Obsessed with home brew!!

[Youngie]

So I just had a rare 5 days off and before I had the 5 off my plan was to go to the gym for the 5 off and have no beer but 5 days later, no gym and 60+ schooners later I failed miserably. The satisfaction of making my own beer always wins and I find myself smashing down beers until I fall asleep. Does this happen to anyone else??

Bah ha ha ha ha ha ha

 

Youngie

[Otto Von Blotto]

 

I do find I drink more when I have time off unless I have to drive somewhere, but it's not usually 12 beers a day . It probably was when I first started kegging though because that was a novelty at the time. Now it's just a few on days off.

[ChristinaS1]

Post deleted.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Greenyinthewestofsydney]

Had me some gardening leave for a couple of months over summer last year. Mixed in some travel but whenever I was home would always have 2 or 3 at lunch time followed by a snooze on the deck. I started out like you. Was going to lose 5 or 6 kilos in those two months and ended up putting on 2 or 3.

 

Home brewing is a great hobby but can see how dangerous it can be for some. Before I home brewed if I ran out of beer it might be 3 or 4 days till I was around a bottle shop and bought some more. When you home brew you basically never run out. Its just always there.

[Phoenix76]

Well Youngie, when I read the topic of your post, I thought, yeah, I can make a comment here. Well now I'm a little more hesitant than I was, but thought I'd jump in anyway. And I didn't know about our mate, Christina's past profession.

 

Mate, one thing I can't argue about is the pleasure of drinking my home brew. And it doesn't have to be anything fancy, no offence to our AG Brewers. I brew a lot of Coopers Dark Ale, just add BE2 and the can yeast. Now it might not win a prize at the show, but it is a very enjoyable beer for those who like a Toohey's Old type beer.

 

When I'm away from home, I usually drink Carlton Mid Cat's Piddle, although if they drop it to 3% as I read yesterday, I won't continue.

 

I normally drink three tallies a night. Probably about 4.5%, so whatever that works out. And yes, I'll be awaiting Christina's diagnosis. And Chris, I say that with all genuinity. Don't know if that's a word, but you'll probably get my meaning.

 

Just one thing Youngie. When I run out of home brew, I don't race off down the pub for some supplies. I just wait until my next batch is ready for drinking. So I can go two weeks or whatever without having withdrawal symptoms. Guess the question is, can you do this?

 

I love my beer like the next bloke. I do not believe I have a drinking problem. In fact, if I was an alcoholic, I could not operate. I might be a 71yo, but I am a forensic accountant, so you get my meaning.

 

What can I say mate, I love my home brew just like you, and as long as you can walk away when you have to, then you are probably okay.

 

Cheers

Bill

[King Ruddager]

Home brewing is a great hobby but can see how dangerous it can be for some. Before I home brewed if I ran out of beer it might be 3 or 4 days till I was around a bottle shop and bought some more. When you home brew you basically never run out. Its just always there.

 

My trick used to be to not have any in the fridge because if there was none cold I wouldn't drink' date=' but then I found out how quickly they can cool down in the freezer [img']sad[/img]

 

Here's a suggestion - ditch the gym and take up cycling. Far less of a chore, much more of an adventure, so all in all much easier to stay off the booze in the lead up to a big ride that you're looking forward to.

[rossm]

G'day Youngie, well I wonder if these are the reactions you were expecting when you posted this thread.

One of the reasons I don't keg is because you have no score card...apart from the fact that I couldn't be bothered with it, then you still need to bottle some if you want to have portable beer!

I digress, do you think you have a problem ?...I reckon you might need to have a look at things a bit, I had a similar scenario when I lived in the NT, I would stand or sit at my bar out on the verandah and contemplate life, it is of course hot and cold beer is easy to drink to excess with out realizing it. Like Bill I am not a young bloke, (not as old as him but not young either...:) so as we do as we get older I have blood tests every year to check that I might have a few more years of homebrew drinking left in me, it was my doctor who pointed out that my liver count was up a bit and I needed to address my drinking. I didn't think I was doing myself too much harm, I wasn't drunk as such, I never had a hangover and always got up early and went to work, still I did address it and now I have at least two AFD's a week. I used to work out on dry communities and could go several days and sometimes a couple of weeks without a drink so I was convinced I didn't have a problem, however, we are not as bullet proof as we think sometimes.

