How to Home Brew your own Beer
By Owen Burek in Student Food
It’s one of those life skills which all red blooded males (and possibly a few ladies) would love to possess in their armory. But, despite our love for the stuff, very few of us have ever actually tried to brew our own beer. Perhaps its seen as a middle-aged parenty thing by students.
But really, how great does it sound and how much fun would it be! Plus, once you’ve got your main supplies and equipment sorted (around £30), you’ll be making beer at around 14p a pint. Talk about student money saving..
If you’re organised enough, it would make a great feature for a mate’s birthday! Here’s a really quick step-by-step recipe for successfully making your own 24 pint batch of homemade beer.
First though, you’ll need to get in your brewing supplies..
INGREDIENTS
- Tap water
- 55g dried hops
- 750g of sugar
- 1kg malt extract
- 1 packet of ale yeast
EQUIPMENT
(Available from home brew stores, or get a home brew kit. You can buy almost everything online from Brew it Yourself)
- Large pan (for 12 pints)
- Muslin cloth
- Food bucket (for 25 pints)
- Sterilised siphoning tube
- 30-40 glass bottles and caps (with a crown capper)
THE BREWING PROCESS
You will need to be on hand for at least 2 weeks.
1. Fill a large pan with 12 pints of water and bring to the boil.
2. Add 55g of dried hops and leave to boil for 30 minutes.
3. Slowly add the kilo of malt extract along with 750g of sugar. Boil for another 5 minutes.
4. Cover a sterilised food bucket with a clean muslin cloth, then carefully strain the contents of the pan into it.
5. Add a further 12 pints of cold water.
6. Leave to cool for 30 minutes before adding a packet of ale yeast.
7. Fully cover the food bucket and leave to stand in a cool, dry place for 10 days.
8. A crusty layer will have formd on the top of the mixture, make sure it has started to degrade.
9. Add half a tablespoon of sugar into each bottle.
10. Now to siphon the beer into separate bottles before capping off.
11. Just another 7 days to wait before the party can begin!
If this time round you actually take up this noble challenge, let us know how it goes!!
Once you’ve made your first batch of real ale, you can start attempting to brew ciders and other beer types.
If you want to really understand the beer brewing process in a really easy to understand way, then I recommend getting a copy of The Brew Beer Bible.
Last updated 6th April, 2012
