The Advantages of Home Brewed Beer

By Brad Smith – Originally posted on our BeerSmith Home Brewing Blog – Subscribe here

Why do we brew?  A thread from our discussion forum some time back about "why we brew"
got me thinking about the advantages that home brewing as a hobby bestows.

Intrinsic Rewards- Brewing beer has its own intrinsic value. There is something people find
inherently rewarding the creative process. Its not just any beer, its your beer that you designed
and created with your own two hands.  In a sense, the ability to do something new, unusual,
challenging and rewarding is the basis for all hobbies including this one.

Limited Time Needed - Brewing is a great hobby for busy people, as it really does not take that
much work to brew a batch of beer.  Extract brewing consumes perhaps a few hours of time
spread out over several weeks, and even all grain brewing adds only a few hours of additional
work.  You can adjust the amount of time as needed to match your schedule.

Quality over Quantity - Home brewed beer is hand crafted, which means the home brewer can
use ingredients and techniques that are commercially infeasible for the big breweries. In home
brewing, all malt full bodied beer is the standard, and cheap additives are the exception.

Imagination Unleashed - Brewing beer opens up a world of possibilities. Home brewers can
experiment with ingredients, styles and techniques spanning the entire world. The possibilities
are limited only by the brewer's imagination.

Reduced Hangovers - Home brewed beer contains a large quantity of yeast with Vitamin B.
Vitamin B reduces the effects of a hangover naturally. Commercial beers are filtered and
pasteurized, both of which strip the vitamin B from the beer and lead to hangovers.

The Cost Advantage - Though the malt and hops shortage have temporarily raised the price of
home brewing, penny pinching all grain home brewers can still brew 5 gallons of beer for less
than the cost of comparable commercial beer. Over time, I'm confident prices will come back
down as the market balances supply with demand.

The Social Aspect - Home brewing is inherently a social hobby. Brewers are passionate about
their beer, and the home brewing community is vibrant and growing. In addition, you may find
your neighbors are fond of your latest creation and start dropping by more often to sample your
beer. The internet and Web 2.0 sites like BrewPoll have made sharing the hobby even easier.

Health Benefits - A number of medical studies indicate that alcohol, properly used in
moderation at 1-2 drinks per day can provide a number of health benefits.  Obviously drinking
too much can have a huge negative effect, so we recommend drinking in moderation always.  In
addition, dark beers provide many of the same benefits as dark wines with regards to high
flavinoid content to promote a healthy heart. All natural ingredients including a solid dose of
brewer's yeast provide secondary health benefits. A recent article by Charlie Papazian points out
that a 12 oz glass of beer has less calories than 12 ounces of juice, milk or soda.

The Challenge - Making commercial quality beer at home using recipes you developed is a
challenge. However the challenge is part of the charm. There is a wonder in sharing a beer you
created by hand with friends that is made even better if it is a difficult style or complex
technique. Pushing the limits of the hobby to create the perfect brew is part of the fun.

Unlimited Variety - Home brewing takes us outside the narrow limits of popular commercial
beer, and exposes the home brewer to a world of beer styles and possibilities. Home brewed beer
gives you the opportunity to explore German, English, Belgian and other styles that an average
drinker would rarely be able to access.

If you would like to add your own thoughs on "why you brew", feel free to leave a comment
below.  Thank you for joining us on the BeerSmith Home Brewing Blog. As always your
comments and thoughts are appreciated.  If you have not done so, please consider subscribing for
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