You’ll find parts from the B-52 bomber and maybe an oil rig or two in this brewery, where surplus is king. Still, the goal is one that every brewer can list after – and that means a model for all to learn from.

From the multidue of homebrew equipment out there you must decide just what to pick for your mashing, lautering and even boiling operations. This guided tour can help you pick what’s best for your style of brewing and your budget as well.

Knowing a RIMS from a DIMS comes in handy when you encounter a stainless steel brewing system and it’s essential when you set out to buy or build your own. We trace the history of brewing technology from hewn logs to HERMS to show what’s available today and where the ideas and technology came from.

Quiz your palate and interrogate your taste buds to decide on your personal list of America’s top beers and then vote.

In the early years, the AHA survived on heartfelt commitment and homebrew as volunteers chipped in to create the organizationthat we know today. We caught up with some of the founding staff members to find out what life was like before computers and color printing.

Covers weren’t always colorful but they have certainly been playful. From bathtub-bound Colonels to beachwear supermodels, Zymurgy covers have chronicled homebrewing in every walk of life.

The first issue of Zymurgy rolled off the presses shortly after President Carter signed the law legalizing homebrewing in 1978. If you missed that first 12-page issue, we show you the actual first two pages with complete text of the articles they introduced.

When Charlite Papazian was still drinking cream soda, Fred Eckhardt was already well familiar with what was then a wretched world of homebrewing. Starting “before the beginning”, he tells us how that all changed.

Funny stories, odd items and just plain “back then” reminisciences from the days of homebrews past.

This special installment of Winners Circle includes the recipe for every Homebrewer of Year beer from the founding of the National Homebrew Competition in 1979 to the present.