The new reality for many people right now is a lot more time spent at home. We’re looking at weeks–month maybe–of this altered lifestyle, so it’s essential to find ways to exercise the mind.
Facetiming family and consuming other-worldly amounts of Netflix have been crucial crutches. Still, it’s also important to take a break from the screens and get your creative gears cranking.
If only there was something you could do at home that was fun and resulted in… beer!
Honey, I Shrunk the Brewery
Homebrewing takes brewing beer on a commercial scale to something we can do on our stovetop or porch.
On brew day, you make the “wort”–not quite beer–by steeping and boiling combinations of grains, hops, extracts, and other ingredients.
This mixture is then fermented by yeast turning that wort into beer.
Getting Started Is Easy
Making beer is an adaptable process that can take many forms depending on your skill level and interests.
The American Homebrewers Association created a 12-minute video to show one of the easiest–and cheapest!–ways to start homebrewing using mostly kitchenware you likely already own.
Watching the video will show you the process start to finish and prepare you for your first brew day!
Creativity in Recipes
One of the best parts of making beer at home is being in control of the recipe. As a homebrewer, the sky is truly the limit when it comes to the style and ingredients you wish to pursue.
For your first batch, it can be best to pick a tried-and-true recipe to set you up for success. HomebrewersAssociation.org has a collection of proven beer recipes, including small-batch versions of some of our favorite commercially available craft beers. Brew up your own Bell’s Two Hearted Ale and see how it stands up to the real deal!
Once you get a few batches under your belt, you’ll begin to understand how to incorporate different ingredients and tweak to what you scheme up.
Get inspired by 51 Craft Beer “Clone” Recipes, 25 Award-Winning IPAs, 11 Must-Try Lagers, and 5 Fruit Beers. You can also visit the American Homebrewer Association’s library of 1,000+ tried-and-true homebrew recipes.
Be The Brewmaster
Once you take a sip of your first homebrew, you’ll be hooked. When you start planning your next brew day, head over to HomebrewersAssociation.org to find resources to bring your beer-making skills to another level. The American Homebrewers Association (AHA) has been supporting homebrewing and publishing Zymurgy magazine since 1978.
Are you ready to become a brewmaster? Start your 30-day AHA free trial to get instant access to award-winning recipes and 20 years of Zymurgy magazine digital archives.
CraftBeer.com is fully dedicated to small and independent U.S. breweries. We are published by the Brewers Association, the not-for-profit trade group dedicated to promoting and protecting America’s small and independent craft brewers. Stories and opinions shared on CraftBeer.com do not imply endorsement by or positions taken by the Brewers Association or its members.
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