Barreling/Bottling your Beer

After several days you will notice that the airlock is not bubbling as frequently as it has been. This is the time when you take your freshly sanitised hydrometer and thermometer and take another reading exactly the same way as you would for checking the original gravity. Make a note of these readings and then do exactly the same about 24hrs later. Once the hydrometer readings have stabilised then it is time for barreling or bottling.

Using a Pressure Barrel

Pressure Barrels are by far the easiest way of storing and serving your beer. However, for lagers and lighter ales that should be served chilled bottling of the ale is preferable as it easier to keep the bottles refrigerated. If you wish to transport the finished beer to, say a home brew tasting session with friends, then again bottles are the best way - moving barrels can stir up any sediment that has fallen to the bottom and may result in clouding the beer if not allowed to settle correctly.

Clean and sanitise the barrel thoroughly along with your syphon tube (Racking Cane). Make sure you remove the tap and this is also correctly sanitised and cleaned along with the lid of the barrel. Re-assemble the tap. I usually apply a thin coating of petroleum jelly or vaseline to the rubber washer to help maintain a better seal.

One of the common problems that arises is the barrel may leak from the area where the tap is screwed into the barrel. One reason for this is that the tap has been screwed on too tight compressing the rubber washer too much. As a general rule of thumb the tap needs to be relatively tight but you should not need to use too much effort in doing this.

In a small sauce pan heat up 250ml of water along with between 2 or 3 ounces of sugar until the sugar has dissolved. (Your Beer Kit instructions will usually specify the recommended amount.) Allow this to cool and pour into the bottom of your pressure barrel. Place your fermentation bucket at a higher level than the pressure barrel than place your sanitised syphon tube into the fermenter ensuring that the plastic foot of the racking cane is attached. (I am using a commercial racking cane available from all home brew shops. The plastic foot restricts the amount of sediment entering the pressure barrel.) Syphon the beer into the pressure barrel ensuring that the end of the tube in the pressure barrel is slightly submerged under the surface of the beer to restrict any oxygen entering your brew. Once the beer has been syphoned into the barrel screw on the lid of the pressure barrel and then leave in a warm place for 3-4 days to start the secondary fermentation. This will carbonate your beer. After this time remove the barrel to a cool place and leave for 3 to 4 weeks for the beer to condition and clear. (I have made some Mild kits that only require up to 10 days to condition but the longer you leave them the better.)

If your fermenter has a tap fitted it is advisable to fit a length of plastic tube into the tap and then run off the beer into your pressure barrel keeping the open end of the tubing slightly underneath the surface of the decanted beer.

Bottling

You must use the correct type of bottle for this process. Beer is a carbonated drink and creates pressure inside the bottle. It is possible to recycle old beer bottles and re-use them many times however if there are any chips or faults in the bottles you should dispose of them (preferably in a recycling bin for glass). While topping your bottles if you damage the glass in any way then it is highly advisable to bin both the bottle and the beer as shards of glass are extremely dangerous if ingested. Polyethylene terephthalate or PET bottles are an ideal alternative to glass. Most carbonated soft drinks use these bottles and they are available in different sizes and have the convenience of screw caps. All bottles and bottle tops/caps must be thoroughly clean and sanitised just as the rest of your home brew equipment.

Bottling is slightly more time consuming than barreling but allows you to easily transport the beer or refrigerate the beer in smaller quantities should the beer require chilling.

If you are using glass bottles you will require the correct amount of crown caps and a crown capper, a small device that is available from all good home brew suppliers. The first step is to clean and sanitise all the bottles and caps that are needed. These need to be rinsed and drained as soon as possible to stop any sanitising solution drying out and forming deposits inside the bottle. A useful devise is a bottle tree which aids the draining of the bottles.

The usual practise for bottling is to add ½ teaspoon of sugar to a 500ml bottle and syphon in the beer leaving a good half inch gap at the top of the neck. Cap each bottle and leave in a warm place for a couple of days then move to a cool place to condition and clear. I would recommend leaving the bottles for 4-6 weeks before drinking - stronger beers may need longer.

