What you wear when brewing beer can make all the difference on your brew day. It’s as important a part of the process as the beer itself. The right clothes can make all the difference in how your brew day goes, from staying warm during chemistry experiments to preventing yeast infection
So what’s a homebrewer to do? Enter: the importance of brewing armor. Whether you’re a first-time homebrewer or a seasoned pro, there’s a lot to take in when it comes to your brew day. From equipment to ingredients to processes, every detail counts.
To ensure that you’re prepared, you need to build your brewing armor. But what is brewing armor, exactly? And how can you make sure that you have it for your next brew day?
What to Wear When Brewing Beer
The answer to what to wear when brewing beer depends largely on the level of formality you’re looking for. Do you want a more formal occasion, like an event or meeting? Or do you want something a little more laid back?
Remember that your attire can also depend on the type of brew day you’re having. Will you be using open flames or boiling liquids? If so, then it might be in your best interest to dress appropriately.
It seems like the best way to approach this question is to ask: what should you wear when brewing? In most cases, brewing beer is a messy process. For this reason, wearing clothes that can be easily stained or damaged should be avoided.
In addition to that, it’s also important to have clothes that are comfortable and easy to move around in. If you have a suit and tie on, for example, it will be difficult for you to move around freely. Instead of the suit and tie, try wearing something more casual like jeans and a t-shirt.
Shirts
The most important thing you’ll wear on brew day is a shirt. The shirt must be long-sleeved and preferably not white. White shirts are infamous for becoming stained with all sorts of nasty stuff (yeast, hop residue, and so on). The color of the shirt doesn’t matter as much as it is long-sleeved to protect your arms from getting dirty.
Brewers often wear light, the breathable shirt that is water repellent and has no pockets. This shirt should be made with a light fabric such as cotton or polyester. The fabric will keep you cool while brewing beer and resist water or chemical spills.
A good example of a brew day shirt is the Carhartt Men’s Cotton Twill Shirt, which is lightweight and resistant to chemicals.
Pants
The first piece of clothing you’ll be wearing is a pair of pants. It’s best to avoid large loops and do not tuck your pants into your boots.
You want to make sure it’s not too tight so that it doesn’t restrict blood flow. You also want to make sure there are no pockets on the front of your pants – this can cause issues with the mash tun.
When considering what to wear for brewing beer, you’ll want to think about how long your brew day will last. If it’s a long process that takes up most of the day, then wearing something more casual might be best. But if your brew day only takes 45 minutes or so, then wearing a suit and tie would be appropriate.
Shorts
One of the most common questions we get when it comes to what to wear on brew day is whether or not it’s appropriate to wear shorts. If you do decide to go with this option, we would recommend wearing a t-shirt and flip-flops at the very least.
Brewing beer can be a messy job, and unless you’re wearing clothes that you don’t mind getting dirty, it might not be the best idea to dress too casually. If you’re looking for something light, like a nice pair of pants or jeans, then you should wear those.
You can also wear a button-down shirt in order to keep yourself from getting dirty. But if you want to cover up more and get into your work clothes, then trousers or slacks would work well.
Hats
The most important thing to remember is to wear clothes that are clean and smell fresh. This will help you keep the brewery as clean as possible. For example, if you’re wearing a hat, make sure to turn the bill of your hat to the back so it doesn’t interfere with any brewing ingredients.
When it comes to brewing beer, there are four main types of attire that people wear: hats and tie, hat and no tie, no hat and tie, and no hat or tie.
The traditional attire for brewing beer is wearing a hat with a tie. This symbolizes that you’re taking the time to do something well. Some brewers will also wear a coat over their outfit to ensure they have everything covered from head to toe.
If you’re wearing a suit without a tie, this means you feel comfortable in what you’re doing. If you don’t wear any clothes at all, this can be because you’re too busy or it’s too hot for clothing. You can also choose not to wear anything if you prefer not to cover your face when dealing with yeast or hops in the brewery environment.
Shoes
One of the most important things to remember when brewing beer is your shoes. You’re going to be on your feet for a while, so you need to make sure that you have comfortable, waterproof, and chemical-resistant footwear.
The best types of shoes are steel-shank footwear or slip-resistant ones because they will protect your feet from the heat and chemicals of the process. You’ll also want to cover your ankles because these are two areas where you will most likely get splashed with hot or boiling liquid.
