7 tips to make more craft beer – even when you’re busy
There’s no escaping it: all grain homebrewing is time consuming. It’s bloody good fun and the resulting craft beer is (usually) well worth the effort, but it can sometimes be a challenge to find a 3+ hour time slot to get it done.
Oddly enough, even the fun things in life need a bit of attention to make happen. But we’re always glad when we do prioritise the stuff that makes us smile.
Here are our top tips to carve out time for your mash up:
1. Block out your calendar
Put a date in your calendar. If it’s not in there then it might not happen as other things will crop up and demand your attention. Perhaps link it with a sports event you want to watch (see # 2) or a mates date (see # 3).
2. Background multi task
While there are points during the brewing process where you need to focus to watch timings etc there is time in between where you can do other things. One homebrewer we know times it with the grand prix or other sport which he’ll have on in the background. You may as well brew yourself some lovely beer than just fall asleep on the sofa.
3. Buddy Up
Invite a mate or two over and make it a social event instead of meeting down the pub. Back in the day, brewing used to be a communal activity and it’s awesome to get your friends into homebrewing (more beer for you to try!) or to get tips from a fellow homebrewer. It’s a great excuse to sample some of the last batch you brewed too. Plus you’ll have someone on hand to step in if you are momentarily called away at a crucial step.
The fact that you’ve committed the date to someone else will also help you stick to it if you’re feeling lazy when the time comes or if something else turns up that you might otherwise feel obliged to do.
Many homebrewers gain a lot from joining a homebrew club. If there isn’t one in your area, why not start your own homebrew club?
4. Be prepared for GO!
A great tip we’ve had from one of our members, Henry Booth, is to make sure you’re stocked up with all the ingredients you need for your next brew: “That way, if I suddenly have some free time or a day off I’m already and set for a brew day. There’s nothing worse than starting your brew and then realising you don’t have enough pale malt.” he adds.
Bonus tip! One of our all grain brewing kits is a good idea to have as a back-up.
5. Barter for time
If you’ve got a family then chances are there might not be a lot of hours left each month for the necessities of homebrewing. If your other half has their eye on an event/activity that they want to do then usher them willingly out the door for a few hours while you watch the kids. If your young ‘uns are very small then you probably won’t get the chance to brew up right then but your other half will owe you a few hours off when it’s time to get the brew kettle on…heh heh!
6. Switch to kegs
Washing bottles is such a pain! And time consuming too. Storing and pouring your home brew with 5L or 10L mini kegs makes life so much easier.
7. Why don’t you…turn off the telly and do something more interesting instead?
We’re far from perfect but Gareth and I have recently cut back on the mindless TV watching & social media habits we acquired during the lockdowns. We suddenly have so much more time for doing awesome stuff… Who knew!?
BREW ON!
Photo by Jordan Benton from Pexels