The Final and most Important Part to Home Brew

After several weeks have passed it is now time for the most important process in the home brew stage - Enjoy the fruits of your labour.....

Make Your Own Beer Using Beer Kits

Beer Kits: An Overview

Using Beer Kits is the ideal staring point to learn the process of home beer making.

• Cost Effective as you need only the basic equipment to start.
• You will only require a small amount of time to prepare the Beer Kit as all the time needed to extract the malt from the grains has been done for you.
• You will learn many of the important skills in beer making in a short amount of time including the most important process - sterilisation of equipment.

• Many of the available beer kits are of great quality and there is now a large variety of different types of beer and ale to suit all tastes.

If you have never made your own beer before I would strongly recommend using a beer kit to start. This is an ideal way to learn about sterilisation, primary and secondary fermentations, yeast pitching, temperatures, hydormeter usage, barreling/bottling and enjoying the final product

What do Beer Kits consist of ?

A Beer Kit consists of one or two tins of extract pre hopped and formulated for a particular style of beer/ale lager or cider. They usually come with a sachet of compatible yeast and concise instructions. Some kits may also include a sachet of hop enhancer to be used at the brewers discretion. It is worth noting that some of the kits require sugar to be added although many have had the sugar added to the extract.

Lets Make Beer

1. Preparation

Rehydrate the Yeast

This process is optional as many of the yeast varieties supplied with beer kits can be used dry however by rehydrating the yeast it will make the fermentation process start quickly forming a protective yeast head over the wort. To rehydrate the yeast simply allow a small amount of boiled water to cool to 28°C and sprinkle the supplied yeast granules into this. Cover and leave this mixture for about 30 minutes. Simple.

Clean and Sterilise all equipment

Sterilisation of the equipment is important. Any bacterium or dirt that may get into your brew can make your beer taste like vinegar. The items that need sterilising at this stage are your fermenter bin, the bin lid and airlock, your brewers paddle, tin opener, thermometer and your hydrometer. It is also worth wiping over the beer kit tin after removing any labeling.

For cleaning I use a solution of VWP - a combined cleaner and sanitiser - available at most home brew stores although there are many products available for this purpose. Mix a solution of your chosen sanitiser in the bottom of your fermenting bucket and use a clean cloth and a bit of elbow grease to thoroughly wash the sides of the bucket. I usually put the other equipment into the bucket to soak for a short period of time. If your fermenter is of the type which has a tap fitted make sure that the tap and its mechanisms are well cleaned. Empty out the contents (I usually empty some of the sanitising solution into my pressure barrel and leave it in there for a few days) then as a precautionary measure swill a couple of pints of sodium metabisulphite solution around to rid the fermenter of any chlorine left by the sanitiser. Sodium metabisulphite can be purchased from your home brew store and is made up by adding one teaspoon per 1 pint of hot water. Once completed thoroughly rinse everything with cold water an keep the fermenter bin covered with the lid to stop any airborn particles from getting in.

Soften the Wort

To ease extracting the sticky wort from the can or cans it is a good idea to put the cans in either a pan or sink of hot water and leave for 10 to 15 minutes to soften.

2. Mixing the Beer

Open the can/cans of wort with your sterilised can opener and poor the contents into the fermenter.

To get all the sticky wort out of the cans fill them with boiling water, let stand for a couple of minutes then stir and pour into the fermenter

Add 6 or 7 pints of boiling water to the fermenter and if required the recommended amount of sugar (usually about 1kg) then thoroughly mix with the brewers paddle to fully dissolve the sugar.

Many people ask which type of sugar is best to use for home brew kits. I have made great brews with just normal everyday sugar and have found them non-detrimental to my enjoyment of the finished product. Your home brew shop will stock a variety of brewers sugars including glucose but my favourite has to be the spray malt/dextrous mix. I find this adds significant body to the finished product and a creamier head. It is more expensive to use than normal sugar but I would recommend it.

Add enough cold water to the fermenter to bring the level to the required amount of the brew kit (taking into account the several pints of water already added). A 40 pint kit is the equivalent of 22.73045 litres. I usually pour the water in gently at this stage so not to create a head on the beer as this gets in the way of taking a hydrometer reading accurately to ascertain the Original Gravity.

