How to Brew Your Own Beer
by Jim Smylie
Maybe you've been following my
column on our blog, Your Weekly Libation, and my tapestry of
booze has enticed you. Maybe you're a drink-fixated foodie
looking to move from smoothies and teas into a more exciting
area. Maybe you saw the word 'beer' and started drooling like one
of Pavlov's dogs. Whatever the reason, you're here and eager to
make your own beer!
How easy or difficult is the
process? That depends entirely on how much you want to influence
the outcome. Whatever the method, prepare to commit some cash; at
least $40 for an all-in-one kit, or up to $150 to make things
from scratch. It's worth the costs, however, when you finally
crack open a bottle of your own personal beer and down it with
glee.
The first option for the amateur
brewer is to pick up an all-in-one beer kit. Mr. Beer, the most
well-known, offers four different kits, from the $40 Deluxe
Edition all the way up to the $150 Ultimate Edition. Another
brand to consider is the $130-150 Starter Home Brewery set (which
uses a glass carboy and organic ingredients). These sets don't do
all the work for you, but they do cut down on use of raw
ingredients or jerry-rigged equipment. By using a kit, you'll
possibly save money and definitely ensure consistency. But all
the ease of production comes at a price: good luck customizing
the flavor of your beer using a pre-made brewpack.
For the truly discerning
brewer-to-be, it may seem necessary to do everything yourself.
This allows for much more experimentation and creativity; it also
has a much smaller margin for error. It's best to buy a brewkit
first, experiment with it, and move on to custom beers once
you're comfortable. If you are, and you've made sure to properly
sterilize all your equipment (via steam dry in the dishwasher or
a diluted bleach soak and rinse) there are three broad phases to
beer creation:
Brewing For this, you'll need a
brewpot, a recipe, a kitchen strainer, at least 2.5 gallons of
water (most brewpacks and recipes call for 2.5-3 gallons), and a
rolling pin (to crush your grain ingredients). What ingredients
you need depends on what kind of beer you're making. A Simple
Ale, for example, might contain:
3 lbs. light dried malt extract 8
oz. crushed crystal malt 1 oz. Northern Brewer pellet hops 1 pkg.
brewers yeast 3/8 C. sugar, for bottling
But different beers require
different amounts of even the most basic ingredients. The brewpot
is where you prepare the beer ingredients--the "wort"--for
fermentation. Use a large (at least 4 gallon) metal pot, ideally
stainless steel or ceramic-coated. Using an aluminum pan will
work, sort of, but your beer will end up tasting funny. And with
a process as long as this one, the final result had better be
good! Once you've prepared the wort, you're ready for the second
phase.
Primary fermentation For this,
you'll need a serious fermenting container. No skimping with a
two-liter bottle, here. Some sites suggest you use a fermenter
made specifically for brewing, with a stopper and spigot; others
show how to employ things like water cooler bottles. Whichever
kind you use, pour in ("pitch") your brewer's yeast.
Here is where the the infant beer shall remain as the yeast
parties down inside, chowing down on the sugars within the wort
and giving off carbon dioxide. To prevent the the whole thing
from going kablammo like an oversized Wort Grenade, you'll need
an airlock, a simple little plastic doodad which constantly
releases the building CO2. It forms an airtight seal between the
fermenter's stopper and the outside world. You can make one
fairly easily, but plastic airlocks generally go for about $1,
and I'd say that's a dollar well spent. Place the container in a
dark, cool place, and prepare for the hardest part of your
brewing experience: waiting.
After feasting for 10-14 days, the
yeast should be done with all the sugar. It's time for your beer
to go into the third phase...
Secondary fermentation What? But
we already fermented it once! True, but we've been letting out
the CO2; secondary fermentation takes place in sealed bottles,
trapping the CO2 and giving the beer its foamy, fizzy
carbonation. But since the sugars from the wort are all gone,
you'll need to add some "primer" sugar before bottling.
Prepare a primer by boiling 3/8 a cup of sugar in 1 cup of water
for 5 minutes, then pouring it into another container large
enough to hold your beer. Siphon the beer into this new container
carefully; your goal is to leave behind as much of the sediment
as possible. From here, pour/siphon/spigot the beer into bottles
and...wait some more. Argh! Let the beer age for another 7-10
days in that same cool, dark area from before; finally, pop open
a bottle and have a taste.
If it's nectar from the gods,
great! Let it continue aging and drink as necessary; start on
your next batch, too! Time it right and you'll constantly enjoy
homemade beer in your fridge. Play around with recipes; add
ingredients to the malt like honey or molasses; have fun like the
brewmaster you are!
Some good recipes utilizing your
homemade beer from the site include:
Beer Lime Grilled Chicken Beer
Breads One, Two, and Three Beer Shampoo
Sources: http://www.soyouwanna.com/site/syws/makebeer/makebeer.html
http://www.instructables.com/id/EIAK32YAWHEP28750V/
http://www.eartheasy.com/eat_homebrew.htm
http://howto.wired.com/wiredhowtos/index.cgi?page_name=brew_your_own_beer;action=display;category=Play
About the Author
Jim Smylie is a long-time foodie,
just-starting cook and an editor for Recipe4Living and Chew On
That. He likes food, drinks, and good company.
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