7 Ways Joining a Home Brew Club Can Make You a Better Brewer

In this series of articles we have been talking about different ways to improve your skills outside of the brewery.

If you’ve never been to a home brew club meeting – you’re missing out.  Even if you’re not a home brewer yet.  You’ll be hooked after the first meeting.  And if you’ve been brewing for awhile then break out of your brewing-comfort-zone and try something new.  It’s one of the best things you can do to improve.  Here are 7 ways home brew club can help.

1. Make New Friends

This is what beer is all about.  Bringing people together.  You’ll have no trouble meeting a bunch of like-minded people and making some new friends along the way.  In addition to meeting some really great people – more brewing friends means more brewing resources for you to learn from.

2. Get Your Learn On

Just by going to the meetings every month you’ll learn so much.  Ask lots of questions!  From recipes to techniques – club members are always willing to help.  Some clubs also feature a monthly guest speaker or presentation on a gadget or beer style.

3. Improve Your Beer Taster

There’s no substitute for actually tasting beer.  Practice makes perfect!  Tasting commercial brews is fine, but tasting homebrew is even better.  You’ll get to try styles that aren’t widely brewed commercially.  And not only will you get to taste some great examples, but some not-so-great ones as well.

4. Get Feedback on Your Own Beer

Friends and family are always going to tell you that your beer is good.  But your fellow brewers will be able to help you make your beer great.  Experienced tasters can help correct subtle flaws – or just confirm that you’ve done a great job!

5. Be a VIP

Pro brewers know who their die-hard supporters are – and shame on them if they don’t.  Face time with actual brewers beats the snot out of the over-crowded-free-beer-on-Saturday tours.  Brew clubs also frequently have the inside track on volunteering or getting special access to beer festivals, dinners and other events.  You may even find yourself serving your homebrew at one of them!

6. Team Up

Brew-ins and group brews are an excellent way to learn first hand.  It’s hard to describe many of the details that go into a brew day and watching someone else do it is the best way to learn.  Some clubs have large capacity brewing systems that let several people brew one batch and everyone can take a share home.  Then there are brew-ins where everyone brings their equipment to a central place.  Or you might just have everyone brew a common recipe and compare results.

7. Save Some Cash

A few times during the year, the club can organize group buys on ingredients and pass the savings on to members.  Ordering a whole pallet of grain is much cheaper than buying a sack at a time – by alot.  The same goes for other supplies.  More cash = more brewing = more experience!

If you’re a member of a home brew club that doesn’t do all of these things – well now you’ve got a new few ideas.

The American Homebrewers Association

In addition to local hombrew clubs there is also a national club – the American Homebrewers Association.  They publish a first-rate magazine called Zymurgy – which is included in your membership – along with a whole list of other benefits and discounts.  They also provide a list of local brew clubs if you’re having difficulty finding one in your area.

Read the Full Series

This article is part of a series on some ways to become a better brewer.  Fun, interesting, outside-the-box ways to improve your brewing .  Read the other articles in this series here.

Tagged as: become a better brewer, home brew club, improvements, tips, ways to improve brewing