Our mission at The Beer Drinker's Guide To Colorado is to promote the appreciation and understanding of craft brewing here in Colorado and around the world. One way we do that is by reporting to our readers about what the commercial craft breweries in the state are up to. But where did many of these original craft brewers get their start? So many of them were hombrewers. Lets see, we'll go down the list. From Avery Brewing to Breckenridge, Bristol and Dry Dock to Great Divide, Left Hand to Ska, and many points in between, it would be easier to list the breweries that weren't started by homebrewers. You get the point. The American Homebrewers Association estimates that at least 90% of professional brewers got started in brewing as homebrewers.
Homebrewing in the United States today is a thriving hobby, supporting a small but growing industry. The American Homebrewers Association currently has 24,000 members. Although difficult to determine, the AHA estimates that nearly 750,000 Americans brew beer at home at least once a year. Gary Glass, Director of the AHA, feels there is a cyclical response between homebrewing and Commercial craft brewing. "Look, back in the 1970's, when the American Homebrewers Association started, there were 40 breweries in the country. Today, there are over 1600. Homebrewing became legal, and consequentially, we see the huge increase in craft breweries." One of the more interesting trends that Glass reports is the number of young people homebrewing today. "We estimate that more than 1/2 of homebrewers today are under the age of 30. That's a definite shift. We didn't use to see that." Another factor that Glass sees in this increase in homebrewing is that people want to do things locally. They want to have some impact and choice in what they consume.
Certainly, many of you reading this are homebrewers. We spoke with some of the owners of the Homebrew Shops listed on the Beer Drinker's Guide To Colorado about what they are seeing in the world of Homebrew.
Steve Salkeld, owner of Beer At Home in Englewood, and Beer and Wine At Home http://www.beerathome.com in Westminster, was asked if he has seen an increase in homebrewing. Steve has been home brewing since 1992, and has owned both stores for 5 years. "The AHA says homebrewing is up 15% since last year. I have a hard time believing that. Our sales are up 5-10%." He sees the growth of homebrewing in Colorado as more of an awareness. "The business definitely ebbs and flows. People here (Colorado) are generally just more aware of fine beers. That awareness transfers to home brewing as well." Steve believes that Colorado has more stores per capita than any other state in the nation, because our beer culture is so strong.
What's new in home brewing? "Definitely more hoppy beers. People are becoming more familiar with and growing different types of hops. We sell all kinds of hops rhizomes every April. It also seems like kind of a Monkey See, Monkey do attitude sometimes. Something is written in a magazine about Black Ale, for example. Next thing you know, everyone wants to be brewing Black Ale." Steve mainly sees "word of mouth" as the biggest factor in the growth of homebrewing. "You come to my house and have a good homebrew, and you start thinking about it, yeah I could do that. Next thing you know, you're sharing your homebrew with a friend, and so on."
Tony Simmons is the owner/brewmaster of Pagosa Brewing in Pagosa Springs, and owns The Brew Haus, a homebrew and winemaking supply store located at the brewery. "I see a trend of more dedicated homebrewers, and a more knowledgeable group overall, of homebrewers and beer drinkers."
Terry Murphy is the owner of Do Your Brew in Westminster. He believes more people are homebrewing, due in part, to the liquor tax increasing. "There are people coming back to homebrewing who haven't done it for years, but also a lot of new people getting into it." He definitely sees a bigger increase in beer making than wine making.
At The Brew Hut in Aurora, manager Steve Headstream has seen good growth in their store. "Since 2007 over 20% per year". "I think that homebrewing is close to achieving mainstream as a hobby" says Steve. Steve also reports a positive trend on the supply side. "8-10 years ago, the quality and consistency of ingredients was not great. You'd make the same beer 3 different times and get 3 different outcomes. More recently, the quality and consistency has gone way up. And that's huge. You can really get a recipe dialed in."
Woody and Cathy Woodworth own High Country Home & Garden in Monument, both a garden nursery and wine/beer making supply store. Woody says that, as the hombrewing movement grows, "Now it's the younger crowd. We see more young people get into homebrewing every day. And our wholesalers say the same thing." "The desire to hombrew is not necessarily people penny pinching. You can now make an excellent craft beer at home." When discussing better quality ingredients, he adds, "The technique has also gotten better. They're analyzing everything more, including water. We are just scientifically smarter. We also have the internet. There is just a lot more information at your fingertips, leading to a better success rate. There are also more hops varieties out there to choose from: Citra hops, Simcoe, more high alpha acid style hops. Lots of choices."
We hope that we have put some valuable information at your fingertips. It's not a huge investment to begin to homebrew. Starter kits range from $90 to $135 and on up, depending on what's included. Those kits don't typically include your stainless steel kettle, which new will cost $70 on up, depending on size. And you will probably have to purchase extra ingredients, so figure on needing about $150 to $200 to start. There is a wealth of information available about how to get started homebrewing. Homebrew clubs, online chat forums, classes you can take, and all of the stores listed below can start you on your way. On the AHA website, you can download a free copy of Zymurgy: An Introduction to Homebrewing, the American Homebrewers Association's (AHA) free guide for beginning homebrewers. So lets start brewing!
