Jun 14 2006
Homebrew Instructions
I bought a homebrew kit last week. I haven’t made homebrew since the late ’90s, so I played it safe and followed the directions on the package. Then I got in contact with the people at the store where I bought the kit; they said the first step in making good homebrew is to ignore the directions that come with the beer kit. They then gave me detailed instructions on how to make excellent homebrew. They promised that if I followed these instructions, I’d get the best beer possible from any kit. (I’ll have to try it next time.) I’m simplifying and typing up the instructions here for my own reference. Slainte!
— Sanitize everything during every step of this process.
— Boil 4 litres of water in really big pot.
— Pour in all the goop from beer kit.
— Add 1 kg of dry malt extract;
or add 1kg of corn sugar;
or add 1 tub of Hi-Maltose syrup.
FOR STONGER BEER: Add extra 1/2 kg of malt extract.
— Carefully return to boil for 5 minutes (don’t over-boil).
— Add 25 grams (or 1 oz.) of hops (optional for extra flavour and aroma),
and boil for 2 more minutes.
— Remove from heat and stir vigorously for a few seconds.
— Cover and let stand for 5 or 10 minutes.
— Pour into fermenter (25 litre plastic bucket), leaving hops behind if possible.
— Top up to 23-litre mark with cold water.
FOR STONGER BEER: Add less water.
— Stir vigorously for 3 or 4 minutes and cover.
— Sprinkle 2 packets of ale yeast once mixture cools down to 25-30 Celcius.
— Do not stir.
— Seal bucket and attach bubble airlock (or leave small crack in seal for gas).
— Keep room temperature at 20-25 Celcius.
— Reduce room temperature to about 20 Celcius when fermentation begins.
— A week later, transfer to carboy for secondary fermentation (optional).
— On day 14, dissolve 200 grams of priming sugar (dextrose) in 2 cups of boiling water.
— Siphon beer into big bucket (leaving sediment behind).
— Carefully stir in sugar mixture.
— Bottle the beer.
— Two weeks later, drink it.
Convert from metric here. I’ll provide a detailed list of equipment and ingredients in the comments later.
I bottled 45 pints of red ale last night:
“Stylistically positioned between a German Alt Beer and the Oktoberfest, our red ale is copper red in colour. It has a pronounced crisp, malty character, with delicate hop bitterness and a pleasing floral aroma. Blessed with all of these thirst quenching attributes, this beer is sure to please! Best enjoyed with friends, barbecued ribs, jalapeno poppers and dry garlic jumbo prawns.”
When siphoning the beer from the carboy, about a litre and a half of beer, with loads of sediment, was left behind. After I bottled the rest of the beer, I poured this swamp water into a pot, added some regular granulated sugar instead of dextrose, and bottled it. I got 3 pints of it. Each bottle is marked XXX. I’m curious to see how those will turn out.
The beer should be good to drink around July 4th.
I now have another batch called “Honey Blond Ale” on the go. I’ll bottle it in 20 days, and drink it in 35. In total, I’ll have about 100 pints by the time August rolls around.
I was just about to bottle our second batch of beer tonight when I noticed mould floating on the surface and some mould on the side of the carboy.
So I guess we’ll have to dump the whole batch.
Man, that hurts. 45 pints gone down the drain.