Home Brewing

As you research and learn about home brewing, it is important to know that there is no one set way to go about it. There are some steps of the brewing and fermenting process that must be followed properly in order to make beer. However, part of the appeal of home brewing is the fact that there are a wide variety of beer styles, recipes, ingredients and brewing methods to make beer.

You can learn a lot about the home brewing process by visiting a local beer supply store, home brewing websites and forums online, and by visiting local home brewing club meetings in your town. One of the greatest benefits of home brewing is the social aspect, and you can end up having a notebook full of ideas for beer batches. You will likely have enough ideas to keep you occupied for months, and you may never run out of ideas for new approaches, recipes, and styles of home made beers for yourself and to share with family and friends.

If you are just getting started with home brewing, one of the best ways to start with minimal investment is to start with an all-in-one beer machine. This takes up minimal space, is cheap and less messy. Beer machines simplify the process of home brewing, and allow you to test the hobby out to see if it is something you will enjoy for years to come. The machine comes with a set of ingredients for one batch of beer, and the equipment is automated so the rookie brewer move through the brewing and fermenting process with ease, and be able to enjoy home made beer a few weeks later. Equipment kits are another way to get started, for a little more of an investment. These are perfect if you are certain you want to enjoy home brewing for years to come, and a basic kit has everything you need to get started home brewing. You can upgrade or add on other equipment as you go along, and these kits will give you years of usage. You can always continue to brew using the beer machines, and many brewers do so. But, after a few batches, you may decide to upgrade to a kit.

Even experienced home brewers can try new challenges. There are many options for the method of brewing beer, and each variation gives the brewer more flexibility and choices that will affect the final beer. Each method involves a little more effort in the process, so it is best to research them in advance so that you are familiar with the requirements of these methods.

For beginners, it is common to start with the extract brewing method. Actually, you will start with ingredient kits, a simplified form of extract brewing. But, if you extract brew using recipes as opposed to kits, you can still produce great beers. You still can control what style of beer you brew, as well as the flavor profile and characteristics you desire.

You can continue with extract brewing for some time, and many brewers only extract brew. But many brewers look for another challenge, and desire to make a wider range of beer styles and flavors. They next try steeping, partial mash brewing, and all grain brewing. Each is a little more complex and take longer to complete the brewing process. But each offers more flexibility in making beer, and allows the brewer greater control over the final beer flavor and characteristic profile. It is up to you where to start, as well as what path you take along the way. You can learn a lot about home brewing by networking with other brewers. But you will probably not get bored with home brewing because there are so many ways to make great beer at home.

Assembling the equipment and the ingredients to make beer is a cut and dried operation.  The process of  home brewing  isn't really a mystery.  That is one of the reasons that home brewing has become so popular.  Because you can get set up to brew beer at home with a relatively low investment in equipment and ingredients, it's easy to get started on home brewing  your own beer.  And when you finish that first batch and it is stored away to be sampled in a few weeks, the excitement that you soon will be drinking your own beer is a unique feeling and one you want to repeat often.

Once you have confirmed that you can indeed make beer, the next question comes up is - can you make GOOD beer?   When you tasted that first batch, you were pretty excited because it really was beer.  But you may have noticed some aspects of the beer you would like to improve.  The beer may have been too bitter or have too strong a hops flavor.  The clarity of the beer may have been imperfect or you could see stuff floating around in your beer. 

But these flaws are acceptable at first because they drive you to want to become a better beer maker.  You want your beer to be so flavorful and enjoyable to drink that your guests say its as good or better than store bought beer and that it even lives up to the quality at the local brew pub.  That’s a tall order but part of the fun of home brewing is to strive for those goals.  To get there, some of the tricks that the old pros of home brewing know will help a lot.  Some of their wisdom can help you move from a rookie beer maker into the ranks of people and actually know what they are doing.

