“Relax, don’t worry, have a homebrew” and the initials “RDWHAHB” have been printed on many gift items, such as bumper stickers, posters and T-shirts. Charlie Papazian, author of Joy of Brewing (1976) and The Complete Joy of Homebrewing-Third Edition (2003), used “Relax. Don’t worry. Have a home brew” since at least 1985. The initials “RDWHAHB” have been cited in print since at least 1991.
 
Papazian’s saying is earlier than the popular song by Bobby McFerrin, “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” (1988).
   
 
Wikipedia: Charlie Papazian
Charles N. “Charlie” Papazian is an American nuclear engineer who founded the Association of Brewers and the Great American Beer Festival, and wrote The Complete Joy of Home Brewing. Papazian is the current president of the Brewers Association. He attended the University of Virginia.
 
OCLC WorldCat record
Joy of brewing
Author: Charlie Papazian
Publisher: Boulder : Log Boom Brewing, 1976.
Edition/Format:   Book : English
 
OCLC WorldCat record
The new and revised more joy of brewing
Author: Charlie Papazian
Publisher: Boulder : Log Boom Brewing, 1980.
Edition/Format:   eBook : Document : English
 
Google News Archive
7 November 1985, Gainesville (FL) Sun, “Home brewing suits many hobbyists’ tastes” by Tom Harrer, pg. 1D, col. 2:
For those who have ever found the taste of domestic beer bland and watery but were too cheap to buy an import, there is a solution. Relax. Don’t worry. Have a home brew.
 
Legalized by the federal government in 1979, the home brewing of beer is a rapidly growing hobby.
 
Charlie Papazian, author of the “The Complete Joy of Home Brewing,” recently came to Gainesville to spread the gospel of the home brew.
 
Google Books
The Mead Letters
American Mead Association
1988
Pg. ?:
Like most homebrewers, I tend to follow Charlie Papazian’s directive: Relax, Don’t Worry, Have a homebrew.
 
Google News Archive
18 November 1990, The Press-Courier (Oxnard, CA), “Best beer brewed in kitchen” by Mitchell Landsberg, pg. 16, col. 1:
NEW YORK (AP)—The Outlaws had made a sizeable dent in the evening’s beer supply by the time Charlie Papazian rose to deliver the invocation. He raised a glass of frothy ale, grinned through his beard and led the crowd in the familiar chant:
 
“RELAX! DON’T WORRY! HAVE A HOMEBREW!”
   
Google Groups: alt.beer
Newsgroups: alt.beer
From: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) (Dave Brown)
Date: 22 Jul 91 18:53:04 GMT
Local: Mon, Jul 22 1991 12:53 pm
Subject: Re: Are ALL bottled beers in US pasturized?
(...)
My advise, RDWHAHB, translated Relax, Don’t Worry Have a Home Brew, but hey good bottled beer wil work for you who have yet to be converted.
   
Google Groups: alt.slack
Newsgroups: alt.slack
From: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) (The Stark Pistol)
Date: 16 Oct 91 15:01:32 GMT
Local: Wed, Oct 16 1991 9:01 am
Subject: Re: Suggested Reading
(...)
“The Complete Joy of Home Brewing” by Charlie Papazian.  Excellent instruction and advice for novice and intermediate brewers.  Fun reading, even if you don’t brew.
RDWHAHB!
 
Google Groups: rec.crafts.brewing
Newsgroups: rec.crafts.brewing
From: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) (Patrick Casey)
Date: Thu, 25 Mar 1993 14:35:20 GMT
Local: Thurs, Mar 25 1993 8:35 am
Subject: tell the FBI to RDWHAHB
 
Maybe someone should go over to the FBI’s secret headquarters for the Chicago-hassle-homebrewers-operation with a six-pack of homebrew and tell them to “relax, don’t worry, and have a homebrew” and remind them that homebrewing is quite legal.
 
Google Books
Making Beer
By William Mares
New York, NY: Knopf
1994
Pg. 88:
I love the American Homebrewers Association dearly, for they have done more to promote good beer and good brewing in this country than any other organization. But their motto bothers me: “Relax. Don’t Worry. Have a Homebrew.” When I am making beer, especially all-grain beer, I cannot afford to relax until the yeast has been pitched. Making beer is serious business.
     
Brews & Views Bulletin Board Service
Bill Pierce  
Posted on Friday, August 31, 2001 - 12:27 am:     
The moral: money spent on beer now will get you through hard times AND give you money later, while money not spent now won’t even give you beer later. RDWHAHB.
 
Google Books
The Complete Joy of Homebrewing
Third Edition
By Charlie Papazian
New York, NY: HarperCollins
2003
Pg. XXI:
“Relax. Don’t worry. Have a Homebrew.” This became the mantra in my early teachings. Homebrewers and friends welcomed and embraced that attitude. The word spread that homebrewing quality beer was easy.
 
Urban Dictionary
RDWHAHB
Relax, don’t worry, have a home brew.
Everything is going to be okay! RDWHAHB!
by Sephro Jul 17, 2006
 
Google Books
Bizarre Brews 101:
For the Adventurous Home Brewer
By Vance Hanna
Bloomington, IN: iUniverse
2011
Pg. 5:
RDWHAHB = Relax, don’t worry, have a home brew.
 
The Lonely Boner Brewing Project
Saturday, February 19, 2011
RDWHAHB
That means “Relax, don’t worry, have a home brew.” It was said by Charlie Papazian. He’s the guy who wrote The Complete Joy of Homebrewing. Its something to keep in mind when a brew day goes to hell the way today did.
 
Google Books
The Complete Guide to Brewing Your Own Beer at Home:
Everything You Need to Know Explained Simply
By Richard Helweg
Ocala, FL: Atlantic Publishing Group, Inc.
2013
Pg. 75:
So many home brewers worry about this or that, about if their beer is ruined, but to quote the godfather of home brewing, Charlie Papazian, “Relax. Don’t worry. Have a home brew.”