Let me tell you- home brew is great fun. Hands up – who tried home brewing as a teenager, stashing brews all over the place? If you haven’t had a bottle of special cider, explode in a used gin bottle, you haven’t lived. It is a blessing now though, that we have access to the best home brewing equipment available. Equipment that is much safer too. Breweries have adapted to the recent recession, allowing home brewers to produce their ales from home. The kits are safe, hygienic, and very user friendly. There are a great many forums and websites to give you a helping hand.
The cost of home breweries is pleasantly cheap too. A recent kit I bought worked out at just 20 pence ($0.50) a pint, wow! If you are feeling the pinch from the credit crunch, and you like your drink, home brewing is definitely something to consider. I have friends that spend upwards of 50 pounds on one Friday night. Home brewing might not work for them, but for me it does! For example, if you drink two bottles of wine a week, which is eight bottles in a month, you are spending probably around 40 pounds a month. If you saved half by home brewing you save 20 pounds a month. Not a fortune, but then there is the fun and control you have over have what you brew.
Designing your own brew has to be the most enjoyable part of brewing at home. Imagine with the choice of ingredients you can think up your very own unique drink. If you ever wondered what adding chocolate to a beer would do, you can probably try it. If you are a creative person you will really enjoy thinking up your own recipes. Amaze your friends with your wine making skills.
Impressing your friends is another big advantage. Imagine, lads, you have a girl over and you ask her what she wants to drink. You hope you have some wine or whatever she might like in the fridge. Better that by offering her a home brew! She’s going to be much more impressed! You are sure to impress your friends, parents and family by bottling up your home brew and giving them a spare bottle as a gift. Although it’s worth making sure you don’t make your brew too strong if the wine is for Nan!
One final advantage is you can keep massive quantities. I have had gallons stored under my stairs- enough to hold a week of parties! The average batch will let you brew around 15-30 pints. If you therefore had two or three on the go, you’d have enough for months on end. Never again would you have to pay through the nose at bars and off licenses.
