Author: Marshall Schott
I’ve been asked on more than one occasion, “where do you find the time to brew so often?” I have a rote response I usually give to people, but that’s not the whole story…
Ten years ago today, I married the love of my life, her name is Laura. We met when we were 15, started dating “officially” a couple years later, and married 6 years later. She is my best friend and has provided for me a life I never dreamed could exist. We’ve travelled the world together, made huge life changes, and weathered many storms. She’s given me the most precious gifts I’ve ever received in the form of our 3 amazing children- Hazel, Roscoe, and Olive. Oh yeah, we’ve had our fair share of blow outs, most the result of my hardheadedness, though all of which have been small lessons that have cumulatively taught me what it means to love genuinely and receive the love of another graciously. Laura, my beautiful bride, is a true angel. I wouldn’t be half the person I am today without her. These last 10 years have passed by in a flash, which can only mean one thing: we must be having fun, baby!
So what does this have to do with brewing? Anyone who regularly frequents any of the popular homebrewing forums has certainly seen the silly acronym, SWMBO (she who must be obeyed), usually followed by a long rant about how some dude’s wife spent the evening bitching about how terrible his brewing smelled, how much space his shit takes up, or any other number of ridiculous complaints. Well, my wife isn’t a SWMBO. She’s understanding, sensitive, fair, and really cool! Oh, and get this: she HATES beer. Still, she supports me because she recognizes the purpose this hobby serves in my life. She understands that, even more than beer, I love the community aspect of homebrewing. This isn’t to say she’s the laissez-faire type of partner who “doesn’t care” about what I do with my time, oh no, she cares, and if ever my brewing stuff gets in the way of other more important dealings, she lets me know. I appreciate this. So, in my opinion, this is reason number 1 I’m able to carry-on the way I do.
What about the kids?
I have 3 kids aged 5, (almost) 4, and 1, they are the loves of my life and provide me with massive amounts of free entertainment. While making beer at home does require a little dedication, let’s be honest, it’s mostly waiting… and drinking. For me to continue brewing as often as I do, I invite my kiddos to help me out. Hazel and Roscoe really like to “stir the mash,” they even think it smells good. During the cooler months (when it’s nearing 50°F in the garage), I’ll even pull a little sweet wort off the mash tun to share with them. Olive, the baby, is still a bit young to be around all that hot stuff, but during the boil, I’ll bring her out and let her crawl around the safer areas of my workspace. I also take this time as an opportunity to teach my kids the science behind brewing- why grains are milled, how salt additions effect pH, and what impact temperature has on fermentation. I’m not sure they’re listening, but hell, perhaps something will stick.
And yes, for those who are wondering, I do let my children taste the beer I make. I don’t mean to get political or anything, but I very strongly believe puritanical approaches to drugs and alcohol in our culture are precisely the reason addiction is such a huge problem today. My kids have experienced a father who treats beer responsibly. If they want a sip, absolutely, take two… but that’s it. Hazel, like her mom, thinks beer is “disgusting” and refuses even when I offer. Roscoe, the kid I call Tiny Bottom, loves beer. What’s adorable is when I’m pouring myself a pint after work and he asks, “Daddy, I have a sip please?” I tell him sure, he takes his sip, cringes a bit at the bitterness, then I ask, “What’d you think, pal?” “Good (pronounced dood), can I have one more sip, I haven’t had 2 yet?” He takes his second sip and doesn’t ask for anymore. Respect and responsibility.
So I’ve got a supportive wife and I include the kids in the hobby, 2 things that absolutely enable me to maintain my obsession, but there’s one more component that makes it all work: I get started very early in the morning. I work four 10 hour days per week, driving 70 miles each way, which means I’m waking up pretty early to get to work on time, 4AM to be specific. As others who wake up early can likely attest, our bodies sort of get used to being up early. Would I wake up this early for any other reason than work or brewing? Ehhhhhh, no. But I look at it this way: work isn’t all that fun and I wake up early for it 4 days/week, why not wake up that early once every couple of weeks to do something I actually enjoy? There are other benefits as well including the fact it’s cooler outside (a good thing during our warm summers), no neighbors are up to come ask me tons of questions or drink all my beer, the kids usually wake up just in time to do some stirring then ride their bikes, and I end up not having my first beer until I’m filling carboys… meaning I don’t forget important shit due to drinking too much while brewing. I do occasionally brew later in the day, usually only when people ask to come over to watch, and I always end up screwing something up. The fun we have often outweighs the screw-ups, so whatever.
