BREWING

Brewing Your First Batch covered the basic methods of home beermaking, here we intend to help you get familliar with some of the ways you can add your own style to your beer.

Malt Extract is an essential ingredient in all homebrewed beers, except for those that are brewed entirely from grain. Extract is made up of concentrated sugars (and other substances) yielded from mashed malted barley (and/or wheat). When reconstituted in your  brewpot it is essentially the same as if you took the time to mash the grains yourself.  The first decision a brewer must make when choosing malt extract depends on the type of beer they will be brewing. The types of extract available are: Extra Light, Light, Amber, Dark, and Wheat.

The simplest method to choose from is to use syrups in the color you intend your final beer to be.  Brewers of Amber and Dark beers can choose whether to add color and flavor to their beers solely from extracts or through the addition of flavor grains. After experimenting with a variety of styles and brands you will notice subtle differences that will allow you to more closely tailor your beer to your desired results.  For instance, certain varieties may offer a fuller body while others will ferment more cleanly.  It really depends on the characteristics you are looking for when you choose an extract.

Don't forget to sanitize everything that will come in contact with your unfermented beer with B-Brite or similar sanitizers.  Follow the directions on the container for best results.  Be sure to allow your equipment to soak for a minimum of 30 minutes, an hour is even better.

Don't forget to re-hydrate your yeast by adding a few tablespoons of your boiling wort to 1 cup of cool water, and then add your yeast packet, stir, and cover with a spare saucer or plastic wrap until it starts to foam.  Add two gallons of cold water to your brew-pot and bring to a boil.

Crystal malt, and toasted or roasted malts, and grains can add color and flavor to your beers. To include them in your recipe, add them to the cold water in your brewpot and remove them at the first sign of boiling. The grains can be easily removed if they are first placed in a grain bag, alternately  they may be strained out with a colander.

Once the water is boiling (make sure there is head room  to put in all the ingredients), add your malt syrup or extract kit.  If you are  adding corn sugar add that too now.

USING BITTERING HOPS

Bittering hops are necessary if you are using unhopped malt extract (it will state on the can's label wheather the extract is hopped or not). Bittering hops can improve the character of hopped extract and kits as well. Bittering Hops are hops that are used to provide bitterness to your beers. Certain varieties of hops such as NORTHERN BREWER, CHINOOK, GALENA, and  others are favored because of their high Alpha Acid level. Usually 7-12 HBU. One or two ounces of these usually are enough for a five gallon batch.  The higher the alpha acid is the more bitter the hop.  Lighter colored beers tend to require less hop bitterness than darker colored beers. Hops act as a flavoring agent, as well as, aiding in beer-foam head retention.
   

The Hops should also be added now. Stir well until the extract is thoroughly dissolved.  You should now boil your wort for one hour order to reap their full benefits. . A good rolling boil is considered ideal, but you must watch your brewpot carefully to prevent a boil over, as this can seriously affect the quality of your final brew, not to mention making a sticky mess on the top of your stove. Some brewers will add additional hops during the boil, particularly if they are making a hoppy brew.  Just remember if you are adding hops for bitterness you will have to boil them for at least 40 minutes in order to extract the bitterness resins (alpha acids) that will flavor your beer.

USING FLAVOR HOPS

 

During the last 5 to 10 minutes of the boil you can add flavor hops. These hops add a different quality to the beer than the bittering hops you may have added earlier. They impart a flavor that can be spicy or flowery or herbal in nature, depending on the variety used. Additional hops may be added to brewpot at the end of the boil and steeped for while the wort coos. Again these hops serve a different purpose  from those added earlier. Hops added at this time contribute to the pleasant aroma that is the mark of many a fine brew.

   

After the boil, let the mixture cool to 70 to 80 degrees F. and carefully open your fermenter, already filled 2/3 with cold water, and add the cooled boiled wort to the fermenter and place the lid and airlock on top.  At this point, you may want to remove a small amount of beer to and take a hydrometer reading, this will tell you the starting gravity of your beer. By comparing readings taken now and at bottling time, you can determine the alcohol content of your beer.

Formulating Beer Styles:
     If you feel that you are ready to experiment with some beer styles of your own these simple tips may help you make the right decisions when coming up with your own beers styles.

Fruit Beers:
     The Belgians are famous for making odd styles of beer, many famous varieties, may include Kriek (cherry) or Frambois (Raspberry).  Here are some tips to adding fruit to your beer.

Lagering:
     The careful process of fermenting your beer yeilds a smooth refreshing character. A short background of information can be found here.

Troubleshooting:
     Sometimes things just don't turn out the way you intended.  Here are some tips that may help you understand what is going wrong.    

U.S. Beer Market
Barley Malts
Hops
Brewers Yeast
Brewing Water
Beer Adjuncts
Cleaning & Sanitation
Malt Milling
Mashing
Wort Separation
Wort Boiling
Wort Cooling
Beer Fermentation
Beer Conditioning
Beer Filtration
Beer Carbonation
Bottling
Kegging
Spoilage Organisms
Beer Styles