How To Brew Your Own Beer
Ever wanted to brew your own beer, but didn’t try because you weren’t quite sure how to do it? All potential homebrewers have been there, and the one thing that they figured out was that it’s really not all that difficult or complicated once they learned all of the steps to do it. For all of you beginners, here’s a comprehensive, step-by-step guide on how to brew your own beer:
Step 1 – Buying The Necessary Homebrewing Equipment
It is relatively inexpensive to start brewing at home, as the fundamental equipment that you will need will cost somewhere between $100 – $150 and, if you consult our related products section, you will be guided to the equipment online. Another option that you have, which would not be our favorite, is to purchase the equipment from a neighborhood brewing supply store. To begin brewing, you will first need to purchase this equipment: brewpot, primary fermenter, airlock and stopper,plastic hose, bottling bucket, bottles, bottle brush and capper ( if you plan to use glass bottles), stick-on thermometer, and other household items.
Our next step is to tell you a little about each of these items, and what each of these items are used for. We will get into greater detail about specific brewing instructions in the steps that follow.
Brewpot – Constructed of stainless steel or enamel-coated metal, the brewpot is a very large pot with a minimum of 16 quart capacity. In order to insure superior beer taste, you cannot skimp on the pot or use one that you have lying around that may be aluminum, or have chipped enamel. You will combine your beer ingredients in your brewpot and boil them. The boiled product is known as “wort”.
Primary fermenter – Once your wort has been boiled, it is allowed to ferment in the primary fermenter where it turns into that magical liquid that transforms you into that entertaining and debonair person. The primary fermenter must be able to house the airlock and rubber stopper, have a lid which provides an airtight seal, as well as a capacity of at least 7 gallons. Again, skimping is not wise, you should buy the proper equipment for the job. A quality primary fermenter is one constructed of food-grade plastic, which will guard against outside contaminants, as well as keeping the liquid that you are brewing, inside where it belongs.
Airlock and stopper – This is the device that prevents an explosion inside your fermenter, by letting carbon dioxide out, but keeping unfavorable outside air from breaking into the sanitary environment inside your fermenter. The airlock is designed to fit into a rubber stopper, and then the stopper, in turn, fits in the top of the fermenter. You must insure that you have the appropriate stopper to fit the opening in your primary fermenter. Stoppers are numbered to determine size.
Plastic hose – Once again, food-grade plastic is what you will want to use as the material for this five foot hose. The hose is utilized for purposes of transferring beer from one place to another, and should be kept free of leaks and kinks, and cleanliness is essential.
Bottling bucket – This bucket is usually quite large, constructed, again, of food-grade plastic, and houses a faucet at the bottom. You should insure that this bucket is as large as your primary fermenter, as prior to bottling your beer, you will pour every bit of liquid from the fermenter, into the bottling bucket.
Bottles – Secondary fermentation takes place after the beer is poured into the bottles and stored. You will need to calculate how much beer you are brewing to determine the number of bottles that you will need (there are approximately 640 ounces of beer in a 5 gallon batch, meaning that you will need 40 16 ounce bottles). It is convenient to use smooth top bottles that can use caps from a bottle capper (not twist-off style caps). Plastic bottles with screw-on caps are an option, but will not perform as well and will not be as nice to look at. The decision about which bottles to use is yours, but whatever you decide we do suggest that you choose dark-colored bottles. Using dark bottles will prevent your beer from being damaged by light.
Bottle brush – Thorough cleaning of your bottles can be done with these curved brushes. Bottle brushes are a primary tool necessary for keeping your bottles clean, as ensuring that your brewing equipment is clean is very important.
Bottle capper – When using glass bottles a bottle capper will be required to attach your caps. You can visit your local brewing supply company to purchase the caps that you will need. For convenience, you may select a bottle capper that attaches to a surface and allows you to hold the bottle in one hand, while working the bottle capper with the other. You will need to determine whether the convenience of the more expensive capper is something that is worth the extra money and within your budget.
Stick-on thermometer – You can affix this thermometer to the side of the fermenter. With an adhesive backing, these thermometers resemble thin strips of plastic. A brewing supply store will have these available for purchase, you can also get them online, and you can even buy them at a pet or aquarium store, as they are the same thermometer used for monitoring the temperature of aquariums.
Household items – Items from around your home that you will also require include: a tiny bowl, saucepan, oven mitts or pot holders, rubber spatula, and a large stainless steel or plastic mixing spoon.
When you have secured all of the above equipment, you are ready to get started.
Step 2 – Pick A Recipe And Buy Your Ingredients
As a beginning brewer you can purchase a “beer kit” which has all the necessary ingredients to make a particular kind of beer included within the kit. This is all you will need to begin brewing. When you are more experienced, you will purchase your ingredients separately based on your preferred recipe. A beer kit includes a bog can of hopped malt concentrate and a packet of yeast. You must also purchase additional fermentables. Fermentables are the ingredients that generate the alcohol. The more alcohol you want, the more fermentables you need. Additional fermentables that are commonly used are included such as brewers sugar, dry malt extract, liquid malt extract, rice syrup, Belgian candy sugar or demerera sugar. You will need at least 2 pounds, but not more than 3 on for your first attempt. The idea here is not to become too drunk.
