Sunday, March 17, 2013

Tips For Brewing Your Own Beer

By James McLean


There is nothing quite like the taste of a delicious craft beer. With so many tastes and such a wide variety to choose from, the possibilities are extensive. Some beers are dark, some are light, and some are every color in between. Some beers are hoppy and bitter and others are smooth and mellow. But these days, you don't have to just find the perfect beer - you can make it! Home brewing actually involves only a small amount of effort and can be quite affordable, if done right.

Brewing your own beer at home is a more common process than you might think as well, as people have been doing it for ages. Basically, home brewing is the brewing of any beverage through the process of fermentation on a small scale as a hobby, used for personal consumption, amateur brewing competitions, or any other non-commercial reason.

People have been fermenting their own alcohol for thousands of years, but starting in the 20th century, there were certain restrictions and regulations that began being placed on the practice in certain places. But hey, restrictions are boring, lets talk about the good stuff! How do you actually brew beer? Well, five basic steps are involved...

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!




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