Brewing At Home - How To Make Beer with Beer Making Kits - The Process Explained © 2006

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Wine and Beer Making Catalog beer kit

If you read the previous article, you can see that traditional beer making is a very intricate process! If you are interested in making beer, and are afraid that the process is way too complicated, don’t despair. Modern technology has come to the rescue with a variety of new products, which take the complexity out of the home beer making process.

It is easiest to begin with a starter kit. The kit will contain all the necessary items needed to brew your first batch of beer, except, of course, the water.

The first batch is ready in 14 days; the second batch can start just seven days after the first batch, allowing continuos production of beer. Alcohol content is equivalent to commercial brews, and it is produced by the natural fermentation of the yeast. Since the beer naturally ferments in the bottle, no CO2 cartridges are needed to carbonate the beer.

You can save up to 75% off the cost of commercial beers, and the equipment is all reusable. You need only buy refill packs of beer mix, and this is available in a large variety of different types of beer.

The best quality barley and hops are grown in New Zealand.

Beer mixes typically contain a blend of malts, hops, and other cereal grains, depending upon the type of beer it makes. The mixes may also contain honey, molasses, or fruit, again depending upon the type of beer produced.

Making these beers is very easy - all the home brewer needs is water! Below is a brief summary of the brewing instructions:

Full instructions are available with the kit. This is just a summary of what you will need to do to brew beer.

Step 1
Ready your brewing container - make sure it is big enough. Some kits come with their own container.

Step 2
Sanitize all your equipment. This is very important, as there are always stray spores of bacteria and other microorganisms in the air, which can sour your beer.

Step 3
Fill the Keg with four quarts of cold tap water, or use bottled water, if you desire. DO NOT USE HOT WATER IN THE KEG! Pour some hot water into a large bowl - any kind of mixing bowl will do. Set the can of beer mix into the hot water for ten minutes, to soften its contents. The malt is a very thick syrupy texture and pours very slowly if not softened.

Step 4
Set a three or four-quart saucepan or kettle on your kitchen range. Pour six cups of cold water into this saucepan. Heat the water to a boil. Remove the pan from the heat source; pour in the whole can of beer mix. For stronger beer, you may add up to an additional ½ cup of white granulated table sugar. Pour the wort into the keg and add additional cold water to bring the total volume up to the 8.5 quart mark on the keg. Make sure the temperature of the wort is no more that 103 Degrees Fahrenheit. Closer to seventy degrees would be better - as the yeast is now to be added and you don’t want it so hot it will kill it!

Step 5
Add the yeast to the wort. Sprinkle the dried yeast granules on the surface and allow it to float for about five minutes. Then stir it very vigorously in.

Step 6
Install the fermentation lock on the brewing container, which should now be placed in a room with a stable temperature of around 70 - 75 degrees, and out of direct sunlight. Fermentation should begin in about twenty-four hours.

Step 7
Allow the beer to ferment for a minimum of seven days. As the yeast cells will gradually become inactive, and collect at the bottom of the container.

Step 8
Collect the bottles you will need. You may use plastic soda bottles. The caps, which come with the standard kit, are designed to use with these types of plastic bottles. Sanitize the bottles.

Step 9
After sanitation, add granulated white table sugar to each bottle according to bottle size in the amounts shown below:

12 oz - 3/4 teaspoon
16 oz - 1 teaspoon
22 oz - 11/2 teaspoons 1 liter/quart - 21/2 teaspoons
2 liters - 11/2 Tablespoons
3 liters - 21/4 Tablespoons
Step 10
Fill the bottles from the container to within 1 - 2 inches from the top. Residual yeast in the brew will ferment the sugar in the bottle, carbonating it. Do not use too much sugar - the bottles may explode. Do not use too liter - the beer will be flat. Hand tighten the caps and invert the filled bottles several times to dissolve the sugar. You may use a food quality plastic hose to siphon the beer into the bottles.

Step 11
Store the bottles under the same conditions the brewing beer was kept under for seven days. More time will improve the taste of the beer. If you use plastic bottles, you can test the bottles by pressing in them after a few days. If they are firm, the beer has carbonated. You may now move the bottles to a cool location to store the beer. A few more days will improve the flavor, but it is now ready to drink.

Step 12
Serving your beer. Since the beer has fermented in the bottle, yeasty sediment will have collected on the bottom of each bottle. Although not harmful, indeed it is nutritious; it will cloud the beer if the beer is drunk directly from the bottle. The beer may be slowly poured from bottle to glass in a continuous motion. Rinse the bottle thoroughly immediately after pouring if you plan on reusing the bottles. Drink the beer within four months of making it.

Collecting Bottles

You may use plastic soda bottles which have previously contained carbonated beverages. These bottles come in many sizes from 12 oz. to 3 liters and are perfect for bottling your beer. They are easy to use, easy to clean, and plentiful. The The soda bottles can be used many times over. Clear bottles are fine to use, just keep them out of direct sunlight.

Most beer kits will brew 256 ounces of beer, so collect enough bottles to total these ounces. For example: you will need eight 1-liter/quart bottles (32 oz. each) or four 2 liter bottles, or a combination of both.

Care & Cleaning

Rinse your beer bottles immediately after use, then sanitize just before use.

Federal Law allows persons 21 years of age to brew 100 gallons of beer per year or 2 adult households to brew 200 gallons of beer per year. Laws regarding homebrewing may be more restrictive in some states. It is illegal to sell your beer, so just enjoy it with your family and friends. This kit is intended for use by persons at least 21 years of age.

Modern beer making kits allow the home brewer to make excellent beers with an easy brewing process.

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