Beer kits eliminate the possibility for error and can help you become more comfortable with the procedure before you begin to use loose ingredients. These beer kits are readily available online and at brewing supply stores. Most brewers in the world use them. Many brewers enjoy the certainty and convenience of the kits so much that they frequently use them through the rest of their homebrewing careers.
There are nearly endless variations on the brewing theme, this article is written for the beginning brewer so we won’t add any recipes here. If you ever with to create more than beer kits, it is recommended that you purchase a homebrewing book that has some good recipes. There are also brewing magazines which present new recipes every month, or search for new recipes and formulas on the internet. Once you have chosen your desired recipe, you can purchase the needed ingredients and do it.
Step 3 – Cleaning Your Brewing Equipment
It is very important that all your brewing equipment be cleaned and sterilized before the brewing process, as well as during it. Harmful microorganisms can get into your beer and ruin it; fungi and bacteria are ubiquitous and must be dealt with. On the upside, following through properly on the cleaning process will produce an outstanding first brewing experience. Initially before you start to brew there are several items that will need to be thoroughly sanitized.
The specialized items you need to sanitize are the primary fermenter, the airlock and stopper, the brew spoon, and the brewpot; in addition, you will need to thoroughly clean and sanitize a rubber spatula, a small bowl, a mixing spoon and a saucepan.
After you have started brewing there are other items that will need sanitizing, and when you reach that point you should follow the cleaning techniques listed below.
For these purposes, “cleaning” means removing visible dirt, dust, sediment and film from each piece of equipment. The easiest way to do this is hot water with dish detergent, and a dishcloth or brush; you can also just put the items into a dishwasher.
The meaning of “sanitizing” for brewing purposes is to treat the items with chlorine or iodine combined with water, or to use heat, to eliminate any bugs that remain after the cleaning process. For this step a dishwasher with a “heat dry” cycle is a great tool; you can just use this cycle after the cleaning process and it will properly sanitize the items.
You may not be fortunate enough to have one of these marvels of technology, in which case the “old” way will have to do.
1. Using 2 ounces of unscented chlorine bleach per 5 gallons of water, make up a big batch of sanitizing solution. You can also use iodine and cold water; this is iodine that can be bought at a restaurant or brewing supply center — don’t use the medicinal kind!
2. Completely scrub a bathtub, sink or big basin so that is very clean, then mix the sanitizing solution in it.
3. You can use the bottling bucket or the primary fermenter to concoct your sanitizing solution; they don’t need soaking. Your other items can even be soaked in the bucket or the fermenter.
4. Whichever receptacle you choose to mix the sanitizing solution in, all the little items should be totally submerged in the sanitizing solution. Now relax and wait until the sanitizing solution completes its task; this will be 5 minutes if you’re using iodine or 30 minutes if you’re using chlorine bleach. When you’re done sanitizing everything in bleach, you must rinse off all the items very completely. Once rinsed, let everything air dry somewhere clean and out of the reach of kids, pets or any random gypsies who may be attracted by your shiny gadgets. All the equipment needs to be squeaky clean before brewing commences — then it’s time to make some foamy ambrosia!
Here is how to brew outstanding beer from a kit.
1. Heat 2 quarts of water to steaming (but not boiling temperature), about 160-180 degrees Fahrenheit; then take it off the heat.
2. Follow the beer kit directions, adding the contents of the kit and additional fermentables. Remember that dry malt extract, Belgian candi sugar, brewer’s sugar, liquid malt extract, demerera sugar, or a mixture of any of them, are all excellent fermentables. Different ingredients produce different flavors and qualities; consult your shop owner for advice on getting the blend you desire.
3. Mix vehemently to make sure the concoction is thoroughly dissolved, turn the heat on low and let it heat up for 10 to 15 minutes. By doing this, you will attain the correct level of sanitation.
4. Put 4 gallons of cold water in your primary fermenter and add the heated mixture. To ensure that sufficient oxygen is present in your wort before the yeast is added, mix the water and fermentables concoction for at least a couple of minutes. This will make your yeast very happy later on, if you get our meaning. You can put the yeast in as soon as the side of the primary fermenter is cool. It isn’t mandatory to re-hydrate your brewer’s yeast before adding it to the mixture, although many kits suggest it.
5. Determine the suggested temperature range for fermentation and try to maintain it.
Step 4 – Let The Beer Ferment
Now that you have a wort, which isn’t quite beer yet, it will begin to ferment fairly soon on the first day, and over the course of around three to five days it will continue to do so. Once you see bubbles coming up in the water of the air lock you will know that the wort has begun to ferment. These air bubbles are simply gas that is a side product of the fermentation process, they force their way out of the fermenter’s airlock. Once five days have passed you need to start checking up on the beer every single day to make sure the fermentation process is continuing or not. If you still see bubbles rising out of the air lock, you know that the process is still active and you must not touch it. Not only will you completely ruin your beer by bottling them before the fermentation process, your bottles may actually explode if filled early. Continue watching the bubbles coming from the airlock until there is a pause of at least 2 minutes beach each series of bubbles. Once this occurs you will know that the main fermentation phase is over and you can bottle your beer.
