Historically, the consumption of alcohol has been spun as a vice, at least in American culture. Undoubtedly influenced by puritanical perspectives, even occasional imbibing by responsible adults is viewed by some as an ineffectively weak form of self-treatment for deeper emotional issues. And that’s just the drinking part. Homebrewing brings on a whole new slew of concerns.

Is that even legal? Are you making meth? You’re going to drink all of that? You let your kids help you make beer?

Just like any other hobby, homebrewing serves as a creative outlet into which many people invest copious amounts of time and money, all for the sake of fun. We hangout with other brewers, join clubs, go to conferences, and some of us even use it as a way to connect with and teach our kids. However, unlike most other hobbies, ours involves alcohol, which requires some consideration.

Given the focus of today’s Brü’s Views, I wanted to make sure the guest was a homebrewer with extensive parental experience and could think of no one better than the Homebrew Dad himself, Olan Suddeth. Reigning from the state of Alabama, Olan and his wife married 21 years ago and immediately started having kids, their 7th born last year around the time their oldest was moving out. In addition to his role as super awesome dad, Olan is deeply invested in the online homebrewing community and runs the Brew United website, a fantastic resource for brewing calculators, recipes, and discussion. Thanks to Olan for sharing his thoughts on brewing with kids!

On Brewing With Kids

| OLAN SUDDETH |

When Marshall first asked me to do an article on brewing with kids, my knee jerk reaction was to revert to lazy “dad jokes” questioning the relative merits of adding kids to the mash versus, say, using them as a post-boil addition. Despite the fact that he is far too polite to say so, however, I’m pretty sure that the Brulosopher was instead hoping for me to discuss how my brewing hobby is impacted by having kids, or perhaps how I still manage to find time to brew despite my sizeable brood.

At the risk of kicking a few philosophical wasp nests, I want to come out and say that I come from an extremely conservative, religious background in one of the most conservative states in America. As a matter of fact, Alabama was the very last state to vote to legalize homebrewing (though we did enact our law in time to beat Mississippi!); in my state, we literally dealt with multiple versions of “won’t someone think of the children?” as arguments against the legalization of our hobby. How, then, could I justify the pursuit of such a wicked activity, what with all the impressionable young minds in my home?

Go ahead and clutch your pearls, but I’m a firm believer that children are not actually harmed by witnessing the consumption of alcohol. Understand, I am a very moderate drinker – typically, I weigh in at around three to four beers per week – but I believe that I am teaching my children to respect alcohol though the responsible use of it.

We regularly have discussions on how Dad limits himself to one, perhaps two beers – and never when he will be driving. We talk about how a little alcohol can make you feel happy, but how too much can make you quite sick, and how it can dull your reflexes and judgement – and thus, how it’s dangerous and foolish to drink and drive. My kids understand that alcohol is not appropriate for children, but I make it a point to be open about it, to answer any questions that they might have; as a result, they don’t view alcohol with the mystery or taboo factors that many kids do.

I often read accounts of other brewers that complain how they can’t brew now that they have kids; I say they are doing it wrong! Rather than demand alone time, I get my kids involved. I currently have four helpers (ages two through eight) that enjoy stirring the mash, making hop additions, and checking for airlock activity. Odds are that your kids just want to spend time with you; why not kill two birds with one stone?

Once they are invested in the creation process, I find that my kids are interested in the end result (even if they can’t drink it). They enjoy comparing the colors of various beers, and they all demand to smell them when I pour a glass – and surprisingly, they have gotten pretty decent at picking out various hop characteristics (floral, fruity, spicy, etc). I do give single sip samples of every beer that I brew to my two older kids (teenagers); one day, they will be old enough, and we will perhaps share some joint brew days.

More importantly, I believe that my approach is helping to reduce the chances that my kids will misuse alcohol. My oldest son is about to go off to college, but I’m honestly not too worried about him binge drinking or the like; he’s had chances to get into alcohol at a local party or two, but without that “taboo factor”, he apparently wasn’t particularly tempted.

