Woke up this morning and ran downstairs to check on my Kolsch. I heard it before I even opened the chest freezer, thumping away like the Tell-Tale Heart! Opened the lid to bubbles in the blow off and the steady “thump, thump, THUMP” got louder and I just grinned and giggled! I’ve been brewing for 8-9 years now and I still get excited when fermentation takes off… IT’S ALIVE!
Anyone else still find simple, childlike joy in their brewing?
Absolutely. It still puts a smile on my face and I get a sense of satisfaction.
This morning, yeah! After nearly 30 years, it’s still that, “oh yeah, here we go again!” (Heard the bubbling before I opened the door, same thing…)
(But I pretend like I’m all cool, and feed the cat before I run downstairs to check.)
Yes, but keep up the vigilance, because things can happen…I just discovered a blow off tube that had inched up out of star San solution, it is bubbling away like normal after re-adjusting the tube firmly into the star san jug.
Yea dude. I just got up and the first thing I did was to go and check my carboy.
It’s like, better than my birthday when that sucker is roaring.
Guess I got over it a long time ago.
“The thrill is gone…” That’s just so sad 
Not really…it’s not like I haven’t experienced it. It’s just become normal.
C’mon Denny, not even a little happy dance in your heart when things are going exactly as planned?
Went downstairs this AM with my first cup o joe. Yep, still makes me happy.
I’m onboard with the happy dance. Seeing my fermentation take off tells me everything is going to be okay. It’s the fermentation that demonstrates the magic of this crazy hobby we have all come to enjoy.
Well, of course I’m pleased that it worked out. But I plan for it, I work for it, I expect it. So my reaction is a lot more like “good, everything’s OK” rather than giddiness.
Very true, I know the yeastie beasties are going to make beer because I work hard to give them nice, clean, healthy wort to play in. A bubbling blow off still makes me happy!
Usually I’m just giddy about the fact that the airlock hasn’t been shot across the closet and krausen/barm isn’t billowing out of the top of the fermentation vessel…
I too am like a kid at Christmas, rushing down to the basement to check for life. And I also like very much the first 4 or 5 days or so of fermentation–checking, measuring, taking notes.
I’m somewhere between… I’m no longer surprised when fermentation kicks off, that’s for sure. Pleased, accomplished, thankful, but to be realistic about it, I don’t spot every time I see those first bubbles. [emoji41]
I still am relieved when fermentation starts. My last batch is a first try at a new SS brew bucket I purchased. So I’ve not been able to see fermentation and on top of that I used WY 3726 in a Saison with a dry airlock. This yeast seems to like no pressure. Tomorrow will be 2 weeks and time to check it out. Hope things went well. I did miss checking for signs the next day like in my old carboy but the lighter brew bucket sure was nice.
Since it usually takes a while, like the next morning, it’s that relief that everything you did the day before “worked out”. Oh sure, it could still end up being a bad beer, but you didn’t mess it up so bad that the yeast are dead, or unhappy, or forgot to pitch yeast in it at all.
Whenever I see the bubbles I’m like “Aaaaah yeaaaah!”