I’ve gone through various phases in home brewing, and I think I’m in a new one. Maybe its a rut. Maybe its just cruise control. I almost posted my “whats brewing this weekend” bla bla bla. Almost didn’t post anything. Then I decided to post this.
The beer is good. I’ve got about a dozen recipes I really like. Not really feeling like trying anything new. Still really dig brew day, keeping track of brews, kegging, etc. My fermenters are staying full. So its not burn out. I guess I’m just… cruising a rut for a while. And I’m perfectly fine with that.
I could actually use a rut like that. My problem is that I brew so many beers to try out new ideas. If I hit a couple of misses in a row, or even just mediocre beers, then I have a bunch of kegs full of stuff that I’m not excited to drink. That’s when I end up in a rut. I don’t get as excited to brew my old standbys, so I often pass them over on brewday to test out a new idea, only to wish I had a keg of Maerzen or ESB instead of the batch I just brewed.
I have to admit that this is what is fun about commercial brewing for me. I actually enjoy brewing the same recipes over and over again (though I do get more excited about seasonals and one off beers) so the only time I ever pull out my homebrew kettles is when I am doing creative projects.
As far as having kegs of experimental beers 'm not excited about drinking, just dump em. Easy as that.
My rut if you can call it that is tdue to ime. I just always have things to do that are more time sensitive so it’s hard to get a brew day in and when I do I am usually under some pressure to get it done quickly. I am trying to arrange to hire someone to help me knock off some big projects at home so I can get past this. In the winter I have a bit more time and knock off some small batches on the stove top.
The other thing that would make me both brew more and look forward to Brew day more is to have a dedicated brewery with a big sink, running hot water, burner, equipment, ingredients etc. In one place. Getting everything outside or cleaning up in a regular kitchen sink just sucks.
EDIT: just noticed that I used the expression"knock off" some batches. That shows the unfortunate mind state of viewing a brew day as something to get through.I need to work on that, this needs to be fun.
Amen to the above. I’ve got brew gear scattered in several different rooms in the house, plus propane burner and tanks in the garage. I haul water from the kitchen sink to my brew pot on the concrete patio outside, etc.
Getting everything out and put away adds a lot of extra time.
That said, I love brewing what I want to drink rather than what a commercial brewer thinks will have the most market appeal.
Yeah, brew day became a lot more fun for me once I had a dedicated space with my gear always set up.
Jim, I’ve been in that place for maybe 10 years now. While sometimes it feels like a rut, mostly it feels like comfort. Like you, I’m happy with what I’m brewing and I know what and how I like to brew. Once in a while I’ll branch out with a new technique or recipe variation. But at 18+ years and 500 batches, I’m kinda liking the serenity of my rut.
I guess I’m in a rut of sorts, too. I’m not getting to brew as much as I’d like with work/family obligations being larger than before - I’m only keeping beer on 2 or 3 taps lately instead of the full 5. So when I do brew it’s been styles and recipes I like the most. Not a bad thing but I’m not experimenting with styles and techniques as much as usual. Still do hop trials though.
I wouldn’t call it a rut that I’m in. I change up my recipes and process fairly often to keep it somewhat fresh, but I can certainly relate. It kinda sucks when that happens, not being excited to brew. It makes the brew session feel like a chore rather than fun and relaxing, which is what it should be.
But I’d rather brew my own. I stood in the beer isle for 15 minutes yesterday trying to decide what I wanted to buy and ended up walking out empty handed. Just wasn’t feeling anything. If I’m in a rut, it’s a beer rut, not a brewing rut. Not much lately has sparked my palate and I haven’t even been drinking very much. Could be time for some time away from beer altogether, perhaps.
But brewing smaller batches has helped. I don’t care if the beer lasts a week in the keg, at least I get to enjoy it and something new gets put on. It’s better than like my Belgian dubbel that finally kicked yesterday. It was on tap for nearly 3 months. That’s way too long for my preference. And although it was a very tasty beer, I was glad to see it go…
And, Eric, I took this picture of a deer in my neighborhood yesterday. Very bizarre for my neighborhood as it’s residential and this one would’ve had to walk through a good bit of town to get to my area.
Most of what drives my brewing is competition based. At least, that is how I treat each and every one of my brew days. As if I am making that beer specifically to be judged by others in a comp. It helps me to know that I tried to produce the very best beer on that very day that I possibly could. With that in mind, it has helped keep me out of a rut, so to speak, for the last 10 years or so. Always trying to master new styles with new recipes.
Occasionally throwing in a “one-off” batch to keep me fresh, which surprisingly are not usually finished (most get dumped as I don’t care for how they come out). Specialty beers are not really my thing. This of course keeps me going back to the styles to improve my understanding of their ingredients and process (a lot of which knowledge is gained here).
Nothing wrong with having brews you like and not feeling like you need to go beyond them. Sometimes I wish I spent more time dialing in recipes and less time moving from new recipe to new recipe.
+1 beat me to it. I have a different take on brewing: I constantly try to simplify the process but still retain same quality. IE next beer will be 2 hour AG featuring a new 30m boil.
Jealous of all you, no brewing these days. Always something in the way… Luck SOBs ;D
+1 as well. We live in a condo, and though most of the brew stuff is close to the kitchen, the sink there is tine. One basin, 16"20". Can’t fit anything large in there to clean it at all. Got one of the Mark’s washers for my kegs and carboys. Buckets have to be soaked on the counter, then siphoned into the sink. My brew kettles have to be hauled to the downstairs bathroom and cleaned in the tub. (I’m working on getting a way to clean these outdoors at our condo.)
Whenever we are able to move on to a “real” house a place for a deep utility sink is a requirement. Be even better if this was in a garage, I hate washing my hands inside after working on out vehicles.
I haven’t been brewing that long and im still learning and absorbing like a sponge. I will say I did get burned out on my woodworking and this hobby was introduced to me by my neighbor and it was like a gateway. I felt like I got burned out, I had too many projects I built for the home and peaked and just walked away from it. My wife wont allow me to part with any of my tools and when Im brewing in the garage I look at all my tools and still haven’t re-lit that flame. I do think its just a hiatus but its been 2 years now. We will see. I can say brewing has been a great hobby and an education. Nothing more satisfying than handing someone a beer you made and seeing the smile on their face.
