For a few years now, I have been home brewing extraordinary beer. I am probably not the first to say this, but it makes beer around a billion times more awesome. It started off really simple. We spent less then $100 to get started and ended up with 55 bottles of delicious beer. Only 2 bucks a bottle for great ales! It only gets cheaper, the more you grow as a brewer.
I control almost every aspect of my beer. I brew "all grain", which means I do everything myself except malting my own grain and cultivating my own yeast. There are easier ways to start, but this is the cheapest and has the most room for creativity. Currently, I spend about 35 cents per beer. That's cheap for even a low quality beer and...dare I say it... I make really good beer. So keeping it simple, this is how brewing happens. Of course, all of this starts with a visit to your neighborhood brew store.
1) Steep the malted grains. They are crushed (in a grain mill) and then steeped at 175 degrees for one hour to extract the sugars. I use a converted drink cooler to do this.
2) The boil. This is where you spice up the beer. You boil for at least an hour. This is where you add any flavoring but especially the hops. The earlier in the boil you add the hops the more bitter taste the hops contribute to the beer. The later addition of hops adds flavor and aroma.
3) Yeast. This one is simple. Once the unfermented beer is cooled to room temperature, you add your yeast to create the precious byproduct of alcohol.
4) You wait. Beer will usually completely ferment after about a week. Wait for the most obvious sign, the yeast cake at the top will drop to the bottom.
5) Finally, bottle with a touch of sugar to create the carbonation and wait about another week.
Then drink! It's that easy and there are even easier kits you can buy. Home brewing may be the best decision you will ever make.
No comments:
Post a Comment