Written By: Peter Evans
Date: December 16, 2009 The benefits of brewing at home are written on the too happy faces of home brewers around the world. When you think of home brewing you probably have visions of a cooking fire and lots of copper kettles in the garage or basement. This is just not the case. The fact is home brewing has never been any easier or less costly than it has been in recent years.
 
The market’s obsession with pale lager has left a lot of beer drinkers stuck with what they can get in the store and forced us to drink beer without character for too long. Micro breweries have made a nice little niche for themselves in the beer market by providing some flavor and really allowing the beer enthusiast to branch out some, but at a cost. Micro brewery beer is expensive to say the least and sometimes not even that great. Brewing your own beer at home helps give you some control over your drinking destiny!

 Alcohol content is another factor often overlooked. Most areas of the world govern just how much alcohol per volume you can have in a beer. That is to say, in a store bought beer. As a home brewer you do have a little bit of a choice in this. No one wants to get completely bongo on just one beer, but nobody wants to down ten without feeling any affect either. The benefits to drinking less beer to achieve that “great beer” feeling are fewer trips to the bathroom and less time opening bottles. Something we can all appreciate.

 Flavors abound and are limited only by your imagination. Most people will not like your banana and bacon flavored beer, but the important thing is you have the option to make banana and bacon flavored beer and make it well! Recipes abound on the internet and there is no end of books that contain formulas for making your own beer. You can always stick to these or try variations for making your own beer.

Space and equipment aren’t a problem either. There are plenty of kits on the market that will allow you to brew just about anywhere. People who live in an apartment or just want to try out a small batch before “going global” can buy these kits and have everything they need to begin brewing that day!

 Another and perhaps most profound benefit, is the home brewing sub-culture. Your love of beer with fellow home brewers is transcendent of political boarders and ethnic background. Beer is universal nearly in its appeal and has a stronger following than most movie stars. The brewing community is always open and unlike homemade pickling and pie making for the county fair, people are helpful. Whether this is a result of understanding, common interest of just that fact that home brewers might be a little blitzed doesn’t matter. Home brewers are a worldwide community that is open for everyone to join form anywhere.