Brewing isn’t just for professionals. It is easy. It’s economic. It is a fascinating, satisfying and enriching hobby. It has also become so popular that there are now practitioner clubs and networks that regularly exchange and spread ideas and information for the advancement of the art of home brewing. Through the available resources made freely available on the World Wide Web, anyone who wants to can also learn how to make their own beer at home.

For the beginner, it is always wise to start with the basics of home brewing. First, it’s important to have a general understanding of what beer is and how it’s made, along with some of the seemingly technical terms that are often used to describe the brewing process. Beer is generally defined as an alcoholic beverage made primarily from malted barley, hops, yeast, and water. Before barley, or any other source of starch, can be used to make beer, it must be “malted,” meaning it must be allowed to germinate until a certain point is reached where enough enzymes have been released to produce the ingredients. sugars that will feed the yeast to make the alcohol in the beer. Malted barley is “soaked” or dipped in boiling water to make “wort,” the liquid that contains the sugars that will be fermented to produce alcohol. Hops are then added to the boiling sugar solution to create that distinctive sour and bitter taste. The wort is cooled and yeast is added to start the fermentation process. Once fermentation is complete, which is when the liquid stops bubbling and begins to clear, you have beer that you can enjoy and share.

To make the simplest home brew, you’ll only need a few basic tools and equipment: a large broiler pot, a 10-gallon plastic bucket with a lid, a siphon with clamps, a hydrometer, a thermometer, and about a dozen plastic ones. 2 liter soda bottles with cap. Make sure everything is clean and sanitized. For the ingredients of your initial batch of beer, you will only need to use a 40 oz can of malt extract, a teaspoon of brewer’s yeast, and 6-7 cups of regular sugar. In the pot, bring 7 liters of water to a boil, then add the can of malt extract and stir uncovered. After 20 minutes, add the sugar and stir until dissolved. Pour 10 liters of fresh water into your 10 gallon plastic bucket, add the boiling 7 liter malt and sugar solution, add more fresh water until the temperature is neutral, using the thermometer to check. Sprinkle the yeast, stir well and cover the lid. Stay covered for 6-10 days, after which you can use the hydrometer to check if your beer is ready to bottle. For dark beers, the reading should be about 1.008. For light beers, it should be 1.010-1.015. Use your siphon and clamps to transfer the beer from the bucket to the bottles, being careful not to disturb the sediment at the bottom. Store bottled beer for a few days in a cool, dark place to improve flavor.

Over time, as you master your home brewing skills, you may want to start experimenting with other, more brewed beer recipes. You may also want to start investing in better and more expensive brewing tools and equipment. The BeerSmith Home Brewing blog (http://beersmith.com/blog/) is a great resource for more information on crafts, as is the Brewing Network (http://www.thebrewingnetwork.com/), which even broadcasts programs and podcasts about the homemade lifestyle.