Expert: Spencer W Thomas - 5/28/2005

Question
Dear sir,
is it hard to home brew stout? i know nothing about home brewing, or brewing at all for that matter - i would be grateful if you could just explain what i'd have to do, how much it would cost, how stout differs from other types of beer in its making process, etc
many thanks,
Greg

Answer
Making your own beer is really pretty easy.  I recommend looking at the web site http://howtobrew.com/ which contains complete instructions, better than I could tell you in a short email response.

The only real difference between stout and other ales is that stout includes some "roasted" grain in its recipe.  This is what makes it dark and gives it that coffee-like flavor.

There is probably a homebrewing shop near you.  Look in the yellow pages under "Beer -- Homebrewing equipment and supplies" or check the online directory at http://beertown.org
If the shop is more than some supplies tucked into the corner of a beer store, the owner should be a good source of advice as well.  If there is no shop near you, you can order supplies by phone or online.  A couple of good online sources are Northern Brewer (http://www.northernbrewer.com) and Beer, Beer and More Beer (http://www.morebeer.com).

You might also want to seek out a nearby homebrewing club.  When I was learning to brew, the members of the local club were my best resource.  There is a homebrew club directory at beertown.org.

Give it a try.  It's easy and fun!

=Spencer