[HoosierBrew]

This morning's loaf:

Was glad to see it was just bread...

  Yeah

[charles1968]

This morning's loaf:

Was glad to see it was just bread...

LOL. Had to look up the slang meaning.

[Joe Sr.]

This morning's loaf:

Was glad to see it was just bread...

LOL. Had to look up the slang meaning.

The e-mail notifications come through without images.  I was like "WTF?"  But then I remembered.  Bread.

[charles1968]

This morning's loaf:

Was glad to see it was just bread...

LOL. Had to look up the slang meaning.

The e-mail notifications come through without images.  I was like "WTF?"  But then I remembered.  Bread.

 

[69franx]

This morning's loaf:

Was glad to see it was just bread...

LOL. Had to look up the slang meaning.

The e-mail notifications come through without images.  I was like "WTF?"  But then I remembered.  Bread.

Pretty funny $#!+ Joe

[phunhog]

I think one reason people quit is home brewing is not easy to get right on the first few batches. Especially if you are used to good quality craft beer. Your first few batches will not compare.

Maybe, but who knocks pizza dough or bread out the park first time? Maybe risk/reward is high due to the amount of time.

I do brew to save money. Beer is stupid expensive right now. $6+ bombers, $10+ six packs, $7+ pints. If I factored the time at minimum wage, I'd still be saving on a 10 gallon batch. I think it is unfair to factor time when it is also my hobby. If i wasn't brewing, I'd be out spending or watching tv.

I think many people quit all kinds of things that are hard.  Lots of people receive home brew equipment as a gift, give a try a few times and move on.

I agree home brewing is cheaper as long as you don't count the value of your time and probably you need to exclude equipment cost. The way I see it equipment and time are costs associated with my hobby. Ingredients, fuel, CO2 are costs associated with the beer.

I always find it funny when people mention the "value of their time" or even equipment costs.  Maybe I have gone a bit nuts but I think of brewing beer the same way I look at cooking meals.  If you cook dinner at home do you factor in your time shopping, preparing, and cleaning up afterwards?  Probably not. If you did you would be eating out all the time. 
One of the biggest reasons I brew is because it is dramatically cheaper even when accounting for all the misc. expenses ( propane, cleaning agents, etc.).  5 gallons of your run of the mill craft beer will set you back 80-100 dollars whereas my homebrew is right around 20 dollars for 5 gallons. 
I started noticing the decline in homebrewing over a year ago when several of the online forums started to slow way down and/or disappear.  There has also been a substantial drop in the number of homebrew clubs in my area and the ones that are still around have less members.
Even this forum is a little dated.  There is a sticky on top with results from the 2010 Homebrew Survey?? 6 years really?  Look at the Legislative updates.  Nothing going on since Spring of 2015?

[skyler]

You need to get pretty deep into the hobby to make pro-quality beer (mash tun, fermentation temperature management, a stir-plate, etc.). Most homebrewers never get that far. But once you have bought all those supplies, you can brew two kegs' worth of almost any non-sour, non-hop bomb for under $.50/pint. If you just don't care about that, you are a lot less likely to stay in the hobby when you start earning grown-up money.

I disagree with most of this.  I don't spend barely a dime on new equipment yet can compete with the rest of 'em.  Also I don't really care about the cost per bottle.  I homebrew because I love the process and the creativity of it.  That will never change, even though I make 6 figures.  Many of my other friends making great money (including a doctor and a lawyer) aren't doing this to save money.

And you and those friends are examples of people who will stay in the hobby regardless of circumstance. I think I am, too. But I think many of the people quitting and causing the homebrewing bubble to burst are people who brewed more when they had more time and less money.

[Hand of Dom]

I brew because I enjoy it.  I'm still learning about the process (only went AG at the beginning of last year, after 3 years of kits/extract).  Whilst my beer doesn't hold up to what I consider the best commercial beers, it is considerably better than a lot of what is available, and is getting closer with every batch.

[Joe Sr.]

I'm still learning about the process (only went AG at the beginning of last year, after 3 years of kits/extract).  Whilst my beer doesn't hold up to what I consider the best commercial beers, it is considerably better than a lot of what is available, and is getting closer with every batch.

The learning doesn't stop.  At least it shouldn't.

[el_capitan]

The learning doesn't stop.  At least it shouldn't.

I agree, Joe.  Ongoing learning is what keeps the hobby fresh and exciting, and pushes us to keep trying new things.  I've brewed for about 12 years now, and there was a period where I kind of stagnated.  But then I started digging into water chemistry, recipe formulation, brewing smaller batch sizes, trying new hop varieties, brewing different styles, etc.  I don't see myself ever getting out of the hobby, although I do know two guys who did quit brewing only 2-3 years into it. 

[hopfenundmalz]

I think one reason people quit is home brewing is not easy to get right on the first few batches. Especially if you are used to good quality craft beer. Your first few batches will not compare.

Maybe, but who knocks pizza dough or bread out the park first time? Maybe risk/reward is high due to the amount of time.

I do brew to save money. Beer is stupid expensive right now. $6+ bombers, $10+ six packs, $7+ pints. If I factored the time at minimum wage, I'd still be saving on a 10 gallon batch. I think it is unfair to factor time when it is also my hobby. If i wasn't brewing, I'd be out spending or watching tv.

I think many people quit all kinds of things that are hard.  Lots of people receive home brew equipment as a gift, give a try a few times and move on.

I agree home brewing is cheaper as long as you don't count the value of your time and probably you need to exclude equipment cost. The way I see it equipment and time are costs associated with my hobby. Ingredients, fuel, CO2 are costs associated with the beer.

I always find it funny when people mention the "value of their time" or even equipment costs.  Maybe I have gone a bit nuts but I think of brewing beer the same way I look at cooking meals.  If you cook dinner at home do you factor in your time shopping, preparing, and cleaning up afterwards?  Probably not. If you did you would be eating out all the time. 
One of the biggest reasons I brew is because it is dramatically cheaper even when accounting for all the misc. expenses ( propane, cleaning agents, etc.).  5 gallons of your run of the mill craft beer will set you back 80-100 dollars whereas my homebrew is right around 20 dollars for 5 gallons. 
I started noticing the decline in homebrewing over a year ago when several of the online forums started to slow way down and/or disappear.  There has also been a substantial drop in the number of homebrew clubs in my area and the ones that are still around have less members.
Even this forum is a little dated.  There is a sticky on top with results from the 2010 Homebrew Survey?? 6 years really?  Look at the Legislative updates.  Nothing going on since Spring of 2015?

When my E-mail inbox had daily sale notices from the online stores I have bought from, I said, hey things have slowed down.

[Stevie]

I get daily sale emails from practically every ecommerce business I have patronized, it's not just homebrewing.

[hopfenundmalz]

I get daily sale emails from practically every ecommerce business I have patronized, it's not just homebrewing.

The frequency ramped up. The sales are deeper discounts.

[HoosierBrew]

Yeah, I'm getting multiple brewing supply discount emails daily now. More than before.

[Stevie]

I get daily sale emails from practically every ecommerce business I have patronized, it's not just homebrewing.

The frequency ramped up. The sales are deeper discounts.

But again, this practice is employed by practically every ecommerce company. GAP, Shutterfly, Chewy, Target.com, Best Buy, Safeway. Those were in my box this morning and yesterday, and day before. I think it is more indicative of the size and buying power of these large Online HBSs.