Surge in Demand for Home Brewing Kits
Adding the price of 4p onto a pint of beer has given rise to a mad rush in people buying home brewing kits and ingredients.
Suppliers have been met with a surge in demand for the public to make their own beer and wine rather then spend their hard gained cash on the rising prices of alcoholic drinks.
One of the country’s largest wholesale distributors, Young’s Home Brew are now hoping the that Chancellor Andrew Darling’s budget may succeed in luring people away from buying their beer and wine from supermarkets and join the ever-growing band of home brewers.
With the cost of an extra 15p being added on to a bottle of wine and 55p on a bottle of spirits, Britons are predicted to take up home brewing in record numbers.
Gone are the days when home brew tasted like something you used to wash your car with and gave you tummy rot the next day! With the advancement in knowledge and ingredients the dandelion and elderberries brigade have moved on to make more palatable drinks.
After a 40 year decline in home brewing, demijohns can be found in garden sheds, garages and spare rooms: bubbling away with the home brewing kits that have changed out of all recognition over the past 10 years.
Serious Brewers in Garden Sheds
Once the ‘hobby’ of serious pipe smoking, moustached men in tweed jackets in their garden sheds, home brewing is growing in numbers for a new generation, who with some patience are managing to produce a liquid concoction to tickle the tastes buds.
Once such man who believes it is all about to make a come back is Iain Roe, 62 who has run the Abbey Home at Kirkstall traffic lights since 1993. At one point he did consider selling up after seeing many lows but is now looking towards what he feels is a rosy future.
Mr Roe said: “There seems to be a resurgence of interest at the moment. We had one of our best Christmases ever. I think this year will be a good one if all the people who come in December return.
He went on to explain the difference from now to 20 years ago with the choices of wine you could brew. With either red, white or rose that was it – as opposed to today’s markets where there are dozen of varieties.
"There's a perception that home brewing is complicated. I think that's probably borne out of stories about granny making it from elderberries. If people do not want to go to the trouble of that, they don't have to. If you can brew tea, you can brew wine and beer." He added.
Rising costs in pubs and supermarkets of up to £3 a pint of beer certainly makes the cost of 20p to 40p a pint of home brew look remarkably golden. More so when six bottles of wine can be brewed on the worktop of a kitchen in just five days.