Home brewing is a great hobby. The fact that it’s just a cool thing to do is often reason enough to do it. If you’re in that place where you’re still unsure, however, here are five reasons to take up this fun hobby.

1. Save Money

The cost of what goes into a five-gallon batch of beer varies greatly, depending on the ingredients and the kind of beer you intend to brew. In the majority of cases, however, it will cost you less than it would if you bought a six-pack of a similar product. It won’t be as inexpensive as a macro beer like Bud Light, but then if you’re considering home brewing, you probably won’t want to drink cheap beer like that anyway. How you purchase your ingredients is also a factor. You can buy pre-packaged ingredient kits or you can buy them individually.

2. An Impressive Gift

A homemade gift always goes over well with the recipient. It speaks of love, thoughtfulness, and makes the person feel cared for, in a way a gift card never could. Homemade beer is a welcome gift on any occasion. Whether it’s a specially-made batch for a friend’s wedding, a winter warmer for Christmas, or a birthday gift for a beer-loving friend, it’s sure to impress.

3. Fun With Friends

There aren’t many towns without a home brewing club. This hobby is a social one, and both men and women love helping each other out when they start out on the path to becoming a home brewer. If there’s anything you want to ask or if you need assistance with a particular process, these clubs are a great resource. You’ll build a social network of friends and like-minded hobbyists within your community. Brewing with somebody else is also a great way of making your brewing day go faster. You can sample each other’s beers, and chat and joke around, and your beer will be brewed before you know it.

4. Anyone Can Do It

Making beer equal to the standard of that in your local shop isn’t difficult at all. It can be just as easy or as difficult as you choose. If you know how to follow basic instructions, implement good cleaning practices, and know how to treat your yeast, your beer will be just fine. The most difficult part is bottling your brew. And even bottling isn’t really that hard. It’s just time-consuming and monotonous.

5. It’s Cheap to Start

There’s a myth that says you need a lot of expensive equipment to start home brewing, but it’s simply not true. You can get yourself a starter kit for as little as $75, and it will include all the essentials you need to start home brewing. You can buy additional home brewing products to make the process easier, but it isn’t necessary when you’re first starting out. You’ll want to sooner or later though. You might also want to add a few things when it’s time to bottle your new home creation.