How did you get started homebrewing?

[frod1963]

Started about 4 years ago when my wife said "you guys", my brother in law and I should brew beer. About 35 brews (25 all grain) later and I'm hooked like everyone else. I went from crap to excellent with help from everyone on this forum and reading ALOT. Next step is some beers for comp's.

 

[Schemy]

I got a starter kit for Christmas about 7 or 8 years ago. I brewed that first Amber and it was really good. I got busy and didn't brew again until the birth of my son (3 years ago), that porter was ok. I got busy again, and got inspired by some guys at the beer store I frequent. Now I can't imagine not brewing. It really is all I think about. I just built my MLT this weekend, next step is a keggle conversion and then we are all grain....all the time. Thanks HBT for keeping me informed and excited about brewing.

 

[qbst]

A Mr Beer kit several years ago. I don't even know if I bought it for myself or if it was a gift from someone... Used it three times, then went to 5 gal. PM.

And had fun ever since.

 

[mlyday]

I had been out on the east coast and had some yuengling, and was googling to see if I could get a keg of it in michigan. I wasn't even thinking of brewing, just getting a kegerator and buying good brew. Googling yuengling, got me to a clone recipie and the seed was planted. That was just about a year ago. I asked for a midwest kit for fathers day and the rest is history.

 

[unionrdr]

My middle son had been after me for years to start making wine again. I don't drink wine as much as I used to,so when my wife & I got together for our "together time" to watch videos,whatever,& drink some beers, I got an idea. Got on youtube & searched "home brewing beer",& got craigtube,weirdbeer,peihomebrewer,etc. Watched craigtube,& thought "wow! It's that easy nowadays?!". Then looked at videos of the folks mentioned,including steeljan. She's cool. But TSA...OMFG! my eyes! My eyes,oh God,please help me!!! What a loony toon.
So,anyway,I then stumbled onto,...I think in one of craig's videos...A link to the makebeer.net site. I decided to order the cooper's micro brew kit that comes with everything you need (nearly) from FV to bottles. They gave me the OS Lager can,& a kilo of brewing sugar.
I now have 2 FV's,another primary bucket that acts as a bottling bucket/secondary,more little gadgets to make things easier/faster,& & & &...lolz.

 

[C2H6O]

Was at a friends birthday party he threw for his kids. A guy showed up with a case of different home brews. Tried 2 of them - loved em - got into the discussion of cost, difficulty, time - 2 years later I have taken over my dining room with equipment (SWMBO is not thrilled) and now there is always a cold home brew in my fridge waiting for me.

 

[theonetrueruss]

One night I woke to a vision of a floating keg which spoke to me. It said to make beer, enjoy it and spread that joy to others.

Or maybe it was the kit I got for my birthday last year?

naa.. definitely the vision thing.

 

[Makeyermark]

Someone I work with was cleaning their garage and wanted to get rid of a home brewing kit that they received as a wedding present. She knew I liked all types of beer and asked of I wanted the kit. I gladly took the kit, which came with a book on brewing. I studied up, went to a class at my LHBS and started with a few extract batches. With a few extracts under my belt, I decided to try AG. So I built my mashing tun and wort chiller from stuff bought at home depot and got busy brewing. Turned a friend on to it yesterday and I think he will be brewing soon. The hobby continues to grow!

 

[beergolf]

My wife bought me a brew kit for Christmas.

I am addicted. 20 brews later and a bazillion hours on this forum reading about brewing has taught me a a lot. My friends really like me brews andI am happy with the results.

I really enjoy putting together a recipe and having it turn out good........

 

[Toy4Rick]

My wife bought me a Mr. Beer for my birthday, I brewed the included Pale Ale and then struggled with the 2 gal size so my wife said, go buy a 5 gal kit... who am I to argue with logic :cross:

My next batch was a LME Hefeweizen which I tasted yesterday and it was fantastic. My next batch is also a Hef, well cuz I re-used the yeast and followed the recipe exactly this time. Curious to see if I can tell the difference between the 2 batches.

Anyway, have fun
Toy4Rick

 

[johnmcc]

Like quite a few others here I started with a Mr.Beer kit, I got mine as Father's Day gift a few years back, eventually moved to 5 gal batches. I spend most of my free time browsing this forum I think, my wife refers to it as a "virtual bar".

 

[FiddleTilDeath]

when I moved to Salt Lake City to be a ski bum for a year in Sept 08 we noticed a lot of bizarre alcohol laws and a really great LBHS down the street called the beer nut!!

 

[Brad1775]

I got into home brewing because this wicked awesome fiddler I know who basically established my beer palate, had moved to Utah in like September '08 and started brewing, and telling me "you gotta get out here, the skiing is perfect, and the homebrew is better!"

