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Beer and FoodSUPPLIES
- Brew pot
- Siphon hose
- Fermenter
- Airlock and stopper
- Funnel
- Strainer
- Bottling bucket
- Beer bottles
- Bottle capper
- Malt extract
- Yeast
- Hops
- Sugar
- Water
Overview
Brewing your own beer can be a fun activity for an enterprising aficionado, and the recent rise in microbrewing makes the necessary equipment and ingredients easy to find. If you're serious about making beer, you can adjust your technique and tailor your recipes to create a brew that is uniquely you. The process takes patience and a little fine tuning, but getting there is half the fun, and the results always speak for themselves.
Step 1
Select the kind of beer you'd like to brew. Beers come in different styles and flavors, which has a bearing on the ingredients you use. In the early stages, you should probably purchase your ingredients as part of a kit, which carries them all in ready-to-brew amounts. A beer kit should contain hop pellets, malt extract, yeast and a few bits of flavoring to give a unique taste. You can purchase kits at Amazon.com and Perfect Brewing Supply, while individual beer recipes can be found at BeerRecipes.org. (See Resources, below.)
Step 2
Sanitize all of the equipment you intend to use by running them through a dishwasher at high heat. If you don't have access to a dishwasher, then clean them thoroughly with soap and hot water, then soak them in a mixture of 1 ounce of bleach and 5 gallons of water for a brief amount of time. Rinse the bleach off with several cycles of distilled water when you are done.
Step 3
Boil 3 gallons of clean water in a brew pot for half an hour. Add 2 gallons of cold water to your fermenter and leave it there.
Step 4
Turn off the heat beneath the brew pot and mix the malt extract into the hot water. Stir it until all the big chunks have broken up and the malt has dissolved into the water.
Step 5
Turn the heat on again and bring the mixture to a boil. Add hops the the mixture gradually, according to the specifics of the beer you want to make. The level and frequency of the hops will affect the flavor of the beer.
Step 6
Boil the mixture for 60 to 75 minutes, stirring occasionally. While it boils, fill a nearby sink with icy cold water.
Step 7
Remove the brew pot from the heat and place it in the sink. You want it to cool off as quickly as possible.
Step 8
Connect a funnel and strainer to the top of your fermenter and pour the mixture (called "wort") through the strainer into the fermenter. Then add another 3 gallons of water to the fermenter, followed by the yeast. Stir the mixture in the fermenter to make sure the yeast gets good and oxygenated.
Step 9
Seal the fermenter and place it somewhere cool and dark. Make sure that the location will stay cool and isn't affected by changes in the temperature.
Step 10
Let the beer ferment for 7 to 10 days, monitoring it every day or so to check its progress. You'll know when the beer is ready when the bubbling and hissing in the fermenter's airlock has slowed down significantly.
Step 11
Mix 3/4 cup of sugar with 2 cups of distilled water and bring them to a boil. Make sure the sugar has dissolved completely, then transfer the mixture to a bottling bucket.
Step 12
Siphon the beer from the fermenter into the bottling bucket using a length of clean hose. Mix the contents thoroughly
Step 13
Transfer the beer into bottles using a spigot or hose, then cap the bottles as soon as they are full. Store them in a cupboard for an additional 8 to 12 days, then refrigerate them and drink as you wish.
TIPS AND WARNINGS
- TIP : It takes time to get a beer mixture exactly right. Don't be surprised if you need some practice before hitting upon a precise blend of ingredients that work for you.
- WARNING : Cleanliness is absolutely vital when making beer. Make sure all of your tools are thoroughly sanitized before you begin, and scrub them anew every time you brew up a new batch of beer. Get the beach mixture rinsed off of your equipment completely before you start. The more careful you can be in this process, the happier you'll be in the long run.
Resources
