HOW TO MAKE BEER

Easy-to-follow Steps for Brewing At Home

Brewing beer at home can be extremely easy or very complicated depending on the kind of beer you are trying to brew. There are many different styles of beer and many techniques to brew them. Overall, brewing a beer is a combination of several simple processes. First is the mixing of ingredients and bringing the solution (wort) to a boil. Second is the cooling of the wort to the fermentation temperature.

Next the wort is transferred to the fermenter and the yeast is added. After fermentation, the beer is siphoned off the yeast sediment and bottled with a little extra sugar to provide the carbonation. These are simple steps but there are some important things to keep in mind every time you brew: Cleanliness, Preparation and Good Record Keeping.

Cleanliness
Cleanliness is the foremost concern of the brewer. Providing good growing conditions for the yeast in the wort also provides good growing conditions for other micro-organisms, especially wild yeast and bacteria. Cleanliness to prevent contamination must be maintained throughout every stage of the brewing process.

Preparation
Take the time to prepare your brewing area. Have the ingredients ready on the counter. Prepare your yeast. Have the ice bath ready to cool the wort when its done boiling. Make sure that all equipment is clean and ready to go before starting. Patience and planning are necessities.
Record Keeping - Always keep good notes on what ingredients, amounts and times were used in the brewing process. You need to be able to repeat good batches and learn from poor ones.
Cleanliness - Cleanliness is the foremost concern of the brewer.
Cleanliness - Cleanliness is the foremost concern of the brewer.
Cleanliness - Cleanliness is the foremost concern of the brewer (got that?).

Brewing relies on the conversion of sugars into ethyl alcohol and carbon dioxide by yeast through fermentation. Fermentable sugars are obtained by steeping malted grain (malt) in hot water during a process known as mashing. When malt is mashed at temperatures between about 60-70°C natural enzymes in the grain break down large starch molecules into smaller non-fermentable starch-like molecules known as dextrin and into fermentable sugar molecules.

Dextrins provide mouthfeel and sometimes sweetness to the final beer while the sugars are converted to alcohol. The resulting solution, known as wort (pronounced wert) is run off from the mash during a process known as "sparging". The wort contains the sugars, dextrins, proteins and other molecules which are carried into the final beer. The wort is boiled with hops to add flavor as well as a preservative effect. Then the wort is cooled to near room temperature and yeast added to begin the fermentation process.

Remember that brewing can be easy or complicated. Well, you have some choices as to how much you want to be involved in the brew process. Basically, you can do an extract, extract with steeping, mini-mash or all-grain brewing.



Brewing Extract Beer
Concentrated wort or malt extract is commercially available and can be used alone or in combination with grain homebrewing. Homebrewing kits are also available and they usually provide a malt extract (infused with hops for flavor) which can be fermented upon dilution with water and in many cases, the addition of some sugar or some other kind of basic, fermentable carbohydrate.

Using malt extract is what makes homebrewing simple. Malt extract is the concentrated sugars extracted from malted barley. It is sold in both the liquid and powdered forms. The syrups are approximately 20 percent water, so 4 pounds of dry malt extract (DME) is roughly equal to 5 pounds of malt extract syrup. Malt extract is available in both the Hopped and Unhopped varieties. Munton & Fison, Alexanders, Coopers, Edme and Premier are all good brands. Using Unhopped extract requires you to add 1-2 ounces of hops during the boil for bittering and flavor. Hops may also be added to the Hopped extracts towards the end of the boil to add more hop character to the final beer.

The rule of thumb is 1 pound of malt extract (syrup) per gallon of water for a light-bodied beer. One and a half pounds per gallon produces a richer, fuller-bodied beer. One pound of malt extract syrup typically yields a gravity of 1.034 - 38 when dissolved in one gallon of water. Dry malt will yield about 1.040 - 43. Malt extract is commonly available in Pale, Amber and Dark varieties, and can be mixed depending on the style of beer desired. Wheat malt extract is also available and more new extracts for specific beer styles (like Stouts) are coming out each year. With the variety of extract now available, there is almost no beer style that cannot be brewed using extract alone.


Brewing Extract Beer with Steeping
The easiest way to improve your extract brewing is by using small amounts of specialty grains that do not require mashing. This method does not require any extra equipment (except a muslin sock or grain bag) and gives you a lot more flexibility in producing the wort for your intended style of beer. It only requires a little more effort but it can make the difference between a good beer and a great beer.

One the best way gain an understanding of what different grains do is to steep specialty grains in hot water and use the wort along with an extract-based recipe. By using specialty grain the brewer can increase the complexity of the wort and also add freshness and flavor to an extract brew. If the extract you bought is more than a year old and the resulting beer may have a dull taste due to oxidation. Creating some new wort by steeping crushed grain adds back the fresh malt character that is often missing from all extract recipes.