Most recipes for home brewing call for making a batch of five gallons of beer.  That's a lot of beer.  So sometimes home brewers try to cut the batch to make less beer.  It's done with good intent.  It's hard to store five gallons of beer.  And if you don't drink your own beer up pretty fast (or give it away), the beer can go stale or bad which is hard to watch happen to "your" beer.   But old pros tell us don't cut the batch and go ahead and make beer up five gallons at a time.  You need that quantity to get the full value out of the brewing process.  And it's hard to adjust the recipes for a smaller batch which means that there is a good chance you will end up with a beer that does not have the right balance of malt, hops and yeast.  The outcome can be a beer that is difficult or impossible to drink and it all gets thrown out.  Better to make five gallons of good beer than three gallons of undrinkable brew.

The more you study and learn about beer making, the better you will become at home brewing.  Don't just go from the instructions that come with the equipment.  Sink your teeth into learning all you can.  The beer you make will benefit from the homework you do.  And you will have more fun too.

Just as it's not advisable to cut the size of any batch of home made beer you produce, also avoid cutting corners in terms of time or clean up.  Sometimes it seems that boiling the beer in progress which is called the "wort" for an hour to an hour and a half seems like a lot.  But the long boiling time helps the ingredients mesh in just the right way.  It also boils off bad elements of the mixture that you don't want in the beer and it brings out the flavors of the malt, the grains and the hops so you are getting the best of those ingredients.  Finally, don’t be worried about being too fussy about cleanliness.  Keeping your boiling pots and fermentation tanks absolutely clean and sterile assures that nothing will get into the beer except that pure wort that you so carefully brewed. So go ahead and be fussy.  The beer you make will be better if you are.

Many factors may influence you to try beer brewing. It is likely that at some point you realized that you too could make a good beer. Perhaps it was after tasting an import beer, or trying a micro brew beer and realizing how much it cost you to buy that beer. You figure the beer tasted good, but was pretty expensive. You may have thought there had to be a way to make that beer and not cost so much. If you have had that thought, then you are on your way yo getting started home beer brewing.

There is a vast community of beer lovers worldwide. And there is a growing number of people beer brewing at home. It is almost a shame that there is so much mass produced beer, but then there are many beer lovers that do not wish to try beer brewing. But that is also ok, because you are not one of them. You have decided to give it a try, and you will be rewarded.

 Beer brewing is not too difficult, and making good beer is relatively easy to do. As long as you want to learn how to make great beer, this is an easy hobby to get started in. There is a learning curve, as well as some basic fundamentals, but this can be one of the most enjoyable learning processes you ever experience.

The best part is the fact that there is no one way to make beer. So many different variables exist--different beer brewing methods, and a variety of ingredients to use as well as ways to combine them, that you will constantly learn new facets of this hobby. This keeps things interesting and allows you find what ways best fit you so that your beer brewing experience will be the most enjoyable to you. The basic ingredients for beer brewing are yeast, water, hops, and grains. How you combine them has almost endless possibilities, resulting in a wide range of possible finished beers. No matter how you mix the ingredients, you can use the same equipment and process to achieve the desired end result. With all the possibilities, it is just a matter of getting started.

Research online to learn about all of the possibilities. Through it all, you will start to see which ways appeal the most to you, and that will help you determine what you need to get started. More experienced "beer purists" may advocate that you start off a certain way, and that you will need expensive equipment or ingredients in order to make great beer. 

However, this isn't true. There are many ways to make good beer, and you can start simple and cheap and still make great beer. Take advantage of more experienced home brewers, both online and locally, and seek out differing opinions. You will see there is no "right" way to do it--just find what works for you. Plus, the various opinions will only teach you more and make you a better brewer. But the key thing to remember is at first, you are simply trying to master the basics of beer brewing.

 Keep it simple to start, once you have the fundamentals down, then you can look to expand and experiment. There is no need to break the bank getting started. A simple, inexpensive starter equipment kit is more than sufficient, and will get you through many batches over time. You will quickly learn that making small, simple adjustments can have dramatic impacts on your beers flavor, so spending a bunch of money is not a prerequisite for making great beer.

