A Brief Guide To Brewing Beer At Home

For many, there is simply nothing better than beer. It goes with everything and belongs at every event, right?

04:26 27 May 2023

For many, there is simply nothing better than beer. It goes with everything and belongs at every event, right? There are so many different options to choose from, but one option stands above all the rest – homebrewed. It’s hard to beat beer that has been formulated at home, so if you are looking for guides on homebrewing beers, you can try it out!

Granted, it is not always easy, and you probably need a license depending on where you are. However, if you do want to try it for yourself, there are four basic steps to brewing beer that you need to be aware of. 

Brewing Beer At Home: The Basics of Homebrewing

Let’s take a look at the basic steps below. 

Step 1 – Mashing

Here, malt and water will come together for the first time. The hot water will get mixed with the cracked grains in a “mash tun” – a type of large vessel. The enzymes that are contained in the malt will convert all the stretches that are present into sugars!

The substance that brewers get when they are using the mash tun is known as “wort”. This is a liquid that is very rich in sugar and can be made from malt and other grains. 

Overall, the mashing process will take anywhere between 60–90 minutes, which really isn’t long at all. 

Step 2 – Separation

Next, the separation phase! A false bottom gets fitted to the mash tun. This will allow you (the brewer) to separate any malt solids from the liquid wort. A pump might be used, but usually, gravity is enough to get the job done. 

A boil kettle will collect the wort once it has been separated from the malt. As this is being done, the brewer will usually use hot water to rinse the malt. This will be done to make sure that all the sugars from the malt have been removed and will go down to the kettle. 

Step 3 – Boiling

With the malt collected, you will now be starting the boiling process. This will do a number of things, including sterilizing the wort and making sure that the only yeast in the solution is the one that you choose to use. Boiling will also be the stage where the third ingredient gets introduced to the mix – hops. 

Hops will get added to the kettle during this stage. For those who are unaware, hops is an antimicrobial agent. However, the primary purpose of it in brewing is to impart aroma, flavor, and bitterness to the beer. 

Lastly, boiling your solution will precipitate proteins that are in the wort. This will ensure that the beer is clear and ready for the yeast to be added in the next step. 

Step 4 – Fermentation

The fourth and final step is the all-important fermentation. The old saying is true – yeast does make the beer, and brewers only make wort. At this stage, your primary job is simply to make sure that the yeast has the best home and food that it could ask for so that it does its job. 

Wort will get passed through the heat exchanger in order to bring its overall temperature down. This is so that it will be the perfect temperature for the yeast to thrive. At this stage, oxygen will also get introduced!

You should be aware that the flavor that yeast imparts can vary greatly depending on the amount of oxygen that is introduced to the mixture and the temperature of the ferment. 

Be sure to do your research on yeast flavors before you get started on this. A fantastic option for this is Hefeweizens. This kind of yeast has a very pleasant clove and banana aroma and will create a smooth mouthfeel. However, there are many different options out there, so it might be best for you to try out a variety to find your favorite. 

Summary

Before you throw yourself into the deep end, there are a number of things that you should think of first. You need to determine what style of beer you are after and what you ultimately want the mouthfeel to be. Do you want a dark or light beer or one that is clear or hazy? 

Truth is, there are hundreds of possibilities to consider. This can make it overwhelming when you start out, but just make sure that you take the time to learn about them. 

Know what you want and have a goal in mind, and research what you need to do to make that specific goal come to life.