Home brew is an alcoholic beverage which is made at home, domestically and not commercially. Home brew typically consists of beer. However soda making is a form of home brewing which does not incorporate fermentation. Natural ingredients such as plants and roots are commonly used to create a home brewed beverage and help make home brew an economical alternative to commercial beverages. Home brew also contains yeast which is a source of vitamin B.http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/brewers-yeast-000288.htm

Home brew is as old as bread and civilization itself, as it can be traced back more than 5000 years.http://beeradvocate.com/articles/595 It has been brewed from an assortment of different ingredients, ranging from corn to rice. European beer typically consists of barley, wheat or rye and can incorporate other ingredients such as fruit, herbs, roots, spices and nuts. Original home brewed soda contained sassafras until the 1960s when it was deemed inappropriate for consumption due to the suspected carcinogen safrole which it contains. Sassafras is no longer available commercially and has been replaced by a sassafras extract with the safrole removed. While many soda brew recipes call for sugar, a suitable alternative is honey and stevia. However over sweetening may cause over carbonation and expedited fermentation.http://www.motherearthnews.com/Real-Food/2004-12-01/Brew-Soda-at-Home.aspx?page=3

Home brew was once fermented by open window, depending on yeast to blow from neighboring fields onto exposed vessels of beer, initiating the fermentation process. Today there are several types of yeast products available for the customization of flavor. Ale and champagne yeasts are most common for the job, however bread yeast has been used as well. Avoiding large yeast is advised as it may over ferment a brew rendering it undrinkable.http://www.byo.com/resources/yeast