Brewing Mini-Mash Beer
Mini-mash or partial mash is a combination of an extract and an all-grain brew. You use 5 to 7 lbs of liquid malt extract and 4 to 6 lbs of grain. A mini-mash requires that you hold the mash (grain) at temperatures between 150 to 160 degrees for an hour and then sparge (rinse) the grain with 170 degree water. The mini-mash can be thought of as an introduction to all grain brewing. The advantage of doing a mini-mash is that you can utilize grains that have to be mashed without having to do all grain brewing. Even if you don't get all the potential sugar you will still make great beer.


Brewing All-Grain Beer
The granddaddy of homebrewing and the next step in complexity for the homebrewer is to learn how to extract the sugars from the malted grain himself. This process, called Mashing, allows the brewer to take more control of producing the wort.


Water
The water is very important to the resulting beer. After all, beer is mostly water. If your tap water tastes good at room temperature, it should make good beer. If the water has a metallic taste, boil and let it cool before using to let the excess minerals settle out. A good bet for your first batch of beer is the bottled water sold in most supermarkets as drinking water. Use the 2.5 gallon containers. Use one container for boiling the extract and set the other aside for addition to the fermenter later.
Hops

This is an involved subject. There are many varieties of hops, but they can be divided into two main categories: Bittering and Aroma. Bittering hops are high in Alpha Acids (the main bittering agents), typically greater than 10 percent. Aroma hops are lower, around 5 percent. Several hop varieties are in between and are used for both purposes. Bittering hops are added at the start of the boil and usually boiled for an hour. Aroma (or Finishing) hops are added towards the end of the boil and are typically boiled for 15 minutes or less. Hops can also be added to the fermenter for increased hop aroma in the finished beer, called Dry Hopping, but this is best done during secondary fermentation. A mesh bag, called a Hop Bag, may be used to help retain the hops during the boil and make removal of the hops easier prior to fermentation. Straining or removal of the hops before fermentation is not absolutely necessary and is largely a matter of personal preference.

Beer recipes often include a hop schedule, with amounts and boil times specified. Sometimes recipes specify the hops in terms of AAUs or IBUs. AAUs are a convenient unit for specifying hop amounts when discussing hop additions because it allows for differences in the alpha acid percentages between hop varieties or within the same variety year to year. IBUs allow for variation in brewing practices between brewers, yet provide a means for targeting the same final hop bitterness level in the beers.


Yeast
There are several aspects to yeast; it is the other major factor in determining the flavor of the beer. Different yeast strains will produce different beers when pitched to identical worts. Yeast is available in both liquid and dried forms, and for different types of ales and lagers. For the first-time brewer, a dried ale yeast is highly recommended. Some leading and reliable brands of dry yeast are Yeast Labs (marketed by G.W. Kent, produced by Lallemand of Canada), Cooper's, DanStar (produced by Lallemand), Munton & Fison and Edme.. Avoid using a no-name yeast packet that came taped to the top of a can of extract. You don't know how old it is.

Ale yeast are referred to as top-fermenting because much of the fermentation action takes place at the top of the fermenter, while lager yeasts would seem to prefer the bottom. While many of today's strains like to confound this generalization, there is one important difference, and that is temperature. Ale yeasts like warmer temperatures, going dormant below 55°F (12°C), while Lager yeasts will happily work at 40°F. Using lager yeast at ale temperatures 65-70°F (18-20°C) can produce a mixed character, a slightly fruity tasting lager, referred to as California Common Beer, of which Anchor Steam Beer is the most notable example.



Preparing Your Yeast
Dry Yeast needs to be re-hydrated before pitching; it will work much better. Once rehydrated, it can be "proofed" by adding a little bit of sugar to see if it is still viable.

Put 1 cup of warm (95-105°F, 35-40°C) boiled water into a sterile jar and stir in two packets of dry yeast.

Cover with plastic wrap and wait 15 minutes.
Boil one teaspoon of sugar in a little bit of water and let it cool.
Add this sugar to the re-hydrated yeast, cover, and place in a warm area out of direct sunlight.
After 30 minutes or so the yeast should be actively churning and foaming. This is now ready to pitch. If it is not showing signs of activity, then repeat the process with another packet.

Liquid yeast is often favored over dry yeast because of the greater number and variety of yeast strains available. Liquid yeast allows for greater tailoring of the beer to a particular style. Liquid yeast packets should be stored in the refrigerator to keep the yeast dormant and healthy until they are ready to be used. There are two types of liquid yeast package: those with inner nutrient packets and those without. The packages that contain an inner bubble of yeast nutrient (ie. a "smack pack") are intended to function as a mini-starter, but are really not adequate. All liquid yeast needs to be pitched to a starter wort to ensure adequate cell counts for a good fermentation. Smack packs must be squeezed and warmed to 80°F at least two days before brewing. The packet will begin to swell as the yeast wake up and start consuming the nutrients. When the packet has fully swelled, it is time to pitch it to a starter.


