The Beginning

I received my Mr. Beer Kit on 03-01-2014 (My twenty-third birthday), after years of drooling at one in stores. So I want to thank Samantha (fiancée) for starting me off. I ordered two more kegs, two more sets of bottles, all of the "instruments", six refills (12 Gallons of beer). Those should be here tomorrow. So the plan is, Joe, Steve & I will be starting off with three, two gallon batches of three different kinds of beer, starting this Friday or Saturday. More details on that, this weekend. There was talk of possibly brewing beer for someone's wedding, but that is still way up in the air. That would be awesome!

I have been scouring the net for forums, blogs, clubs, "how to" videos and more. It is really cool to see other home brewers gathering on forums, Facebook and any other online outlet you can think of.  There is no lack of information, and what usually would be considered "secrets of the trade" or "secret recipes" are shared, discussed, reviewed and sometimes even revised, publically. It is absolutely encouraged to share your tips and ingredients list, for the most part. There are still "secret ingredients" here and there. I would assume, that in such an openly shared hobby and profession, those secret ingredients are guarded well. The thing is, a secret ingredient could be as simple as the water that was used, to a mix of whatever can be tossed into the fermenting container. I look at like a chemistry set for grown-ups.

On another note: New Bills on Capitol Hill for Ohio are making beer trade and distribution headway...

OHIO

Trade Practice & Other

Senate Bill 173 authorizes specified persons to provide serving samples of and conduct consumer product instruction about the products of a manufacturer, supplier, or broker of beer, wine, or mixed beverages. The instruction or sampling must take place on the premises of a retail permit holder who is authorized to sell beer, wine, or mixed beverages for off-premises consumption. (February Update)
House Bill 391 seeks to allow beer manufacturers to manufacture beer containing not more than 21% of alcohol by volume beginning on the effective date of this act, and, beginning one year after the effective date of this act, to allow the sale and distribution of beer containing not more than 21% of alcohol by volume in this state by increasing the legally permitted alcohol content of beer from 12% to 21%.  The bill also generally prohibits the inclusion of caffeine or other stimulants in beer containing more than 12% of alcohol by volume, but exempting beer that has incidental amounts of caffeine from coffee, chocolate, or tea. (January Update)

Source: Brewers Association: State Government Affairs Activities