I guess I should also note that I’m one of those people who can, but doesn’t really like to, sit still. I like to take advantage of every second of my waking life in an attempt to make it feel as meaningful as possible. Even when my only outlet is a keyboard and a screen, I try to turn it into something productive and hopefully at least somewhat entertaining.
I’ll be spending this day having a childless lunch with my stunning wife then heading up to a hotel in the shadow of Yosemite for the evening to celebrate 10 fantastic years together. Cheers to you all and thank you for your support. As always, hit me up if you have any questions or comments… just don’t expect a response for the next 24 hours or so.
Here’s the slideshow video I mentioned earlier, what an incredible wife I have!
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9 thoughts on “On Brewing With A Family, or Where Do You Find The Time?!”
Great post. I have a 2-year old and have another one on the way, so this was a nice read. My 2-year old doesn’t help out too much at the moment, though I’d like to get him more involved. He does enjoy sampling my final product though, hah… though he has trouble with only taking two sips (though we don’t let him go overboard by any means). I think I’ll implement a limit like you did, it could only be a good thing.
I’m still having trouble finding the best time of day myself (I’ve done the early morning thing as well, though not that early), and with another one of the way, I might be taking a (hopefully short) hiatus, though I guess we’ll play that by ear. I’m sure I’ll be able to sneak a few brews in every now and then.
Great article! So many point you make mirror my own brewing experiences. A question I always pose myself is, “How can I justify spending this much time and money on myself?”
My typical brew day lasts 6-8 hours, and the system I’m designing isn’t cheap.
But like you, I feel supported by my wife to follow my interest. She doesn’t like most beers, but she appreciates the craft and my pursuit of it. If she didn’t support it, it wouldn’t be fun.
I’ve thought to myself, “What if I had limitless hours and resources to brew with?” I don’t think I’d enjoy brewing at that point.
Part of the fun is the challenge. And the challenge includes time management. I’m always stealing away 10 or 20 minutes to mount a burner, clean a carboy, or test my co2 levels on a corny.
The one thing I haven’t done yet is make my brew day an early one. I think that’s really going to help. If I can be mashing by 5 am, and cleaning by 8, there’s the rest of the day to commit to the most important thing:Family.
Thanks, Roger, cheers!
I appreciate how you approach alcohol as a parent; my dad used to let me taste his beer when I was a kid and I loved it right from the start.
Every night he would have his frosted mug at the dinner table, and one day he filled up one of these for me to sip on with him.
https://www.etsy.com/listing/21536296/beer-mug-shaped-shot-glass
I still have it!
Now, thanks in part to you, I’m the one explaining mash temps and beer styles to him.
In hindsight, the friends of mine who went the most wild with drugs and alcohol were those with the most strict parents.
Sounds great, man, cheers!
Great article! As someone who has no kids and plans to have no kids, I think you are handling alcohol and children perfectly. Since we, as a country, vilify alcohol so much, we are pushing kids right into it (who doesn’t want something they are forbidden to have?). That’s why we have so many problems with underage drinkers getting careless and stupid with it.
Anyway, all that aside, congrats on your guys’ 10 year anniversary! I hope you have many more.
Just when I didn’t think I could love your blog any more, you pull out posts like this. Way to go Brulo, and congrats on 10 years.
Like you, my wife doesn’t drink beer, and has at times bemoaned the time I spent brewing and obsessing about brewing, but when it comes down to it, she knows how much the hobby means to me. She knows (and I’ve told her), if I ever had to choose between her and homebrewing, I’d put my gear up for sale the next day. I suspect you feel the same way. I have a homebrewing friend with a few kids about a year younger than each of yours, and I don’t think I’ve ever met someone with a deeper well of stamina, as he’ll brew two batches over the course of 6-7 hours, all the while serving beers to myself and others and playing with his girls. Hopefully I can someday balance being a great dad and a great homebrewer.as you and he have.
Again, congrats, and here’s to many more years of bliss for the two of you! Cheers!
Cheers, I’m sure you’ll make a great dad one day!!
Congrats and great post. My situation is eerily similar to yours. I started home brewing about 2 years ago and I love it. I start my brew days around 5am so I can be done before noon. My wife is not a big beer fan, but she will always try a little of everything I brew. She hates hoppy beers but will drink a good 2-4oz pour of something more malty. I have two kids and my daughter who is 6 helped be keg my first beer a few weeks ago. She also loves throwing in the hop additions to the boil. My 3 year old son at the stage just likes to drink the beer. He is allowed two finger dips in my glass. Its fun to share a little bit of the hobby with the family. Congrats again on 10 years and cheers to you and beautiful family.