# Other Hobby Topic Areas



## smurfe (Apr 11, 2009)

Hi gang. I was wondering if there would be any interest in a few other forum area for chat outside of wine specific. I have been thinking it would be fun to have a forum area for Cheese Making, Coffee Roasting, and possibly a beer area for general beer questions that come up every now and then. 

Many Home Brew/Winemaking shops sell these hobby items. I myself would love an area to talk to others about learning to make cheese and roast coffee. Any others out there? Any that already pursue these hobbies? If so, vote above. you can vote for more than one.


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## arcticsid (Apr 11, 2009)

*Topic ideas*

I'd go with the cheese idea! Like the idea of liqueurs and cordials, and I love beer. but this IS a wine forum, I would hate to see to many variables that may take focus away from the pupose and mission of this site. We have a general chit chat now for things outside of the main topics involved with the sub forums. As this site grows I can see the need for "perhaps" some other topics, but this is a forum where we discuss and exchange ideas about and for the love of making wine. I hope it stays like that. 

Troy


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## smurfe (Apr 11, 2009)

I guess I need to add a little more info that should of been in the initial post. This is a winemaking forum. The reason I thought these might be fun is many winemakers enjoy cheeses with their wine. Many brewers/vintners make their own cheese. Wine and cheese go hand in hand. A real no brainer and an area many brewing forums skip over. 

Coffee Roasting: Many of us drink coffee and winemakers are known to be a bit eclectic and have refined tastes. A majority of the coffee roasting supplies I am exposed to are at brew shops and internet brew supply sites. Many shop at their local brew shop. You think hmm, this might be a fun thing to do. Where do I go to learn more or share ideas? I am buying my wine supplies here. I am sure other brewers roast coffee as well. Let's get together and share ideas, tips, tasting notes etc. Just an idea. 

Beer Brewing: This forum is actually owned by the owner of one, if not the largest beer brewing forum there is. It is an excellent place to learn and talk all things brewing. Quite a few winemakers here brew beer as well but only on a very limited, occasional basis. Their interest is wine. Many brew the extract kits they can buy at their brew shop they buy wine supplies from. 

Now lets say you just have a few questions about beer and we do get them here. If they are to go to the BIG forum, it can be very intimidating and there is so much activity there that questions get easily over looked as they drop off the first page quickly. Also, most everyone here is much more mature than many on the beer forums. Basically this would be a catch all forum area for general beer questions. I have no interest or desire to have a full blown beer making area. There are forums for that. 

Now the main thought behind all of it. Like I said, there are many that have multiple such hobbies as listed. If we get some of these forum area active we can draw more members in. We can then spread the wine making word and bring more into winemaking as well as cull some expertise from their experiance in these areas. It is our goal and responsability to entice more people to stop by anf join our family here. Win Win if you ask me. Of course, I could just be blowing smoke out my rear but I just feel many of these areas are interchanged into the lifestyle of an average winemaker.


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## arcticsid (Apr 11, 2009)

I agree Smurfe in all that you have said, I do. I just would hate to see the main focus become blurry. Before I settled on this site I looked at several others. I personally enjoy being a part of this forum and would hate to see that initial attraction become lost in a topic other than wine. I do agree 100% that we all share common interests such as the cheese making. As long as it doesn't take away from our main purpose here as a group, I see nothing wrong with branching out.
Troy


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## Luc (Apr 11, 2009)

smurfe said:


> It is our goal and responsability to entice more people to stop by anf join our family here.



Not trying to annoy you, but just like I told Wade in a private conversation:

That might not be OUR goal.

If I wanted to have loads of winemakers to discuss things with I would go to a big time operation like Winepress.US which I indeed visit often.
I like the small scale board this is.
In my opinion it has been doing fine all these last years.

Luc


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## St Allie (Apr 11, 2009)

hehehehe..

I don't make cheese ....I do eat it though..and make an impressive array of home made crackers, pickles and chutneys that compliment cheeses.

Do make kit beers ( nothing special!)

...and nobody in my family drinks coffee....

Am a member of other websites for pickles and preserves.

I would like to see a forum thread dedicated to cheeses just because it fascinates me on an interest level, rather than "I have to make it!' level..

This wouldn't dilute the forum, yes wines and dried fruits plus cheeses often accompany each other.

Having one extra forum heading for accompaniments covers a multitude of topics.

Allie


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## cpfan (Apr 11, 2009)

I don't make cheese.

I don't drink coffee.

