Getting Started

For me it all started on Christmas morning, 2007. My sister and her husband got me a homebrew equipment kit and a recipe kit for gifts. At first I was kind of skeptical: I had a Beer Machine in college and the results were less than stellar, and this think had all kids of stuff that I had only seen in chemistry lab in high school, but I figured I would give it a shot.

A couple weeks after Christmas, I had acquired a 20qt stainless steel brew kettle and read and re-read Charlie Papazian's "The Complete Joy of Homebrewing", I was ready. Using the recipe instructions and the small booklet that came with the kit, I cleaned, sanitized, cleaned again, and re-sanitized all of the beer making equipment I had. And then I started...

Am I glad I did!! This is turning out to be a very rewarding hobby. One that I whose "fruits" I can truly enjoy and share with others. I have even, perhaps unfortunately, turned into something of a "beer snob". I can't down a Coors Light anymore without wondering what kind of hops they use, or asking where the flavor is.

For anyone who is considering getting into this hobby, I say do it. Beginning equipment kits can be had for around $70 and recipe kits that can deliver excellent quality beer can be had for around $30. Give it a try and you may never have, or want, to buy beer again.