Purpose of Brewing
I have brewed continuously ever since then. I have a few recipes that I keep brewing most of the time with a bit of alteration occasionally. My purpose of brewing is to keep beer around the house to drink. I brew to have some fun with friends. I also brew for parties to have more income. What about you? What is your purpose of brewing?
I brew for a few reasons.
- I enjoy a good beer, and having some around that I made gives me a sense of pride when it tastes great. It's also nice to have a steady supply of good beer at the press of a button!
- Secondly, it's a fun hobby to me. There's nothing quite like getting a couple friends together with food & drinks and making an afternoon of it!
- Thirdly, there is a large sense of pride when I brew, and someone who really knows their beer tells me how much they enjoy it. Unbeatable.
- The saving of money, combined with making a beer exactly how I like it...all-in-all, it's well worth the time!
- The ladies love it...seriously! I always get a comment like "Oh, neat!", or something to that effect. They just don't realize how easy extract brewing really is!
It is the hobby I have chosen, & I wouldn't trade it for anything.
Why home brew?
Its a great hobby. Beer is cheaper. You get to learn something that you can always improve on, always get better at. And, best of all, you can share your hobby easily with others.
I think it's kind of therapeutic too, like cooking for some people.
Ha!!! I think its simple for me I love to brew beer because I love good beer. I love to drink beer so to be able to have it on hand is great for me.
That's a good enough reason for me. 
It's a fun hobby and the perfect hobby for a gadget junkie like myself! You can brew beer that you actually like. For me, many commercial beers are an acquired taste.
You've all nailed it for me...yes I take pride when my friends say what a great beer it is....yes, I enjoy having top quality beer on hand at all times, and yes it's a great hobby-I even get to spend quality time with the wife when she helps be brew up a batch...
But, here's something else....it's also allowed me to explore other hobby aspects: since I started brewing I've learned how to weld (wanted a portable brewing cart), I learned how to braze (needed to build a manifold for my mash tun...learned how invaluable a "turkey fryer" is to a brewing...etc.
Nothing compares to home brewing....
I was looking for a hobby when I saw a fermenter at a Buddie's house.
I came home and looked homebrewing up online.
Since I love a good beer and like to cook I thought this would be the perfect hobby.
In Ohio winters are mostly cold, you have to have something to do in doors.
Brewing provides me with an indoor activity.
Plus it's something you can do with your buddies.
I began homebrewing a little over a year ago while living in Portland, Oregon. The local microbrews were so amazing that my husband and I really got into beer. We want to drink mostly organic beer ... it was pretty easy to find in Portland (less so here in San Diego), but we still wanted a larger variety. That desire got us interested in homebrewing, and after our first batch I was hooked! He is less thrilled about the actual process, so I've sort of taken it over as my personal hobby, but he always enjoys the results.
We are also concerned with our overall energy usage -- which extends to what we buy. We try to limit our consumption of items produced in far-away places and then shipped to wherever we are. We still buy brews from other states and countries every once in awhile, but try to focus on local production. Local brews are important to us, but the fact that we can produce our own beer is even more empowering. I think there is something comforting and thrilling about drinking something you made in your own kitchen.
As someone else mentioned, it is very relaxing for me just like cooking and baking are. It's a form of stress relief from start to finish. I like to experiment and make brews for a certain person, as a form of celebration (like when my niece was born), or by using ingredients that reflect a specific location (Cascadia, Nantucket, etc.)