The second phase of fermentation has to take place in the bottle, so do not start drinking them quite yet. If you really want to try it, you can drink one, however they will not be carbonated so they will not be very good.
Before doing anything else you need to make sure you clean then sanitize your bottle caps, hose, saucepan, bottles, mixing spoons, and your bottling bucket.
-It is really important to have plenty of bottles to hold all of your newly made beer. When you make five gallons of beer, that is going to be around 650 ounces. That means you will need around 40 sixteen ounce beer bottles. Always have a few extra caps as well in case you need to recap a few botched bottling attempts.
-Make sure you also have some pure dextrose ready to go. This makes the priming solution. Using this mixture you will be able to let the left over yeast in the beer carbonate. Dissolve 3/4 of a cup of dextrose in around three cups of water inside your saucepan. Using a medium heat, bring the mixture to boil and let it cool off the heat for around twenty minutes.
-Once you let your mixture cool, take your newly cleaned and sanitized bucket and place it on the floor to get ready. It is good to have the primary fermenter sitting above the bottling bucket on a chair or counter of some kind. Do your best to not disturb the beer in the fermenter too much when moving it. It is in your best interest to keep the remains on the bottom. Place one end of the hose in the bottling bucket then attach the other end to the fermenter’s spigot. First pour out your mixture from the saucepan into the bottling bucket, afterward ope the spigot which will allow the beer to leave the fermenter and enter into the bucket and begin reacting with the mixture. Do not attempt to get every last drop from the fermenter. The bottom of the fermenter has sediment within it that you really do not want in your beer.
-Once you close the spigot, remove the hose and make sure you clean it properly. Move the fermenter and place the bottling bucket where it once was, then hook the hose to the bucket’s spigot. Make sure you arrange your bottles in a nice line under the bucket so they are ready to receive beer. After it is all said and done, release the spigot on the bucket and allow the beer to flow down. Make sure the hose gets to the bottom of the bottles when filling them, as the beer approaches the top of the bottles pull the hose out swiftly and place it in the next bottle in line. After pulling out the tube you will see that the level of bee drops, so you want to have at least an inch of airspace in the bottle. You need to try and get as close as possible to a single inch. If you have too much or too little room left it will be bad for the bottling process. The best way to accomplish this is to pull the hose out swiftly once the beer is right at the top of the bottle. If you have any left over money that is available, a bottle filler will be a great help! At only $2.99 it will make the whole process much less of a mess.
-After all the beer as been moved from the bucket to the bottles, it’s time to cap them. This needs to be done immediately! Every moment that passes that your beer is exposed to open air does your beer harm. You have been warned previously about the fungus and bacteria. If you are using something simple like plastic bottles that have screw one tops, you can just sit down and start twisting them on. But if you are using something more complex like a metal capped glass bottles, you are going to need a bottle capper. You will find it much easier if you move them to a table you can sit and work at if this is the case. Make sure to take your time and follow the directions exactly that came with your bottle capper. If you do not believe a cap went on the right way, remove it quickly and put another one on. Make sure to check any for leaks, if they do leak, replace their cap.
-Once all bottles have been capped, place them in a cool and dark location so the second phase of fermentation can work through it’s process. Do NOT place them in your refrigerator, these are too cold for the yeast to ferment properly. A closet or basement would be best, perhaps the same place you put your fermenter previously. The location doesn’t matter as long as it is dark and stays been sixty to seventy degrees. And now is the time to wait. It can take nearly two weeks for this process to complete and your beer becomes drinkable. You need to be patient, and you have already been waiting for around a week for this, but you need to remain steadfast.
-Make sure you keep cleaning everything. You may be exhausted from all that bottling, but cleanomg your equipment is a must before you store it. You will thank yourself later, if you let the equipment sit dirty, it will be harder to clean and make the whole process more of a pain than it already was.
Step 5 – Bottoms Up!
Congratulations – Your beer is almost ready for drinking! The yeast-induced cloudiness in your beer should clear up in about a week. If not, keep waiting and examine it daily until it’s clear. After clarification, the beer should be refrigerated. If refrigerator space is tight, just keep it in the same cool dark place and move it into the refrigerator when you can.
When it reaches your desired coolness, open and put in a mug. Drinking it directly from the bottle is not recommended because the sediment and remaining yeast will cause unpleasant bloating and gas. After it’s poured, wait for it to settle, then drink it and enjoy the smell and taste of your efforts. Keep going until you are funny, charming and easy on the eyes. Then give us a call so we can all enjoy it together!
Brew Your Own Beer!