Once you have some batches under your belt, then you can look to spend some money to try different things. You will also have more knowledge and be better able to determine where that money is best spent to improve the quality of your beer and your beer brewing experience.

The purpose of your first few batches is to learn the process. You are not trying to make the best beer you ever had. Rather, you simply want to make something that is drinkable. You have plenty of time to hone your skills and eventually become a "beer purist".

Then you can worry about being particular over your beer. In the meantime, enjoy the learning curve, and getting your feet wet. There is no shame in starting with a basic starter kit. Remember, all home brewers have to start somewhere, including the "purists"!

The best thing about the kits is that they come with everything you need to produce a batch of beer. You don't have to worry about anything, other than learning the process of beer brewing. Once you have that solid foundation, then you can really have fun experimenting with new ingredients and different processes. Remember, you have to walk before you can run. But once you learn to walk in beer brewing, you may never stop running.

There are many reasons and advantages to learn how to make beer, so go ahead, and jump right in! First, it can be cheaper than buying commercially produced beers. Plus, you can make beer that is much better. Producing beer will cost you money, especially when you are first getting started learning how to make beer. However, over time, you will recoup the costs. It will also be an enjoyable experience learning how to make beer, so money spent will be a worthwhile investment of your time, money and effort.

Second, learning how to make beer presents many different ways and approaches to making beer, so it is a constant learning experience. This hobby turns into an obsession for many, and can provide you with a pastime that you will become passionate about. Third, home brewing is environmentally friendly. Large scale commercial breweries require large machinery to produce beer. These machines require energy to run. These burning fuels contribute to green house gasses and emissions. The breweries also rely on transportation to distribute the beer, and this also requires fuel burning.

 If you learn how to make beer at home, you will not likely cause the downfall of these large breweries, but at least you can say you are doing your part to go green.

Fourth, in learning how to make beer you can make the process personalized to suit your tastes and preferences. You can determine what types of beers you make. Whatever qualities you like about beer are what you can strive for in your home brewing. You can experiment with different ingredients and methods as you learn more about how to make beer, and this will allow you to brew many types of different beers that aren't available from the mass produced beer companies.

 Fifth, sharing your home brew with others will make you more popular. Your friends will be impressed with your results and wish they could make delicious beer themselves. At the very least, they will enjoy drinking good quality beer.  And this is one of the best benefits of learning how to make beer. The personal satisfaction of creating something that you and others enjoy. Plus, the feeling of achievement when you are recognized by peers as someone that has the ability to make delicious beer.

As a result, they will look at you as the brewmaster, and will look forward to trying whatever brews you come up with next. If you simply give away your home brew, you will be very popular. However, they may want you to brew beers for special occasions, and this might lead to making some money off of your home brew.

You could even wind up with a small business endeavor, and then you would actually make some money home brewing. However, this shouldn't be the only reason you learn how to make beer. Otherwise, you may not enjoy this hobby the way you should.

Finally, there is the challenge to learning how to make beer. There are many different ways to make beer, and there are many mistakes you can make along the way. However, sometimes the mistakes make the best beer. Home brewing allows for you to constantly try new things, or, if you reach a comfortable point, you can decide to simply brew the same delicious batches of beer over and over, and not try to continually experiment and progress into different brewing approaches.

No matter which way you go, you will have a challenge to tackle, and the satisfaction of knowing that you figured out how to do something, and do it well. No matter the reason you decide to learn how to make beer, there is one simple reason you should give it a shot. Why not?

One of the best things about learning how to make beer is that you can be a good brewer at first, and become a great brewer with time. You can make good batches almost every time, but you will also see ways to improve your craft as you progress. An important part of learning how to make beer is networking with other home brewers--either online or with local home brewer associations (or, both). This way you can learn tips, tricks, shortcuts as well as what mistakes to avoid (and how to avoid them). This will shorten the learning curve and allow you to improve your skills faster.

