The Top 5 Reasons Why Everyone Who Loves Beer Needs To Start Homebrewing Today
Author: artmaraut13 // Category: Wine Spirits Articles
So you’ve finally been thinking about giving homebrewing a shot. Maybe you received a Mr. Beer set as a gift, or perhaps you drove by a homebrew supply store, or maybe you’ve just been curious about all the different styles of beer that have been appearing at your local retailer lately. If you’ve gotten this far, you’ve perhaps already decided that you would like to to craft your own beer. Even if you haven’t made up your mind yet, here are 5 reasons that you should start brewing!
1. Brewing is Patriotic
“Beer is living proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.” -Ben Franklin
Making beer is a historic custom and has been expertly crafted since our young country was first charted. The Founding Fathers themselves had been enthusiastic beer drinkers, and a number of of the ideals set forth within the US Constitution were debated over pints of beer at the community pub. By making your own beer, you are saying NO to unreasonable taxation. Beer and other alcoholic beverages are one of the most highly taxed products in many states of the US, but creating your own beer is 100% alcohol tax free. Furthermore, a large percentage of the raw materials such as barley and hops available to homebrewers are grown in the United states by small family farms. Because of this, crafting beer helps support American careers top to bottom. Farmers, truck drivers, homebrew stores, bottle makers, etc, all the way down the line.
2. Making Your Own Beer Can Save You Cash
In addition to cutting costs on heavily taxed store bought beer, brewing your own is more budget friendly than buying it. One of the largest reasons for this is transportation cost. Beer is 99% water, and every gallon of H2O weighs roughly 7 pounds. A truckload filled with beer is incredibly heavy, and it costs a lot to haul around. When you make your own beer, you supply all of the water, and for that reason are able to remove a large amount of the transportation costs. Investing in a quality brewing ingredient kit will normally cost about $30-$40, and will make approximately 5 gallons of refreshing beer. Let’s take a quick look at the math:
5 gallons = 640 oz.
640 oz. divided by 12= roughly 53 bottles of beer (12 oz. bottles)
$40 divided by 53 bottles = right around .75 cents per bottle or $4.50 per six pack
If you’ve ever purchased a 6 pack of quality micro-brewed beer, you appreciate that it’s going to cost at least $7, if not more. Even the most inexpensive light beers cost more than $4.50 per six pack.
3. Brewing at Home is Less Difficult Than You Think
Many people often believe that making your own beer is not easy. Because they’ve never learned about how beer is made, they assume that there would be voodoo enchantment and a large amount of of intricate steps involved in the making of beer. Brewing beer is in fact a really uncomplicated process! Essentially you make a big batch of barley tea, toss in a few hops for flavor, add yeast, kick back, and let the yeast do the rest of the work. Sound simple? It really is. Of course there is plenty of craft and fine distinction involved in the making of beer, but the main process never changes.
One of the old wives tales that many people still believe is that if they screw the brewing process up somehow, that the beer will make them ill (or even go blind!). In fact, both of those rumors are absolutely not true! Beer has been crafted successfully for hundreds of years, way earlier than humans even knew what microorganisms and hygiene were. In many areas of medieval Europe, beer was the only liquid that was consumed for the reason that it was actually SAFER than the contaminated drinking water. So if you’ve heard the rumor that brewing is difficult or hazardous, think again!
4. Creating Beer is a Pleasurable and Addictive Hobby
There’s something that’s very awesome about sipping on a beer that YOU made. Although brewing does take a little bit of work and a good amount of patience, the completed results can’t be beat. Because of the wide variety of ingredients, yeasts, and homebrewing methods accessible, each beer is just a little bit distinctive. Like a pro chef or a starving artist, you strive to perfect your craft and make the beer consistently delicious. Having it turn out just the way you wanted it is a challenge, and the process of education and perfection makes it all the more gratifying.
5. Brewing Will Turn You Into a Beer Connoisseur! (and Earn Admiration Amongst Your Peers)
OK, so maybe you won’t develop into an expert. Not initially at least. As a fervent homebrewer myself, I can be evidence of the fact that your homies (particularly your male friends) will be in slight wonderment and respect when you pour them a sample of your beer. Beer is manly, and Crafting beer is MANLY in all caps! (There are some awesome female homebrewers out there as well, but the activity is commonly dominated by men)
Also, if you’re curious to learn more about beer in general, this is the best way. By “getting beneath the hood” and seeing how it all comes together, you’ll possess a newfound reverence and admiration for craft brewed beers. With enough practice, you may even be capable of pick out specific ingredients within the beer (malt and hop varieties, candi sugars, etc) You will also be much more attuned to flaws within the beer itself. Countless people new to the homebrew world are astonished to learn how skunky and full of off flavors that certain brands of imported green bottle beer are.
So, if you were still on the fence about homebrewing, now you have 5 excellent reasons to get on track. Get yourself down to the homebrew store, grab some equipment and fresh ingredients, and start making your own beer!
If you would like to learn more about how to make your own beer, visit my website at: http://make-your-own-beer.org
