Home brewers hitting taste buds
They are the mad scientists of WA beer but for home brewers there has never been a better time to enjoy a good drop.
Changing tastes and the boom in the craft beer market are encouraging more people to try their hand at crafting their own brews.
For IT worker Sean Johnson it was a desire to try mead, also known as honey wine, that first got him brewing four years ago.
"I heard about it and went, 'What the hell is that', and wanted to make it," Mr Johnson said.
Now president of West Coast Brewers, he said pride in doing it yourself was what drove most of the club's 150 members.
"The satisfaction of giving someone a beer you've made and seeing them enjoy it is the biggest thing for most of us," he said.
He said some former WCB members had gone on to commercial brewing careers.
Those without the time and money to invest in a full home-brewing set up are still keen to try their hand, with Perth's DIY breweries reporting steady growth in trade.
Brews 'R' Us owner Craig Wilmot says his Greenwood business has grown about 20 per cent in recent years.
"That's quite good for a little brewery like us," he said.
"It's not like people can just drive through. They have to come and put a bit of effort in and they're really enjoying it."