I hope you don't take this as a lecture, I still drink plenty but I try and give myself a reasonable chance, sometimes it is good to hear other peoples story just to help you gauge your own situation.

Hope all goes well mate.

[Wotto]

60+ schooners over 5 days?! Wow, thats an effort! My trick used to be like Ruddy's, I put 2 long necks in the fridge at a time for the next day. When they were gone, I'd have to stop... Unless I went and got a whisky... Now I keg and the slope is a little more slippery.

 

Christina, thats a deep insight into our friends possible issues... But as a sign on a friends veranda says "Beer is cheaper than therapy" which is find hilarious... but also true. Do I have issues? who knows, I've never been the type to go visit a psych... but lets be honest, I probably do. But if drinking helps, does it really hurt? I run about 55km a week to keep fit and that seems to work for me, also as another release and a way to just focus on myself.

 

But back on topic... yes it's an awesome hobby that has the potential to take up time and money!

[ChristinaS1]

Post deleted.

[Otto Von Blotto]

I think it's being read into a bit too much to be honest. He's had some rare consecutive days off and got on the piss a bit. Who hasn't? I've done it before myself, mostly because I've been at home and the beer tastes that good you don't want to stop drinking it even though you know you probably should.

[Hairy]

I think it's being read into a bit too much to be honest. He's had some rare consecutive days off and got on the piss a bit. Who hasn't? I've done it before myself' date=' mostly because I've been at home and the beer tastes that good you don't want to stop drinking it even though you know you probably should. [/quote']

Yep, we've all been there. I am fairly restrained with my drinking but when on holidays I indulge. Perhaps not 60 beers in 5 days but I definitely up the ante. I'm not masking any deep issues or trauma, I just enjoy a beer.

[WobblyBoot1525230155]

I am a newcomer to the forum, and want to ask questions regarding legging. I've been bottling for some time and enjoying the results, but legging seems to be the way to go.

My question is this - the majority of brews are 23 litres, and the kegs are 19 litres. What do you do with the 4 litres left? I know you can bottle it, but what do all you Pros do?

 

[Hairy]

I am a newcomer to the forum' date=' and want to ask questions regarding legging. I've been bottling for some time and enjoying the results, but legging seems to be the way to go.

My question is this - the majority of brews are 23 litres, and the kegs are 19 litres. What do you do with the 4 litres left? I know you can bottle it, but what do all you Pros do?

[/quote']

I bottle it. Let none go to waste.

 

If you don't want to bottle then you can reduce your volume to 20 litres (there are always some losses in the fermenter). Just design your recipe accordingly.

[Otto Von Blotto]

Yep' date=' we've all been there. I am fairly restrained with my drinking but when on holidays I indulge. Perhaps not 60 beers in 5 days but I definitely up the ante. I'm not masking any deep issues or trauma, I just enjoy a beer.[/quote']Yeah I wouldn't drink that much in 5 days either but I also increase consumption on holidays. No issues either, just the same love of a beer.

 

As for the leftovers from kegging, you can either bottle it or what I do is have a 10L keg that gets the leftovers of a couple of batches blended together. Saves the mucking around of bottling when it's such a small volume.

[Phoenix76]

Hell Chrissie, that was quite a post.

 

Your expertise shows out on your post my friend, and makes good reading.

 

I have always drank "too much". I emphasis that because AI really don't know what is too much. We get told such as "two drinks a day, four drinks a day" or whatever. I have never seen proper studies that can show causation as to why we should limit our alcohol as such.

 

Yes it can cause liver problems, social problems, financial problems and all sorts of other problems.

 

But talking personally, I have regular checkups as previously mentioned, and I fully understand what the results mean. I have made a study of that because I like life too much to throw it away.

 

I still suffer PTSD, no secret, that's how it is. I drink regularly, 6+ standard drinks per night. When I'm away from home, I can blow that out of the water. I have lived with an alcoholic, and can truthfully say that that description does not fit me. I could not impose that on anyone.

 

But whilst I feel I don't have a problem, I still look at checks and balances.

