Nude Brewers
This article originally appeared in Zymurgy Magazine, the official publication of the American Homebrewers Association.
How many members of your homebrew club would you like to see naked? For Ray Badowski, the answer is all of them. And that’s exactly what happens. At every meeting.
Badowski, you see, is the unofficial President (“We’re not big on bureaucracy,” he says) of the Nude Brewers, a real life, honest-to-goodness, American Homebrew Association-registered homebrew club in Gainesville, FL.
The Nude Brewers came to be in 1986 when Badowski, already a practicing nudist and homebrewer, wore a T-shirt from an area nudist resort to a meeting of his homebrew club, the Hogtown Brewers. Another member of the club saw Badowski’s shirt, and informed him that he, too, had logged some tan line-free hours at that particular establishment. Upon further exploration, the two discovered not only were their respective wives amenable to the twin diversions of brewing and nudity, so were several other members of the Hogtown Brewers. Before long, the idea snowballed, and the new club was formed. In other words, an article of clothing led to the creation of an organization that eschews it (and that, Alanis, is ironic).
So, do the Nude Brewers actually brew in the nude? “No,” says Badowski, “that would be foolish.” He believes the minimum amount of clothing required for brewing is an apron, which is what he generally wears.
The initiation rite
Since nude brewing itself is not encouraged, you may be wondering what, exactly, makes one a Nude Brewer. “We have a little initiation rite,” says Badowski. “You must take part in the producing, aging, or drinking stage of homebrew with no clothes on.” Basically, if you’ve ever undressed in front of a beer, you could be eligible.
Badowski, a 40-year-old computer consultant, estimates there are currently 15-30 members of the Nude Brewers at the moment. The membership is comprised of roughly the same number of men and women. “We have a lot of couples,” he says. “A few single men and women, but mostly couples.” Members range in age from early 20’s to retirees, with Badowski estimating the median age to be in the late 30’s. Being situated in a college town (Gainesville is home of the University of Florida), the club has become accustomed to dealing with the transient nature of the population. “We’re used to people coming and going,” Badowski says.
But what...um...about the general physiques of the members? Are these people you’d actually want to see naked, or are they built...well, like beer drinkers? “We’re not a bunch of fat guys sitting around,” replies Badowski. “But neither are we Playboy or Playgirl centerfolds. We’re just normal, everyday people.”
And lest you think the club’s events degenerate into wild, debauch, homebrew-soaked, Roman orgies, Badowski is swift to firmly squash that notion. “We are not a sexually oriented operation,” he stresses. “We are a legitimate, honest, above-board nudist group. We enjoy high quality beer, brewing it, and discussing it within our chosen hobby of being nudists.”
Badowski says the club has events just like any other homebrew club: meetings, style tastings, group trips, holiday parties, Octoberfests, even AHA-sanctioned competitions. Only naked. “The only thing we haven’t done is a group brew, and that’s just because the logistics haven’t worked out,” he says. “Sooner or later, everybody gets to one of our parties.”
Just another Halloween party
Deena Bray can testify to that. The owner of Bray’s Brewing Supplies, and member of the Hogtown Brewers, Bray received an email to attend a Halloween party from Badowski in 1999. The invitation used words like “adult” and “risqué,” but didn’t say anything about nudity.
Bray gathered seven or eight friends, donned what she considered to be a sexy costume, and headed off to the party. When Bray and her friends walked in the room, they realized just how broad the definition of “risqué” can be.
“Everyone was very nice,” Bray says. “They (the nudists present) seemed to be freer—more at home with themselves, which is great.” Bray and her friends chose to keep their costumes on that night. “I wish I could be that liberal,” she says, “but I can’t.” (This is in keeping with what Badowski describes as the club’s “clothing comfortable” policy, that is, you wear as much or as little clothing as you are comfortable with.)
Bray has high praise for the homebrew that was served at the party, and says, all-in-all, she didn’t feel too uncomfortable being there. “You just have to mind yourself not to stare at the wrong spot,” she says.
Do the Nude Brewers ever have trouble with the local police at their parties? “What party doesn’t?” laughs Badowski. What about the neighbors? “We invite ‘em!” he says. But seriously folks…no, Badowski claims, there’s never been a problem at any of their events. People generally know what they’re getting into when they come to a Nude Brewers event (Deena Bray’s story notwithstanding), and if they’re going to take offense, they don’t come in the first place. “You don’t have to come to my party if you don’t want to,” he says.
“We’re a fun, honest group that reaches across all socio-economic groups,” Badowski says. “You can’t embarrass us.”