There are various sources on the net for making beer. It is not that hard. When I was 21, I lived next to a retired Major who made his own beer. It was a little more bitter that a Bud or a Millers would be. There would always be some junk in the bottom of the Coke bottles that he used, but at the time he gave it to me just for helping him. If I was dirt poor and liked beer, I would consider it, or maybe for the experience, but other than that? No.
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Doing it well can be expensive & time consuming, but it gives you a chance to try things you're not going to find on the shelf in the grocery. If you want to just give it a try, buy a little kit that gives you everything you need to make a small batch like: http://www.homebrewers.com/product/1000/Beer_Making_Starter_Kit_with_Ingredients.html and you can grow from there if you enjoy the experience. I used to brew quite a bit & even had a little keg fridge in the living room by the TV. Now that makes for some fun movie nights!
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The great thing about home brewing is that you can keep it as economical as possible (read: $30 for 2 cases of home brew if you have a pot to boil it in). It's a very unique hobby in that you have alot of mobility depending on how much control you want to have over the final product.

Speaking for myself - I started with a Stout recipe kit (would retail from around $30 or so) that I received during the holidays. I then needed to purchase something to ferment it it in (glass carboy or food grade plastic container..which would cost no more than $25 with the glass option and $15 for the plasic route), an auto siphon, and some iodaphore (sanitizor) and a plasitc airlock (.75 cents or so). So you would be looking at an investment of $55 or so on initial equipment.

I know that sounds like alot but keep in mind that the $55 you just spent on basic equipment will give you everything you need to experiment with many different beers (I used this same setup for my first year of home brewing and to see if you really enjoy the hobby. From that point you have a ton of options in regards to upgrading equipment etc. I do want to point out that you can make some excellent beer by just using this setup so, in my opinion, it's a great investment in determining if this is something you would enjoy in the long run. Keep in mind this initial investment can all be made online from many online homebrew vendors..so it's like you need to stop at a few stores to piece everything together.

In your research you may find that some home brewers look down on folks who use "kits" to brew..well..ignore these people. This is going to be your hobby/experiment and I promise you the satisfacation of brewing your own will be reward enough. Cheers! Brian
Source(s):
www.dailyikura.com

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