[jjpeanasky]

Lots of good points in here. Note: I am firmly in the millennial category (born 1990). I really think that a lot of my generation will be "delayed" getting into lifestyle hobbies. We've had debt and "saving for retirement" shoved down our throats for years, and I think that prevents many from buying a house or getting deeply involved in (somewhat) expensive hobbies. I imagine homebrewing is seen as one of those "oh neat, look what I can do at home" type of casual hobbies. PicoBrew and other small form, all-in-one systems fill those customer's needs.

I especially agree with the points about the changing of the type of conversations we're having online. Shifting from "how do I physically do this" to more "okay, how can I optimize this" and "why does this matter/happen".

Okay, I'm rambling a bit.

I'm firmly in the lifestyle category when it comes to brewing, but then again, I'm an outlier sometimes. Been brewing for 7+ years, and plan to for a long time to come.

[Robert]

Pico Brew is one end of the new approach, something that mostly leaves my generation of homebrewers  (who started circa 1990) scratching our heads and saying "why would you invest all that money and any time at all for a teeny tiny batch?"  At the other end -- a few years ago, all I heard about with respect to millennials and tech/shop equipment were "hacker spaces." I wonder if that sort of equipment sharing model might appeal to newer brewers?  That said, I think all the older generation of "brew your own" shops around here have closed, and even the local hacker space was forced out when the old factory building   housing it was bought and made into loft apartments.

[Phil_M]

At the other end -- a few years ago, all I heard about with respect to millennials and tech/shop equipment were "hacker spaces." I wonder if that sort of equipment sharing model might appeal to newer brewers? 

Our local homebrew shop owner lets folks schedule use of his equipment when the local club hosts brew days.

I've had friends suggest I try "maker spaces" for some of my other hobbies, but they do not appeal to me. Waiting on equipment, high monthly membership fees, just doesn't appeal to me as much as saving up and getting my own equipment.

Plus what fun is a shop or garage without beer? Half the fun of working in the garage is when they car is finally off jack stands and the beer get broken out.

[Robert]

At the other end -- a few years ago, all I heard about with respect to millennials and tech/shop equipment were "hacker spaces." I wonder if that sort of equipment sharing model might appeal to newer brewers? 

Our local homebrew shop owner lets folks schedule use of his equipment when the local club hosts brew days.

I've had friends suggest I try "maker spaces" for some of my other hobbies, but they do not appeal to me. Waiting on equipment, high monthly membership fees, just doesn't appeal to me as much as saving up and getting my own equipment.

Plus what fun is a shop or garage without beer? Half the fun of working in the garage is when they car is finally off jack stands and the beer get broken out.

One thing I  thought of after I posted:  With a hacker space model, licensing (at least here in Ohio) would be a f*****g nightmare. My LHBS also has a retail winery, on premises make your own wine, and a microdistillery on premises too.  Yet they have had enormous problems with their homebrew classes, because they can show how to make wort, but they can't get yeast anywhere near it, or have open containers of fermented product for packaging demos -- or the state will bust in and shut everything down.  In OH it's super easy to license a winery or distillery, and cheap. Breweries, whole different story.  The legislature is aware of the huge impediment to growing business in the state, and want to fix it, but over a century they've created such a Byzantine statutory structure, they just don't know how to unpaint themselves out of a corner.

[Phil_M]

Sounds like my area. In Maryland, the counties have a LOT of say in the liquor laws. My county is asinine, and only towards beer.

Grow your own grapes on your farm? You can make wine from them and sell it at the farmer's market without a license, provided you make under a certain amount a year. Doesn't even have to be all your grapes either, you're allowed to supplement with grapes from elsewhere.

Same with cider, grow a portion of the apples, and you're set.

Beer? Well we have nothing. Zero. Several wineries, a couple new distilleries. No beer.

But we have enough pull with Budweiser than they make a specific can size just for this county's market, so we have that hurdle to climb. At least the local Budweiser distributor seems to be the most friendly towards craft beer here, the brands they distribute are usually fresh.

I've largely suspected the local miller/coors distributor of pulling stale beer off shelves in their DC area and selling it down here, but of course have no real proof. It's certainly the most likely explanation of why we get so much stale beer from certain breweries. One is an hour and a half away, I've seen beer be unloaded from the truck and put on the shelf that was a month past the "Best By" date.

On that note, products from the local distilleries are very difficult to come by here as well. Shop owners have told me that most of it goes to shops in and around DC, and that all they can do is ask that the distributors sell them more. How messed up is the system is someone an hour and a half away in DC will pay a premium for a "local" product that I, at about 10 minutes away, can't buy? One shop owner insinuated that pay-to-play is happening, but of course there isn't any proof.

I know the Maryland comptroller is working on a lot of this, but it's an uphill battle since the problem people are the ones with the money.

[Steve Ruch]

I just received an e-mail from the Morebeer forum stating that there's been a reply to a topic that I was following a long time ago. I clinked on the link and got an error, website unknown message.