I did not come out, and I regretted it. However, I got a hold of, I think two cases worth of his beers over the years, and of the 5 kinds, 3 were the best I've ever tasted. 3 years of dicking in the dirt, asking him to send me some... I broke down and now I'm brewing 5 of his recipes at once (all in primary). Free at last, FREE at last... Thank the beer gods, I'm free at last.....

 

[FatherJack]

I originally started playing guitar with a buddy and he loves to drink beer. At the time, I didn't care for beer, but I started to love it after hanging out with him.

I live in Japan and I only had Japanese beer during that time. Then I made trips to Vermont and had great beer there. However, when I returned here, I had the standard run of the mill BMC equivalent of beers. I was seriously disappointed.

Good beer here can be difficult to find, and when you do find it, it costs about $5.50 for a 12ounce bottle.

I figured the only way to do it was to make it myself. I enjoy the process and I've evolved from can kits to extracts to all grain in a matter of about 9 months. I couldn't be happier.

Strangely enough, I decided to make my beer to avoid buying the expensive ones here. Now when I see a new beer, I *have* to try it to see how it tastes and compare it to mine. I probably spend way more than I ever would have had I not started brewing.

 

[GoHawks]

Girlfriend of 3+ years bought me the initial extract brewing kit... I upgraded to all grain after 1 extract brew. She dumped me 3 days ago. Im brewin tomorrow! Toot toot!

 

[wheels4]

I used to live by a brewery. I would ride my bike there just about every Thursday, Friday and Saturday (free samples ). I got to know the owner and brewmaster and was interested in brewing then. That was 10-15 years ago and I never started. I needed a new hobby as we moved to NC and I used to be right on the salt water on Long Island. I would go fishing every chance I got but we are to far from the salt here. Of all places for me to get interested again it happened on the fishing forum I belong to. One guy started a brewing 101 thread....well the rest is history. I owe it all to a guy named Bill to finally get me brewing. Im just a little ticked it took me so long. My wife was happy I found a new hobby.....until I turned the bathtub into a swamp cooler.

 

[Beezy]

When I moved from the sticks to Pittsburgh in 2002 I really started down the path of good beer because I had access finally. I started a familly in 04 and started cooking. I wanted to know how to make everything from scratch if possible. Beer included. I bought some literature but never got started because I am a musician and all my extra money went into music and equipment. This year I was having problems with my hearing and then problems with my equipment I just decided to put my creativity into brewing. Piece at a time, brew at a time. I have fairly inexpensively set up my brewery and am 5 brews in. 3 all grain. Large thanks to the online resources.

 

[homebeerbrewer]

My uncle has brewed beer for years, and I enjoyed his beer. I was visiting him 5 years ago, asked some questions about how he does it, and he suggested we brew a batch while I was there. He bought ingredients for two batches. We brewed one, and he sent the other one home with me.

He didn't know it at the time, but he was creating a monster that just keeps growing.

 

[snowveil]

When I turned 21 my ex's BIL hooked me up with a case of Beck's Dark. From then on I graduated to Sam Adams, then just started looking for whatever I hadn't heard of before on the shelves. I was hooked on craft beer, and always had this notion in the back of my head that it would be cool to make my own. Of course like a lot of beer *drinkers* I really had no idea what was involved so I kind of just let it go on the back burner and thought it would be too much expense and set-up to get started.

A few years ago I met a homebrewer through a friend and couldn't believe that this normal guy was making beer and I wasn't. So I chatted him up a bit then took the plunge and bought my first kit and recipe. I wasn't that impressed with the results. It was an IPA with a pound of C40 and I'm sure I fermented it too hot among making other noob mistakes, I never got around to making a second batch.

About a year later I decided that it was time to make the plunge again, so I read up on the process again, found a recipe that I wanted to make, and just went for it. 3 batches later I made the switch over to all grain and I'm not looking back.

 

[CodyA]

I actually started by distilling. Did that for about a year. Usually it's the other way around, but I was taught the basics of making shine by my grandfather. Decided I hated waiting months for spirits to age on oak, and I wasn't a big fan of unaged liquor (white dog). Plus it's so much easier to brew beer than make a good batch of hooch. Whether it be brandy, rum, faux whiskey, or true bourbons (had a friend that knew how to malt and mash the corn... He's been doin it for years though), from prep, to fermentation, to the actual distillation process (much more difficult than you would think to do it right), to aging... Just a LOT of work. Not to mention that beer brewing enjoys a much more friendly legal status than distilling (even for personal consumption). So I took the plunge, got rid of my copper and stainless still and bought kegging equipment. Still gettin used to the new terminology all you brewers use, but I love this resource and all the great help I get here! Thanks!

 

[Tizzomes]

The show Brewmasters got me going. It's a shame it's canceled but yea that show did it for me.