Ever wanted to make your own beer at home? Here’s how!
Some people consider themselves beer connoisseurs because they’ve tasted hundreds of different beers, but a true master of beer is one who really knows beer; knows it in a way that only a brewer could know. To get there, you have to know how to make beer.
If you want to truly be a beer connoisseur, you need to understand the entire beer making process from front to back. What makes this beer stronger than that one? What is that extra little something that sets one beer apart from another? Which kind of hops will have what effect on a beer?
These are questions that only a master brewer can answer. While we can’t make you a master brewer, we can give you the basics and you can take it from there. This article is not intended to give you a step by step breakdown of making your first beer, but a guide to let you know what to expect and a link or two for where to find supplies.
More and more people are learning how to brew beer at home every day. So much so that simple home-brewing kits can be found a most large retailers nowadays.
However, to find not only quality brewing kits, but all of the supplies to make a great beer, you’ll need a retailer who specializes in beer-making supplies. This is where you’ll find a variety of hops, malt, yeast, grains and other things you’ll need to make your beer.
Equipment
Trying to come up with all of the things you’ll need would be daunting, so we recommend buying a kit. There are kits of all different levels, so you can buy the cheapest, most basic kit you can find, but if you intend to continue doing this, a nicer kit would be a good idea.
This kit should contain all of the hardware you’ll need, such as buckets, tubing, a funnel, thermometer and more.
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Ingredients
You also will need a variety of ingredients, as mentioned above. If this does not come as part of your kit, you’ll have to buy it. For any experienced brewer, this is preferable because you can pick and choose the ingredients you’ll use.
All hops are not created equal, and in time you’ll learn which ones suit your tastes best. This also goes for yeasts and malts. Each one will have a slightly different effect.
There’s no way to know all of this in the beginning, but in time you’ll learn which ones you like the best for your needs and taste.
Time
You need to understand before beginning that this is not something you do in an hour. The entire process from beginning to end will take a few weeks. Beer has to ferment and this takes time. There is not heat or chemical substitute for this time, you just have to wait it out.
This can be a somewhat tedious, drawn out process, but it gives you time to tinker with something on your own, learn a new trade or hobby, and in the end, share your new found beer-making prowess with your friends in the back yard. Once you know how to make beer, how far you take it is up to you.
Who knows? If you get good enough maybe you can start a new microbrewery.