Due to the beer drinking thread, I thought I would ask about brewing. Some friends and I have gotten into homebrewing over the past year. Just bottled a batch of nut brown ale over the weekend. So far, We are just using the prepackaged kits. They have been surprisingly good, but plan to try actual recipes and step outside the pre-packaged stuff on the next batch. Would be interested to hear what others are doing.

I have made home-made beer since I was 16. I use a Pop (Pepsi) keg to have my beer on tap. The C02 tank I picked up from a welding shop. I have a fridge in my basement with the racks taken out where my keg now resides. I like this system as I hate dealing with bottles(Pain in the A). Half the fun for me now is picking my own hops, yeast, and additives making unique beers. Some are better than others but they are all refreshing and drinkable.

Homebrewers ATE my baby!!!

I have brewed...just don't have the time, plus I am surrounded by it all day long! Here is a good link that has great info, recipes and people that will help. Cheers! Mike

http://www.ratebeer.com/Forums/Forum-3.htm

I haven't brewed in probably 15 years but I enjoyed it for a spell.

Started brewing about 10 years ago, but have gotten serious the past two years. I usually brew one batch a month or so. Depending on how much time I want to spend brewing, I'll switch between all-grain and extract. Currently fermenting an Imperial IPA for winter drinking.

I design all of my recipes myself using Beer Tool's software. Highly recommend it to anyone who wants to start dabbling in their own concoctions.

Another great resource is BYO.com. They have a lot of recipes, including a bunch of clones, as well as a killer Hop Chart. The chart breaks down the different hops that are recommended based on the style of beer you're making, gives it's approximate alpha, flavor descriptors and a substitution list.

I had a "Mr. Beer" maker years ago that made pretty good beer, until I tried to get fancy and ruined it. I tried to make a spiced Christmas ale, and the spice flavors somehow became embedded in the plastic. No matter how well I sanitized, I still got clove & nutmeg flavors in the next three batches, so I dumped it.

Just recently got a new one. Say what you will, it does make good beer, and you can get creative by adding other yeasts and hops. Just don't get too creative, like I did.
I popped my first batch from the new keg last night, an IPA with some extra hoppiness, more like a bitter.