I do make beer from simple kits (wort-in-a-bag style), but have little or no interest in 'serious' beer making.

I don't recall ever being in a Home Brew Shop that sold cheese making or coffee roasting supplies. I ran an HBS for 6 years. I don't recall anybody asking for those supplies. Beer malt for bread making YES.

I look at winepress about as often as I look here. There are so many threads that I don't care about. Like Luc, I'd rather not see that here as well. BTW this morning there are 14 threads with new posts since I last checked. None about wine making that were of interest to me.

So guess how I voted. 

Steve


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## WildSeedGrrrl (Apr 11, 2009)

I don't make cheese, though I love to eat it. 

I make beer with a friend and I like beermaking, especially when I can mix the elements with my winemaking.

What I like about this forum is its specificity. Wine. It's complicated enough (take a look at all the different threads we have on all sorts of topics) without adding another dimension. I for one have many forums and websites I frequent to find information, but none do I visit as often as this one. 

I think adding a thread to discuss something like cheeses or fruits or other accompaniments, as Allie suggested wouldn't take away from the overall forum. Who knows someone might decide that a cheese wine should be tried (my guess would be Wade or Arcticsid). I like that so many people make beer so that the occassional beer-related question that comes up can be answered and no one freaks out about this being a wine-only forum. I generally come to this forum first for because it has such a small and closeknit feel to it and it's one of the only forums I've been on that has a significant and vocal group of women winemakers.

My .02
WSG


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## jbullard1 (Apr 11, 2009)

I like it the way it is now
Small, knowledgeable and Polite!!

Now if you said Beer Drinking 
My other hobby is primitive camping and reenacting life in 1790 to 1820 America


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## WildSeedGrrrl (Apr 11, 2009)

I am a champion beer drinker as well.


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## smurfe (Apr 11, 2009)

OK, it stays as is.


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## smurfe (Apr 11, 2009)

cpfan said:


> I don't make cheese.
> 
> I don't drink coffee.
> 
> ...



I'll see what I can do about installing a cpfan approved post filter.


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## arcticsid (Apr 11, 2009)

*I like women too!*

I agree with WSG, it is neat to see so many women amongst us. I'm glad to see we have some members from "overseas".


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## Boozehag (Apr 11, 2009)

Yeah I like it the way it is too.

I love cheese but dont make it, and i make beer also but find that easy to do.

on another forum Im part of people were trying to introduce other aspects that watered it down and got too many invovled so it lost its appeal, Id hate to see that happen here.

Vocal women!!! lol Love it! Are we rare?????


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## arcticsid (Apr 11, 2009)

I go with mid rare! But I don't know if you all are rare or not but I enjoy having you all amongst us. Pretty funny, when I first joined in here it was always the men commenting that the women were mad about all the attention they gave to the wine, I have been wondering how the men feel about the women involved in this obsessive hobby.
Troy


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## St Allie (Apr 12, 2009)

amazed to see no votes at all for coffee.. and also that poll is running at 110% in total..

grins

Allie


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## arcticsid (Apr 12, 2009)

I think the tribe has spoken


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## Wade E (Apr 12, 2009)

I did add a beer category yesterday just to see what happens but have no problem deleting it if it stays vacant.


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## Wine4Me (Apr 12, 2009)

Am I to late to vote???
Hate coffee
I would be interested in cheese
I also agree with the Alaska guy - like the idea of liqueurs??


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## WildSeedGrrrl (Apr 12, 2009)

Boozehag said:


> Vocal women!!! lol Love it! Are we rare?????



Vocal women who are actually 'heard' that seems to be rare. I will try to follow your esteemed example. I

think it has been really helpful to see how everyone from all over the world makes wine and Luc's informational posts have increased my knowledge base more so than many of the books I've been reading because they are so current to what I'm doing.

I saw the Beer thread and the Mead one and I'm stoked to start putting in some posts. With the coming spring I've been entertaining the idea of talking a friend into trying a lambic.

WSG


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## smurfe (Apr 12, 2009)

WildSeedGrrrl said:


> Vocal women who are actually 'heard' that seems to be rare. I will try to follow your esteemed example. I
> 
> think it has been really helpful to see how everyone from all over the world makes wine and Luc's informational posts have increased my knowledge base more so than many of the books I've been reading because they are so current to what I'm doing.
> 
> ...



Lambics are so good and you have 2 of the best Local Brew shops in the US in your city/area. You should be set with any supplies or expertise on beer making you need there locally.


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