Chester Home Brew brings the brewery into the home

Jan 7 2010 by Laurie Stocks-Moore, Chester Chronicle

Shop brings the brewery into the home

GLASSES were clinking at the opening of a new shop.

Bob Blackler heralded the opening of his store in Saltney, which sells home brew kits, with a celebratory pint of one of his own homemade creations. He is confident in these times of recession that people will be persuaded to make their own beers and wines at home.

“I've been doing it for 20 odd years since I was a teenager,” he said.

“In the last few years I've upped the ante.”

The nearest specialist home brew kit retailers are in Birkenhead, Shrewsbury and Stockport.

So Bob spotted an opening in the market and decided the time was right to open his store.

Bob explained how easy it is to get started: “You can get 40 odd pints of beer or cider for about £20. That will get you reasonable quality.

“An initial outlay of just over £50 will get you a good quality kit and the equipment to make a really good brew.

“It comes to about 50p a bottle.”

Would-be brewers can buy ready-mixed ingredients and just add water, or come up with their own concoction adding grains and hops themselves.

The shop also stocks kits for brewing wine at home.

For further information, log on to Bob's website at www.chesterhomebrew.co.uk