Why Brew Your Own Beer? (6 Compelling Reasons)

Do you have harrowing memories of drinking your Uni mate’s frankly terrifying homebrew? Then okay, you’re excused for asking yourself “Why brew your own beer?”

Indeed.

I, too, have memories of a friend presenting me with a liquid he claimed was “ale”, but which turned out to be a vile concoction reminiscent of urine and mould.

Geoff, the “brewer” in question, proudly brewed his fizzy-piss-water in the bathroom, and hygiene was not his biggest consideration.

Nor, I expect, were premium ingredients.

In fairness, everyone was pleased that it at least got us all drunk enough to have a properly-regrettable evening.

All this is to say, I understand if you have reservations, and wonder if it’s possible to make home brew that’s any good.

I’m just gonna come on out and say it – YES, you can definitely make decent beer at home, without any expensive equipment. And your bathtub will remain free for you to use for its intended purpose. Result!

Here are six perfectly splendid reasons why home brewing is a great hobby that you’d be a damn fool to miss out on:

1. Save Money on Beer

Let’s face it – this is the reason lots of us got into home brewing. And you definitely can save money, if you manage to resist the urge to spend too much on equipment.

A lot of beers I’ve brewed have cost as little as 40p per pint, and certainly all way below £1 per pint.

But even though that may be why you start brewing your own beer, it won’t be why you stick at it.

Though you may find yourself deeply resenting the price of low-standard beers when you go to the pub.

2. Showing-off, a bit…

Imagine, if you will:

It’s Friday evening and you have a few friends around.

You ask if they would like a beer. And when, unsurprisingly, they say “yes”, you go on to offer them:

A crispy Bohemian pilsener
A strong Irish stout
A hoppy American IPA, or a “proper” English IPA
A smooth Irish red
A farmhouse Saison…
…or for the real nutters, a Russian Imperial Stout or a Double IPA.

You fetch the beers, and pop the lids. The hiss of CO2 escaping is just how you’d expect from a commercial beer.

What’s more, you just casually tell them that you brewed them yourself, in the garage.

You lead your friends into your garage, where they see, instead of shiny, expensive equipment…

…little more than some bags of grain, and several big plastic buckets, two of which are full of your latest work-in-progress, and bubbling excitedly through their airlocks.

3. Make the kind of beers you enjoy drinking

Are you bored of mundane, lackluster supermarket beers?

Or, do you like Guinness, but wish it was stronger? Do you prefer your ales to be more malty or more hop-forward? Is there a beer you enjoyed on holiday, that you can’t seem to find anywhere, or that is ridiculously over-priced in Britain?

Once you start home brewing, once you realise that you can adapt recipes to your tastes, there’ll be no stopping you!

4. Know exactly what you’re drinking

Lots of us are a bit suspicious of the industrial processes in food production. Perhaps you don’t really trust some fast food outlets.

More and more of us are starting to come around to the same way of thinking about what we drink.

If you’ve got allergies, or you’re vegan, you will already be thinking this way.

Making your own beer means you get to know if they contain sulfites.

You want to use only organic grains? Not a problem.

And you don’t want to use finings? Fine. (See what I did there?)

5. Channel your inner creativity

If you like cooking, and enjoy combining flavours, then you’ll take to home brewing like a fish to water.

Think that stout would be more exciting with some raspberries or vanilla?

You reckon fresh peaches might add a little something to that IPA?

That porter would benefit from some smoked malt?

You want to make a beer that combines the two great loves of your life, beer, and bacon? You got this.

6. Learn to appreciate beer more

It’s easy to pour beer down your neck without thinking about it too much.

Personally, I always enjoyed beer, and preferred some brands to others, but was never really able to put a finger on what I actually liked about my favourites.

Sure, I knew how strong they were, and whether they were comparatively light or heavy. Some were sweeter, or dryer, or had more hop flavours.

But that was about it.

Once you get into home brewing, you’ll find yourself analysing the foam-retention, the different types of malts and adjuncts used, differing hop aromas. You’ll find yourself marveling at a pale-straw colour, or a ruby-red, and asking yourself what grain-bill was used.

Oh, yes. You’ve become a craft beer ponce. Okay, maybe this is not entirely positive.