Homebrewing in the United States today is a thriving hobby, supporting a small but growing industry. The American Homebrewers Association currently has 24,000 members. Although difficult to determine, the AHA estimates that nearly 750,000 Americans brew beer at home at least once a year. Gary Glass, Director of the AHA, feels there is a cyclical response between homebrewing and Commercial craft brewing. "Look, back in the 1970's, when the American Homebrewers Association started, there were 40 breweries in the country. Today, there are over 1600. Homebrewing became legal, and consequentially, we see the huge increase in craft breweries." One of the more interesting trends that Glass reports is the number of young people homebrewing today. "We estimate that more than 1/2 of homebrewers today are under the age of 30. That's a definite shift. We didn't use to see that." Another factor that Glass sees in this increase in homebrewing is that people want to do things locally. They want to have some impact and choice in what they consume.
Certainly, many of you reading this are homebrewers. We spoke with some of the owners of the Homebrew Shops listed on the Beer Drinker's Guide To Colorado about what they are seeing in the world of Homebrew.
Steve Salkeld, owner of Beer At Home in Englewood, and Beer and Wine At Home http://www.beerathome.com in Westminster, was asked if he has seen an increase in homebrewing. Steve has been home brewing since 1992, and has owned both stores for 5 years. "The AHA says homebrewing is up 15% since last year. I have a hard time believing that. Our sales are up 5-10%." He sees the growth of homebrewing in Colorado as more of an awareness. "The business definitely ebbs and flows. People here (Colorado) are generally just more aware of fine beers. That awareness transfers to home brewing as well." Steve believes that Colorado has more stores per capita than any other state in the nation, because our beer culture is so strong.
What's new in home brewing? "Definitely more hoppy beers. People are becoming more familiar with and growing different types of hops. We sell all kinds of hops rhizomes every April. It also seems like kind of a Monkey See, Monkey do attitude sometimes. Something is written in a magazine about Black Ale, for example. Next thing you know, everyone wants to be brewing Black Ale." Steve mainly sees "word of mouth" as the biggest factor in the growth of homebrewing. "You come to my house and have a good homebrew, and you start thinking about it, yeah I could do that. Next thing you know, you're sharing your homebrew with a friend, and so on."
Tony Simmons is the owner/brewmaster of Pagosa Brewing in Pagosa Springs, and owns The Brew Haus, a homebrew and winemaking supply store located at the brewery. "I see a trend of more dedicated homebrewers, and a more knowledgeable group overall, of homebrewers and beer drinkers."
Terry Murphy is the owner of Do Your Brew in Westminster. He believes more people are homebrewing, due in part, to the liquor tax increasing. "There are people coming back to homebrewing who haven't done it for years, but also a lot of new people getting into it." He definitely sees a bigger increase in beer making than wine making.
At The Brew Hut in Aurora, manager Steve Headstream has seen good growth in their store. "Since 2007 over 20% per year". "I think that homebrewing is close to achieving mainstream as a hobby" says Steve. Steve also reports a positive trend on the supply side. "8-10 years ago, the quality and consistency of ingredients was not great. You'd make the same beer 3 different times and get 3 different outcomes. More recently, the quality and consistency has gone way up. And that's huge. You can really get a recipe dialed in."
Woody and Cathy Woodworth own High Country Home & Garden in Monument, both a garden nursery and wine/beer making supply store. Woody says that, as the hombrewing movement grows, "Now it's the younger crowd. We see more young people get into homebrewing every day. And our wholesalers say the same thing." "The desire to hombrew is not necessarily people penny pinching. You can now make an excellent craft beer at home." When discussing better quality ingredients, he adds, "The technique has also gotten better. They're analyzing everything more, including water. We are just scientifically smarter. We also have the internet. There is just a lot more information at your fingertips, leading to a better success rate. There are also more hops varieties out there to choose from: Citra hops, Simcoe, more high alpha acid style hops. Lots of choices."
We hope that we have put some valuable information at your fingertips. It's not a huge investment to begin to homebrew. Starter kits range from $90 to $135 and on up, depending on what's included. Those kits don't typically include your stainless steel kettle, which new will cost $70 on up, depending on size. And you will probably have to purchase extra ingredients, so figure on needing about $150 to $200 to start. There is a wealth of information available about how to get started homebrewing. Homebrew clubs, online chat forums, classes you can take, and all of the stores listed below can start you on your way. On the AHA website, you can download a free copy of Zymurgy: An Introduction to Homebrewing, the American Homebrewers Association's (AHA) free guide for beginning homebrewers. So lets start brewing!
