subject: How to Make Beer at Home – Brewing Methods [print this page] If you've been to the store lately you have probably noticed that the price of beer has gone up. Have you given thought about how to make your own beer? Brewing beer at home can save you a bundle of money, and is not as hard as you think it might be. Do you want to learn how to make beer at home and never have to pay for it again? Then check out this step by step process that will have you enjoying your own home brew.
What you need
Before you begin your home brewing you will need to assemble all of the necessary equipments and ingredients. The list includes a 5 gallon brew pot, a standard strainer, a large funnel, a rolling pin, and a liquid thermometer. Some other equipment needs are a 5 gallon container of bottled water, two 3 foot sections of 3/8" flexible tubing, a 5 gallon scratch proof plastic bucket, and glass bottles with caps for the finished beer. The supplies that you need for the ingredients can be purchased online or at a local brewery supply shop. Each batch of brewed beer will need the following ingredients, six pounds malt extract lightly dried, 1 cup of sugar for bottling, 1 pkg. brewing yeast, 1 oz. brewers pellet hops, and a pound of crushed crystal malt.
Brewing process
Crushing the crystal malt with a rolling pin to create a coarse texture is the first step in the brewing process. The cooking pot will need to be filled with the water from the 5 gallon container of water to within 3" from the top, then add the crushed malt to the water. Turn the burner on the stove to medium, and heat the mixture to about 155 degrees ,then cover the pot and let stand for 30 minutes and skim with a strainer to remove as much of the malt as possible. When the malt has been removed bring the water back to a rolling boil. The hop pellets will then need to be added and the beer needs to be boiling for another hour. When it is done boiling set it aside and let it steep for 10 minutes to cool it down.
Fermentation process
Any leftover water from the 5 gallon container can be poured out to make room for the container to be used as a fermentation tank. The funnel will be used to pour the beer into the empty container. The pkg. of yeast will then need to be added to the container. You will need to drill a hole into the cap of the container so that one end of the clear vinyl tube can be inserted into it.An airtight seal can be made by melting some wax around the tube where it meets the cap. Place the other end of the tube into a cup of water and let it ferment for a week to ten days in a cool dark place.
Second fermentation
The second fermentation requires you to measure 1 cup of sugar with 1 cup of boiling water, then set it aside to cool. You will then pour the sugar water into a new plastic bucket, and the beer from the water container will need to be siphoned into the container with the sugar water, carefully avoiding all the sediment at the bottom. The beer can now be bottled and set aside for a week to ten more days before you can drink it. Now that you know how to make beer at home there is no reason to buy it at the store. Brewing beer at home is easy and now that you can make your own beer you don't have to buy it anymore.
