Introduction:
When I graduated high school, I moved to the state of Colorado. At the age of twenty-one, I began to drink delicious beer. I have been amazingly impressed by the number, and the variety of microbreweries established in the state. Unfortunately, I had to leave Colorado and move to Oklahoma; because of that it is was seldom that I get to enjoy the amazing variety of beer that I used to. Luckily times have changed and the local craft brew market has changed a bit.
Most Colorado microbreweries will not ship beer to states that do not have refrigeration in the liquor stores; they cannot guarantee the freshness and full-flavor of their beer. Therefore, I came to the conclusion, “make my own beer”; it is technically referred to as “homebrew”. Homebrew is a great substitute for a fresh craft brew (sometimes, even better) and it really is not hard to do; do not underestimate how easy it can be to make mistakes though. Now I am no expert or master brewer but with dedication and following recipes correctly I have made excellent homebrew that satisfied many family and friends. With the variety and diverse types of beer you are able to brew, it is as complicated as you want it to be.
When you start to read the instructions, you should take note that it is a beginner’s process. Most steps are simple and easy. If you are patient, and enjoying it, you should do very well. Plus, I bet you will be surprised on how superb your first batch of homebrew turns out to be. Most individuals with cooking or baking skills and knowledge will adapt immediately to the overall process of brewing.
You will be learning how to make a traditional American style beer (adopted from the historical region of Bohemia); it is referred to as a Pilsner. The recipe will make close to five gallons of beer; this will make about a case and a half of twelve ounce bottles of beer. Before you get started, I advise that you read through these instructions at least once and then study and reflect back to each step-by-step process before moving to the next step. It is a great pleasure to pass on this knowledge I have learned. Now let us get to some brewing.
Many brewers can criticize and I would like to read your comments. Keep in mind that I no longer brew this way and I have taken steps in the last 15 years to become a locally admired, advanced homebrewer. I am just writing these instructions based on the beginning of my heartfelt journey of homebrewing.
Step-by-step Instructions:
- Equipment & Product -
First we need to buy the equipment we will be using. Most of the equipment you will be able to buy in a normal retail store, or hardware store; you can buy all the special made equipment from a local or on-line homebrew store but you would be spending a lot more money. Kitchen items include stockpot, measuring cups, spoons and stock up on some towels. and paper towels. You will need to buy some items from the homebrew store; we will discuss that later. The equipment you will buy at the retail store will be three to four gallons of purified water, regular household bleach (not scented), two Rubbermaid beverage dispensers (5 gallon), a stockpot (3-5 gallon), a large stirring spoon (not wood), A medium to large size metal-mesh strainer, a fifteen gallon plastic tub, and on your way out two large bags of cubed ice; be sure to have room in your freezer for the ice. The only thing to buy at the hardware store is three to five feet of tubing that will fit on the valve of one of the Rubbermaid beverage dispensers.
Now that the easy equipment is obtained, we will need a few items from the local homebrew store; if you don’t have a local homebrew store you can order these items from stores on the Internet. These items will include thirty-six, twelve ounce bottles, bottle caps, and a bottle capper. You will see a lot of strange equipment; don’t worry about these items because it is not necessary for making a beginners batch of homebrew. Now that we are at the store, we will need to buy the ingredients.
The ingredients is a really fun and interesting process when you are making your second or third batch of homebrew; don’t be intimidated of all the different beer kits and items that you see. We need a few simple things and we will be on our way to brew a fine American-style (west-coast) Pilsner. Go ahead and purchase a three pound can of Pilsner style malt extract, a three pound can of light malt extract, a half a pound of crystal malt barley, a pound of corn sugar, two ounces of Cascade-style hops, and two packets of brewer’s yeast (preferably liquid cultured for Pilsners). Brand names I have learned can be irrelevant to this procedure of home brewing. It looks like we have everything; let’s go home and make some homebrew.
