Brew a batch of your own beer
A friend has invited you to do this with them.
Brewing is cookery, chemistry and patience in one pot, and the result is a beer that exists nowhere else. Most people begin with malt extract, which the American Homebrewers Association describes as needing minimal equipment, and move on to mashing their own grain once the first batch has been drunk.
ModerateUnder £100 / $130A few weeksIndoorsAlone or with othersUK and US
How to start
- Watch the American Homebrewers Association's all-extract tutorial, which follows a brew day from the boil to bottling.
- Buy a starter kit with a fermenter, airlock, siphon and steriliser, plus a malt extract recipe kit in a style you like to drink.
- Look up a local homebrew club, through the National Association of Wine and Beer Makers in the UK, and take a bottle along for an honest opinion.
Where to go
- American Homebrewers Association all-extract homebrewing tutorials US
- National Association of Wine and Beer Makers: who we are (UK amateur body) UK
We opened these links on 7 October 2026 and found them to be what we say. Dates, places and prices are on the official page, where they stay up to date.
Plan this
Pick a day, or a month, and we will set out how to get ready, step by step, with a date and a reason for each. Projects run over months and stall without a rhythm, so the plan sets milestones you can see.
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