Unfortunately, we haven’t been doing a whole lot of home brewing lately. A lot of is because we spent a good amount of time revamping this site doing things like making our ABV Calculator, IBU Calculator, and Strike Water Temperature Calculator. Then our trip to England got in the way… after all, the whole process takes a number of weeks, so we couldn’t brew in the lead up to the trip. Then we had the trip, so we couldn’t brew there. Hopefully we’ll get a good brew in soon!

Until then, we’re spending a lot of time thinking about home brewing and dreaming about our next brew day! So we’ve though of 10 great things about home brewing. We can dream for now…

10 Great Things About Home Brewing

  1. You get lots of beer –  this is a bit of a given… A standard batch of beer will give give about three slabs (give or take), and that’s a lot of beer. Home brewing is fun, beer is tasty, so the whole hobby is a win-win.
  2. Learning about beer – there’s no better way to learn about beer than to make it yourself. Home brewing isn’t terribly difficult, but it allows people to learn about the different ingredients in beer and how they work. It makes enjoying beer, whether home brewed or not, a whole lot better.
  3. Trying different styles – all beer styles are great and have their own merrits. Unfortunately some styles are less popular than others, so it may be hard to find lots of examples of these less popular styles. The answer? Make your own!
  4. Making some favourites – adding to number three, a lot of home brewers will try and clone some of their favourite recipes. Whether it’s because they’re too cheap to buy their favourite beer, or they just think they can do better, it’s often possible to make a fairly good re-creation of popular beers.
  5. Tweeking some favourites – for those who think they can do better, it’s often because home brewers feel there’s something missing in a favourite beer. Why not add that something missing and see what happens.
  6. Making your own recipes – as one gains more experience, they’ll slowly develop their own home brew recipes. These are great to just drink yourself (see Number 1), or share with friends. Everyone likes beer, so sharing with friends makes any home brewer the most popular person around!
  7. Science – home brewing isn’t just about making beer. It’s about learning about the processes that are happening as grains turn into wort then turn into beer. All the home brew equipment that home brewers accumulate adds up to some pretty cool scientific principles, and a chance to apply these things in every day life.
  8. Failure isn’te a bad thing – we’ve all had less than good batches. Any home brewer who tells you they’ve never had a bad or off batch is either lying or doesn’t know what off flavours taste like. Getting a bad batch is part of the learning process, and, if you’re lucky, it’s still plenty drinkable.
  9. Bonding with friends and family – brewing beer at home (and in a factory) takes a fair amount of time. From a full length brew day to bottling days and then just trying the stuff, it’s best done with friends or loved ones (plus having a second pair of hands is always welcome). There’s a lot of waiting though, so that allows for plenty of time to have a beer and have some quality time.
  10. It’s fun – yeah, this one is a bit of a cop-out, but it’s true.

And that’s the 10 great things about home brewing that we love. Did we miss any? Feel free to add your own reasons below.