Following in footsteps far greater than my own, I began brewing my own beer
in 1985. I didn’t start homebrewing for lack of good beer, because plenty of
good, locally available commercial beers were available. I chose to brew my
own beer because I wanted to personally experience the magic of the beer
making process. After I started homebrewing, I quickly became hooked and
realized only much later that as much as I was consuming the hobby of
homebrewing, it was also consuming me.
So I had my own reasons for homebrewing — but why should you start?
Because homebrewers tend to develop a love and enjoyment and respect for
beer beyond its simple consumption. Homebrewers are ethereally connected
to both the brewing past and the brewing future; they’re champions of both a
medieval art and an advanced science. Plus, the homebrewing community-atlarge
shares a common sense of purpose — of sharing information and ideas,
of promoting education as part of the hobby, and of enriching and enlightening
the general public by improving its collective perception of beer.
And despite anything you may have seen or heard or assumed on your own,
facial hair isn’t a prerequisite to being a good homebrewer. On the other
hand, growing wild hair now and again is strongly encouraged among those
who brew their own beer at home.