In college, some students think the best way to get a buzz is off of beer. For those both of-age and underage, beer is one of the easiest alcoholic beverages to find, in almost every dorm or residency. According to a student-run college website, www.campussqueeze.com, it’s easy to find beer, but students might sacrifice other things in trying to save a buck.

“Keystone is quite possibly college student’s most popular beer. At a rock bottom low $11.99 for 30 beers, kids everywhere gulp down ‘Stones and save’,” one student on the site said. “But don’t be surprised if your hangover feels like you chugged battery acid. Keystone is known to have a damaging effect on one’s body. No big deal, it probably isn’t fatal.”

However, there may be a solution to this problem: home brewing your own beer. The process is often kept under-wraps, but in reality, it’s legal to make alcoholic beverages, and it can actually be a cheaper way to get quality drinks.

Chris Sanchez, a University alumnus, believes that the price of home brewing is one of its best benefits.

“Beer from the store is more expensive, and you never know what you’re going to get. To make it, it comes around one dollar per beer, and for a store equivalent it’s usually $1.50 to $2.00 for a beer,” Sanchez said.

So it may be cheaper, but for those who might not be in a monetary bind, what are the benefits of brewing from home? Kat Siegert, a senior in business administration, has seen the process of making beer in her own home. Her dad brews it from home, so Kat knows first hand about the details of making homemade brew.

“It tastes better. My dad makes special beers, like strawberry beer and cherry beer. He also makes his own wine. He makes them sweet,” Siegert said. “If you can brew it yourself, then you can make the types you like.”

Lacey Treadway, a freshman in fisheries & wildlife sciences, said she wouldn’t even consider buying beer if she didn’t like the taste.

“If I were buying beer, I would go with flavor. If something doesn’t taste good I’m not going to drink it, plain and simple.”

Brewing beer at home gives students the option to custom make the beer the way they want it to taste. They get to decide the amount, the flavor, and the alcohol content of their drinks.

“My dad makes his beer with less alcohol. He uses more yeast cultures for flavor, but less actual alcohol content,” Siegert said.

The whole process comes down to having the option of making exactly what you want to drink, when you want it. If a student is picky with his or her beers, then home brew might be an option. In addition, students can get the taste they want for less than they would pay for store bought beers.

“With a home brew, you have total control over your ingredients. You can be creative and outlandish with your beer,” Sanchez said. “With the great variety, it’s all about flavor. There might not be a difference between what you make, and what you purchase, but you don’t have to shop around to get the taste you want. There’s only a set variety, out there, but you can make whatever you like.”

While it’s nice for students to get the unique flavor they like, one of the downsides to home brewing is the extensive time necessary to make the product.

“From start to finish, the brewing process takes from six to eight weeks, from ingredients to serving,” Sanchez said.

It can also be a bit difficult to make beer at home, because it has to sit in a warm place to ferment and become complete. Also, storage can be an issue in confined living spaces such as a college dorm room or apartment.

“During the fermenting, my dad keeps the beer in a five gallon drum, either in the bathroom or in my room. Those are the warmest places,” Siegert said.

However, some students are still opposed to the process.

“Besides special issues, I wouldn’t consider brewing my own beer, simply because beer is not my preferred choice of drink,” Treadway said.

Once the beer is done brewing, students can store it in a place where it will stay fresh. Since so much is being made at one time, it can be difficult to find a good place to preserve it, if they don’t have the proper brewing equipment.

“We keep it in buckets initially, while it’s brewing. Then we put it into kegs,” Sanchez said. Once stored, the beer will stay good longer than it takes for it to be consumed, which is a pro to home brewery.

“We’ve had beer for as long as six to eight months, but I hear it stays longer than that,” Sanchez said. “We’ve never had a problem with its shelf life.”