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Simple Beer #1
by Kiteman on June 1, 2013 Table of Contents Simple Beer #1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Intro: Simple Beer #1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Step 1: The Recipe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Step 2: Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Step 3: Sterilising . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Step 4: Cooking and cooling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Step 5: A Note on the Hydrometer, and a warning. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Step 6: Yeast - the first fermentation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Step 7: Secondary fermentation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 2 3 3 4 4 6 7 8
Step 8: Bottling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Step 9: Naming and Labelling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Step 10: Drinking! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Step 11: Final Thoughts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Related Instructables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Advertisements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Comments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
http://www.instructables.com/id/Simple-Beer-No1/
http://www.instructables.com/id/Simple-Beer-No1/
*A note on units - beer is drunk in pints, but European legislation means that ingredients have to be sold in metric units. Such is life.
Image Notes 1. Yeast 2. Hops 3. Malt extract 4. Malt extract 5. Malt extract
Step 2: Equipment
There's no easy way around it, to make beer you need to buy specialist equipment. You can buy kit online from many sources, to fit many budgets. The kit I bought contains: A 25 litre Fermentation container (a big bucket with a lid) A 25 litre pressure barrel A syphon tube (a bit of flexible pipe) A bubbler airlock A hydrometer (for checking the strength of the brew) A liquid crystal thermometer to stick to the side of the bucket Steriliser A long spoon for stirring the mixture. You don't want lumps in your beer, so you will also need a method of filtering the liquid. You can buy special mesh bags for doing this, but I used a piece of muslin in a colander. You will also need a cooking vessel. You could splash out on a large stock pot to cook the whole batch as one, but they cost a lot, and I'm not willing to risk the weight on my induction hob. So, I used a normal stainless steel, five litre (one gallon) cooking pot. Unless you are planning to host a large party on the day your beer is ready, you will also need bottles. You can buy new bottles, with reusable flip-tops, but I chose to recycle bottles, adding fresh crown caps (which meant I had to buy a capping gadget).
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Step 3: Sterilising
It is vital that you properly sterilise your equipment. Unlike normal cookery, where bacteria are killed by the heat, brewing happens at the perfect temperature for microbes to thrive and multiply (that's kind of the point), so you need to use proper sterilising chemicals to clean your equipment before using it. If you don't sterilise properly, the best you can hope for is something that tastes really bad. Your sterilising compound will have instructions on it, but you can sterilise a lot of your equipment in the fermentation vessel. Do not be tempted to use bleach, as the flavour lingers in the the equipment, and on into your beer. Glass bottles can be sterilised later, while the beer is in the pressure vessel, using the original fermentation vessel as a bucket, by boiling them in a large pan, or using the same equipment used to sterilise baby bottles. I have also heard of people sterilising them by "baking" in an oven at 160C for ten minutes, but I've never tried that.
Image Notes 1. You can sterilise small equipment inside the fermentation vessel.
http://www.instructables.com/id/Simple-Beer-No1/
I poured the last two pots into the (now cool) fermentation pot through a (sterilised) nylon mesh bag in a (sterilised) colander, then boiled up another three litres to make up the volume, and poured that through the hops in the bag as well. The lid went on, and I left it to cool to room temperature before adding yeast. ----------A note on the smell: I grew up in a town with a brewery. One of my lasting childhood memories is the wonderful smell of the hot wort being transferred to the fermentation vats. Kitewife grew up in the same town. One of her lasting childhood memories is the hideous stench of the hot wort being transferred to the fermentation vats. Consult any housemates you may have (if you live in an apartment block, then the whole building), and be prepared to do chores or sacrifice some bottles to the neighbours in compensation for the smell.
Image Notes 1. Lots of foam as the malt dissolves - stir well and watch the temperature.
Image Notes 1. Vacuum-packed hops smell a lot nicer than they look!
http://www.instructables.com/id/Simple-Beer-No1/
Image Notes 1. After plenty of stirring - note level of the liquid compared to the level of the foam in the first picture.
Image Notes 1. Using a clean glass jug to pour the cooked mixture through the mesh bag. Thanks to Conker-X for holding the bag while I poured with one hand and photographed with the other.
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Image Notes 1. This yeast needed no pre-mixing, but others need mixing with a little warm water to start them off. Check the instructions of the yeast you buy to get things right.
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http://www.instructables.com/id/Simple-Beer-No1/
http://www.instructables.com/id/Simple-Beer-No1/
Step 8: Bottling
During the last fermentation, pressure could build up in the barrel. If you just open the tap, the first beer might jet out at quite a messy speed. So, crack the lid a little to let any excess CO2 vent off harmlessly. Pour the beer into your sterilised bottles, and seal them how you choose (I used crown caps and a small capping machine purchased at the same time). I have no idea how long the beer will last - some sources say as much as a year in cool storage, but we'll see...
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Image Notes 1. Half pints for friends who don't normally drink beer, or for learner drinkers.
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http://www.instructables.com/id/Simple-Beer-No1/
http://www.instructables.com/id/Simple-Beer-No1/
http://www.instructables.com/id/Simple-Beer-No1/
Related Instructables
How to Home Brew Beer The Easy Way With an Ingredient Kit by BeerCollege
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How To Brew Delicious and Cheap Beer At Home in 9 Easy Steps by BeerCollege
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Jul 3, 2013. 8:20 AM REPLY
Mitten says:
Another great writeup, Kiteman!
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