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Permission to copy this material is granted for non-commercial purposes
only, provided it is reproduced in its entirety, without modification,
including all references to American Homebrewers Association, the Association
of Brewers and this copyright notice.
Compliments of the American Homebrewers Assocation
Ingredients:
Malt Extract Syrup
Malt extract syrup is made from barley and has a lot of natural sugar
in it. Brewing yeast eats the sugar and produces alcohol and carbon dioxide.
The extract normally comes in 1.5-kilogram (3.3-pound) cans. You'll need
two cans of lightly hopped, light-colored extract for your first batch.
Hops
Hops are flowers with a bitter flavor. The bitterness balances the sweet
flavor of the malt. Hops are usually in the form of compressed pellets.
You'll need about 1 ounce of the pellets.
Ale Yeast
Dehydrated yeast is sold in small paper packages. You should use two packages
of ale yeast for your batch of beer. That's what you'll be brewing --
an ale.
Water
Tap or bottled water is fine.
Corn Sugar
You only need 3/4 cup (4 ounces dry weight) for your first batch. This
is used to prime your bottled beer, giving it carbonation.
Equipment:
(Homebrew supply shops sell these items, but check around the house first
-- you probably already have some of this stuff.)
Brewkettle
Use an enamel-coated or stainless-steel pot that holds at least 3 gallons.
It's for boiling your wort, (pronounced "wurt") which is what
beer is called before it is fermented. Don't use aluminum.
Primary Fermenter
A food-grade container, usually a white plastic bucket with a lid, that
holds at least 6 gallons will do.
Bottling Bucket
This should hold at least 5 gallons. It can be the same type of container
as your primary fermenter.
Siphon Hose
This is usually clear, food-grade plastic tubing. You will need about
6 feet. This is for transferring your beer from one container to another.
Racking Cane
A stiff piece of plastic tubing about 2 feet long, often with a curve
at one end. It connects to your siphon hose and is used when transferring
your beer from one container to another. It makes siphoning easy and efficient.
Fermentation Lock
It's also called an airlock and it keeps your beer from being exposed
to outside air while letting carbon dioxide escape from your fermenter.
It should fit in a hole in the lid of your primary fermenter.
Bottles
These should be made of brown glass. Don't use the twist-off variety.
You'll need about 50 12-ounce bottles or the same volume in whatever size
bottles you use.
Bottle Capper
Numerous styles of this device are available, any one will work for capping
your bottles of homebrew.
Bottle Caps
These must be new. You'll need about 50.
Bottle Filler
This is a clever device that will really speed up your bottling process.
Long-Handled Spoon
You probably already have one that will work. It's for stirring, of course.
Unscented Household Bleach
You will use a dilute bleach solution to sanitize your brewing equipment.
Preventing common bacteria and wild yeast from getting into your beer
is very important. While they won't harm you, they can cause unpleasant
flavors in your beer.
What to do:
Boiling
1. Soak the two cans of malt extract syrup in hot water for at least 20
minutes. This makes the syrup easier to pour. While they soak, bring 1
1/2 gallons of water to a boil in your brewkettle.
2. Remove the kettle from heat, add the malt extract to the water, stir
until it's all dissolved and return the kettle to the burner.
3. Boil the mixture, called wort, for at least 30 minutes (watch for boilovers!).
Stir occasionally if you want. Five or 10 minutes before you are finished
boiling, add the hop pellets. These hops will give your brew a nice hop
aroma.
Sanitizing
1. While you are boiling, sanitize your primary fermenter using a solution
of 1 ounce of bleach to 1 gallon of water. Sponge all the surfaces of
your fermenter with the sanitizing solution and rinse well with hot water.
From now on, everything that comes in contact with your beer must be sanitized
-- either with a clean sponge or by soaking in a bleach solution. This
is very important. In fact, it's one of the secrets to making good beer.
2. Fill your fermenter with 3 gallons of fresh, cold water and cover with
the sanitized lid.
Cooling and Pitching
1. When you are finished boiling, carefully pour all the wort into your
water-filled fermenter. It's boiling hot, so be careful. Put the lid on
tightly.
2. When the wort has cooled to near room temperature, open the lid and
sprinkle the two packets of yeast over the wort. (This is called pitching
your yeast.) Work quickly, so that the wort is exposed to air as briefly
as possible. There is no need to stir. Cover again and attach your fermentation
lock. Add water to half-fill the airlock.
Fermenting
1. Fermentation should start within 24 hours, but it could take longer.
A sure sign of fermentation is the bubbling of carbon dioxide through
the fermentation lock. The bubbling should be rapid and vigorous for a
couple of days and then gradually slow down. Keep the beer at room temperature,
protected from light and in a place where children or animals can't disturb
it. Fourteen days after fermentation has begun, you're ready to bottle.
Bottling
1. Sanitize your bottles by soaking them in a solution of 1 to 2 ounces
of bleach to 5 gallons of water. Or, you can fill each bottle with the
same solution. Let them soak for at least 45 minutes. Rinse each bottle
with hot tap water. Make sure the bottles don't have any gunk in them.
2. Sanitize your bottling bucket, siphon, racking cane, bottle filler
and anything else that's going to come in to contact with your beer using
a bleach solution like the one used to sanitize your fermenter. Sanitize
your bottle caps with either vodka or a very dilute bleach solution.
3. Dissolve 3/4 cup of corn sugar (4 ounces dry weight) in a cup of water.
Boil for 10 minutes.
4. Put your fermenter of beer on the counter and your bottling bucket
on the floor. Pour the sugar solution into the bottling bucket. Siphon
the beer from the fermenter into the bottling bucket. Do this carefully,
without splashing or agitating the beer and leave the sediment in the
bottom of the fermenter behind. (This is called racking.) Don't expose
your beer to the outside air any more than you have to and make sure all
surfaces the beer contacts are sanitized.
5. Put the bottling bucket on the counter, hook up your racking cane,
siphon and bottle filler, then begin filling your bottles. Bottling can
be messy, so have some paper towels or rags handy. Newspaper or a shallow
baking pan can be used to catch spills. Cap each bottle.
Aging and Tasting
1. You're done! Store your bottles in a cool, dark place. Wait at least
two weeks (if you can), uncap a bottle and pour into a nice, clean mug
or glass, leaving the sediment in the bottle. The sediment won't harm
you, but it can change the flavor and appearance of the beer.
2. Taste the fruits of your hobby. Congratulations! You're a homebrewer!
We hope you learn to love this hobby as much as we do!
