An introduction to brewing good beer at home.
Like many of us lads and lasses I enjoy a glass of beer. Unfortunately, most of us live on an average kind of wage, we have bills to pay, and the kids would like their birthday and Christmas presents and a holiday during the summer.
Which brings me to the price of beer.
At the time of writing, a pint of practically any beer in the pubs is about three pounds, more in London and the centre of some other cities. Beer in the supermarkets can be considerably cheaper if you can catch the special offers, but the Government is apparently determined to stamp out the specials,and make sure we get charged top dollar.
The answer is to brew your own!
I remember years ago, in the seventies, home brewed beer was all the rage. I made it, my dad made it, our mates made it, and it all had one thing in common. It mostly tasted like rancid dingo pee.
Bear in mind, the average fermenting vessel was a coloured plastic dustbin and lid, with a towel draped over the top to keep the flies out. Food grade plastic it wasn't!
The kits were generally awful too (mentioning no names). Looking back, I wonder why we bothered. But it was cheap, so that probably swung it.
Some of the manufactures are still around today, but their products have improved immensely, so even an absolute beginner can now produce a very drinkable brew with only the minimum of equipment.
If you get bitten by the homebrewing bug, the ultimate in home produced beer is to use the all grain method, the same as the commercial brewers do.
Obviously more equipment will be required, but the end result will be top quality beer costing between 20 and 30 pence a pint. If you are in the habit of knocking back a few pints, you will soon recoup the outlay.
How to make beer and where to get the ingredients and equipment.
If you have never brewed before, this could be the start of an interesting and rewarding hobby. I will do my best to tell you how to go about things, plus point you towards the best places to buy your stuff from.
Rest assurred that the methods of brewing that I talk about on this site are tried and tested, so with a little care you could soon be enjoying your first home brewed beer.
Cheers!