Trying someone else's Homebrew - etiquette??

[soundsandsuds]

The reason that I mentioned a book rather than this site is that a book is relatively low on the commitment to beer nerdage, and is more of a useful thing to have while brewing than websites. I always print off any useful tables or techniques that I find on the internet and stick them in my brewing binder. Partly because I'd rather spill beer on a book than on my laptop.
Plus, It's honestly better to approach this site with some knowledge going in. I'm sure that many people have been put off by asking simple questions and being treated like idiots by some people on the site (Who seem to have forgotten that, at one point in their brewing history, they knew as little as the newbs.).
It's possible that they may be brewing idiots, but they don't get any better if they're scared off.