One key thing to learn about how to make beer is a rule that applies to cooking as well as how to make beer: the quality of beer depends on the quality of ingredients that go into it. Fresher ingredients are better. One of the first things you can do to improve the quality and flavor of your beer is the yeast you use. If you start with a beer ingredient kit, you might be better of purchasing some fresher yeast. You can also opt to use a liquid yeast, as this can be an improvement over dry yeast. You can also look to upgrade all of the other ingredients as well, including the hops, grains and any other perishables that you might use.

It is important that you properly store and care for your ingredients. It is best to only but the ingredients you need, and to purchase them the day you plane to brew. Try to use up all the ingredients up for the batch so you do not have any leftovers. Over time, you will get the feel for how much of each ingredient you need, so that you can purchase just enough for that batch without any waste.

This way you can always brew with the freshest ingredients possible. Of course, this method is the ideal way to brew, but may not  be the most practical. If you have a local home brewing supply store close by, then this can work great. But, if you don't, then you will likely have to purchase ingredients online. This can get expensive either way, and often, you can save money by buying ingredients in bulk.

This works fine, but you just have to be extra careful in storing your ingredients, and try to use them up over a short amount of time instead of just letting them spoil. Using your fridge or freezer helps to slow down the aging, and allows you to store ingredients longer. Grains and yeast you can keep in the fridge, the rest should go into the freezer.

Temperature control is important for how to make beer, and something that experienced home brewers know has a big impact on their beers. Temperature control comes into play many times during the how to make beer process. First, during the boiling of the wort. You have to get it up to a boil, although in all grain brewing and steeping, you are not actually boiling.

Once you have your wort at the proper temperature, you have to cool it down quickly. This part of the process is important. Getting it to proper temperature initially and then dropping the temperature are critical to warding off contaminants, and also affect the clarity of your beer.

Once you have your beer in the fermenter, it is also important to maintain a constant temperature within the recommended range. For many brewers just learning how to make beer, this step too often is overlooked. If you ferment at too high or too low a temperature, you can ruin your beer. If the temperature fluctuates constantly throughout fermentation, this can also negatively impact your beer's flavor.

Many home brewers have learned that by maintaining constant, proper temperature during fermentation greatly improves the resulting beer.

You may not take this step when you are first learning how to make beer, but at some point it can be a great way to better your brewing. Many brewers actually purchase or make some sort of fermentation cabinet especially for the purpose of ensuring that their fermentation temperatures remain consistent. You can buy a fridge or freezer and add a temperature control device, as well as a converter kit.

 Or, there are several DIY possibilities, ranging from dirt cheap to top of the line expensive. However, if you are just starting to learn how to make beer, there are many ways you can maintain fermentation temperatures without having to buy or make any specialized equipment.  Find a cool spot in your home--a closet or basement work well.

You can wrap the fermenter in wet towels or t shirts to cool. You can do what is known as a swamp cooler. Place the fermenter in a tub and fill with water. You might need to add ice to the water, depending on how hot it is.

 If you need to keep the fermenter warm, you can wrap it in blankets, and use an electric blanket if necessary.

It probably comes as no surprise that home brewing is a fast growing hobby. As long as there are beer lovers that enjoy drinking beer, it is a safe bet that home brewing will continue to gain and maintain popularity. And seeing as how people have enjoyed beer for centuries,  that seems likely to continue. So, just what makes home brewing so popular? There are many reasons home brewing lures in so many enthusiasts. For many people, it comes down to several personal reasons. But, there are a couple health benefits as well! 

Obviously, the most popular reasons have to do with personal choices. Nothing beats the satisfaction of knowing you did it yourself. You took on a challenge and succeeded. And the best part, you can thoroughly enjoy your success, the fruits of your labor.  Many people enjoy trying something new, and once learning the basics, trying to expand and learn new ways to do something.

Home brewing is perfect for those curiosity and adventure seekers. There are so many ways to make beer, it is unlikely that you will master them all, let alone get bored.

