Mmmm.... Beer. There is nothing quite like the delicious tastes and wide variety of good craft beers. Some are dark, some are light, and some are in between; some are hoppy with high notes, while others are smooth and mellow. The world of craft beer is extensive, imagine the possibilities! Well these days, you don't have to just imagine them, you can actually create them yourself! It's true, home brewing your own beer is something that is actually quite affordable and easy, all it takes is a little know-how, and I'm here to help!
Home brewing is the brewing of any beverage which includes the process of fermentation. This is typically done on a small scale intended for personal consumption, amateur brewing competitions, as a hobby, or any other non-commercial reason, and is perhaps more common than you might think.
On a domestic level, home brewing has been done for thousands of years, however as of recently, certain restrictions and regulations have been placed on the practice in some places. But hey, who wants to hear about that... what about the good stuff? How do you actually make the beer?! Well there are five basic steps involved in brewing your own beer at home...
The first step is actually brewing (or boiling) the beer, which involves soaking malted barley in hot water to release the malt sugars and boiling this together with the hops, which extract their bitter nature to add flavor. Frequently, grains are steeped in during this step as well, to add color and flavor complexity as well. The second step is cooling and fermenting. As the solution cools, yeast is added which begins the fermentation process, wherein the sugars begin to ferment, releasing CO2 and ethyl alcohol. This process typically takes 1-2 weeks, and sanitation and cleanliness are incredibly important, as the wort can easily be infected by bacteria. Third, you want to prime the beer by adding priming agents such as corn sugar, and the bottle and cap the beer. The fourth step, aging the beer, will take approximately 2-6 weeks (or more, depending on desired flavor), and includes the yeast continuing to ferment while naturally creating a carbon dioxide inside. Step five? Well that's the easy part - drink it!
You can buy a basic home brewing kit for around $75, and all of the other necessary equipment and ingredients could run you between $25-$60. But once you start to settle in the process, it will become easier and less cost will be involved. Plus, you will start making better and more varied types of beers!
Home brewing is the brewing of any beverage which includes the process of fermentation. This is typically done on a small scale intended for personal consumption, amateur brewing competitions, as a hobby, or any other non-commercial reason, and is perhaps more common than you might think.
On a domestic level, home brewing has been done for thousands of years, however as of recently, certain restrictions and regulations have been placed on the practice in some places. But hey, who wants to hear about that... what about the good stuff? How do you actually make the beer?! Well there are five basic steps involved in brewing your own beer at home...
The first step is actually brewing (or boiling) the beer, which involves soaking malted barley in hot water to release the malt sugars and boiling this together with the hops, which extract their bitter nature to add flavor. Frequently, grains are steeped in during this step as well, to add color and flavor complexity as well. The second step is cooling and fermenting. As the solution cools, yeast is added which begins the fermentation process, wherein the sugars begin to ferment, releasing CO2 and ethyl alcohol. This process typically takes 1-2 weeks, and sanitation and cleanliness are incredibly important, as the wort can easily be infected by bacteria. Third, you want to prime the beer by adding priming agents such as corn sugar, and the bottle and cap the beer. The fourth step, aging the beer, will take approximately 2-6 weeks (or more, depending on desired flavor), and includes the yeast continuing to ferment while naturally creating a carbon dioxide inside. Step five? Well that's the easy part - drink it!
You can buy a basic home brewing kit for around $75, and all of the other necessary equipment and ingredients could run you between $25-$60. But once you start to settle in the process, it will become easier and less cost will be involved. Plus, you will start making better and more varied types of beers!