[tookalisten]

Hello all,

I still serve as a Moderator over at B3 - not much to moderate over the past year as we probably only have about a dozen or fewer regulars.  That was my first forum when I started brewing about 13/14 years ago so the sentimental value has kept me from moving on.

Anyway - started having a ton of Spam and really no site admin left to ask about it.  Brewtime and I sent messages to B3 with a plea for help and the next day the site was down.  I sent a message to B3 and got a response that they are "upgrading the software and the site should be back up very soon."  That was about a week ago and I have not heard anything else.

Good to see some old friends on here!  Had to laugh at the mention of TF and USMCruz. 

Took

[denny]

Hello all,

I still serve as a Moderator over at B3 - not much to moderate over the past year as we probably only have about a dozen or fewer regulars.  That was my first forum when I started brewing about 13/14 years ago so the sentimental value has kept me from moving on.

Anyway - started having a ton of Spam and really no site admin left to ask about it.  Brewtime and I sent messages to B3 with a plea for help and the next day the site was down.  I sent a message to B3 and got a response that they are "upgrading the software and the site should be back up very soon."  That was about a week ago and I have not heard anything else.

Good to see some old friends on here!  Had to laugh at the mention of TF and USMCruz. 

Took

Thanks for the update.

[tookalisten]

Update -
I got an email this morning from MoreBeer that they are officially discontinuing the MoreBeer forum. 
I am going to reply and request that perhaps they can leave the Board up so people can at least access the information but I guess that may be easier said than done.

Anyway, take a moment to raise a pint to the B3 Forum.  I learned a lot there and it was the first forum I visited when I started this quest over a decade ago of trying to learn how to brew a decent beer. 

With that, hope you guys don't mind if I pull up a chair and start hanging out with all of you - my new beer buddies. 

Took

[dmtaylor]

Update -
I got an email this morning from MoreBeer that they are officially discontinuing the MoreBeer forum. 
I am going to reply and request that perhaps they can leave the Board up so people can at least access the information but I guess that may be easier said than done.

Anyway, take a moment to raise a pint to the B3 Forum.  I learned a lot there and it was the first forum I visited when I started this quest over a decade ago of trying to learn how to brew a decent beer. 

With that, hope you guys don't mind if I pull up a chair and start hanging out with all of you - my new beer buddies. 

Took

Cheers, Took.

Yet another good forum lost to the Likes of Facebook.  Which one is next, anybody's guess.

 

[Robert]

Update -
I got an email this morning from MoreBeer that they are officially discontinuing the MoreBeer forum. 
I am going to reply and request that perhaps they can leave the Board up so people can at least access the information but I guess that may be easier said than done.

Anyway, take a moment to raise a pint to the B3 Forum.  I learned a lot there and it was the first forum I visited when I started this quest over a decade ago of trying to learn how to brew a decent beer. 

With that, hope you guys don't mind if I pull up a chair and start hanging out with all of you - my new beer buddies. 

Took

🍻

[majorvices]

Update -
I got an email this morning from MoreBeer that they are officially discontinuing the MoreBeer forum. 
I am going to reply and request that perhaps they can leave the Board up so people can at least access the information but I guess that may be easier said than done.

Anyway, take a moment to raise a pint to the B3 Forum.  I learned a lot there and it was the first forum I visited when I started this quest over a decade ago of trying to learn how to brew a decent beer. 

With that, hope you guys don't mind if I pull up a chair and start hanging out with all of you - my new beer buddies. 

Took

\

Awesome! Great to have you on board!

[charlie]

I just looked to see when I registered on the AHA forum. It was November 04, 2009 at 05:30:48 PM. Wow!

I posted here some, and then my club (the Malt Munching Mash Monsters) got its own forum, and we were busy sorting out member issues. We had a lot of traffic, and everybody learned a lot. A whole lot! You couldn't post a question without getting five or ten replies in the next 30 minutes. I am serious!

Over the years some of the founding members moved away. Newer members weren't as enthusiastic about brewing. And eventually we got a hostile board of directors. And had a coup that splt the club. The remaining members slogged on, but eventually the only people that came to meetings were the officers. The president resigned, and the forum died.

I am the last elected vice prez, and I made the decision (affirmed by the other officers) to take the board and website off-line early last year. We still own the domain name, so if something stirs I'll bring it back. But I'm out of ideas.

I just checked the TBN forum. It's deader than canasta!

Charlie

[MDixon]

I wondered how long it would last many years ago. The OT was about the only active area when I quit participating and came over here. Forums seem to be on the way out. Our club still uses one, but the traffic is light.

[Robert]

I wondered how long it would last many years ago. The OT was about the only active area when I quit participating and came over here. Forums seem to be on the way out. Our club still uses one, but the traffic is light.

If forums are on the way out, what's behind that?  Where are people going?  Is there an alternative for sharing info?  I'm an old fart homebrewer from way back and only recently STARTED availing myself of forums (when -- I admit it -- I finally traded my flip phone for a smartphone!) and have found them to be invaluable resources.

EDIT Note: finally settled into this one, seems to be the "livest."