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1
6.5 gal. plastic fermenter with lid and grommet
1
5 gallon bottling bucket with spigot
1
Long-handled plastic spoon or paddle, about 24" long
1
3-piece airlock
1
Racking cane
1
Bottle capper
1
Triple scale hydrometer
1
Bottle brush
1
Floating thermometer
1
Gross bottle caps
4'
3/8" ID syphon hose (food grade)
1
Copy of "The New Complete Joy of Home Brewing" for reference
2.5
Cases of re-cappable brown bottles (no twisties!)
A
large enamel or stainless steel brew pot, 5 gallons or larger is best
1
Beer ingredient kit of your choice, OR the following ingredients:
2 cans light malt extract
2 oz. Saaz hops
1 tsp. Irish moss
3/4 cup priming (corn) sugar
1 package fresh dry yeast (do NOT use yeast from under the lid of any
can- always get a fresh pack!)
These items are also nice to have: (but not absolutely required to start)
6
gallon carboy
carboy
brush
#
6.5 drilled rubber stopper
Liquid
yeast instead of dry
Idophor
sanitizer (replaces household bleach method)
"Grolsch"
type flip-top bottles
Ok, let's assume you know nothing about brewing. (Hey, we all started that way, so don't let that bother you!) The best thing to do is take a break, and read through the first few chapters of that book- it'll give you the info you need to understand what's about to happen, and why. That alone is the most critical part of brewing- knowing why you're doing what you're doing!
...Ok, you've read a bit, and you're ready to dive in- you're on your way!
First,
in that brew pot, start about a gallon or two (depending how much room
you've got, leaving PLENTY for more stuff later), of water to boil.
(The more the better, but you need to leave room)
Meanwhile,
in a smaller pot, put about a quart of cool water, along with the crystal
malts that have been crushed either at your homebrew shop using their mill
(the best way), or at home, using a rolling pin.
Place the pot on the stove, and slowly bring to about 150-160 degrees, then turn off the heat. Let that sit a while, say 15-20 minutes; By then, your main pot of water should be boiling.
Holding a strainer over the large pot, dump in the grains, so that the wonderful liquid flows through and into the pot. This liquid contains flavors and other important goodies that will increase the quality of your beer. So as not to waste that goodness, rinse the grains (sparge) with another quart or two of water, until the color runs clear; Now you've gotten all that the grains had to offer, and they may be discarded or used for something else, like home-made bread, see the Food Recipes page for more details.
Once you're done with the specialty grain, it's time to add the malt extract. (This extract is simply a larger volume of extracted goodness from other malts, much like what you just did with the crystal malt.) Remove the brew pot from the heat, and stir in the malt from the cans. Be sure to get it all, you paid good money for that stuff, and it's expensive. Rinsing the can with very hot water will help remove it easily.
Stir the extract thoroughly with your paddle or spoon, then put the pot back on the heat to bring it to a boil. Stir often to prevent the sugars from scorching while it heats. When the boil initially commences, there's a tendency for the wort (that wonderful concoction you're working with, unfermented beer) to bubble highly, right out of the pot- NEVER leave the pot unattended, even for a minute- it knows when you're gone!
Once your wort is boiling, turn the heat down until you can maintain a rolling boil, but not to the point where it's climbing over the top; Now it's time to add the boiling hops. Take one ounce of the hops, and drop them into the boiling wort. There will be a lot of bubbling action, as the moisture contained within them quickly starts to boil, so watch it! From this moment, begin counting 55 minutes. (At the 50 minute mark, you can toss in the Irish moss, to later help clarify the beer;) Continue the boil until the 55 minute mark, then add the second (finishing) ounce of hops. Continue the boil for 5 more minutes, until a one hour boil has been completed.
Next, it's time to chill the wort down. The faster the better. A wort chiller is a nice piece of equipment to use, but for now, you can simply use an ice water bath- simply place the hot pot into a larger container, such as a sink, and surround it with cold water. Ice can be added (to the water, not the batch!) to speed up the process, too. Remember, do NOT let anything touch your batch that hasn't been properly sterilized after this point! From now on, sterilization is critical to the success of the batch, but don't get overly worried, it'll be fine. Check the temperature with your sterilized thermometer, and continue to chill the wort until it's down to about 70-75 degrees.
Now it's time to add (pitch) the yeast that's been prepared according to the instructions for the type you are using. Before you pitch, it's best to take a hydrometer reading, and record it for later; That way you'll know how the beer is progressing, along with other information, such as the alcohol content. Once you've taken your reading, pitch the yeast, and aerate the batch well, shaking or stirring it vigorously. Lots of splashing into the fermenter is good, but ONLY at this time- no other time is appropriate to add oxygen to the brew!
Next pop the lid on, along with the airlock filled with a bit of vodka or plain water; Vodka in the airlock helps prevent bacteria from entering the wort as it cools, but won't harm the yeast if it mixes in by accident. The cheapest you can find is just fine for this. Place the fermenter in a warm (65-70) degree place, and let it sit undisturbed for a few days; You'll see plenty of "perking" in the airlock, letting you know all is well.
In about 3-4 days, the action will subside, and you've got BEER! It's nice to transfer your beer into another container to help clarify it more, and remove the sediment that it's been sitting on, but not absolutely required; For now, the important thing is learning the basic session, you can refine it later with more batches. That's where the carboy would come in handy; In fact, it's nice to ferment in the carboy, you can see all the action along the way- also, that's why a 6 gallon carboy is handy, so you've got some extra room for expansion. A five gallon one wouldn't give you the space you need, and would cause a very large mess when it blows out of the top!
Now that the beer is done, it's time to prepare for bottling. After sanitizing the bottles using a tablespoon of clorox bleach per gallon (or the idophor solution, mixing as directed) and rinsing thoroughly, line them up on a flat surface; Meanwhile, bring about a pint of water and your 3/4 cup of priming sugar to a boil in a pan; Pour this mixture into the bottom of the bottling bucket- slowly, to prevent splashing.
Syphon
the beer out of the fermenter using the racking cane, into the bottling
bucket. Again, no splashing! The bottling bucket can make fast work of
the bottling- simply use the spigot on the bottom as a faucet, and
slowly fill each bottle to about an inch from the top. DO NOT fill them
all the way- that space is required to let the carbonation build up; Remember,
that air space can be compressed, the liquid beer can't! Once the
bottles have been filled, simply cap them with your bottle caps and capper.
Place the bottles in a cool place to age for about 3-4 weeks, then chill.
Congratulations, you are about to partake in your first bottle of your
very OWN beer!
Note:
These instructions are meant to be referred to as a quick guide to basic
brewing; It is highly recommended that you first read the book, where you'll
find many more detailed descriptions of each process; There are many, many
ways to approach each and every task in the process of brewing, this article
is intended to keep it simple yet effective. Along the way, you'll soon
learn about loads of other equipment, methods and shortcuts not mentioned
here, don't be afraid to try another method when you feel comfortable with
it!
As
always, if I forgot something, or you have a question, don't hesitate to
let me know!
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