Brew It Up! Home Brewing Made Easy.
Home brewing is becoming an increasingly popular past-time – and with the craft beer revolution in full swing, many beer aficionados have begun crafting their own unique ales, lagers and IPAs. Whether you’re looking for the perfect pint for a party, an alternative to mass-produced beer, or a way to get your creative juices flowing, this guide will show you how to get started in the world of home brewing, and help you create great-tasting drinks to share.
Home brewing isn’t as complex as many think, and it means that you can make all sorts of delicious beers and other alcoholic drinks, from pilsners and pale ales, to ciders and shandies. With relatively few tools, ingredients and some patience, you can whip up a batch of beer at home that tastes as good as, if not better than, the best commercial brews. Not to mention it’s incredibly fun and rewarding!
So, if you’ve ever wanted to learn the basics of home brewing and start experimenting in the kitchen like a top-class brewer, then we’ve got you covered. Here’s an introduction to home brewing and how to get started making your own craft beer.
Home Brewing Basics
Home brewing involves using brewers’ malt, hops and yeast to produce alcohol. Malt is the main source of fermentable sugars in beer, while hops are added for a hoppy taste and act as both a preservative and flavourant. Yeast is the life force behind it all: the ingredient which, when added to water and the other ingredients, acts upon the sugars and creates the alcohol found in beer.
This process is broken up into several stages, each of which requires specific pieces of equipment, ingredients, and a little patience. The basic steps involved in traditional home brewing are:
Mashing: This is the process of boiling malted barley and other grains in water, converting the starches under heat into fermentable sugars.
Boiling: Hop additions are made to the boiling liquid, along with any other flavourings.
Fermenting: Yeast is added to the cooled liquid (wort) and left to work its magic.
Conditioning: Finally, the brew is allowed to condition in a sealed container, where it develops its alcoholic content and matures for a few weeks.
Though some of the equipment and ingredients can seem a bit overwhelming at first, once you’ve got to grips with the process, home brewing is relatively straightforward, and can be an extremely satisfying experience.
Equipment & Ingredients
The first step in successful home brewing is to be prepared with the right equipment and ingredients. As with any project, having the right tools will make your life considerably easier and allow you to create a quality beer in the comfort of your own home.
Equipment
When it comes to home brewing, you’ll need a few pieces of dedicated equipment. These include a brew pot, thermometer, fermentation bucket, bottling bucket, and a few other items. Here’s a list of what you’ll need to start experimenting:
Brew pot: Get a pot that’s large enough to accommodate your brew size. Ideally, it should have a lid and should be constructed from a food-grade material.
Thermometer: This is essential for measuring the temperature of the wort (the liquid after mashing) during the mashing and boiling steps.
Fermentation bucket: This is where your brew will sit for the longest part – fermentation. Make sure the bucket is food grade and has a lid that can be sealed tight.
Bottling bucket: You’ll also need a smaller bucket specifically for bottling. It should have a spigot to dispense the beer and should be clean and food grade.
Bottles and caps: In order to bottle your beer, you’ll need bottles (preferably made of glass) and air-tight bottle caps.
Air lock and stopper: This is necessary to allow carbon dioxide to escape and oxygen to remain out during fermentation.
Ingredients
Now that you’ve got the right equipment, you’ll need the right ingredients to make a beer. Generally speaking, these are malt, hops, yeast and water. That said, you’ll also need some other odds and ends, such as priming sugar for carbonation, and some cleaning chemicals for sanitation. Here’s a breakdown of what you’ll need:
Malt: Malted barley is the main ingredient in any beer recipe. It contains the fermentable sugar which will be converted into alcohol during fermentation.
Hops: These are added to the boiling vessel to provide both bitterness and aroma.
Yeast: This is the main flavour-producing ingredient in beer, and the type of yeast used will have a large impact on the taste of the beer.
Water: Water is not just an essential ingredient, but also an essential part of the brewing process. The pH, mineral content and characteristics of your water can all affect the flavour of your beer.
Priming sugar: This is used to condition and carbonate the beer, providing it with the bubbles we all know and love.
Cleaning chemicals: Cleanliness is key when it comes to brewing beer, and the right cleaning chemicals can help make sure you’re making a safe and high-quality brew.
Once you’ve got your equipment and ingredients sorted, you’re ready to start brewing!
Brewing Process
Now that you have the necessary supplies, you’re ready to begin brewing. It may sound difficult, but making beer at home is a relatively simple process, and can be great fun too. The basic steps for brewing beer are outlined below:
Mashing: This is the traditional process for producing beer. The mashing process consists of heating malted grains until the starches are converted into fermentable sugars. This is then cooled, ready for fermentation.
Boiling: The cooled liquid is then boiled with hops and other flavourings added to it. This process helps to extract bitterness and other aromas from the hops, and also sterilizes the liquid.
Fermenting: The cooled liquid is then transferred to a fermentation bucket and yeast is added. This is when the magic happens, as the yeast eats up the sugars and produces alcohol and carbon dioxide.
Conditioning: After a few weeks of fermentation, the beer is “conditioned”. This is when the beer is aged and allowed to rest in a sealed container, helping the flavours to mellow and develop.
Bottling: After conditioning, the beer is then bottled and sealed, ready to be enjoyed.
Yeast Strains & Recipes
Yeast is the ingredient most people know the least about, but it’s actually the key component in producing great-tasting beer. Different strains of yeast will produce different results, so it’s important to choose the right one for the job.
Generally speaking, ale yeast is considered more “aggressive”, meaning it produces quicker and more flavoursome results. Lager yeast is less active and generally produces a smoother, crisper beer. Different strains of yeast also produce different by-products and flavours, so be sure to read the description of each strain to get the best beer for your tastes.
Once you’ve chosen the right yeast, you’ll also need a good recipe. Homebrew recipes are relatively easy to find, with a wide range on beer brewing websites. The types of recipes you choose should depend on your tastes, brewing difficulty and equipment.
Conclusion
Home brewing is a fantastic hobby that can produce great results with the right equipment, ingredients and a bit of patience. Though it may seem like a complex process at first, you can pick it up quickly and start making delicious beer in no time. With the right gear and recipes, you’ll be crafting your own brews like a pro. So, why not give it a go? Who knows, you could be sipping the beer you crafted yourself within a few weeks – it’s the mark of a real home brewer!