You're here for one very good reason. You want to learn how to brew beer. It's really quite simple! In a nutshell, you'll boil some water, add some malt extracts, mix it up, boil it some more, cool it, top it up, add yeast, ferment, bottle, condition and enjoy! What a mouthful, huh? Well, let's look at it in more depth. We're not going to assume that the brewing hobby is absolutely for you, so we're going to go the "cheaper" route. This method will use only readily available equipment - stuff you can use for something else if you bail out. If you decide to stick with it, see the section on Equipment. Stuff You'll Need First, you'll need to get yourself
This is very basic, "prohibition" style equipment. The beer you make will be good. Probably very good. With better equipment, your beer will be great, but I don't want to push you :-) Boil It OK! We've got all our stuff and are ready to go! If your water is really minerally or hard, put as much water as you can comfortably boil into your pot, boil it, cool it, then pour it off of whatever sediment you see and into your bucket (may want to do this the night before you start). Repeat until there is five gallons of water in your bucket (or just go buy five gallons of distilled water). Put two gallons of your water into your pot, and bring it to a boil. While doing this, put the cans of extract into a sink of hot water to soften up (doing so makes it pour a lot faster). When the water in you pot comes to a boil, take it off of the heat. Open the cans of extract and pour the contents into the water. You can "dip" water out of the pot and into the cans to dissolve any extract left behind. Careful! The water is HOT! Stir until all the extract is dissolved into the water. Be careful that it isn't all settled on the bottom of the pot, or it will scorch and burn when you put it back on the boil. Return the pot to the stove, and turn the heat back on. Stir occasionally until the wort, as the moisture is called, comes back to a boil. Let the wort boil for at least a half an hour. Watch it as it boils! If you see the foam on top start climbing up the sides of the pot, a messy boilover is imminent! Simply turn down the heat until the foam settles, then turn it back up until you achieve a nice, constant boil (but keep an eye on it nonetheless: boilovers are messy, and wort is sneaky). Cool It When done boiling (doesn't it smell GREAT!?), put a lid on the pot, and place it in a sink of cold water. Gently swirl the pot in the sink to move the wort inside it around. This helps it cool faster. It may also help to refresh the cold water in the sink occasionally. When the side of the pot doesn't seem hot to the touch after you swirl it, the wort is cool enough. Proof It Take about half a cup of warm (NOT HOT!!!) water, and sprinkle your yeast on the surface of it. It is best if this water was boiled and then cooled in a manner similar to the wort. You want the water to be no more than 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Let the yeast sit in this water until it sinks. This "proofs" the yeast. Better know as rehydrating it. Rehydrated yeast is purported to ferment better than dry yeast thrown onto the wort. I've done it both ways, and did notice that rehydrated yeast starts much faster. Pitch It Take your cooled wort and pour it into the water remaining in your bucket. Pour the "proofed" yeast into the bucket as well. Stretch your cloth over the top of the bucket and secure it by stretching the shock cord around the buck, over the cloth. Set the bucket somewhere where it won't get overly warm (between about 60 and 68 degrees Fahrenheit is great) and where household pets, children and the curious will stay away. Dark places are best, but if you're in a bucket, it isn't as important. Might also want it to be some place that is easily cleaned up should the wort climb out of the bucket. (If this happens, be sure to replace the covering cloth with another clean cloth once the wort falls.) Ferment It Now is the hard part: wait about two weeks. During this time, check to make sure that the wort hasn't climbed into the cloth. Again, if it does, replace the cloth covering. Nasty molds and other nasty things will take after the cloth if you don't. If your beer is fermenting in a close space, you should be able to smell the "beer-like" aroma in a short period of time. At the end of two weeks, you'll want to bottle that beer! Make a solution of two tablespoons of bleach to five gallons of water and soak your bottles in it for an hour or so. Soak your hose and a large, clean spoon (plastic is best) in it at the same time. Take everything out and drain them well and let them air dry - bottles upside-down. Prime It Take the corn sugar and mix it with about a pint of clean water. Boil it for fifteen minutes or so, then cool it as you did the wort. Place your fermenter on a box or something that will put the the base of the bucket above the tops of the bottles - but not TOO high! Arrange some dry bottles around your fermenter. (I like to put the bottles in a large picnic cooler as this keeps the beer off of my floor...) Open the fermenter, pour the corn sugar solution in, and gently stir with the spoon. Siphon it Put the hose into the the wort until the dry end is just above the surface of the wort. Put your thumb over the end of it and quickly pull half the hose out of the bucket and down to the mouth of a waiting bottle. Once the motion stops, remove your thumb from the hose and your beer should begin flow. (If it doesn't, repeat the siphon starting technique.) Bottle it Place the clothespin on the hose near the end to arrest the flow once the bottle is all but one inch full. Swing and lock the cap on the bottle. Repeat until all of your bottles are full, or you are out of beer - whichever comes first. (If there's beer left in the bucket, drink it! Yum!) Condition it After all your bottles are full, rinse them off and put them in a dark place - same place it was fermented will do fine - to condition for another two weeks. At the end of this time, put a few in the refrigerator to chill. Enjoy It When you open your conditioned beer, you should hear a pleasant "pop". Pour the beer into a glass without tipping the bottle back to the upright position, and stopping the pour once you see the light ribbons of sediment heading for your glass. Put the glass to your lips. Inhale the lovely esters - banana! vanilla! Ahh! Taste it. Fruity, sweet, malty, nutty! Rich! Delicious! Repeat... You, my friend, are now a brewer! If you're hooked, get another two cases and read the section on "equipment" and "brewing your second batch". If you're not, well, it was good talking to you anyway.
© 2000 Pat Babcock |