Liquid Yeast Starter Procedure 
To prepare a liquid yeast starter, dissolve 1/2 cup of DME into a pint of boiling water.
Boil it for a minute or two and let it cool to 75°F (25°C). Transfer the wort to a mason jar or other sanitized container.
Pour in the liquid yeast from the packet and add a quarter teaspoon of yeast nutrient.
Shake the Starter vigorously to aerate it and encourage yeast growth.
Let this sit in the same warm place until brewing time the next day. Some foaming or an increase in the white yeast layer on the bottom should be evident. The Starter process may be repeated to provide even more yeast to the wort to insure a strong fermentation. Most people prefer to pour off the excess liquid (beer) and only pitch the yeast slurry from the bottom of the jar.



The Wort and Oxygen
The use of oxygen in brewing is a double-edged sword. The yeast utilize oxygen in their growth processes, although they don't exactly breath. Boiling the wort drives out the dissolved oxygen, which is why aeration of some sort is needed prior to fermentation. Once the yeast use up all of the oxygen in the wort for growth and reproduction, they get down to the anaerobic business of turning sugar into alcohol and CO2 that we call fermentation. Prior aeration of the wort is the best way to ensure that there are enough yeast cells for a good fermentation.

Aeration of the wort can be accomplished several ways: shaking the container, pouring the wort into the fermenter so it splashes, or even hooking up an airstone to an aquarium air pump and letting that bubble for an hour. For the latter method, (which is popular) everything must be sanitized! Otherwise, welcome to Infection City. These instructions recommend shaking the starter and pouring/shaking the wort. More on this later.

On the other hand, if oxygen is introduced while the wort is still hot, the oxygen will oxidize the wort and this is a problem. This will cause oxidation of the beer later which can manifest as a wet cardboard taste after several weeks. The key to preventing oxidation is to not aerate when the wort is above 80°F. In addition, if oxygen is introduced after the fermentation has started, it may not be completely utilized by the yeast and will later cause off-flavors.

This is why it is important to cool the wort rapidly to below 80F, to prevent oxidation, and then aerate it to provide the dissolved oxygen that the yeast need to help growth and reproduction. Cooling rapidly between 90 and 130°F is important because this region is ideal for bacterial growth to be established in the wort. See the Cooling The Wort section for suggested methods.


Equipment Cleaning Tips
Clean all equipment after use as soon as possible. It is very easy to get distracted and come back to find the syrup or yeast has dried hard as a rock and the equipment is stained. If you are pressed for time, keep a large container with chlorine water handy and just toss things in to clean later.

Rinsing beer bottles immediately after use eliminates the need to scrub them. If your bottles are dirty or moldy, soaking and washing in a mild solution of chlorine bleach water for a day or two will soften the residue. Brushing with a bottle brush is a necessity to remove stuck residue. Dish washers are great for cleaning the outside of bottles and heat sanitizing, but will not clean the inside where the beer is going to go; that must be done beforehand. Sodium Percarbonate-based cleaners (like PBW, B-Brite, and One-Step) work very well for cleaning the bottles.

Do not wash with scented dish detergents. This leaves a residue which you will be able to taste. Never use any scented cleaning agents, these odors can be absorbed into the plastic buckets and manifest in the beer. Lemon-Fresh scented Pinesol beer is not very good. Unscented mild liquid dishwashing detergents are acceptable for routine cleaning, just be sure to rinse the items thoroughly. Lastly, be aware that dishwasher rinse agents will destroy the head retention on your glassware. If you pour a beer with carbonation and no head, this is a common cause.



Sanitization
So far, sanitization of ingredients and equipment has been discussed but not much has been said about how to do this. The definition and objective of sanitization is to reduce bacteria and contaminants to insignificant or manageable levels. Sterilization is not really possible or practical. The starter solution, wort and priming solutions will all be boiled, so those are not a problem (usually).


One note - Do Not Boil the Yeast! You need them to be alive.


The most readily available sanitizing solution is made be adding 1 tablespoon of bleach to 1 gallon of water (4 ml per liter). A very popular sanitizer is Iodophor. Use 1 tablespoon per 5 gallons (4 ml/19 liters). Another excellent sanitizer is Star-San, from the makers of PBW. Use 1 fluid ounce per 5 gallons. The sanitizing solution can be prepared in the fermenting bucket. Immerse all of equipment - airlock, hoses, paddles, rubber stopper, fermenter lid and anything else contacting the beer. Let it sit for 20 minutes. Rinsing is not really necessary at this concentration, but you may want to rinse with boiled water to avoid any chance of off-flavors.

Ready to Brew?
Okay, we have covered equipment, ingredients and preparations. Are you ready to begin? Do you have everything cleaned and sanitized? Do you have your ingredients ready? I highly recommend starting out with an extract from a beer kit. They make great beer and do not require a lot of time, money and special equipment.


Happy Brewing & Cheers!