 

Chris, would love to talk privately with you. Have mentioned it on another thread, but I'll put my email in here again. bill.meiers@y7mail.com

 

Cheers

Bill

[Scottie]

So here's me feeling guilty after 5 or 6 of my homebrews. four is where I like to limit myself. I must admit that at mostly 4 - 4.5% I don't really get a buzz from four 425ml glasses. For me it is about the taste, yet I haven't really enjoyed beer at 3% or lower. I found 4.2% is my optimum, that was ntilI found session IPAs (3.5%). I could easily brew one of these every batch.

 

There are dangers with home brew and early on I probably got tanked a few times when making and drinking beers in the 5.5% area. I have never enjoyed the next day, and anytime I wake up dehydrated and with a headache I reassess as life's too short to be hung-over.

 

I too respect Christina's wisdom but hope as Kelsey suggest s that Youngie is just adjusting to the brewing hobby.

 

Cheers & Beers

Scottie

Valley Brew

[Youngie]

Yes this isn't the reaction I was expecting. I had a rare few days off and got stuck into it. I usually only make one batch every couple of months and I drink because I enjoyed having a few beers and relaxing after working 12, 14 hour days in a row. I rarely drink on work nights and have no mental issues. I have no concerns about drinking and no action will be taken. I really regret writing this post now because it clearly makes me look like an alcoholic which I am far from being.

 

Youngie

[ben 10]

Yes this isn't the reaction I was expecting.

 

Don't worry about it.

 

BTW what size schooners? South Australia and Queensland vary a fair bit there!

 

I am partial to having several every now and then and see no issue with it. I have a strange job and it is nice to destress properly from time to time. Life is all about enjoying it.

[Youngie]

425mls

[ben 10]

425mls

 

Yeah nice. Good session you had then!

 

As for me I often wake up with an unfinished beer next to me on the couch.

[Beers Gone Wild]

Haha listen to Christina. Bloke posts he likes beers on a brewing forum and next thing she is saying he has been sexually abused as a child. Weirdo.

 

Back to youngy, feeling ya mate, got 5 kegs ready for Saturday, pale ale piss up.

 

Christina please note none of us have been abused or had past issues, we all make a lot of money, have fantastic lives, like drinking and having fun. Hopefully you can take a small bit of advice - MYOB

 

I'll probably put down at least a dozen pints down today and enjoy every minute of it.

[ChristinaS1]

Haha listen to Christina. Bloke posts he likes beers on a brewing forum and next thing she is saying he has been sexually abused as a child. Weirdo.

 

Back to youngy' date=' feeling ya mate, got 5 kegs ready for Saturday, pale ale piss up.

 

Christina please note none of us have been abused or had past issues, we all make a lot of money, have fantastic lives, like drinking and having fun. Hopefully you can take a small bit of advice - MYOB

 

I'll probably put down at least a dozen pints down today and enjoy every minute of it.[/quote']

 

Okay Gone Wild.

 

Cheers,

 

Christina.

[sansnom]

I'll probably put down at least a dozen pints down today and enjoy every minute of it.

 

You might, but your liver surely won't. Either way, if you brag about binge drinking or being an alcoholic you shouldn't expect admiration for it. I don't agree with the way ChristinaS1 approached the subject, but being sore over someone pointing out your poor lifestyle choices is silly. It's very simple, drinking 12+ drinks in a day is not normal or healthly. It's a problem, whether you think it is or not.

[Otto Von Blotto]

12+ drinks in a day is a problem if you do it regularly, like every day or second day, but if you only do it once or twice a year on some time off work or whatever then I don't really see the big issue.

 

I don't think Christina was wrong to voice concerns, I just think she read too far into it and found a problem that doesn't exist, at least for Youngie. There are plenty of people, homebrewers or not, who do have a problem with drinking.

 

I enjoy the odd pissup myself. They used to be every weekend, but I've since slowed down and might have 3-4 beers on a Friday night and 6-8 beers on a Saturday (schooner size) but otherwise it's pretty low key. I don't enjoy waking up feeling like shit the next day because I usually have plans to do something.

[ben 10]

I don't enjoy waking up feeling like shit the next day because I usually have plans to do something.

 

I wake at 5am almost every morning. Such a great time of day to crack on with stuff.