Clues that your homebrewing hobby is getting out of hand
from the book, Homebrewing for Dummies

  1. You have more cooking utensils and gadgets than your spouse does.
  2. You own the biggest cooking pot in the house (and no one else in the house can use it).
  3. You have a spare refrigerator with nothing but brewing ingredients (and beer) in it.
  4. You have the local homebrew supply shop on speed dial.
  5. You have considered using hop oil as an aftershave or perfume.
  6. Your friends stop bringing beer to your parties.
  7. Your backyard garden has been taken over by hop plants (and you use spent grain for mulching).
  8. Your Christmas and birthday gifts consist of nothing but homebrewing supplies.
  9. Your spouse must plan the laundry schedule around your brewing schedule.
  10. You have surfed the net looking for homebrewing "chat" rooms.
  11. You plan your family vacations around brewery tours.
  12. Your children think you brew beer for a living
  13. You have awakened to the sound of bottles exploding.
  14. You have had to wipe a mess off the ceiling.
  15. Your house has been staked out by the FBI or the BATF.

How to evaluate the number of yes answers to the above:

1-5: You are still pretty normal
6-10: Start filling out that brewing school application.
10-14: Time for a second mortgage on the home and a FBI background check
15: You are Mark Tumarkin

Back to May 2000 front page


Hogtown Brewers Newsletter
May 2000