it would seem like I’m doing something wrong.
If people have a problem with your kids helping you make beer, they have bigger problems than that.
Model responsible behavior.
Brewing: OK.
Drinking a few: OK.
Drinking and driving: NOT OK. Your kids will copy you.
Your kid will probably want to help when they’re young. By the time they become older, it will be much less cool, especially once they get to video game age.
Tell 'em your grandpa is from the old country. Doesn’t matter which one. They’ll say, “Oh, they’re European! How neat”.
My 15 year old son will have reached the legal drinking age for beer in a few months. Long live Belgium! I decided it would be better to teach him to appreciate the really good stuff, so that he doesn’t start drinking swill in pubs when he will be allowed to (and yes, he likes champagne, sours, sweeter beers and meads, but not IPA’s). A couple of years ago he loved organizing blind tastings for my girlfriend and myself (e.g. compare gueuze from Boon and 3 Fonteinen).
“hey son, hold my beer while I adjust my seat.”
My kids (12 year twins) don’t want to have anything to do with brewing. They could care less. They just walk by and say, “Oh Dad is brewing again”. The only time they helped me was when I was making a melomel and my daughter put the fruit in a mesh bag for me while I held it.
I seriously think the worst think you could possibly do is hide brewing and drinking from your kids. And teach your kids to drink responsibly. Would you rather them learn to appreciate alcohol with you or their friends?
I’ve got three, 19, 16, and 13 and I have been brewing now about 6 years so they have all been raised around me brewing. We drink beer in our house and live in a very social neighborhood and the bar is always open to friends. All our friends have kids around the same ages and we all basically model responsible drinking and socializing.
All of the kids at one point or another have helped me brew, some are more interested than others and their interests change as their education increases. For example, my high school and middle kids relates to the science aspect of the process and using hydrometers, etc. My college kid is interested in sampling and understanding styles and tastes but doesn’t really care much for beer other than an occasional beer with dad and a cigar. (don’t get me wrong, he’s had a few too many at school and learned from it as we all have)!
They all understand that the adults around them operate in a responsible manner and just don’t drink to get drunk and we don’t do stupid things like drive when we get together.
On the other side we know kids that have been kept from these things as they grew up and have turned into those kids that sneak out, steal their folk’s booze, get drunk at the park and basically do really stupid things that only cause problems; so expose your kids, teach them right and all should be good!
I feel like I should also throw out the obvious warning about flames, boiling liquids, etc. Dangerous for us, but even more so for little people.
I stopped using glass carboys when I cracked one with a wee one nearby.
Keep it safe, always, but you need to be even more diligent around kids.
My kids (21, 19, 17 and 14) have been in the brewery all their lives. So far they are all doing fine. Some have answered questions in class about hobbies with “my Dad brews beer!”. The teachers laughed and the other kids didn’t care. I will point out that my kids have all gone to a Catholic school so the acceptance of alcohol may be higher than in some other situations.
So far my son is studying civil engineering and doesn’t really like beer. The 19 and 17 year olds are studying chemistry which I think may have been influenced by the real world practice of chemistry in brewing. The 14 year old could care less that I brew.
As others have said, it isn’t that you brew, it’s how you raise them to have an open mind and be curious about stuff.
Paul
As far as the school aspect, I’ve shared bottles with my kids’ teachers. Can I say that?
They were appreciative.
I’m a teacher and I would appreciate it.
I have been thinking about this as well lately. My 18 month old son just now understands ‘beer’ as me going to check on my fermenter or going to pour a beer from the keg. Yesterday, I asked if we wanted to come check on the beer. He said yes and went straight for the stairs and we got down to check the temp of the fermenting wort. He was extremely interested and wanted me to open the chamber door so he could check it out. Only then, did I stop to think of any negative consequence of exposing him to this so young.
After reading the prior responses, it makes me feel a lot better. I am just getting to the point where I actually need to be a parent instead of just take care of a baby. Half the time, I don’t know what the hell I am doing so it will be quite the learning process for me…