It is a great sense of accomplishment to produce your own beer, and to make something better than what you can buy. It is also fun to be able to share your beer with friends. This is an added benefit--a way to share with others and enjoy the social aspect of home brewing.

This can take home brewing beyond a mere hobby, and as a way to bond with people. Not only can you share your delicious home brew with friends, you can bring it along to parties and gatherings. Your brew will be the topic of conversation, and you as well since you are the person that made (and brought) this to the party.

Home brewing is also a good hobby for people who are generally busy. Constant monitoring isn't necessary with home brewing. It takes some time to set up the home brewing process, and to make the beer itself, but once you have it in the fermenter, you can basically set it and forget it.

Finally, there are health benefits to home brewing. If you have to move some heavy equipment, such as a full carboy or a full keg, then you can get a workout doing so! But seriously, there are some health benefits to home brewing. Beer can actually be good for you, in moderation, of course. Some studies suggest that one or two glasses of beer can be good for your health.

Home brews can reduce hangovers in two different ways. First, because they contain large quantity of yeast that is rich in Vitamin B, a vitamin that helps reduce hangovers. Also, your home brew will not contain any preservatives, and likely no adjuncts, and these are what contribute to hangovers when you drink mass produced beers.

It should come as no surprise at the popularity of home brewing. There are many obvious reasons, but if for no other reason, it is a way to enjoy delicious beer!

Chances are good that you've seen some beer commercials on tv. Many times these ads advertise beer that is "full bodied". Beer lovers everywhere enjoy full bodied beers, and commercial breweries make sure the beer drinking public knows that full bodied beers are what they make. So, what exactly is a full bodied beer?

In the beer brewing world, a full bodied beer has complex character, better head retention and better taste. This can be accomplished by raising the gravity of the beer without sacrificing the fermentation process. The beer can be enhanced with the addition of more sugar or protein.

If you are getting started beer brewing, then you should aim to produce full bodied beer. Here are some tips to help you produce a better home brew when beer brewing.

Use caramalized and roasted malts. These will aid in enhancing the mouthfeel of your beer. The key lies in the dextrins, which are present in the caramalized and roasted malts.

You can also add more unmalted grains to the mix. These unmalted grains will not add any fermentable sugars, so they won't influence the flavor. However, they will add more proteins, which affect the mouthfeel of the beer. But you need to know a little about what you are doing when adding these additional grains. Too much and you can adversely affect the clarity of your beer. These protein grains are better off being used with darker beers, so that your brew doesn't wind up cloudy.

Another way to improve the body of your beer is temperature. Specifically, a higher mashing temperature. When you mash at a higher temperature, there will be a larger amount of sugar in your beer. Finally, to achieve a more full bodied beer, it is best to use a yeast strain with low attenuation. These strains only consume a small amount of complex sugar. This results in a beer with a high final gravity, which means a fuller bodied beer in the end. The recommended attenuation should not exceed 70 percent, as anything higher can lead to problems for your beer.

Keep these tips in mind when you start getting into partial mash and all grain brewing, as these will help improve the quality of beers you make. These are just a few simple tweaks you can make in home brewing that will make noticeable improvements to your beer.

One of the steps in the home brewing process is the transferring of your beer. You first transfer the wort into the fermenter, and then when the fermentation process is complete, you transfer your beer into bottles so you can enjoy and share your brew. Bottling can be messy, but it is just another important step to learn as you master the process of home brewing. There will probably come a time that you will consider taking the next step in home brewing, and that is kegging your beer as opposed to bottling it. If you are looking into taking this next step, you will want to know what additional costs and what additional steps are involved before taking the plunge.

Kegging will cost you some money, and can be expensive to start. Kegging requires more home brewing equipment, starting with CO2 tanks, kegs themselves, and a kegerator of some sort to store the kegs and keep them at a constant temperature. However, these costs are upfront, and prove to be good investments over time. Once you have some home brewing experience under your belt, you will be able to determine if this is the right move for you.