Clean and Sanitize -
First of all, make sure your kitchen is clean, and you have plenty of room to work with. Next, we need to sanitize the large spoon, strainer, the fifteen gallon tub, and one of the beverage dispensers; note that from now on, this beverage dispenser will be called a “fermentor” because liquid beverage will be fermenting in it soon. For every five gallons of water, you will use one to two ounces (about one-eighth of a cup) of regular household bleach; the easy way to do this is to fill the five gallon fermentor with tap water, then add two ounces of bleach, then you will emerge the strainer, stir it with the large spoon and leave it for about ten minutes. Then, take a clean rag, emerge it into the bleach water and wipe down the fifteen gallon tub. Start draining the bleach water out of the fermentor through the dispenser valve until it is halfway empty; dump the rest out of the top to save some time. Be sure to rinse all of these items thoroughly. You will be doing another sanitation process later before you prime and bottle your beer.Ingredient Preparation, Brewing & Cooling -
Now, it is time to cook; get your stockpot out and fill it with one gallon of tap water. Turn on your stove to high heat, place the stockpot on the burner, and wait for it to boil. While you are waiting for the water to boil, get the ingredients ready; open both cans of malt extract, measure two cups of corn sugar, three cups of crystal malt barley, and one ounce of Cascade hops. Now after the water is brought to a boil, turn down the stove heat to medium. It is time to add the ingredients you just prepared; stir in each one by one and place on the pots lid. You are now creating what brewers call wort (pronounced: wert). Wort is basically the liquid infusion of water and ingredients containing high sugar content. Stir your wort every five to ten minutes. Don’t be scared to turn down the heat if it boils too high; trust me, you don’t want to make a mess at this point with all the sticky stuff you just put in the pot. After thirty minutes add the rest of the Cascade hops and remove the pot from the burner. Bring out your two bags of ice from the freezer and empty one out into the fifteen gallon tub; place your stockpot into the middle of the tub and pour the second bag of ice around the outside of the stockpot to cool down the wort. Stir the brew occasionally. Okay, we now have the cooling session in progress; it is time to prepare for fermentation.
- Fermentation
Fermentation is the process where the yeast turns the sugars from the extracts, corn sugar, and converts it to alcohol. When your wort comes to a lukewarm temperature, it is time to strain it into a large bowl or container. Be sure to have towels ready, Just in case you spill. Throw away or compost the access hops and barley caught in the strainer. Repeat this process straining the wort again, but into the fermentor. Add the yeast to the fermentor; this is referred to as “pitching the yeast”. You will now add the three to four gallons of purified water; be sure to leave three to four inches between the beer and the rim of the fermentor. Empty out the melting ice and water from the fifteen gallon tub and dry it out; place your fermentor in the tub and screw on the fermentor lid.
Now I know some of you hardcore brewers are going to criticize, but for this process I am not using fermentation lock systems. If you beginner brewers want to go the extra step and buy carboys or fermentation buckets, go ahead. This is how I started in the beginning and I am defining my journey and how how I began homebrewing years ago.
Place the fermentor back and stuff rolled towels around the bottom in between the outer bucket and fermentor; this will help with fermentation spills, and trust me, there will be spills. Check your beer every two hours to see if the active fermentation has started; it should only be five to eight hours, but it could take longer.
After a day check to see if any beer has spilled out of the fermentor. You will see a lot of bubbly foam, plus coagulating sugars, similar to a marshmallow crème like substance; this is called krausen. Krausen is what’s in alcohol that gives people what is called a “hangover”; don’t remove it, you don’t want to take a chance at contaminating your beer. In three to four days the activity will slow down and the yeast and krausen will start to fall to the bottom of the fermentor; five to seven days from when you added the yeast, you will see very few bubbles. It is time to prime and bottle this batch of homebrew.
- Priming, Bottling & Storage
Now, it’s time to answer that question; “Why did I buy two beverage dispensers?” It is because you need an extra one to prime and bottle your beer. Priming is like a secondary fermentation taking place in the bottles. It adds a bit more alcohol percentage and more carbonation for the beer.
Before you start this process you will have to sanitize your tubing, beverage dispenser, bottles, and bottle caps. The easy way to do this is to remove the fermentor from the fifteen gallon tub and put the fermentor on the countertop. Fill the tub with enough water to emerge and fill several of your bottles. Add your bleach and start adding the items; leave for ten minutes, then rinse everything thoroughly.
While everything is drying, you will begin to boil five cups of water; measure out one cup of corn sugar and add to the boiling water. After one minute, pour the sugar water into the dispenser and attach the three feet of tubing to the fermentor valve. The fermentor is now on the counter top, so put the priming dispenser on the kitchen floor below the fermentor. At this point be sure your hands are clean and sanitized. Have a towel or two ready and put your thumb on the end of the tubing that is coming from the dispenser and gently open the valve. Fill the tube with beer until there is no air left in the tube. Emerge the tube, with your thumb still holding the beer in it, into the sugar water in the bottom of the dispenser. Open the fermentor valve and slowly fill the dispenser without much aeration of the beer; fill until there is only about one inch of beer left in the bottom of the dispenser, toss the rest of the beer and sediment or be creative and throw it into your compost.
