Home beer making

What is known now as craft beer is actually small batch beer brewing which allows for better flavors and quality. Brewing at home was not always legal but in 1978 congress passed a bill repealing federal restrictions which President Jimmy Carter signed it into law. This made it legal for people to brew there own beer which has led to a big boom in home beer making.

Beer making kits and supplies can available in specialty beer stores and on the internet which makes it easy to get the ingredients. They will often sell everything needed to brew your first batch. Its really easy and you should get good results your first time. The most important step is making sure everything is very clean.

I have done a few batches in the past years and have had good success. I prefer to make lighter non hoppy ales because they are easy to make and drink. The whole process takes around three weeks before you taste your first brew.

A basic kit of flavoring hops and malt.

Beer during the one hour brewing phase.

The actual brewing will take about a hour, different ingredients and flavoring will go in at different times during this process.

The beer cooling system.

When its done brewing it will need to be cooled down before the yeast is added, normally around 80 degrees, too hot and the yeast will die. This systems runs cold water through copper tubing to rapidly cool the liquid. The liquid will go into a glass 5.5 gallon carboy fitted with a airlock. This will ferment for close to a week, converting sugars to alcohol. The newly brewed beer will taste sweet before fermenting, hops which are bitter will balance the sweetness too. After a week hidden in a dark spot the fermentation was complete then time to bottle. The beer is siphoned into a plastic bucket where a small amount of cane sugar is added, this will ferment in the bottle and produce carbonation. The beer is siphoned into bottles and capped using a bottle capper. The beer now needs to sit for close to two weeks to condition and allow the carbonation to happen. Any sediment will sink to the bottom and the beer will be clear and ready to chill and taste.

Finished product, clear and tasty