Brewing Homemade Beer

There are many people who enjoy brewing their own homemade beer

Not only are you able to amend the flavors to suit your own tastes but you're also able to save quite a lot of money by brewing your own beer.

You have the option of buying a brewing kit complete with pre-packaged ingredients from a specialty store or you can make your own beer from scratch.

Most people agree that while the kit beer is quicker - the beer brewed from scratch tastes better. When it comes to varieties of homemade beer, it's possible to make a brew using very simple recipes or you have the option of creating some fine boutique ales using more advanced recipes.

For the beginning home brewer, it's probably best to begin with a simple extract brew and then expand your repertoire as your expertise and experience with home brewing grows.

Let's make home made beer!

Homemade Beer Kits

Before you begin to make your own beer, you'll need to have some basic equipment in place. It's also vitally important to sanitize all your equipment thoroughly so you won't be breeding bacteria in your brew.

• 10 gallon food-grade fermenting container - generally a plastic bucket or you can purchase specific beer brewing fermentation containers from specialty stores.
• Fermenting container lid that has a hold in it to place stopper and airlock
• Stopper - this is usually a rubber bung that is placed into the fermenting container lid to hold the airlock.
• Airlock
• Brew Pot - you will need a large stainless steel pot for boiling your initial ingredients
• Sterilization or Sanitization - Keeping all your equipment properly sanitized before you begin the brewing process is vitally important
• Muslin bags to contain any hops or malt you will be adding to your brew.
• Thermometer
• Hydrometer
• Sealable Bottles

Homemade Beer Ingredients

• Mineral Water or bottled water
• 1 can Malt extract - purchase a can of any flavor you prefer
• 1 teaspoon of brewer's yeast
• 6 cups of white sugar

How To Make Beer

Step One
Clean all your equipment thoroughly with soapy water. Rinse everything to remove soap residue completely. You can sanitize your equipment using a diluted bleach solution or you can use a sanitization solution specifically designed for home brewing kits that won't leave an aftertaste.

Step Two
After you have properly sanitized your equipment, fill your stainless steel pot to with approximately 7 liters of water. Although tap water is okay for this process, bottled water or mineral water will give you a cleaner tasting beer. Bring your water to the boil.

Step Three
Add your can of malt extract and stir through until it's all mixed through. Bring the mixture back to the boil and leave to cook for 20 minutes. Don't put a lid on while you're boiling.

Step Four
Add the sugar to your mix and stir until it's all dissolved. Remove mixture from the heat.

Step Five
Pour 10 liters of cold water into your fermentation container and then pour the boiled extract mixture into the container as well. If possible, try to pour the contents fairly quickly as this helps to aerate the mixture.

Step Six
Add more bottled water until the temperature is neutral. Use your thermometer to keep checking the temperature. Your fermentation container or bucket should be a little more than half-full.

Step Seven
Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of brewer's yeast over the mixture and stir through until it's blended. Then immediately cover your container with a loosely fitted lid. It's important NOT to make your container airtight at this point, as you want the carbon dioxide being produced during fermentation to escape. If you trap the carbon dioxide inside the container then it could expand far enough to explode.

Step Eight
After 8 to 10 days, test your beer with a hydrometer. Different types of beer will give different readings, so check what reading your own particular beer should be before bottling.

Step Nine
After sanitizing your bottles, place 2 teaspoons of sugar into each bottle and siphon your beer slowly out of the fermentation container through a length of clean hose down into each bottle. Try to hold the siphon tube close to the bottom of the bottle to help stop your beer frothing.

Don't fill your bottles completely to the top as beer needs a little air space. Seal your bottles tightly and tip them upside down gently to help mix in the sugar in the bottom of the bottle.

Step Ten
Leave your bottles in a cool dark area for 4 or 5 days and then open one bottle to test your brew. Always keep in mind that your beer will improve with age, but if your sample bottle tastes fine then go ahead and enjoy your homemade beer!

If you have other homemade beer recipes or if you've had success with this particular recipe then we'd love to hear your comments. Please feel free to share them using the form below. We would also love to know your thoughts on our recipe! You may also like to try your hand at our Homemade Wine.