Think you have what it takes to make your own beer, ale, lager and more?

Have you ever wanted to brew your own beer? Maybe you like the idea of not having to pay as much for store bought beer, or you just like the thought of making something totally unique. Regardless the reason, brewing your own beers, ales, meads, or lagers can be fun for many reasons. But before you get started, there are a few things you should know.

Rules of the Brew

If you think that you are going to start making some extra money selling your beer out of your home, I’m sorry to say that it’s illegal to do so. The hassle of fines, fees, court costs and other potential penalties doesn’t make that seem very profitable in the long run. Of course, someone that finds they have a talent for making homebrews might decide to start their own micro-brewery (the legal way), but that’s another topic for another day. There are a few rules that you do have to keep in mind when creating your beer aside from not being able to sell it.

You must be old enough to drink your own product; therefore you must be 21 years old to get started with this hobby. You are allowed to brew 100 gallons a year for yourself, and if you live in a household with more than one adult, you can brew up to 200 gallons a year. As previously mentioned, it must be for personal rather than commercial use, but you are allowed to share with family and friends.

Gather Knowledge

Many home brewers fail to do the proper research before getting started. There are a wide variety of in-depth sources that will help you to become the home brewer master, and might help you along the way to skip some mistakes. There are magazines, websites, forums, and books intended for home brewers. These can be invaluable tools when it comes to having a successful first batch.

Look for a Community

Another great step can be to look for a community of likeminded brewers. There are home brewer supply shops set-up in many areas because of how popular this hobby has become over recent years. Many of these shops not only sell the supplies that you will need to set up your own basement/garage/spare space brewery but offer classes on how to go about many aspects of brewing beer. Get in touch with other brewers in your area to exchange tips, recipes, and maybe a brew or two. There are also home brewer organizations around the country that can help you on the path to starting to brew your own beer.

Decisions, Decisions

Okay, you’ve done your research and made some friends. It’s time to start making some decisions on your home brewing lifestyle. The main decision is what type of brew you want to start off with in your endeavor. There are stouts, pale ales, meads, bitter ales, pilsners, American lagers and more. Picking one to start with doesn’t mean you have to be stuck with that particular type of brew forever, but it’s a good idea to start with one before trying to juggle several styles.

Set-up

Your initial investment in equipment will probably be the biggest expense you have. Here is a run-down of a few of the things that you will need to start brewing:

• Brew kettle – five-gallon is the minimum size
• Fermenters and airlock – a bucket with a lid where the brew will ferment
• Wort Chiller
• Hydrometer
• Bottling bucket
• Bottle filler
• Tubing for siphoning beer from one container to another
• Empty bottles – it can be helpful to get non-twist, colored glass bottles
• Caps and capper

These might sound like equipment for a mad scientist’s project, but each serves a particular purpose. Some places sell kits, which can be a good route to go to ensure that you don’t forget a crucial piece of the puzzle. The final ingredient is the actual ingredients that will be used for your own homebrew recipe.

Growing Your Own

You can even grow your own ingredients. Many brewers enjoy getting into the garden to grow their ingredients from scratch. That’s really one of the only ways to ensure a quality product. Barley, hops, wheat, coriander, cilantro, yarrow, rosemary, mint and ginger are just the tip of the iceberg of plants that can make your own homebrew something special.

Procedure

The exact way to brew will depend ultimately on the type of brew that you decided on previously. Basically, the steps are as follows:

• Boil the water called for in your recipe
• Add the ingredients following the recipe, some may need to be added when it’s not boiling, some may need to be boiled a little longer before adding others
• Cool the wort
• Siphon it into the fermenter
• Measure a sample with the hydrometer
• Ferment
• Bottle the beer
• Let sit until ready to enjoy

Hopefully, this article has whet your appetite for becoming a home brewer or made you better appreciate the efforts of your local microbrewery. A last tip to remember is that it might be a good idea to brew from a known recipe before putting your own personalization on it. Enjoy!