A home brew kit is the easiest way to brew beer and the best way for a complete beginner to start. All that you will need to add to the homebrew kit is hot water - all the ingredients are supplied in the correct quantities with in the kit, allowing you to emulate popular beers with relative ease.
Ales Ales are beers distinguished by use of top fermenting yeast strains, which perform at warmer temperatures than do yeasts used to brew lager beer, and their by-products are more evident in taste and aroma. Fruitiness and esters are often part of an ale's character.
Barley Wine Barley Wines are very high in alcohol (O.G about 80, that of a dry wine); colour preferably deep garnet; full fruity bouquet and an almost vinous flavour. Long maturation is necessary.
I.P.A. IPA's have slightly more body than light ales, slightly more strength (O.G anywhere between 40 and 45), slightly more hops and slightly more colour. India Pale Ale was originally specially brewed in the nineteenth century to be sent to troops in India at the time of the British Raj.
IPA should be high in malt bouquet and well hopped, with a dry, fresh clean taste.
Lager The word lager comes from the German word lagern which means, "to store". A perfect description as lagers are brewed with bottom fermenting yeast that work slowly at around 34°F, and are often further stored at cool temperature to mature. Lager yeast ferments more sugars, leaving a crisp clean taste which produce fewer by-product characters than ale yeast.
Mild Milds vary enormously according to locality but is usually less strong than bitter, darker in colour and less bitter (less hops) and slightly sweeter. O.G about 1030, alcohol 3 - 3.5%. Slowly regaining it's lost popularity.
Stout Stout is a peculiary British drink not brewed on the continent. It is very dark, almost black, and is made from much roasted barley and the head is full and creamy. The bouquet is full and tastes sharply woody or bitter as the result of high hopping and the use of roasted malts.
