Home brew? Homebrew? Winemaking

Do it!

No, at this time of year you won't need a heater (more likely to have problems by being too warm actually) and if you can ferment indoors you probably won't ever.

Are you talking about all-grain brewing? I documented my first brew here (done six more since). There are some good how-to's on the HB forums, like this one. Books like Graham Wheeler (very good) can be found at charity shops for cheep.

My experience was that its quite easy to brew good beer. Tips:

• don't worry about water treatment if you are on the UK mains.
  
• DIY your boiler and mash tun if possible to keep costs down
  
• try simple recipes (e.g. pale ale, bitter) to start
  
• pay attention to your mash temperature. If you just want beer, most other variables can >>>>>>
  
• after the boil, be meticulous about sanitising your kit
  
• use good quality dried brewers' yeast and follow rehydration instructions if asvised. Yeast health has a huge impact on beer flavour.
  
• time is your friend. most beer tastes better after a few months in the bottle and high gravity beers even better after a year.