Make sure that your shoes close tightly around your ankles as well. You would not want any part of your skin exposed.
Finally, you’ll want to make sure that the top of your shoe covers at least halfway up your ankle so that you are completely protected from any splashes or spills. This way, you won’t have to worry about getting any burns on those sensitive areas.
In general, you want to wear closed-toe shoes. Shoes can often get messy and you don’t want any nasty spills ruining your dress shoes.
Gloves
You can go for nitrile, neoprene, or butyl rubber as per ANSI/ISEA 105-2011 that fits your hands, inspected, cleaned, and rinsed free of any soapy residue.
Brewing is a very physical process, and as such, it is important to wear protective gear. This includes gloves that cover most of the up your arm, long sleeves, and pants that cover the knees. You may also want to consider protecting your ears with headgear like a hat or earplugs.
Eye protection
A lot of people don’t know that wearing safety glasses is an important part of brewing beer. The best kind of eye protection for brewing beer is the type that has a wrap-around design to give the most coverage.
It should be made out of impact-resistant plastic so it will stay in place when you are working and not fall off. If your eye protection doesn’t have side shields, you should also wear safety goggles to protect your eyes from small particles.
The ANSI Z87.1-2010 standards say that eye protection should be lightly tinted because it helps improve visibility and reduce glare – this is something to keep in mind when finding the right eye protection for brewing beer.
Jackets & Jeans
We’ll start with the most casual and move up to the more formal. For your brew day, you don’t need to wear anything too formal. It is likely that you will be doing a lot of physical labor, so something comfortable like jeans or sweatpants would be appropriate.
You can also wear a t-shirt and a jacket like a windbreaker or fleece jacket. If it’s cold out or you are brewing in an area where there is little ventilation, something like a sweatshirt may also suffice.
The only time that you might want to wear something slightly dressier than jeans or sweats is if you are brewing for someone else who won’t know what’s normal for brewing beer and may be expecting that all brewers will be wearing suits and ties – but this would still depend on the context in which it was being done (brewing at home vs. in an office).
Sweaters or Sweatshirts
Some people choose to wear sweaters or sweatshirts on brew day. This is because you’ll be doing a fair amount of moving around and there is a chance that you will be near the stove or sink. The clothes can quickly get wet and so it makes sense to wear something that can withstand the water.
Apron
Aprons are good to have on hand. You may spill some ingredients or accidentally burn yourself. Better safe than sorry.
Hearing protection
The first thing you should think about is your hearing. It’s important to protect your ears when brewing beer, so it’s good to have some sort of hearing protection. But don’t worry – you won’t need any while brewing beer at a brewery.
A brewery is usually a pretty quiet place, especially if you’re the only person in there (if brewing at home, be aware that noise can be an issue). You could wear earplugs or plug your ears with cotton balls – just make sure not to touch them once they’re in as the oil from your fingers will seal them and make them stick.
Weatherproofing your clothes
When brewing beer, it is best to wear clothes that are weatherproofed. This will help protect your clothes from getting wet and dirty during the brewing process. You could purchase weatherproofed clothes such as rubber boots, raincoats, and coveralls, but you can also use a plastic poncho as well.
Many brewers choose to wear coveralls while they brew beer because they offer protection from spills and make clean-up easier.
You may be wondering whether you should wear a suit and tie when brewing beer. Well, what you wear will depend on the weather. If it’s cold outside, then you should make sure to dress in layers so that you can take them off or put them on as needed.
If it’s really hot, then you may need to wear a combination of shirts or jackets so that it gets as close to your body as possible without getting too uncomfortable. For the most part, though, a polo shirt and pants is perfect for brewing beer indoors.
When thinking about what to wear when brewing beer, remember that comfort is key! You want the clothes you’re wearing to be comfortable so that they aren’t getting in the way of your brew day. For example, you might want to avoid jeans because they can get caught on things in your brewery and ruin your product.
So now that we know what clothes are appropriate for brewing beer indoors, let’s break down some other variables.
What to wear in a brewery
What do you wear to a brewery in the winter?
During winter, we should wear warm clothing and comfy in addition to having a cozy sweater and scarf. Do you need to dress up or dress down? It really depends on the brewery.
Some breweries are more casual and some are more formal. It can be difficult to know what to wear without knowing the culture of the brewery, so it is advisable to ask beforehand.
