If you're a dedicated beer lover, perhaps youve decided to take the next logical step and take things into your own hands by getting a beer brewing kit so you can start making great beer at home.
Its an exciting time and no doubt, youre more than a little eager to get started. However, you may not be sure exactly what to do first once youve unpacked the kit. Relax. Its not hard to brew your own beer at home and if you have a kit, chances are that there are instructions included as well. However, if youd like a little more guidance, youve come to the right place. Read on for some of the important things you need to know before you begin brewing.
Beer Brewing Kit Ingredients
If youve never made your own beer before, then it may be a good idea to make things easy on yourself. Many brands of beer brewing kits include the hops, yeast and malt extract you need to make your first batch; even if these arent suited to make your favorite style, go ahead and use them for your trial run. Think of this is a practice batch, since you can always move on to more complicated beer recipes later and face it, any beer which youve made yourself will taste better.
Beer Brewing Preparation
The first step is to make sure that all of your supplies are thoroughly cleaned and sanitized. This not only makes for better beer, but also prevents ruined batches of beer due to bacterial contamination. Wash everything thoroughly with a non-scented detergent and rinse very thoroughly, then soak with a mild bleach solution to sanitize for at least 20 minutes, then rinse well. Bleach may be a great disinfectant, but its not something you want to taste in your beer.
After cleaning and sanitizing your beer brewing kit, then youll need to get some things going in the kitchen. Brewing starts off with a little bit of cooking dont worry if youre not the handiest person in the kitchen. If you can follow a simple recipe, youll do fine here. Start by rehydrating your yeast (if youre using dried yeast if youre using liquid yeast, then you can skip this step). In fact, you can even start this while youre sanitizing your brewing equipment.
Youre also going to need to start a large pot of water boiling. Once your water comes to a boil, stir in your malt extract to dissolve and depending on what type of beer youre making, your hops may need to be added at this point as well. Once your hops have steeped for the amount of time your recipe calls for, then allow the mixture to cool to slightly above room temperature (75-85 degrees Fahrenheit is ideal); this is the best temperature for your yeast to begin turning the sugars in the malt into beer.
After this, youll mostly be waiting for your beer to be ready as it ferments; and once youve tasted what youve made, youll give yourself a pat on the back for picking up a beer brewing kit with every sip.
