| Homemade beer is the best beer in the world, | | | | starting water with about 2.5 gallons chilled |
| by far. Have you ever tasted anybody's | | | | in a sealed container. The plastic bucket |
| homebrew? If you have, you probably thought | | | | should be a 6 gallon size. Over half a gallon |
| it was darn good. Let me tell you that when | | | | of water will evaporate while you are |
| it is your own, it is even better. In fact, | | | | brewing. |
| it is incomparable to anything else on the | | | | |
| planet. | | | | Here is what you do: |
| | | | |
| I am a beer lover and long-time homebrewer. | | | | 1. Boil 3.5 gallons of water with 6 pounds of |
| There is no other hobby that is as satisfying | | | | malt extract for one hour, adding an ounce of |
| as this one. I have entered many, many | | | | hops at the beginning of the boil, some more |
| homebrewing competitions and have won lots of | | | | hops after 45 minutes, and some more hops |
| blue ribbons for my beers, including at my | | | | when you turn off the heat. Cool the pot in |
| local County Fair (which is a huge one). In | | | | the sink by running water around it. Sanitize |
| fact I had so many ribbons that I finally | | | | your bucket fermenter with a shot of bleach |
| threw them all away and stopped entering | | | | mixed into it full of water. Let that sit for |
| competitions. Now I just brew what I like and | | | | a few minutes with the airlock and rubber |
| drink it while browsing the internet or | | | | stopper then pour out over the inside part of |
| watching television with my wife. Yep, life | | | | the bucket lid and rinse everything that the |
| is good for homebrewers. | | | | bleach solution touched withhot water. |
| | | | |
| Listen, anyone can make beer on their stove - | | | | 2. Put the chilled 2.5 gallons of water in |
| and I mean really, really good beer. You | | | | the bucket first, then pour the brew from the |
| don't have to take it to the level that I | | | | pot on top of it. Do not stir. Add the yeast |
| did. If you enjoy beer one-tenth as much as I | | | | and seal the lid tight on the bucket and put |
| do, then I highly recommend that you at least | | | | the airlock in the stopper and the stopper in |
| make one batch in your lifetime, just so you | | | | the lid-hole. Put water in the air lock. |
| can say you did it. Having brewed a batch a | | | | After a day or two the airlock will start |
| beer changes a person, for the better, and | | | | bubbling. |
| forever. You will then be one of my brethren. | | | | |
| | | | 3. After a couple weeks its time to bottle |
| You are going to need some simple pieces of | | | | the beer. Boil 3/4 cup of sugar with 2 cups |
| equipment: A large pot to brew in, a big | | | | of water and add it to your bucket of beer. |
| food-grade plastic bucket with a lid to | | | | You can sanitize a measuring cup with hot |
| ferment in, a small plastic "airlock" and | | | | water, or just put it through the dishwasher |
| rubber stopper that goes into a hole in the | | | | with heated drying on. Scoop out the beer |
| bucket lid, bottles and caps, and a basic | | | | with the measuring cup and fill the bottles |
| bottlecap crimping tool. It also helps to | | | | leaving 1" of space in them. Crimp the caps |
| have something to stir with; a big wooden | | | | on and store the bottles in a cool dark area |
| spoon will do nicely. | | | | for two weeks. Clean everything. |
| | | | |
| There are only four ingredients in beer: | | | | 4. After two weeks put some bottles in the |
| water, malt, hops, and yeast. Malt refers to | | | | fridge and enjoy. |
| malted barley - for your first batch you will | | | | |
| simply use packaged "malt extract." Hops are | | | | Most of brewing is cleaning and sanitation. |
| best purchased in pellet form; they look like | | | | Everything that comes into contact with your |
| rabbit food. A package of dry brewers yeast | | | | unfermented beer, and even on bottling day |
| costs about one dollar. Water can come from | | | | after it has fermented, must be sanitized. A |
| any source, but at least two gallons of it | | | | small shotglass of household bleach mixed |
| needs to be sanitized. Those 2.5 gallon water | | | | with 5-6 gallons of water makes an effective |
| vessels from the market work nicely. | | | | sanitizing solution, given 5-10 minutes of |
| | | | contact time. |
| Homebrew is typically made in 5 gallon | | | | |
| batches. This will fill two cases worth of | | | | Don't forget to tell me when the beer is |
| bottles. Take my advice and go for the large, | | | | ready to drink. If I live in a nearby state, |
| 22 oz. Bottles, as this is less bottling | | | | I just may come over and taste it with you. |
| work. You will need 6 total gallons of | | | | |