The craft of brewed beverages, particularly beers, is enjoying a renaissance at the moment. This is based on a rediscovery of lapsed techniques and the inquisitive minds of home and craft brewers.
For the permie, home brewing can reflect permaculture design principles. You need to ‘apply self-regulation and accept feedback’, as a boorish drunk is no fun. There is also an opportunity to ‘obtain a yield’, with three of the four main ingredients of beer easily collected (water), cultivated (hops) or cared for (yeast). The fourth ingredient (malted barley) can be grown and processed, however this is a task for an adventurous spirit.
A DIY home brew offers several advantages over the shop bought product. Firstly you have much more control over the product, its provenance and its ingredients. Secondly you have the ability to make truly wondrous beverages not available from the run of the mill bottle shop. Thirdly you can do it for a fraction of the price. A from scratch home brew can be made for between 75 cents and $2 a litre; saving you from working for the man and saving you some cash for your next project.