However, this can improve your home brewing experience, so for many home brewers, this is simply a step in the progress of their passion and enjoyment. It is probably a good idea to make sure everyone in the household is on board, especially a significant other or spouse. Chances are, they have already been through this before, when you first started home brewing. Kegging can actually be a natural part of the progression of home brewing. As this hobby becomes an obsession, your quality of home brew will improve, and you may find that your home brewing demand this next step.

As well as cost consideration, it is important to assess how much space you will need for kegging. Along with the additional equipment, you will need either refrigerator space or a kegerator. A kegerator is smaller than a fridge and designed specifically to store one or more kegs. A cheaper option is to take and old fridge and buy a conversion kit so that the fridge essentially becomes a kegerator--this is a great option if you have an old fridge out in the garage. If you like to entertain and host many gatherings and parties (or would like to), then this option is a no brainer.

Kegging gets rid of the fuss and hassle associated with bottling. Rather than have to deal with cleaning and sanitizing cases of bottles and finding a place to store them, and then keeping up with the empties after use, you can have all your beer in one spot ready to be dispensed whenever you want. Kegging also gives you better control over the levels of carbonation in your beer. This gives you more options in the variety of styles and flavors of beers you can produce.

Even if you decide to keg your beer, you can still bottle if you wish. For one, you will still have the bottles around. You can still bottle beer for gifts, or to be able to take with you to parties and other social gatherings. Of course, you can always take a long a keg, but that isn't always convenient. Bottles still give you another way to take along your favorite beer when you can't take along a keg. Kegging is something to seriously consider if you really enjoy home brewing. The expense will soon prove to be a worthwhile investment to your home brewing experience.

One reason to learn how to make beer is to learn about all of the many grains and ingredients that are available to produce great beers. When you are first getting started learning how to make beer, there is a lot of resources available for learning. There are numerous websites, blogs, articles and forums online to provide you with information about how to make beer.  Locally, you can see if there is an association of home brewers to network with. 

This will give you in depth explanations about what grains work best for which type of beer. Brewing with grains is not something you will likely start off with when you are first learning how to make beer, but at some point you may decide to give it a try. Here are some of the basics you need to know to brew using grains.

Grains are key in the making of beer, and are a huge factor in the overall flavor profile of a beer. Flavors can vary greatly based upon which malt(s) you use, as well as the process of malting and brewing you use. There is a huge variety of grains that are used for making beer, and the good thing about this is that you have so many different ones you can utilize.

There are an almost endless amount of flavor combinations you can produce. This can seem daunting at first, however this allows the home brewer the ability to experiment with different grains to see which ones appeal the most to you, and will help you develop a home brew that is uniquely you. Fortunately, recipes for these grains are easy to find, and can help serve as guides during the learning curve.

It is important to understand how malting works.

You will probably not actually take your grains through the malting process yourself, but it helps to actually understand how this process works, and why there is such a variety of outcomes to this process. This will help you when you are purchasing malts, so that you will know which ones will give you the color, flavor, and intensity that you wish to produce in your final beer.

The malting process starts with the grain that will be malted. The most common grains used for beer are barley, wheat and rye, but other grains can be used. The seeds of the grain are steeped and germinated, and this begins the active part of the malting and brewing process. Germination is when the seed sprouts and releases stored energy. This energy is designed to start the growth process of the seed, and is used to convert into malt mash that will be used to make beer.

During germination of the grains, the stored energy is changed as it is released. The starches within the seeds are converted into sugars by enzymes, and these sugars are very important to the process of how to make beer. At this point in germination, the process is suspended. Kilns are used to dry the grains, and the sugars and enzymes that were active remain in the malt to be used during the brewing process.

This is a simplified explanation of the malting process, but it gives you a background on where the grains come from and the process they must go through to become grains for brewing. Extract brewing does not use actual grains, but the malt extract used is extracted from this malt in either liquid or dry form. Understanding the malting process will allow you to have a better understanding of the grains that will eventually become your beer. Learning all you can about malt will make you a better home brewer, and will produce better beers.

