Just make sure that you thoroughly clean these used bottles before you use them. 4. Start brewing! Now we go to the fun part. Once you have all of the necessary supplies, you can now brew your first homemade beer! There's really no limit as to how you'll make your beer, but try to keep it simple first then make some experiments as you go along. In 1981, home brewing hobby shops have amounted to 150. They have grown to 1,000 in 1996. After some retrenchments, the number dwindled to 550, one of the reasons being the rising costs of materials. Commercial breweries have permeated the fabric of society since then, but while home brewing was still legal, it dropped down in popularity and was relegated to "connoisseurs" and fanatics. The Brewing Story There is no exact record as to when is the genesis of domestic brewing but theoretically, it is believed to have been the common practice in the ancient era in Mesopotamia, Egypt and china. Originally, the practice of such is more ritualistic in purpose and priests are the one responsible for the making of it. For the ingredients that would make a 5 galloon of beer, we will need one can of malt extract (pre-hopped), one kilo of fine sugar (preferable the one that is known as dextrose or corn sugar), one sachet of yeast and water (tap water will do but if it doesn't taste good you may opt for filtered water). I would also recommend joining a home brewing club. At best, you can persuade your friends to take up the same hobby. Health Benefits This is perhaps the best benefit of them all since it's related to health. While it's true that overdrinking can have grave consequences to your health, it's been scientifically proven that alcohol in moderation can improve it. And move out of your comfort zone if you think that your friends will like your concoction. So you may have clinched the taste-winning formulation for your brew. So what needs to be done now? In order to take your hobby to the next level, then what you can do is to participate in trade shows and you can even join competitions.