Let's
Homebrew (Basic Brewing Instructions)
Are
you ready to brew beer in your own home that can rival and
even surpass the quality of the commercial brands? Well
besides the ingredients, here's what your going to need:
(1)
5 gallon glass carboy (fermenter)
(1)
Stainless steel brewing pot (at least 16 quart capacity)
(1)
Fermenation Lock
(1)
Rubber carboy stopper with hole for fermentation lock
(1-3)
Sparge bags (depending on recipe)
(1)
Large plastic funnel
(1)
Measuring cup (for preparing the yeast)
(1)
Hydrometer (optional, but highly recommended)
(1)
Thermometer
(1)
Bottle of unscented bleach for sanitizing all equipment
(1)
Container with a sturdy base
(3
feet) 1 1/4" outside diameter clear plastic hose
(5-6
feet) 3/8" inside diameter clear plastic hose
Homebrewing
Instructions
 These
instructions are for brewing a 5 gallon batch of beer. They
are also general instructions for basic homebrewing. You
may need to alter the process depending on the type of beer
or the exact equipment you're using (if you purchased a
kit). Here are some classic homebrew
recipes.
Step
1 - Sanitize Everthing!
Sterilize
everything, well except for the sturdy container. This
step is extremely important because there
is a big difference between clean and sanitized. You can't
see bacteria, but it can ruin an entire batch of beer (and
your valuable time).
In
a large tub, or your kitchen sink, make a mixture of about
2 ounces of unscented bleach per 5 gallons of cold water.
First sanitize the glass carboy using this solution. After
sanitizing rinse thoroughly with
plain water to remove all traces of bleach. For all items
that will fit in the sink, let them soak in the solution
for about 10 minutes and then rinse thorougly.
Step
2 - Boiling the Wort (pronounced wert)
Add
about 1 1/2 gallons of cold water to the brewing pot.
If
your recipe calls for specialty grains, put the cracked
grains in a sparge bag and let them soak (like a tea bag)
in the brewing pot and turn on the burner. For more detailed
information, read my specialty
grains page. Just before the water starts to boil, remove
the sparge bag.
Now
mix your malt extract into the brewing pot and again, bring
to a boil. ***Be careful to stir immediately
and often so the malt doesn't burn onto the bottom
of the pot.
Boil
for about 20 minutes and watch it closely so it doesn't
boil over.
Step
3 - Add Bittering Hops
Now
put the necessary amount of hops into a sparge bag and steep
for at 30 minutes (30 minutes are required to extract the
necessary oils from the hops).
Step
4 - Add Finishing Hops (optional)
If
your recipe calls for finishing hops, put them into a sparge
bag and steep for 1 - 10 minutes, depending on the recipe.
(generally for flavor, steep no more than 10 minutes, for
aroma no more than about 2 minutes).
Step
5 - Stop Boiling
Remove
the wort from the burner. Place the lid on brewing pot and
turn off the heat.
Step
6 - Prepare the Glass Carboy (fermenter)
Fill
the glass carboy approximately half way with cold water.
Step
7 - Bring Temperature Down
Create
a bath of ice water for the brewing pot to sit in if you
don't have a wort chiller. You'll need to drain and re-add
ice as necessary. While cooling, go on to Step 8.
If
you have a wort chiller, now would be the time to use it!
Step
8 - Prepare the Yeast (proofing)
Add
at least 6 ounces of lukewarm tap water to the sterilized
measuring cup and then open and add dried yeast packets.
This rehydration step gently wakes up the yeast. Cover and
set aside.
Step
9 - Transfer Wort to Fermenter
When
brewing pot has cooled almost to touch, transfer the wort
to glass carboy using the large funnel.
Tip:
If you use a small pot to ladle the wort from the brewing
pot to the fermenter, make sure it is sterilized.
Step
10 - Top-off the Fermenter
Next,
fill up the fermenter with cold water up to the 5 gallon
mark. Do this with lots of splashing and occasional shaking
of the fermenter in order to put oxygen into the wort. The
yeast needs oxygen to do its thing and boiling removes the
oxygen that was in the water.
Step
11 - Check Temperature and Pitch Yeast
When
the temperature gets below 75 degrees Fahrenheit, take a
hydrometer reading and record the specific gravity (not
necessary, but recommended).
Step
12 - Pitch the Yeast
Now
that the wort is below 75 degrees, it is safe to add the
yeast. The yeast could die if not cooled down to at least
this temperature.
Step
13 - Attach Blow of Tube
Now
put the fermenter in a place that is out of direct sunlight
and will stay reasonably cool and stable in temperature
(preferably not the garage, the temperature fluxuates too
much).
Now
fill the sturdy container about halfway with water and set
beside fermenter.
Next,
take the sterilzed, 1 1/2" outside diameter tubing
and insert one end into the fermenter (creating an air tight
seal) and the other end in the container of water. This
creates an air tight blow off tube which will let the excess
foam escape during initial fermentation.
Step
14 - Wait and Observe!
For
the first few days of fermentation, the activity of the
yeast is off the charts! It really is an interesting and
fun thing to watch. Excess foam will flow out the top and
into air will bubble out of the container.
Important:
Make sure the tube stays under water to maintain an air
tight seal.
After
about 3 days, the activity will slow and you can remove
the blow-off tube and insert the sterilized stopper and
air lock. Don't forget to add about 3/4" of water to
the air lock so it will work.
With
the air lock securely in place with a good seal, it will
begin to bubble as the carbon dioxide is expelled.
Step
15 - Wait Some More
After
inserting the air lock, you will need to let the beer ferment
until the yeast is finished (another 5 to 14 days depending
on the temperature and other variables). When you notice
the air lock has stopped bubbling, it is ready for bottling.
If
you have a hydrometer, you can take a reading to be sure
the fermentation is complete.
After
the fermentation period, it's time to move on to bottling
the beer.
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