If you are reading this article, then there is a good likelihood that you are thinking about learning how to make beer. Learning how to make beer is a fun hobby to try, and it can be very rewarding as well. You can make beer that is better than what you find at the grocery store, and you can impress your friends. You don't have to be a brewmaster to make good beer, but with a little practice, you can become  a great home brewer, and all of your friends will want you to teach them how to make beer like you do.

In order to learn how to make beer and do it well, you need to first master the basics of home brewing. If you are just getting started learning how to make beer, then you probably have many questions. Here are some of the most common questions those wanting to learn about how to make beer have, and some information to help answer these questions.

For those just starting to brew, what types of beers are recommended?

There are a wide variety of beers that you can produce, and the differences in them are essentially the ingredients used. Different grains and a variety of hops and yeast strains can be combined into an almost endless variety of beers. However, beginning brewing usually starts with extract brewing because it is a stripped down, simpler form of brewing. You will not likely start brewing using grains, and probably not hops either.

Instead, you will probably start with a beer ingredient kit that comes with malt extract as opposed to grains, and it will be pre hopped--the hops will already be added. You shouldn't worry about grains at first, as this is a little more advanced than what you should be concerned with when you are first learning how to make beer.

But these kits come in a wide variety of flavors and styles, so you have many options for your first few batches. The only beers to stay away from are lagers and trying to make a version of your favorite commercially mass produced beer.

Lagers involve a little more effort to produce, and therefore shouldn't be attempted on your first few tries.

Mass produced beers are actually harder beers to make simply because they are lighter in both color and flavor, which leaves very room for error. If there are any flaws in your beer, they will be easily exposed. Other beer varieties can help mask any imperfections much easier.

How much money do I need to get started brewing?

Your initial costs to learn how to make beer will be for the beer brewing equipment, and the ingredients. You have many options as far as equipment, but starting kits are easy to find and not too expensive. You have all in one kits which are cheap and do not take up much space, and you also have component kits that contain the bare essentials you need to learn how to make beer. You can get started beer brewing for under $100.

As far as ingredients go, there are also ingredient kits available for new brewers, which have all the items you need to produce a batch of brew. These can be purchased for under $50. Ingredient costs can change, depending on what type of brewing you do. After a few batches of kit brewing, many home brewers start brewing in more advanced styles--partial mash brewing and all grain brewing. These styles allow you to mix up the ingredients you use, and instead of malt extracts, you start to incorporate grains into your brewing. There are also a wide variety of specialty ingredients you can add to the mix.

These ingredients can be more expensive than a simple ingredient kit, but these allow you to experiment with different flavors and produce a better quality brew. However, you can buy these more expensive ingredients in bulk to save money.

But these additional ingredients are a more advanced form of brewing, so this is not really a concern for someone just starting to learn about how to make beer.

Can you make money in home brewing? Most people get started learning how to make beer so that they can try something fun, and make good beer as well. In other words, the reward is in the process and the end result. But as you progress, it could be something that could lead you to dream big, and maybe want open up your own brew pub. Be sure to look into your local laws, however. It is illegal to sell home brew, and trying to open your own brew pub or brewery requires money and a lot of permits to do it legally. Do not sell your home brew is the nest advice.

You have a great recipe for beer, what now? Once you have some experience under your belt, you may try to experiment with you beers a little and try to create your own recipe. You might even find you have a knack for brewing, and your own brews are pretty good. Selling is not an option, but you can share your brew with local home brewing clubs and fellow brewers. You can also seek out trade shows and beer competitions to see how you fare against other brewers. Who knows, you may even make a brew so tasty, that some big commercial brewer decides they want to produce your beer! Hey, can't hurt to dream big can it?

Realistically, the most important lesson is to learn how to make beer for only one reason: you. It can be an enjoyable, rewarding hobby that you can share with friends. It won't cost too much money to get started, but like other hobbies and pastimes, you will find the money spent is well invested.