HOMEBREWING BASICS

GENERAL OVERVIEW

The following recipe is The simplest way for making 5 gallons of beer.

EQUIPMENT
BREWKETTLE Use an enamel-coated or stainless-steel pot that holds at least 3 gallons. It's for boiling your wort,(pronounced "wurt") which is what beer is called before it is fermented. Don't use aluminum. SIPHON HOSE This is usually clear, food-grade plastic tubing. You will need about 6 feet. This is for transferring your beer from one container to another. FERMENTATION LOCK It's also called an airlock and it keeps your beer from being exposed to outside air while letting carbon dioxide escape from your fermenter. It should fit in a hole in the lid of your primary fermenter. LONG HANDLED SPOON You probably already have one that will work. It's for stirring, of course. UNSCENTED HOUSEHOLD BLEACH You will use a dilute bleach solution to sanitize your brewing equipment. Preventing common bacteria and wild yeast from getting into your beer is very important. While they won't harm you, they can cause unpleasant flavors in your beer.		PRIMARY FERMENTER A food-grade container, usually a white plastic bucket with a lid, that holds at least 6 gallons will do. BOTTLING BUCKET This should hold at least 5 gallons. It can be the same type of container as your primary fermenter. RACKING CANE A stiff piece of plastic about 2 feet long, often with a curve on one end. It connects to your siphon hose and is used when transferring your beer from one container to another. It makes siphoning easy and efficient. BOTTLES These should be made of brown glass. Don't use the twist-off variety. You'll need about 50 12-ounce bottles of the same volume in whatever size bottles you use. BOTTLE CAPPER Numerous styles of this device are available, any one will work for capping your bottles of homebrew. BOTTLE CAPS These must be new. You'll need about 50. BOTTLE FILLER This is a clever device that will speed up your bottling process.

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  BREWING PROCESS

  Follow the steps outlined:

  BOILING Soak the two cans of malt extract syrup in hot water for about 20 minutes. This makes the syrup easier to pour. While they soak, bring 1 1/2 gallons of water to a boil in your brewkettle. Remove the kettle from the heat, add the malt extract to the water, stir until it's dissolved and return the kettle to the burner. Boil the mixture, called wort, for at least 30 minutes(watch for boil over's). Stir occasionally if you want, five or ten minutes before you are finished boiling, add the hops. These hops will give your brew a nice hop aroma.

  SANITIZING While your are boiling, sanitize your primary fermenter using a solution of 1 ounce of bleach to 1 gallon of water. Sponge all the surfaces of your fermenter with sanitizing solution and rinse well with hot water. From now on, everything that comes into contact with your beer must be sanitized either with a clean sponge or by soaking in a bleach solution. This is very important, in fact, it's one of the secrets to making good beer. Fill your fermenter with 3 gallons of fresh water and cover with a sanitized lid.

  COOLING AND PITCHING When you are finished boiling, carefully pour all the wort into your water-filled fermenter. It's boiling hot, so be careful. Put the lid on tightly. When the wort has cooled to near room temperature, open the lid and sprinkle the two packets of yeast over the wort. (this called pitching your yeast.) Work quickly, so that the wort is exposed to air briefly as possible. There is no need to stir. Cover again and attach your fermentation lock. Add water to half-fill the airlock.

  FERMENTING Fermentation should start within 24 hours, but it could take longer. A sure sign fermentation is the bubbling of carbon dioxide through the fermentation lock. The bubbling should be rapid and vigorous for a couple of days and then gradually slow down. Keep the beer at room temperatures protected from the light and in a place where children or animals can't disturb it. Fourteen days after fermentation has begun, you're ready to bottle.

  BOTTLING Sanitized your bottles by soaking them in a solution of 1 to 2 ounces of bleach to 5 gallons of water. Or, you can fill each bottle with the same solution. Let them soak for at least 45 minutes. Rinse each bottle with hot tap water. Make sure the bottles don't have any gunk in them. Sanitize your bottling bucket, siphon, racking cane, bottle filler land anything else that's going to come in contact with your beer using a bleach solution like the one used to sanitize your fermenter. Sanitize your bottle caps with a dilute bleach solution. Dissolve 3/4 cup of corn sugar(4 ounces dry weight) in a cup of water. Boil for 10 minutes. Put your fermenter of beer on the counter and your bottling bucket on the floor. Pour the sugar solution into the bottling bucket. Siphon the beer from the fermenter into the bottling bucket. Do this carefully, without splashing or agitating the beer and leave the sediment in the bottom of the fermenter behind.(this is called racking) Don't expose your beer to the outside air any more than you have to and make sure all services the beer contacts are sanitized. Put the bottling bucket on the counter, hook up your racking cane, siphon and bottle filler, then begin filling your bottles. Bottling can be messy, so have some paper towels or rags handy. Newspaper or a shallow baking pan can be used to catch spills. Cap each bottle.

  

  AGING AND TASTING 1. You're done! Store your bottles in a cool, dark place. Wait two weeks, then uncap a bottle and pour into a nice clean mug or glass, leaving the sediment in the bottle. The sediment won't harm you, but it can change the flavor and appearance of the beer. 2. Taste the fruits of your hobby. Congratulations you're a homebrewer! We hope you learn to love this hobby as much as we do!!

SOURCE:
American Homebrewers Association
PO Box 1679
Boulder, CO 80306-1679
1 (303) 447-0816

For Wholesale and Home Brew Shop Call 1-800-460-6925 for Information

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