SUPPLIES
- 2 gallon pot
- Siphon hose with clamp
- 1 tsp. brewers yeast
- 1 lb. malt syrup
- 1 gallon water
- 1/2 oz. hops
- Air bung
- Hydrometer
- 2-gallon or more plastic bucket with lid and hole for air bung
- 20 oz. brown sugar
- 1 tbsp. molasses
- 10 glass beer bottles or 4 1-liter soda bottles
Overview
What could be nicer than sitting down with some friends after a hard day's work and enjoying a nice pint of cold beer - other than maybe serving beer that you made yourself? You can make your own, and it's not that complicated. In fact, by the time you finish reading this, you might even say it's easy. Check it out and see what you think. These directions allow you to pick your own flavor of hops and malt, depending on what is available in your area.
Step 1
Sterilize all of your equipment by filling a sink with water and adding 2 oz. household bleach. Add the utensils and allow them to sit in the water for 5 minutes. This will kill any bacteria that might be on the surfaces. Rinse and set them out to dry.
Step 2
Make a hops tea by pouring 1 quart water into a stainless steel pot and adding the hops. Bring it to a boil and cover it. Simmer it for 1 hour to extract the full flavor. Strain and cool it to room temperature.
Step 3
Proof the yeast by adding it to 1 cup lukewarm water with 1 tbsp. molasses. Stir and let it sit for about 10 minutes, or until it has a good bit of foam on top.
Step 4
Pour the hops tea into the plastic bucket, add the malt syrup and stir well. Stir in the yeast, then add the rest of the gallon of water (should be 2 quarts and 3 cups water). Stir well to mix the ingredients. Check the specific gravity with your hydrometer.
Step 5
Add 8 oz. of the brown sugar and stir well until is well dissolved. Check the specific gravity again. The goal is to get the original specific gravity to be about 1.06, which will give you a beer with an alcohol content of about 8 percent. Continue to add the brown sugar for a total of 16 oz. until the specific gravity has met its mark.
Step 6
Cover the bucket and allow the mixture or wort to ferment for several days, usually around 5 (it may be longer if your temperature is cooler). Once the bubbling has stopped, you know the wort has finished. Check your specific gravity every day until it reaches about 1.005.
Step 7
Siphon the beer from the bottom of the bucket carefully into your original stainless steel pot without any splashing (you don't want to add oxygen) so that the top layer of foam and yeast stays behind.
Step 8
Stir in 4 oz. of the brown sugar, slowly and gently until it is dissolved. Pour the beer into the sanitized bottles and cap them tightly. This beer should now sit in a warm place (70 degrees F) for about a week. Serve it cold or at room temperature, depending on your preference.
TIPS AND WARNINGS
- TIP : Let tap water sit out for 20 minutes to dissipate the chlorine.
Resources
