Does anyone know what George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Benjamin Franklin have in common? Well yes, they were all the founding fathers of our great nation, but they were also all homebrewers. But what exactly is homebrewing? Homebrewing is the process of creating your own beer to your liking. It allows a great degree of freedom when it comes to creating a beer you like. Today I would like to first talk about beer in general, the decline of homebrew and its re-emergence. Then I will discuss the three most widely used general ways of home brewing. The first and simplest is extraction brewing, the second most challenging style is partial brewing, and the third and most in-depth home brewing style is all grain brewing. So now you have a basic definition of what home brewing is, but I bet at least half of you here today have never heard of it until now. And I bet at least half of you here are saying, “So, why all the fuss about beer? Beer is beer, right?" WRONG! According to The Complete Joy of Homebrewing “it is clear that wines are complex and varied” and wine enthusiasts are unquestioned in their devotion while beer enthusiasts are often met with criticism. Indeed , there are probably hundreds of different styles of beer to enjoy in the world. Now I don't intend to dwell on all these varieties today, but I would like to introduce you to the two main categories: Ales and Lagers. According to Mashtronauts.com, Ales are beers rapid fermentation, leading to a higher alcohol content and more complex flavor profiles. Examples of beers are porters, stouts and India Pale Ales which are slower fermenting, leading to a relatively lower alcohol content along with a smoother flavor profile Examples of l… middle of paper… a week or so, when your beer has finished aging, you can open a bottle of homebrew and pour it into a glass of your choice. . Just be sure to leave the bottom ¼ inch, as it will contain some residual conditioning yeast. And in the words of Charlie Papazian, famous to all homebrewers, "Relax... don't worry... and homebrew." So today we discussed the basics of beer and why it deserves the respect of any other hobby. We also discussed beginner methods for homebrewing, then delved into more advanced all-grain brewing methods. The point I want everyone to conclude today is that beer can be simple or complex depending on how you want it, but it must always be respected and enjoyed to its fullest. Just remember that next time you crack open a cold brew, your ancestors more than 6,000 years ago were doing something pretty similar.