Homemade Beer – It’s very Easy to Make

beer on a black background

Making your own beer can be fun, and it’s not hard to do at all. The basic recipe for beer is very simple and requires very little investment. You can take the basic beer recipe and add your own flavorings, experimenting with different grains for texture and taste. The main thing to remember is the smell – it has a strong odor when fermenting, so be sure to check with roommates before brewing or brew it in a private location.

To make beer, you need a few things before you start. You should be able to find everything on this list easily. You need twelve (12) 2-liter bottles (wash out and save soda bottles) or the equivalent number of smaller plastic bottles with twist-on caps; one 10-gallon plastic bucket with a lid; about 74 inches of siphon hose; a hose clamp; a thermometer; a large pot; and a hydrometer. You can find most of these at your local hardware or restaurant supply store for under $50.00 USD.

Preparing the Ingredients

After you’ve acquired the necessary tools, it’s time to focus on the ingredients. One of the key ingredients is Malt Extract. The type of Malt Extract you buy will determine the type of beer you make (light, dark, or stout). Malt Extract typically comes in either a 40-ounce can or a 1.5-kilogram “tall” size. The recipe used here is based on the 40-ounce can, but you can also use the 1.5-kilogram “tall” to make a heavier beer if you prefer.

They also sell “pre-hopped” Malt Extract. Using the pre-hopped extract will give your beer a much hoppier flavor. This is entirely based on personal taste, so if you enjoy hoppy beer, buy the pre-hopped Malt Extract. It doesn’t change the recipe at all to use the pre-hopped version.

You will also need yeast. Some places sell a Malt Extract brand that includes yeast packets, while others don’t. Regular Brewer’s Yeast is what you want here. You only need 1 teaspoon for the recipe, so unless you plan on making beer every day, you won’t need to buy a huge amount.

The last ingredient is sugar. You can use 6 to 8 cups of regular white granulated sugar, or you can use 8 to 9 cups of corn syrup (which gives a better taste than regular sugar). If you can afford more Malt Extract, using two cans of Malt Extract in place of all the sugar will give you a stronger beer flavor.

Cleanliness is the most important thing to remember when making beer. Before you do anything else, sanitize your tools in soap and water, then hot water and bleach. Make sure to rinse all the bleach out after you’re done. Next, pour 2.7 gallons of cold water into your 10-gallon bucket. In your large pot, boil 7.5 quarts of water.

Add one can of Malt Extract to your boiling water, stirring and boiling for about 20 minutes. Add your sugar, corn syrup, or second can of Malt Extract and stir until it’s dissolved completely. Once the sugar, syrup, or malt has dissolved, pour it rapidly into the bucket of cold water. Pouring it quickly helps it mix together. Now start adding cold water by the liter (use your 2-liter bottles if you prefer) until your bucket full of beer mixture reaches room temperature (68 degrees F), as indicated by your thermometer.

Sprinkle in your brewer’s yeast and give it a good stir. Immediately cover it with the lid, making sure it’s on loosely so it doesn’t blow off with the pressure from the fermenting gas. Don’t open the lid for 6 days, no matter how curious you are. Keeping the beer between 62 and 68 degrees F will be your best bet for great beer.

After 6 days, use your hydrometer to check if your beer is ready. Place the clean hydrometer into your beer and give it a spin to get rid of any bubbles on the surface. If you’re making a light beer, your hydrometer should read 1.008; for darker beers, it should read between 1.010 and 1.015. If it’s within this range, it’s ready to bottle. If not, put the lid back on and let it ferment for a couple more days.

Once your beer is ready to bottle, and your bottles are sanitized, place the bucket of beer on a level table. Put your 2-liter bottles on the floor, on top of a clean cloth, tarp, or newspaper to catch any spills. Add two level teaspoonfuls of regular white granulated sugar to each bottle. Using your siphon and siphon clamp, siphon your beer into each bottle. Be careful not to touch the sugar! You don’t want to suck sugar into the siphon hose!

Other things to avoid during the siphon process include tipping or shaking the bucket. The bucket of beer on the table should not be sloshed around or shaken, as it can make the beer taste flat or cardboard-like. Also, hold the siphon hose close enough to the side of the bottle to avoid making foam or froth, which can lead to a weird taste. Additionally, leave a little space at the top of each bottle so the beer can expand.

Screw your bottle caps on as tightly as possible. Turn each bottle upside down and give it a shake to dissolve the sugar at the bottom into the beer. Then, place your bottles in a warm, dark area for two to three days, then move them to a cool, dark area. Your beer is safe to drink after about four days, but it will keep for quite a while in the cool, dark spot.

Share:

Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest
LinkedIn

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.