How to Create & Make Your Own Beer
By Rebecca Nardis
How to Create & Make Your Own Beerthumbnail Create and bottle your own beer.
It’s always an easy and convenient option to run to the store to pick up a pack of your favorite beer. But creating your own beer in the comfort of your own home can be a fun and money-saving experience. With some brewing implements and a brewing recipe kit, you can create all kinds of different of beers.
To Create & Make Your Own Beer You’ll Need:
- Suction thermometer
- Bottle capper (if using glass bottles)
- Bottles
- Bottle brush
- Bottling bucket
- Plastic hose
- Brewing pot
- Primary fermenter
- Airlock and stopper
- Small glass bowl
- Medium saucepan
- Rubber spatula
- Oven mittens
- Mixing spoon
- Pure dextrose
To Create & Make Your Own Beer Instructions:
- Clean and sanitize all of your brewing implements. Cleaning involves using warm soapy water and sanitizing involves either putting all of the implements into the dishwasher on the heat-dry cycle or cleaning the implements with a mix of chlorine and warm water, about 2 oz. of chlorine to 5 gallons of cold water. Immerse all of the items in the solution and allow them to soak for about 30 minutes.
- Put 4 gallons of water in the primary fermenter and set it aside. Heat 2 qt. of water to 160 to 180 degrees Fahrenheit. Don’t allow the water to come to a complete boil. Read the directions on the recipe kit and add the necessary ingredients to the water. You can choose a different fermentable if you’d like. The preferred fermentables are Belgian cani sugar, rice syrup, liquid malt extract, dry malt extract, brewer’s sugar and demerera sugar. Each of these fermentables delivers its own unique flavor so it’s best to look up the description of flavor before choosing one.
- Stir the contents in the pot thoroughly to ensure that everything dissolves. Put a lid on the pot and let it sit on low heat for about 15 minutes. Add the contents of the pot to the 4 gallons of water in the primary fermenter and mix it thoroughly. Let the solution cool until the side of the primary fermenter is cool to the touch. When the primary fermenter is cool you can add the yeast to the mixture and close it with the airlock. The mixture you have just made is called wort. It’s not beer until it completely ferments for three to five days. As you check on the mixture during that time, you’ll notice that it’s fermenting if you see small bubbles forming in the airlock. When the bubbles stop, the first round of fermentation is complete.
- Ensure that the bottles you’ll use to store the beer are cleaned and sanitized before using the bottling brush. Put 2 to 3 cups of water in the saucepan and stir in ¾ cup of dextrose. Bring this mixture to a boil, cover it and allow it to cool for about 20 minutes. After the mixture cools put it in the bottling bucket. Attach the plastic hose to the primary fermenter spigot and empty the fermented solution into the bucket. Remove the hose from the primary fermenter and clean it thoroughly. Attach the hose to the bottling bucket and empty the contents of the bottling bucket into the individual bottles. Leave about 1 inch of empty space at the top of each bottle. Cap the bottles immediately. Be sure to clean and sanitize the brewing implements thoroughly before putting them away.
- Place the bottles in a cool dry place and allow them to ferment for no less than two weeks. As the beer ferments for this second round, you’ll notice that it’s cloudy. When the solution is no longer cloudy, it’s OK to refrigerate.