Author: Marshall Schott
Brülosophy recently passed its 10 year anniversary, though it’s likely few were aware of this, as it seemed odd to celebrate this milestone when the state of beer and brewing is as dismal as it currently is. I’ve never been one to focus too much on the negative and have even been accused by loved ones of being “annoyingly optimistic,” but ignoring the reality of where this hobby, and the industry as a whole, is at right now would be foolish. It’s been a rough couple of years, to be sure.
While we’ve shared our thoughts and opinions on how we got to this point, and what we think might be done to improve things, I recently spent some private time pondering my total experience as a homebrewer. Like many, I started with a basic extract and steeping grains kit, which I used to brew a handful of batches before taking an extended break for grad school, after which I moved into all-grain and became utterly obsessed. This led to me getting involved with other homebrewers, both locally and online, which further motivated my interest, then I eventually began performing experiments to learn even more, and here we are today.
What exactly was it about the state of homebrewing a decade ago that’s missing today? Why aren’t people as interested in making their own beer? These are the questions myself and others passionate about this hobby regularly consider, not just because the current lull is impacting our bottom-line, which it certainly is, but because it pains us to watch something we love so dearly, an activity that has enriched our lives so much, fizzle out.
We ran the first General Homebrewer Survey back in 2015 with the simple intention of learning more about what homebrewer looks like. When we skipped 2016, we got enough pushback from readers to encourage us to make the survey an annual thing, and over the years, it’s been fascinating to observe the shifting trends. Whereas we were initially driven by curiosity, we now feel the results of this survey offer a meaningful and unique perspective into the world of the modern homebrewer.
2024 General Homebrewer Survey
We’ve come to accept that not every homebrewer is a fan of Brülosophy, and while this survey is most likely to be completed by those who are, our hope is that it captures the perspectives of a broader audience. As such, we’d like to ask all of our readers to please share this survey with your homebrewing friends, as this will allow us to get a more accurate idea of where the hobby is currently at.
Note: our aim with this survey is to capture as much information about the modern homebrewer as possible with one hope being to shine a light on under-represented groups. As such, certain questions address topics that may be sensitive to some, please feel free to skip any that make you uncomfortable.
The survey will be open for approximately 6 weeks, after which the data will be analyzed and shared. Thanks to everyone who takes the time to help us learn more about modern homebrewers!
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10 thoughts on “Announcement: 2024 General Homebrewer Survey”
I don’t see any point to the demographic or ‘gender & sexuality’ questions. The only pertinent questions are the ones about the hobby. Focus on the hobby and the ‘diversity’ will take care of itself. Does a non-binary free spirit with a purple mullet make better beer than an old white dude that looks like Santa Claus? Who cares? Does the beer taste good or not? Did you have fun making it?
Speaking for myself and relaying what I’ve heard from other home brewers, there is too much emphasis on social/political topics in the home brewing media. This survey begins by asking questions about my sex life that have zero to do with home brewing. Most people are in it for the hobby and not this kind of discussion. The AHA is doing the same. Let’s just talk about homebrewing please.
Sorry but this survey is far too personal, and long.
I have a bit of a theory as to why less people are taking up the hobby of homebrewing.
Ten+ years ago, if I was interested in brewing and was browsing the web for information, I would have seen a hobby that is somewhat complicated technically, but with a relatively low financial bar for entry.
Most brewers online were using converted cooler mash tuns, propane burners, plastic buckets, immersion chillers.
I could DIY some gear, have a crack, and if I didn’t like it, not a big deal.
However, if I was a potential homebrewer browsing the internet today, I see a hobby that is still technically complex (arguably moreso – also arguably less so!).
But now the financial bar appears much higher. While I could still DIY a system, that’s not what the hobby looks like on the web. I now see homebrewers with 240V electric all-in-one systems, lots of stainless steel, pumps, glycol chillers, control systems, etc.
Perhaps the perceived financial investment required to get into the hobby is a barrier to uptake. I need to learn all this stuff and buy all that gear? Maybe I’ll grab a six pack from the store.
Just a thought.
So I can see this side of the argument, but the counter is Brew in a Bag. A pot, a filter bag, and then you’re off making small batches for under $150-200 if you’re frugal about it. With Kveik, temp control is less of a factor anymore.
I don’t think its much different from a decade or more ago when you had all the crazy 3 vessel setups using a fly sparge. I think this is why most of us started with extract. Today at least BIAB gives a much cheaper all grain alternative.
Cheers, Will. I don’t dispute it is still possible to set yourself up on the cheap. My point (possibly not well made) is that most content I see online doesn’t feature “budget” gear. Generally YouTubers and bloggers are using fancy equipment these days. I did a quick look through recent Brulosophy contributions. I see you are a BIAB fella…. But possibly an outlier amongst the Clawhammer supply and all-in-one systems I spotted.
Many thanks to you and the team for all the great Brulosophy content.
“…perceived financial investment … barrier to uptake”
Agree with this. 30 years ago much of the info available was Charlie Papazian and his attitude that it’s easy, enjoyable and you are going to make something you like better than macro beer. I don’t think I spent even $100 on my first set of kit – about $240 in 2024 dollars. The entry level has been ignored and there are some consequences; not surprising.
And then there is just the usual bell curve of popularity … once it was Racquetball now it is Pickleball
The question about where do you prefer to buy homebrew supplies/ingredients…well, I “prefer” to buy from my local homebrew shop, but they closed this year so I now have no choice but online 🙁
That question might need another option to capture that
Will the 2024 survey results be published soon?
Hey Kiev! We’re aiming to have the data published in the next 8 weeks.