The easiest way,
especially for beginners, is to pick up a beer kit. It will contain all the needed
ingredients, which include yeast and hopped malt concentrate. You also need to buy
fermentables, which are what add the different flavors to your brew. Of course you can buy
your ingredients separately, but the kit is a foolproof way to get everything you need.
You will need to sanitize all your
equipment. In fact, it’s the most important thing you will do. Clean everything with
hot soapy water. Then you need to sanitize all your equipment by using either the iodine
solution or chlorine solution that came with your brewing equipment.
Now that everything is sterilized, you
are ready to start. Put two quarts of water in your brew pot; then heat to around 180F or
until it steams; then remove it from the heat. Add your beer kit and fermentables. Follow
the instructions provided with your kit.
Stir until everything is dissolved; then
put the lid on and leave it sit for 20 minutes on low heat. Add your mix, which is called
the wort, to the fermenter which should be filled with four gallons of water. Stir for 4
minutes. This oxygenizes the mixture. When the wort is cool to the touch you can add your
yeast.
Now it’s time to let your wort
ferment. The process starts right away and continues for 5 days. During this period
it’s important to keep the temperature constant, around 65F, and to keep your wort in
a dark place. You’ll be able to tell when your wort is fermenting because you will
see tiny little air bubbles rising to the top.
When 5 day arrives you need to start
checking your beer each day. When there are no more air bubbles your beer is ready to
bottle. Don’t be impatient. If you don’t wait for the fermenting to complete
you’ll wreck your beer’s taste.
Before you bottle you have to prepare
what’s called the primary solution. This is what carbonates the beer. In your
saucepan add 2 cups of water and ¾ cup dextrose. Bring to a boil over medium heat, and
then let it cool for 30 minutes. Pour it into the bottling bucket.
Attach the hose to the spigot on your
fermenter and put the other end of the hose in your bottling bucket. Open the spigot and
transfer your beer over to the bottling bucket. When done, detach and clean the hose and
toss the fermenter. Fill each bottle leaving 1” of air at the top. Cap securely and
make sure there are no leaks.
Wait, it’s not quite time to drink
it yet. You need to put your bottled beer in a cool dark place for the second fermentation
process. Don’t put it in the fridge as that’s too cold. Basements work great. It
now needs to sit for 2 more weeks. And then it will be time to enjoy! |
