How do I get started home brewing my own beer?
I’m a biochemistry/[organic] chemistry enthusiast, and I was just wondering how I can go about getting start in the art of home brewing. Obviously it takes years to begin and there are various kits I can buy, but I just want an expert opinion basically pointing me in the right direction. So how do I begin?
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Dude, a friend had me check this website out for home brew tips and talk… it really does help to have a forum.
http://www.homebrewtalk.com/
If you live in the uk go to Wilkinsons they have a big range of homebrew kits including the plastic barrels etc & much cheaper
http://www.wilkinsonplus.com/bin/venda?ex=co_wizr-locayta&template=wz_locayta&pageno=1&perpage=10&collate=pdxttype%3Apdxtcolourn%3Apdxtbrandn%3Apdxtsizen&threshold=43&fieldrtype=type&termtextrtype=invt&typertype=exact&typekeywordsearch=keyword&termtextkeywordsearch=brew&searchsubmit.x=8&searchsubmit.y=11
Ideally you’ll have a homebrew supply store near you. You can often (though not always) get a lot of good information and advice from them. If you don’t have a local homebrew store then you’ll want to purchase equipment and ingredients online; Beer, Beer, and More Beer and Northern Brewer are two good choices.
You’ll want to purchase a kit. It’s easiest to start with a malt extract partial mash recipe so purchase a kit that comes with ingredients for that type of brewing.
A lot of brewers will push you to buy the book The Complete Joy of Homebrewing by Charlie Papazian. Most of the information is good but the techniques and equipment are pretty dated. It’s a good read but I would pick it up at the library rather than waste money buying it. John Palmer’s How to Brew website and book are good. Rec.crafts.brewing on usenet is a great place to ask questions.
My best advice is to keep it simple and keep it clean. A lot of homebrewers are gadget freaks and they spend tons of money and time developing brewing systems usually without making better beer. The second part is the most important though. Everything that comes into contact with the beer has to be clean and sanitized. If it’s not clean it can’t be sanitized.
It doesn’t take years to begin. You can dive right in. I started with a Brewers’ Best equipment kit and a copy of Papazian’s book. You can find sources of supplies and equipment through http://byo.com. Check the list of advertisers and the readers’ resources button.
Your particular interest suggests that you might get some enjoyment out of the book Brew Chem 101. It is always on eBay for about $10 plus shipping. Check the BYO archived articles too.