And finally, Did you know that water is the biggest contributor to the taste and flavor of the alcoholic drink? This is true because water is the most important ingredient in the beer. As mentioned, water has an effect on beer and this can be linked to the effects of the six water ions. These ions include the carbonate, the sodium, chloride, sulfate, magnesium and calcium. It's also all malt beer, giving it that full bodied taste that you don't normally get from the type of beer purchased from stores or bars. You can also use ingredients that are not normally used for commercial beers. Cheaper Beer Home brewed beer is cheaper than commercial beers. Notwithstanding the scarcity of malt and hops today, you can still brew 5 gallons at a lesser cost than the cheapest beer brand in your nearby store. And you can shift this from hobby to a business endeavor the moment that you are satisfied with the taste. And move out of your comfort zone if you think that your friends will like your concoction. So you may have clinched the taste-winning formulation for your brew. So what needs to be done now? In order to take your hobby to the next level, then what you can do is to participate in trade shows and you can even join competitions. Now, it's easier to concoct your own brew. But just a little reminder, don't let your over-eagerness get the best out of you. Exercise some restraint as well when trying home brewing for the first time. You don't want to go the way of many first-timers who become frustrated simply because they failed to know some of the more common home brewing mistakes. Expect to see carboys in many sizes, and for starters you may want to start with the 5-gallon carboy. The stopper. This is an important storage implement and this should not be left out in your shopping list. This is placed at the opening of the carboy, and your air lock will be placed on the stopper. All you have to do is to convert your existing refrigerator in order to become a beer system for home. The nice thing about this system is that this is easy to do, it is customizable and more importantly the refrigerator at home becomes multi-purpose. But then again, the choice will depend on the budget and the needs.