The Process for Making Home Brewed Beer

Home brewed beer is not as complicated as some might imagine, however it is a process that takes time and patience, as the process takes at least three weeks from start to finish, when individuals can enjoy the benefits of their labors. Making home brewed beer also takes planning since there are different pieces of equipment that are needed in order to complete the process. From the outset, individuals must decide if they want to brew their beer for bottles or kegs, so that the proper equipment can be bought, including bottle caps and capping machine or a home beer tap for the keg.

Steps

The process of making home brewed beer begins with the brew pot, in which two gallons of water are brought to almost a boil, where the water is steaming but not yet boiling. Next the ingredients from the beer making kit are added to the water in the order prescribed on the packaging. The ingredients are stirred into the water vigorously so that all ingredients are dissolved. Once that is done, the pot is put back on the stove and set on the lowest heat setting for ten to fifteen minutes while water is added to the primary fermenter.

To make home brewed beer, the primary fermenter should be filled with four gallons of cold water so that it is ready for the brew pot ingredients. Those ingredients should be stirred into the water of the fermenter for about two minutes so that enough oxygenation occurs for the yeast. Once done, the airlock and stopper are secured and a waiting process begins. This primary fermentation part of the home brewed beer making process takes from three to five days. The process is done when the air bubbles stop rising into the airlock, which means it is ready for bottling. If it is bottled before this time it will cause the bottles to explode.

The beer is transferred through a hose from the primary fermenter to the bottling bucket once it has cooled. Before this is done, pure dextrose must be prepared for the priming solution which helps the beer to carbonate in combination with the yeast. This can be made in an ordinary saucepan by putting two to three cups of water in it and dissolving three quarters of a cup of dextrose into the water at a boil. Once it is done it will need to cool before being ready for the bottling process. This solution should be added to the bottling bucket before the primary fermenter is emptied into it so that it can be mixed together before bottling. After bottling, the beer will need to sit for another two weeks or until it is clear of sediment. After that, individuals can enjoy their home brewed beer.