There has to be a beginning to all interests. Homebrew is no exception.
Active in the beer world for over a decade I have witnessed many price rises happen, most commonly twice a year regardless of any government added taxation. Prices have risen by almost 53% over the past 10 years in the UK. Imported beers are now being produced under license in huge breweries and the expense of running a licensed premises has increased due to many causes, along with rises in utility bills, rateable values and the minimum wage.
Undoubtedly it is the end user of the beer that atones the bill.
The other day when spending what seemed like a small budget deficit for a round of drinks with colleagues, I thought to myself 'this is wrong - lagers made out of rubbish...'.
This was the dawning, the dawning of something incredibly good.
The next afternoon I went to my local homebrew shop. I walked through the doorway to be confronted with a massive selection of plastic barrels, buckets, tins of 'ale kits' and stands of packets of malts - all sorts of grains, additives, head retention mixes. The list never ends. In other words I felt as though I really had stepped out of my depth. The shop was full of customers. There were people enquiring about mash tuns, hop strainers and hop utilisation. I felt small and nearly ran out of the store with my newly gained bundle of homebrew befuddlement. Then I was collared...
"What can we do for you sir ?"
I hesitated - to be truthful I did not know where to commence - on the basis I had no clue to the processes of home brewing.
"I want to make my own beers" I stated "unfortunately I no nothing of the homebrew process."
There was a slight pause and I assumed that the woman was cursing my lack of research into brewing. I was incorrect.
"One moment" she reassuringly interjected and disappeared into the back of the shop returning almost immediately with a handful of instructional guides. "I will give you these pamphlets on the main ways of making beers." These contained easy to follow information on home brewing from beer kits, malt extract brewing and all grain brewing.
She advised starting with brewing from ready prepared home brew kits as this was the most simple way to start yet taught the 'must do' practises of cleaning and fermentation. They also had a ready to go homebrew bundle which contained all the tools needed - and a high price beer kit. This was starting to sound simple...
The beginners kit contained a primary fermenter bucket, a pressure barrel, a racking cane (syphon), hydrometer, thermometer, airlock, a choice of gas systems, sterilising powder and a free choice of beer kit from the shops 'premium range' with the ingredients capable of making 40 UK pints of ale.
After that she went through the full instructions of brewing with the equipment in sufficient detail, including using the hydrometer and thermometer and the option of bottling. A highly complex spiel on water then started but the little that did not go over my head was very beneficial.
I was sold but concerned about the re-usability of the supplied items in the kit particularly the pressure barrel - how many times can I us it ?
The shop assistant claimed that they prided themselves on the quality of the products they sell and that despite the barrel being known as as a budget barrel it will undoubtedly last for years (of which it has along side the other barrels I have since acquired).
OK, I have developed my hobby into All Grain brewing and still use all the original products from the starter kit. I enjoy going out to my local bars and sampling the wide variety of beers and ales available with the nose of a connoisseur. Many of my friends have now been infected by the homebrew bug and we enjoy many an merry night tasting each other's brews.
Finally...
I really have to champion the homebrew shop. It is daunting to firstly enter in there with little or no knowledge but the service you will get is without exception superb. Obviously - these people are heavily involved in the hobby themselves without a doubt and they are there to make sales.
If you are thinking about making home brew beer for yourself then take the plunge. It is not costly and quite refreshing to consider that the ale you are drinking costs only about 20-30 pence per pint. The other day I visited into a bar and was charged £3 for a pint of lager. It hurt that this cost the equivalent of ten pints of my own brew.
For an easy to follow breakdown of accoutrements required and the brewing process go to Brew Beer the easy way ! or do a google search. Just don't be reticent by your lack of knowledge of the brewing process - it is easy.
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