yeastfarts.com

In a beautiful example of putting the cart before the horse, I've create a cafepress shop for yeastfarts.com.  I uploaded a version of my "I [heart] YeastFarts" logo and threw it on a men's and women's dark colored t-shirt.  There's no markup on the shirts, so I get nothing from the sale of the shirts except the pride of knowing there are other lovers of beer who appreciate my silly slogan.

Brewing can seem pretty complicated at first.  When I decided that I wanted to brew I knew enough to know that I didn't know much.  As I set in to figure out what to do first I talked to a few people, consulted the web, and looked for something comprehensive to serve as a launch point.  A friend at the local homebrew shop gave me a great suggestion- Charlie Papazian's "The Complete Joy of Homebrewing".  Turns out this book is widely considered to be the "homebrewer's bible" (an AP review line on the cover says so) , and the first couple chapters are fantastically geared for beginners.  After the first forty pages you'll have a good understanding of what's needed to get going.

Even with the introduction from the bible under my belt I was still unsure of how to actually get down to brewing.  I'm a hands-on learner and needed a jump start, so I ordered the "new brewer's complete homebrew kit" from a website called brewmonster.com. The kit came with an all-extract recipe and ingredients, specific instructions, equipment, and bottles.  It was perfect for a first timer, and the result was a decent amber beer.

 Since that first brew I've been working off partial-mash recipes and have developed my procedures into a comfortable routine, but that's for another article.  Until then if you're interested in brewing check out the homebrewer's bible, and get yourself a beginner's kit.  It'll set you back $150 or so, but I doubt you'll regret it.

Happy brewing!