Quick Tips For Getting Started Home Brewing

It can seem daunting from the outset but do you know how satisfying it is to kick back with a coldie that you’ve brewed from scratch? The effort you put into brewing your own beer is instantly negated after your first sip. To get started with a small, trial brew you do need to make an initial outlay of cash but the cost can be dispersed amongst future brews (diminishing costs – woohoo!)

If you drink crown sealed longnecks or stubbies, save them. You don’t want to have to go out and purchase bottles for your first brew – you may want to splash on some 750mL swing tops further down the track but for now you can purchase crown caps and a capper on the cheap. It might be worth your while to pick up a small home brew kit for anywhere from $50 (ALDI) or $150 (your local brew shop) which gives you the basics to get started. Think about it like this; a case of the very best (VB) is pushing $50 these days, a crafty Little Creatures is $75. Your home brew kit is going to make up to a few cases of the most satisfying stuff you’ll ever try, and better yet – it will pay for itself right from the get go. Ensure your kit has a fermenter, stirrer, air lock, extraction tap for easily pouring off your brew, sterilisation solution (a must!) & crown capper.

Now from here; you’ve got a decision to make. Are you going to take the easy route and use a pre-made wort? You can pick up a Coopers or Brigalow wort for anywhere from $10-$15 – this is also the cheapest way to go about things. If you want to take the rewarding route, head to your local brew shop and pick up 3x60g packets of frozen hops (frozen hops keep for a while and enable you to play around with the hop varieties and pitching times a little more), a 1kg bag of malt, and a packet of Ale Yeast. Adding the different strains of hops at different times lets you play around with the bitterness and ‘hoppiness’ to no end. There are endless recommended recipes and timings for pitching the hops at different times so check out some online forums on this and let the games begin.

MyBottleShop.com.au has a range of Home Brew Books.