Hey, everybody! My name is Dave and I just discovered homebrewing and I am obsessed! I brewed my first beer (Grapefruit IPA) on February 15, and bottled it this past weekend (March 8). I brewed my second beer (toasted coconut cream ale) on March 1. I am brewing a chocolate milk stout next weekend. I am so excited to enter this world and learn everything I can! I’ve started with Brewers Best ingredient boxes while I learn beyond the beginner level. Any mentorship, suggestions, or guidance are wholeheartedly welcomed!
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Have fun and stay creative. Santé 
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It’s a bit of a trope, but “Relax, Don’t Worry, Have a Homebrew” is always a good starting point! (that, alongside sanitation and temperature control to the best of your ability).
More seriously, welcome to the hobby! I remember the excitement of my early batches, how hard it is to wait for the bottles to reach carbonation, and how satisfying it is to drink a glass of a beer you made.
There will be setbacks along the way–don’t be discouraged by them, but learn from them and move on to the next. You’re going to make some amazing beers! As you gain experience, the already fun hobby gets more and more fun. Enjoy!
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My main advice is treat the yeast well. Brewers make wort. Yeast makes beer. Pitch enough yeast, wait until temperature is right before adding yeast, keep temperature right during fermentation, and finally, be patient and allow fermentation to finish before packaging.
I live in the south so a fermentation chamber with temperature controller is a must to keep temperature in the right range.
I wait three days after fermentation signs are over (no more change in gravity) then package.
Last thing; avoid oxygen when packaging if you can.
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Welcome to the hobby!
Be picky about your brewing water! Chlorine found in city water will create off flavors. If you are using tap water, you should treat your brewing water with a campden tablet. A campden tablet is pretty much sodium metabisulphite which is a common additive in the fermentation world. What will do is break down the chlorine into chloride which is a very common water additive for beer.
We could overwhelm you with water chemistry practices, but as a beginner I assume you’d be using tap water, so drop in a campden tablet before getting to brewing.
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Welcome to the hobby and to the forum! As a long time homebrewer, my advice would be to take careful notes each time you brew. And walk before you run…learn the basics well, and it will give you a foundation for exploration.
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Welcome to the club Dave and we can related to being ‘obsessed’. Let us know what you are struggling with or learning and nice to have you a part of the AHA Forum. Julia
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