Luke Livingstone is a busy man thanks to his circle of blogs including Blog About Beer, which you can guess the focus, and Real World Really, a place for common sense advice for new college grads. But today he's got beer on the mind...again.

Sure Coors Light and P.B.R. cost 50 cents a can, and as a college student those prices couldn't be beat. But now that you're a little older, your palate is a little more mature, right?…right? Well, what better way to satisfy your new-found thirst for life's finer-things, your need for a new hobby -- you can only beat Guitar Hero so many times... -- and your ever-tightening budget than learning to brew your own beer!

Is it really worth it?

While the initial investment might be a little steeper than you'd like - you can get a complete brewing starter kit, the ingredients for a 5 gallon batch of beer & a book on learning to art of brewing all together for about $115 on amazon.com - just remind grandma that it makes a great birthday present. Once buying the equipment is out of the way, each batch you brew will yield two cases (5 gallons) of high-quality, actually tasty (not watered-down, urine-esque "American Light Lager") beer for about 30-50 cents a bottle.

Still not convinced?

Brewing your own beer is fun, challenging, and down-right addicting. In addition to saving you money, brewing your own is a great hobby with a great network of practitioners (just Google "homebrew forums" and see what comes up). And think about what a hit you'll be at your next get-together when you show up with a case of (good) beer you made yourself; come to think of it, what a great excuse to host your own tasting party.

So, where do I start?

You can start by reading either "The Complete Joy of Homebrewing" by Charles Papazian or John Palmer's Book "How to Brew," which is available in hard-copy on amazon.com or online in its entirety at www.howtobrew.com; getting all the necessary supplies (try the link to the complete starter kit above, or www.northernbrewer.com - which happens to be where I buy all of my supplies - or locally from the brick & mortar homebrew supply shops nearby -- Maine Brewing Supply -- on Forest Ave. or The Hop Shop in Gray); connecting with fellow homebrewers at online forums; or for news & information on all things beer (excuse the shameless plug), point your browser in the direction of my blog, www.BlogAboutBeer.com. Good luck and happy brewing!

This is a guest post by Luke Livingston - local homebrewer, co-founder of the Maine Beer Writers' Guild and author of www.blogaboutbeer.com

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