Don't expect to save a great deal of money; do expect to brew exactly the beer you like.
Look up recipes on the net.
I recommend taking up reloading your own ammo.
Google < home brewing > ... the internet is your friend.
You will need to start with a heavier ale to get the hang of things. An upscale beer store or deli should have all the equipment/ingredients you need, plus some literature . . . make sure you do your reading first.
http://forum.northernbrewer.com/viewtopic.php?p=30637
http://new.craftbrewer.org/Digest/me...msg00662.shtml
“Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.” — Benjamin Franklin
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You might want to ask the folks from Dickens' Fruit Stand...
I tried making wine from fresh berries for a few years. The best “wine” I ever made though wasn’t wine at all. To get to 12% alcohol, you need 3 pounds of sugar per gallon (really). My real wines always tasted funky because of wild yeast that naturally grows on fruits. That is why wine you buy in stores contains sulfites to kill wild yeast. My wife is allergic to sulfites. One year, I omitted the fruit altogether and just used the cane sugar. I got a golden drink like a reisling. Other times I have added flavorings after making the cane wine.
It can be a lot of work. Easier to make vodka?
I’ve home brewed beer probably 100 times. Do it every fall/winter -— two batches.
Now is the time . . . cool garage is a pretty good place, so you don’t get yeast spores everywhere.
I do a two-stage brew set up.
It’s very easy. Just keep stuff VERY CLEAN.
I also tend to overkill on yeast -— it will grow with a little, but a lot will overpower any contamination -— within reason, you can’t over do it.
Do not ~ever~ make or drink banana wine.
[you’ve been warned]....:))
Years ago we made wine. Super easy. We tried everything..blackberries, elderberries, grapes. The best was the rhubarb, thick and sweet like a fruit brandy.
I experimented with beer brewing years ago and enjoyed it.
I found this book helpful:
The Complete Joy of Homebrewing by Charles Papazian
http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Homebrewing-Third-Harperresource-Book/dp/0060531053
I’d recommend picking up a copy and finding a good homebrew store from which to buy equipment and malt extract. You might want to start with buying malt extract, rather than trying to brew from grain, because mashing the grain requires additional equipment and expertise.
The number 1 rule in home brewing is cleanliness. If you don’t religiously clean everything with hot water and bleach/iodine, you will ruin the taste of your beer.
Rule number 2 is to be kind to your glass carboys (where you ferment the beer). Don’t put a carboy filled with hot liquid anywhere near cold water (huge rookie mistake, which I made twice).
Rule number 3 is to ask the folks who run the homebrew store for advice. They tend to love the hobby and freely give out advice.
You can find lots of recipes on the Internet and the Papazian book has some good ones as well. It’s a fun hobby and you can make a decent ale with very little training.
FReeper Advise -
Shoot On Sight, Shoot First, Shoot To Kill, Keep Shooting.
I’ve home-brewed...
I’d recommend a wheat-beer, of course I’m partial to them! ;)
I also have lots of Grolsch bottles. They are great for brewing beer because all you need is fresh rubber seals for the ceramic caps (and beer of course) if the current ones are too old.
You can get rubber seal replacements from your online or local home brew shop.
The key to producing any sort of booze is to keep everything clean.....you can ferment and or distill anything with simple sugar in it.....Wine and Beer have been made for 5000 years, its no big deal. The hardest part is just doing it....
There is a very good instructional video that shows you how to brew beer.
It was made by three gentlemen called, I believe, “The Three Stooges(?).
Their secret is lots and lots and lots of yeast.