Approx. equipment costs:  $30 and up for a basic kit +bottles

Approx. costs per project:  Typically between $20-$30 for an average batch, which equates to about 2 cases of beer.  Higher end ingredients for more exotic beers will cause the batch cost to be higher. 

Difficulty for beginners:  Easy

Approx. time to complete project: 2-3 hours to brew, about a week to ferment, about an hour to bottle the fermented beer, then waiting 2-4 weeks for bottle conditioning.  

Types of Projects:  Various beer recipes: Pilsners, lagers, ports, stouts, etc.

The easiest way to get started with home brewing is buying a home brewing kit that contains the basic equipment you need.  These are great for beginners and are cheaper than buying the pieces individually.  There are several great ones available: 

• Mr. Beer offers a collection of beer making kits, supplies, and merchandise. As Low As $29.99! - Makes A Great Gift! 
• Makebeer.net also has a great kit Click here to check it out
• MrRootBeer also sells a great rootbeer brewing kit that contains everything you need.  Click here to check it out!

Once you have obtained the basic brewing equipment, you can get beer kits for different brews that contain the malt, hops, and yeast to make a specific type of beer.   You can also buy the ingredients individually to match recipies.  As you get more experienced, you should definitely experiment with varying your recipes to your own personal tastes.   Many people even create their own private labeled beers.   Private label beers are a hit at a party. 

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