Of course, there are no guarantees that they still won’t do something stupid; we’ve all been young and dumb (and most of us still do dumb things from time to time, regardless of our age). With that being said, I feel like equipping them with the data needed to make smart decisions can only increase the chances that my kids will do just that. And if doing so gets them involved in my favorite hobby, and perhaps lays the foundation for an activity that we can share throughout our lives… well, I fail to see a downside to that.

| MALCOLM FRAZER |

I just don’t feel kids should be included in the manufacturing or even the company of adults consuming alcohol. Come on! Won’t someone think of the children!? It’s inappropriate and there is nothing for them to garner from the experience except for needless exposé to the sinful culture of that poisonous liquid. It’s too late for me. I was raised in a house where alcohol was paid very little mind. With an English father and a liberal-minded mother, beer, wine, and liquor were ubiquitous. At family events or picnics, at the dinner table, they cooked with it, toasted to good times with it, and then I went into the Navy… and we drank like ourselves.

First of all, kids are too young to start learning this stuff.

Brewing is me time, not for father and daughter bonding. They don’t even like it. What are they going to learn? Counting, stirring, sorting, flavors, measuring, a love of science and art, safety, taking directions, listening skills? Those are of no benefit to yingins. Childhood is a time for dolls, cars, coloring, and maybe some puzzles.

Some of the ancillary tasks are mindnumbing and have no overlap with skills useful for anything other than making home-drank booze. And I have girls! They have no role models to look up to. As James Brown said, “It’s a Man’s World.”

| MARSHALL SCHOTT |

I initially intended to address something that’s been on my mind for awhile when it comes to being a brewer who has kids. I’d already published a sentimental piece on balancing homebrewing with having a family and thought I’d take this opportunity to discuss a more sensitive topic, one I rarely see come up in homebrewing circles. But after consulting with the contributors and, more importantly my wife, I realized I was being perhaps a tad too optimistic and decided to revert to something safer. Because people who disagree sometimes do weird shit. Anyways…

I have absolutely no issue whatsoever involving my kids in all aspects of my hobby, from lighting the flame and milling the grain to cleaning fermentors and tagging along when I go to club meetings. In fact, I appreciate and encourage it!

There seems to be a swath of the populace that views the involvement of children in anything that goes against their own beliefs as bad, and hence for those who believe alcohol is perilous, the fact I allow my kids to help me make beer means I am bad. And obviously, my kids are doomed.

I suppose I can relate with this sentiment on some level.There are definitely things I see other parents do that I completely disagree with, and as hard as I try not to judge them, sometimes it feels impossible.

In my mind, there’s a very distinct difference between the uninformed dad pounding 40’s of Mickey’s with his teenager under the self-serving delusion that doing so decreases their risk of alcoholism, and the mother who involves her kiddo in her homebrewing hobby with the goal of encouraging interest in creativity and science. A vast chasm exists between the focus of the former (alcohol) and the intentions of the latter (learning & appreciation). To assume they’re one in the same, to me, is rather close-minded.

The environment I was raised in for much of my childhood treated alcohol as a medicine taken to make life easier, and I had only these early experiences to rely on when alcohol came into the picture as a teenager. It wasn’t until my junior year in college that I even considered beer as being more than just an inebriant and adopted a perspective the earlier me couldn’t fathom. But that old shit is ingrained and occasionally pops into the picture without any apparent volition; it’s only after I notice what’s going on that I’m able to do anything about it. I don’t want this for my kids. And so, very consciously, I’ve chosen a different path that I hope leaves Hazel, Roscoe, and Olive ingrained with a healthier view of beer/alcohol than I have.

I love that my kids enjoy helping me brew. I love that they’re learning about science in an applicable and fascinating way. I love that in their world, adults consume alcohol responsibly. I love that they’re developing an appreciation for brewing and beer at such a young age. Whether working on cars, baking, photography, or brewing, our children learn from us what’s important, and this goes far beyond the obvious context of what we’re doing– engaging in activities that make us happy and bring fulfillment in this momentary blip we call life.

