Homebrewing carries with it an image of middle-aged men in baggy jumpers and broken spectacles, hiding in their garden sheds, searching for that elusive drinkable beer, like alchemists looking for gold, but merely producing an undrinkable flat brown liquid.
The truth is slightly different.
Homebrewing has gained in popularity since the late 1970s and early 1980s as a reaction to the few major breweries which produced only streamlined beers for the mass market. Since then, micro-brewers (small breweries which typically make a regional beer) and brewpubs (pubs which brew their own beer sold only in the pub) have had their small market share, as has homebrewing.
A few companies and micro-brewers, many of which had been in the homebrew brigade themselves, filled a gap in a niche market and are producing brewing kits that are foolproof. It is now possible to go into a shop on any high street and buy a brewing kit. Often the instructions on these are straightforward and the results taste pretty damn good, too. Buy the equipment, sterilise it, open the can, add some boiling water, stir, add some cold water, add the yeast sachet, leave for a while, drink.
With a little time, patience and care, anyone can do it.
Beerhere stocks some of the beers from micro breweries around the UK (see link)
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