Home Brewing starts as a hobby and quickly becomes a way of life. Brewers love talking about their hobby with one difference from many other enthusiasts. We hand out free samples!

It’s a hobby that can be done year-round, with only the need for a warm coat and the occasional cover from rain. There are some beers that require the cooler temperatures of Fall and Winter for proper taste and alcohol content, just as other beers ferment far better in the Spring and Summer. I found Spring and Fall to be my favorite times.

I started with a home brewing kit I received as a Father’s Day gift. It’s a fun way to begin with a few simple ingredients and without making a major investment in equipment. Many of them are around $60 and come in every style, from IPAs to Stouts. Several companies also give you the option to brew up a hard cider if you have a friend who dislikes beer, but still likes to hang out for a drink. For these basic kits, you can go from stirring the wort to drinking beer in less than three weeks. The equipment is reusable, and the refill ingredients cost around $30.

Once you have the basic process down, you can start adding or modifying ingredients. Fruit is an excellent source of flavor and natural sugars that add to the overall process. Two of the best I’ve used are blueberries and raspberries.

Changing ingredients is a hit-or-miss process. As you start, go with your personal taste. IPAs are very popular, especially in these Summer months. These beers can be ‘hops heavy’, meaning the hops that add to the aroma and flavor of the beer overpower it.

The first time I tried changing the hops, I got lucky. I reduced the amount from 1.5 ounces to just one ounce. It smoothed out the sharpness of the brew, but a friend of mine, who drinks only IPAs, still called it a good beer for a hot afternoon.

You will also need distilled water. That’s distilled, not demineralized. Clean water with natural minerals provides (IMHO) a better body to the final product. Demineralized water won’t give you a bad beer, but once you’ve brewed up enough batches, you’ll realize that something is missing. Technically, you can use tap water, but it dulls the flavor and can flatten out the carbonation until it’s barely noticeable.

Regardless of which kit you choose, remember to follow the instructions, and you’ll soon have a cold beer of your creation. So go buy one, or (better still) convince a family member to make it an experiential gift! Enjoy the brewing process, and then the final product.

In our next installment of Get Your Brew On, we will be brewing from scratch!

Explore More with My Military Lifestyle and Crafts!