If you are a big beer fan this guide is definitely made for you! They said that nothing tastes as good as homemade stuff, well it applies the same phrase when it comes to beer! Follow this guide to brewing your own beer at home with your friends and thank us later!
First thing you should know is homebrewing can be divided in two types all grain in which the homebrewer, you in this case, should extract the sugars from the milled grains itself. And extract brewing in which the homebrewer uses an already made malt extract, skipping the process of sugar extraction. If you are new to the whole process of brewing your own beer is better to start with an extract option to get better results.
As any other cooking task, brewing your own beer requires a specific equipment, but don’t worry we are not talking about transforming your whole kitchen into a bar full of fridges, beer tanks and sinks. For a new home brewer, the best way to start itself in this beer world is to buy a basic homebrewing kit you can get online or at any specialized cooking store. You will need to add a thermometer and a 3 to 5 gallon pot which is not usually included in the kit.
Once you have your tools ready, you need some ingredients to start with your homemade beers! Making beer is a process that requires few ingredients, hops, grains, malt extracts, yeast and water. Hops are the cones of the Humulus lupulus plant and are used to add bitterness to your finished beers. They are also added towards the end of the process of beer brewing to add aroma and fragrance to your beers. Grains are always needed even if you are using malt extract because they add flavor, aroma, color and body to your creations. Grains must be crushed or milled before using them, be sure to used them as soon as you can because crushed grains can go bad really fast.
Malt extracts can help you produce exceptional beers even if you are new to the home brewing world. You can find malt extract in a liquid or dry version, but you should be careful because they version you used it might affect the quantities on a certain recipe. Yeast can be found in liquid and dry form; you can use either since both have their advantages and disadvantages. But either yeast you decide to use it will help you make an amazing beer since yeast produces alcohol and CO2 while consuming the malt sugars. Water is an essential in making beer and while you might think all water is the same for making a great beer you will need water that is clean, with a low alkalinity and free of odors.
When you have gotten your brewing kit and your ingredients, you are reading to start making your beers! The brewing process has a few parts that can be divided in five stages, so you get a better idea of what is happening. First the malted barley is soaked in hot water, so it releases the malt sugars (in case you are not using malt extract), then the malt sugar solution is boiled with hops for seasoning. Third the solution is cooled, and yeast is added to begin with the fermentation process. After that the yeast starts to ferment the sugars and alcohol and Co2 has been released. The final step starts when the fermentation process is complete, and the beer is bottled and a bit of sugar is added to provide carbonation.
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