I love my kids. They mean the world to me and I would do nothing to harm them (well, maybe not nothing). The cynics may view this piece as a rationalization of my behavior, a way for me to justify doing something “we all know is bad.” To be honest, having been raised in a culture with such puritanical perspectives on alcohol, there’s probably some truth to that. Either way, I do my thing and you do your thing…

| RAY FOUND |

I’ll be the first to admit that when it comes to brewing with kids, in the specific sense, I don’t. My kids are 2 and nearing 6, and while Addi, my eldest, is perfectly happy to hang out with Dad and chit-chat for hours while I take care of what needs to be tended to, she doesn’t seem to go anywhere or do anything these days without her little brother, Cole, following her around.

And Cole is a different story.

He’s the kid that gave himself second-degree burns by grabbing the back of the hot BBQ not 30 seconds after being admonished not to touch the BBQ because it was hot and it would burn him. He’s the proverbial bull in a China shop, and if not watched, he’s doing damage to himself and/or his surroundings. On the bright side, he does seem to have developed a healthy fear/respect for the BBQ.

So for me, brewing with kids isn’t so much about actually brewing with them, but rather being a father who brews. My hope is that my kids come to see beer and alcohol in an utterly un-mysterious sense. It is just a part of everyday life– our kids see their parents often enjoying a beer together with a meal, or while tooling around doing yard work. They see a father who spends an inordinate amount of his free time making beer, playing with brewing equipment, writing about beer. What our kids don’t see are parents that get shitfaced and make bad decisions, or drive home after having 5 drinks. My hope is that on some level, my kids pick up on my wife’s and my cues, such as when we decide which of us is driving and which of us gets drink more before having that second beer at the in-laws house . This type of vicarious learning seems like the most natural and built-in method for learning good habits without ever being directly “told.”

There’s also been some other neat little lessons along the way. Being a brewer, I always have whole grains of barley and wheat malt around, which has led to lessons about things like how bread is made where I walk them through the process of how whole grains, which they get to hold in their hands and even taste, is ground to flour, mixed with water and yeast (similar to what daddy uses for beer), and made into delicious edibles. My hope is that my kids will arrive at the understanding that beer, bread, and pizza dough are all, at least on some level, the same thing. Moreover, my experimental bent with brewing has allowed me to share with Addi my love for science and understanding, and hopefully instill some critical thinking along the way.

I like to think of myself as a good parent and it is my hope that having a father who brews will instill in my children a healthy relationship with alcohol, do-it-yourself gusto, scientific curiosity, and an interest in fulfilling hobbies.

| MATT WALDRON |

It is recommend adding children under 3 years of age at 0.05 ppm, between 3-5 years of age at 0.075 ppm, after 5 they are no longer sweet enough and will over bitter or (in the case of a spoiled childe) surely sour thy brew.

~Jonathan Swift on Home Brewing ~

Wait, brewing with them in the house. OK, well, let’s take a modern (and actual) look at it from a parenting point of view. If you, like me, believe in your household that consuming beer is OK for adults and that our hobby isn’t something to hide from the sensitive eyes of children (then you probably wouldn’t be reading this) I think it is important to handle it out in the open and use it to set a good example.

That does not mean just teaching things like measurements, weights, cleaning up – or for your advanced kids – basics of fermentation science, application of heat, scientific note keeping, etc. – but an example of how to behave in the real world. I, like me, you might quickly and easily fall into swearing at your gear if your temper fails, or skipping steps when you’re tired, not cleaning/organizing properly or not thanking those in the house that help then you, like me, are setting a bad example. It’s one thing if it’s just you and the significant other, it’s another if you have a child in the house. Just like the time my daughter repeated that swear word I let go in traffic when we finally got to grandma’s house, I believe she’ll observe and learn from my work practices just being in the house while I ply my favorite hobby. “Do as I say, not as I do” is a great mantra for a disciplinarian parent, but I’d bet a frosty keg of homebrew that I won’t find a significant number of developmental psychologists that agree children learn that way. I believe I have to put on my practical scientist hat when I brew with my daughter in the house. I have to be methodical, be positive, be thorough, be calm and creative in problem solving if that is what I want to see in her. I say talk to them about why, answer all their questions patiently, include them in the process. They’ll glow when your friends and family love the beer just like you do, and they’ll experience that pride in craftsmanship. If my kid thinks I got there watching me crash around, leave a mess and being a general curmudgeon or worse, she’ll think that is how things get done.

