Anyone who's ever tried to make beer at home can tell you it isn't easy. There are precise temperature requirements, precise measurements for all ingredients, and strict rules about contamination; otherwise you end up with a bottle of sludge that tastes like rotten bread. But Alejandro Brown is here to help. Brown opened Big Al Brewing two years ago in Pacific Rim Brewing's old White Center space. A former homebrewer himself, Brown wants everyone to have the same success he eventually did. Belly up to the bar in the tasting room, and he'll give you tips and tricks on getting perfect batches from the booze fermenting in your garage. And if you bring in a Mason jar, he'll even give you a little yeast to get you started. Why all the largesse? "We believe that someday beer will save the world," Brown declares on his website. "We're not sure how, but we're doing our part." We just hope it doesn't put him out of business. ?Laura Onstot 9832 14th Ave. S.W., 453-4487, bigalbrewing.com