If you don’t know, then you should err on the side of dressing up as this will help set a good impression for your first brewery visit.
What do you wear to a brewery?
Brew days are full of messy and sometimes strenuous tasks. When brewing, you’ll be standing in your workspace for hours on end and moving around a lot to accomplish different tasks. For this reason, it is important to wear clothes that are easy to move in and have some level of protection from spills.
The best option for brewery attire would be to wear something like jeans or khakis with a long-sleeved shirt, sturdy shoes, and an apron. The pants will give you the freedom of movement necessary for the job while being able to deal with spills on your clothing that may occur.
It’s also likely that you will get dirty when brewing so it is important to wear clothes you are okay with getting dirty. Since you will be moving around so much during your brew day, it is important to wear shoes that allow this type of movement without compromising the safety of your feet (i.e., no high heels).
The shirt should cover enough skin so as not to expose any part of yourself while working and protect against spillages from ingredients or equipment.
And finally, the most important thing is wearing an apron! You will find many different styles of aprons but it is best to buy one made out of cotton or other non-stick material so as not to contaminate your workspace.
What do you wear to a tap room?
We recommend that you wear comfortable clothing to brew beer. We also recommend wearing a jacket or sweater in case the brew house is chilly. Even though it’s your brewery, you don’t have to dress like the boss! I would wear something cute, but not too fancy.
I would wear jeans and a comfy top with some cute shoes for brewing day! Brewing shoes are perfect because they’re designed to provide traction on slippery floors and won’t leave an odor on your feet from spending all day standing in a wet environment.
They also look really cool (I mean, what could be better than brewing beer while wearing awesome shoes?). You might want something else besides jeans and a tee shirt if you plan on meeting with any investors or lenders–but, otherwise, go ahead and be comfy!
Conclusion
Brewing beer involves hazardous chemicals that can cause skin and eye irritation. The right clothing choices will help you avoid these hazards, and help you be more comfortable on brew day.
When it comes to the complex world of brewing, there’s a lot that you need to know. From batch sizes to keg sizes, packaging tips to ingredient alternatives, and everything in between, you’ll find yourself referencing brewing books and websites while you’re trying to piece together the perfect brew day. As a result, you’ll find yourself spending countless hours planning and researching your next beer-focused getaway.
There are some general rules to follow when it comes to what to wear, but the best way to figure out what’s right for you is to do a little research. And as always, if you have any questions you should consult with a professional.
After following these simple steps, you’ll be clothed and ready to brew beer. You’ll feel more confident and you’ll look more professional. You’ll also have a great time while brewing your beer and will be able to enjoy the process much more than before. So, what are you waiting for?
FAQs
What shoes do brewers wear?
Steel Toe Boots. A good pair of boots can make all the difference in brewing beer. They need to be steel-toe boots in order for you to avoid injury from a dropping brew kettle or a slippery surface.
Should I wear a hat when brewing beer?
Protect your head with a hat when brewing beer to avoid burns on your scalp from exposure to direct sunlight or being near hot surfaces. It’s also advisable to use an approved personal eye protection device like goggles if you’re working around chemicals like bleach or cleaning products as well as other airborne hazards like dust. Eyewear should never be worn while driving or operating machinery, but they are perfect for brewing.
Should I use an overall/ apron when brewing beer?
Brewing involves some messy tasks (like scooping grain mashes out of boiling liquid) so it’s best to wear coveralls over whatever you normally wear during the day. Coveralls will protect your clothes from spills and keep them clean.
Do I have to wear a suit and tie when brewing beer?
No, there is no need to dress up in a suit and tie while brewing your beer. It’s understandable that people might think that you might want to look more professional, but really the only time it might make sense to wear something more formal is if you are trying to impress an investor or someone who is going to take your brewery seriously.
What should I wear when brewing?
When you brew beer, you will likely be standing for most of the day. If that’s the case, then we recommend wearing clothes with a bit of give and breathability. This can help keep you fresh and comfortable throughout the day. Do keep in mind though that this outfit choice won’t work well if you’re brewing outside during the summer-time months! In those cases, we recommend wearing something light but durable like cotton or denim. Additionally, don’t forget your safety gear! You’ll want to put on gloves, a hat, and close-toed shoes before getting started brewing.
