I got back into homebrewing about half a year ago. I've made six batches since I started in October:
- Coopers Lager
- Coopers Real Ale with strawberries
- Coopers Lager with honey
- Coopers Stout with chocolate and cocoa
- Coopers European Lager
- Brewcraft Premium Belgian Ale

To make the flavoured beers I just added strawberries, honey, or melted chocolate and cocoa to the mix before adding the water. The Strawberry Ale and Honey Lager were both winners with a nice subtle flavour coming through, but the Chocolate Stout just tastes like a slightly bitter stout.

The European Lager and Belgian Stout are both a little more expensive to make (the Belgian being about twice the price of normal beer) but are better tasting. I've only had a preview of the Belgian because it's not quite ready, but it's going to be great.

None of them have been failures, but so far friends have only gotten excited about the European Lager, and that's the big test. The strawberry and honey beers also got a seal of approval, but others were not so popular. Millerine is happy to drink them, so they can't be too bad.

The main change I've made since starting is moving from 740ml plastic bottles to 330ml glass bottles. The plastic is much easier at bottling time, and I still use them when I have them, but not as sustainable, and I was just drinking too much beer. The glass bottles are free from friends and parties, are a more manageable everyday drinking size, and just seem nicer.

Anyway, at less than $10 a carton for a good to great beer, I'm not about to stop making it.