Home brewing continues to grow in popularity

Cerveceros offer classes on homebrewing

SAN ANTONIO – San Antonio Beer Week kicks off Monday with events taking place across the city. The celebration will also be shining a light on homebrewing, a growing trend across the country and right here in South Texas.

"I like beer and it was much cheaper for me to make it at home,” said San Antonian Mike Farringer.

Farringer has been a homebrewer for almost a decade after transforming his garage into a small-scale brewery. 

"It got its hooks in me and I haven’t been able to stop since then,” said Farringer.

Farringer is also a longtime member of the Cerveceros, a San Antonio nonprofit whose goal is to educate others on how to brew at home.  The Cerveceros began as a small group of men interested in the procedure and has grown steadily ever since. 

"Now we do classes every month that focus on a step in the brewing process or a type of beer and we use those to help the homebrewing community further their skills,” said Farringer.

Brewing from home, while growing in popularity, does require some upfront cost. To get started, typically costs around $200. From there, upgrades can cost much more, with other expenses including sugar and hops. It also takes time. 

"This process will probably take better part of half a day,” said Farringer of the small batch he was preparing. “For the fermentation it can really vary, but usually it’s about 7 to 10 days."

The small scale, however, allows the homebrewer to truly customize the flavors.   

"A lot of the stuff the homebrewers are making are very good beers and are on the same level as some of the beers you can get in breweries,” said Farringer.

Farringer is looking to take it a step further. He is part of a group, the San Antonio Brewing Company, which will be opening a brew pub at Hemisfair Park. 

Meanwhile, for those looking to learn more about homebrewing, Texas Agrilife, along with the Cerveceros, Bexar County Master Gardners, and Blue Star Brewing Company will be hosting “Brewing at Home” on April 7. The event costs $30 and does require an RSVP. More information can be found here.

Additional information on the Cerveceros, click here.


About the Author:

Justin Horne is a meteorologist and reporter for KSAT 12 News. When severe weather rolls through, Justin will hop in the KSAT 12 Storm Chaser to safely bring you the latest weather conditions from across South Texas. On top of delivering an accurate forecast, Justin often reports on one of his favorite topics: Texas history.