Worried about discussing alcohol and its effects with kids? I was to. But the thing is, they’ll ask about what they don’t understand when they are at a point of needing to understand it. I think this is why continental European’s have less issues with underage alcohol abuse. It’s done around the family, discussed, and most importantly, children observe proper/responsible behavior and maybe see how people react with its not handled well.

Don’t want to scare you, but I can tell you many stories of my foibles manifesting in the habits of my daughter. Nothing wants to make me turn my brew gear into a time machine and go back and fix things more. I can redo a beer, I can’t redo her development.

If not that, turn your ginger children into a sour gruit.

TL/DR: “No matter what I decide to do with my kids in brewing, I know they’re watching me and I’m training them anyway.”

| JAKE HUOLIHAN |

I’ve never had kids. Up until the moment my wife screamed upstairs one morning exclaiming we were pregnant, I’d never considered what my life would be like as a parent. To be honest, I’m mortified of what raising a child means and what my lifestyle constitutes to that.

Will I stop brewing when I have a kid? No, but as I sit here as a husband to a pregnant wife I can’t help but be afraid of what it means for my hobby. While I love brewing, the most important thing in my life is obviously not brewing. Since being pregnant my wife has not been able to drink. Me being a prolific homebrewer means there are times when I’m drunk and she is so far from that. I hate it! Drinking beer is awesome, the shame of becoming drunk in the presence of my sober wife is really awkward. If you’re around someone who is sober 100% of the time while you’re drunk a portion of this time, there are bound to be some embarrassing scenarios. I grew up in a German family and beer was always around at every family function. While I can’t really provide any answers in terms of how that translates to having kids, as a millennial who grew up through the DARE program, I can’t help but be worried about what this might mean to my kids.

As a parent, will I be fucking up my kid by being a homebrewer? Are my kids going to start sneaking pulls from my keezer in middle school (I know I would have)? Am I just perpetuating a culture of alcoholism to my kids by focusing a decent portion of my life to the production of beer? I don’t know. I do know that by us becoming pregnant, I’m thinking a lot more about it. I listened to Loveline a lot as a teenager, and one thing Dr. Drew always said was, “when you become a parent you give up all rights to yourself.” Now that I’m having a kid, does that mean I’ve remitted my rights to homebrewing?

There are many examples of fathers that homebrew, but does that translate to me, and do their experiences mean anything to me? I really don’t know. I do know that I’m going to do everything in my power to be a responsible parent. I grew up with parents who didn’t drink in our house. I respect the hell out of my parents for choosing to shield my brother and I from what they considered poor life choices. Both my brother and I now drink, we will both surely drink in front of our kids, and I will certainly brew in front of my kids. Homebrewers often get a rap of being irresponsible drunks, while there are times I’ve definitely fallen into this category, having a kid on the way, I’ve thought about this a ton. This topic may be controversial, but I for one will continue to homebrew and drink responsibly. While I don’t think there are any easy answers to this topic, I think it needs to be discussed. Most European cultures expose their children to alcohol at a much younger age than we do in America. I think it’s important to ensure responsibility in any facet involving alcohol and that’s what I plan on doing. So while I cannot comment just yet on being a homebrewer with kids, I can say that it is something very much on my mind, and something I plan to approach with tact and discipline. Life involves growing up, every aspect of it, and having kids while trying to maintain your hobbies is an ever evolving part of life. I cannot yet comment on my success in doing so, but I plan to take the advice of those who’ve done it before me and try my damn hardest at making sure I do it right.

That’s what we think about brewing with kids, how about you? Please feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section below!

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