Home brewing - How to brew your own beer at home

by Marshall Brain

Think about the Beer you buy at the store. There are the big national brands like Bud, Miller and Coors. There are the national specialty beers like Samuel Adams. You may be able to find local micro brews at the store, but more often you will have to travel to the local microbrewery.

But have you ever thought about making your own beer at home? It's called Home Brewing and it is an incredibly popular hobby. It's a little like cooking at home, although a bit more complicated. And the first time you do it, home brewing can be a little intimidating. That's where an all-in-one kit comes in. It let's you get started in home brewing as easily as possible. Here is one of the more popular all-in-one home brew starter kits you can buy. The whole process takes about 20 days:

This kit makes about 22 liters of beer (about 5 and a half gallons), and it really doesn't get any easier than this.

About a week later it is time to bottle the beer. That process is demonstrated here:

If you want to be a little more DIY, you can buy your own equipment. Here's a nice introduction to what you need to buy:

See also:

Both of these videos use malt extract. The extract is essentially sugar syrup (or powder) made from malted barley. This is the easiest way to make home brew beer, but is eschewed by many as unauthentic. If you want to be more authentic, then you start with malted grain instead of malt extract. Here is an example: