As much as I hate to admit it, there actually are a few good justifications for giving up homebrewing. Sometimes, life conspires to leave you no free time at all, and family commitments trump hobbies. Or maybe you’ve moved to a tiny apartment and there’s just no space that works for brewing. Health problems are also a sensible excuse.
Unfortunately, though, the most common reason we lose brewers is that they’re disappointed over the results from their efforts, which is understandable—it is incredibly frustrating if hours of labor are rewarded with five gallons of crappy beer. Many of us have persevered through that rite of passage and gone on to produce superb beer, but not everyone sticks with it long enough to make it to that point.
If you’re on the edge of giving up, read on. If you’re an experienced brewer who knows somebody like that, step up and be his/her brew guru and mentor him/her through to the other side.