It usually takes several months between preparing a homebrew and sampling it, but most homebrewers would argue that the wait is worth it. (Journal photo by Christopher Diem)

MARQUETTE — Chris Hutte started beer homebrewing last spring after helping his roommate brew a few batches. After starting out small, Hutte is now experimenting with different styles that may not be so easy to find commercially. “I did an oatmeal cream stout. Usually they’re two separate styles — there’s a cream or sweet stout and an oatmeal stout and I blended those two together. So it was a much sweeter, full-bodied stout,” he said. Homebrewing has been around for thousands of years. The hobby can be cheaper than buying beer from the store and it lets the brewer tweak recipes to suit their own tastes. Hutte works at White’s Party Store in Marquette, which sells both equipment and ingredients. Kris Willard, the owner of White’s, said beer-making equipment includes hydrometers, thermometers, siphoning equipment, food-grade plastic containers and an array of other equipment. The second step is getting the right ingredients.