When Kevin McKenna sipped his first homemade beer, it was an intoxicating feat, tasting just like his favorite Samuel Adams brew.

Now, 30 years later, the beerista concocts in his Wantagh garage with novel ingredients like rosemary, and keeps as many as eight home brews on tap. In a favorite twist, a beer made with iced tea and lemon zest copied the Arnold Palmer brand iced tea and lemonade. During the Kentucky Derby, his “mint julep ale” was a winner, made with mint and oak chips he had soaked in bourbon.

“The thing I love about home brewing is it’s equal parts science and art,” said McKenna, 54, director of planning for an apparel company and president of the Handgrenades Homebrew and Craft Beer Club . “You can go as easy and as complex as you want.”

Whether beer crafting newcomers

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