We now have about a case and a half of beer to bottle. Take the dispenser and put it on the counter top. Grab a chair and those towels I keep mentioning. Slowly start filling the bottles one by one with about an inch and a half of space between the beer and the top of the bottle. Cap the bottles; label them, and then store appropriately.
After a week or two you can put the beer into the refrigerator; a couple of hours later you can crack open a fresh homebrew that you made on your own. When you pour it into a glass or cup, do it slowly, because there will be a sediment in the bottom of the bottle; this sediment doesn’t always add to the flavor, so you might not want it in your beer, although it can be tasty, you be the judge of that.
The beer might need more time to sit in the bottle to ferment to receive the best quality of taste. At times I have waited several months to receive a finer, extravagant taste. Practice, better equipment, time, experimentation and experience with passion will make you a master brewer if you make homebrewing a common routine.
Congratulations, you’re drinking your own homebrew.
Enjoy.
FAQ:
What happens if I rush through the cleaning and sanitization process?
If proper cleaning, sanitizing and rinsing are not properly done your homebrew will be ruined. Bacteria will be fermented adding odd and unforgiving tastes and odors to your batch of brew. It is best to clean, sanitize and rinse your equipment before, then cleaning and rinsing properly after the homebrew processes.
Why can I not use normal cane sugar for brewing?
Refined sugar can bring off tastes and strange vinegar or cider flavors to your homebrew batch. I recommend using corn sugar or boiled and cooled malt extract (wort) for priming your beginner homebrew batches.
It is taking a long time for the fermentation to start. Should I add more yeast?
Absolutely not; sometimes when making homebrew in this fashion, weather and uncontrolled household temperatures can prolong or shorten the fermenting process. Before you add more brewer’s yeast check for signs like carbonation, Krausen build up on the sides of the fermentor, and the fermenting room’s temperature (should be around room temperature). If the process does not continue within ten to twelve hours of ideal conditions go ahead and pitch a packet of yeast one more time.
How come the fermentation process is so messy sometimes?
We are using a different container for fermentation that other brewers do not normally use and like I said before weather can prolong or shorten the fermenting process. Be sure to check your fermentors frequently and always have clean towels nearby to wipe up the excess Krausen. If you have the cash don't hesitate to buy and establish advanced hardware equipment.
Are there limits to how much homebrew I can make legally?
President Jimmy Carter in October 1978 signed the legislation that legalized homebrewing in the United States. You are permitted to brew up to 100 gallons of beer (that's about 20 cases) annually per adult in a home. However, one person living in and owning a household is permitted to brew up to 200 gallons of beer (that's 40 cases) annually per household….. I think. Be sure to check federal and state legislation frequently.
Can I sell homebrew? No you cannot; homebrew is illegal to sell. However, sharing and teaching brings the average man good karma.
Glossary:
barley: A grass in the genus Hordeum used for livestock feed, malt production, and cereal.
brewer’s yeast: A yeast of the genus Saccharomyces, used as a ferment in brewing and also as a source of B-complex vitamins.
corn sugar: Less refined dextrose obtained from cornstarch.
fermentation: The anaerobic conversion of sugar to carbon dioxide and alcohol by yeast.
fermentor: A vessel that maintains optimal conditions for fermentation.
hangover: Unpleasant physical and sometimes mental effects following the heavy use of alcohol.
homebrew: An alcoholic beverage, especially beer, which is homemade.
hops: Perennial climbing plant, Humulus lupulus; the dried female flowers contain bitter resins and essential oils and are added to beer both to preserve it and to enhance the flavor.
Krausen: Kräusen or krausen, pronounced "kroy-zen". The foamy head that develops during the initial stage of fermentation. This substance is what causes the feeling “hangover”.
malt: Grain, usually barley, that has been allowed to sprout, used chiefly in brewing and distilling.
microbrew: A beer or ale brewed in a microbrewery.
microwbrewery: A small brewery, generally producing fewer than 10,000 barrels of beer and ale a year and frequently selling its products on the premises.
priming: The process of adding a measured amount of additional fermentable sugars just before bottling to add additional alcohol content and to guarantee carbonation for each container.
sediment: Material that settles to the bottom of a liquid.
wort: The liquid extracted from the cooking of malt, barley, hops, etc. during the brewing of beer. Wort contains the sugars that will be fermented by the brewer’s yeast to produce alcohol and carbonation.