Taking a hydrometer reading to ascertain the Original Gravity

This is not something you need to do but by taking a reading at this stage it will help to determine the alcohol percentage of the final beer. To take a reading firstly take a temperature reading with your clean thermometer and write this down. Secondly place your cleaned hydrometer into the fermenter and wait till it settles. Take the reading and mark this down with the temperature. This reading is what is known as the Original Gravity often abbreviated to OG. Once the beer has finished fermenting we take another reading and compare the results to the OG to see how much of the sugar has turned to alcohol. From these readings we can find out the ABV (Alcohol by Volume) of the beer.

Aerating the Fermenter

This step is important for the yeast to work properly as there must be a good level of oxygen in the wort. There are numerous methods for adding air back into the liquor. I personally use a brewers paddle in the end of a cordless drill set to a lowish speed and mix for several minutes - many people do this by hand mixing with the paddle for 5 minutes plus causing good turbulence in the liquor but it does make your arm ache! Another method is to pour the liquor from one bucket to another several times.

Adding the Yeast

This is where the magic starts.

Measure the temperature of the liquor in the fermenter and ensure that it has dropped to around 18-21°C. (Higher temperatures will kill the yeast). Either sprinkle the provided dried yeast sachet over the top of the liquor or add your rehydrated yeast solution and give a gentle stir. Put the lid on the fermenting bin and place the airlock in the bung. The airlock should have the required amount of water added. Leave the fermenter in a warm area for the fermentation process to start. This is when pressure builds up in the fermenter by the gasses being expelled by the fermentation process causing them to escape through the airlock.

The fermentation process usually takes between 4 and 7 days.

If your liquor fails to start fermenting you will need to check the temperature of the liquor. If it is too cold for example below 16°C then the fermenter will need either placing in a warmer area or. a wise investment, is to purchase a brewers belt or heat tray. The brewers belts in particular are relatively cheap and simple to use. Once you have sorted the temperature of the liquor it is advisable to give the liquor a very gentle stir with a sterilised brewers paddle to agitate the yeast which may have settles to the bottom of the fermenter.

Alternatively the liquor may have been too warm at the time of pitching the yeast. If this is the case then the only way to save the beer is to pitch more yeast.

If the temperatures have been right through all the processes then you may be experiencing what is refered to as stuck fermentation. Again, a gentle stir so as not to allow excessive air into the beer, with a sanitised brewers paddle is advisable.

All Grain/Full Mash Brewing

All Grain Brewing: Overview

This is where the flexiblity of brewing really begins. The process starts by taking the the fresh crushed malted grains and extracting the natural fermentable sugars. All grain brewing does, however, require more equipment and time although the benefits will be plain to see. The crushed grains are soaked for a period of time in a Mash Tun to extract the sugars. The grains are then rinsed to ensure that the maximum amount of sugars have been released after which the wort produced is then boiled for a length of time (usually about 90 minutes). During the boiling process hops are added. At the start of the boil, bittering hops are added and at the end of the boil aroma hops are added. The wort is then cooled and added to the fermenter where the process is exactly the same as fermenting beer kits.

The benefits to All Grain brewing is the ability to have strict control over the recipes and ingredients therefore giving you the ability to formulate your own recipes.

Another consideration of starting All Grain brewing is space. The actual brewing area needed can be small and have seen many home brew setups based on a three tier shelving unit no more than a metre square in area. One of the bi-products of this type of brewing is steam and the brew smell and if done inside the house could make you unpopular with the other half ! I tend to brew outdoors, the only draw back being the stability of the weather - particularly in the UK. The other drawback to brewing outdoors is the possible contamination of the brew particularly when it is being cooled prior to fermentation. Care must be taken to cover the wort during cooling as much as possible.

Let's Make Beer: All Grain Brewing

Preparation of the Ingredients

It is important to have a pre-conceived recipe from the start. The first step, enuring that you have cleaned your equipment, is to weigh out all the ingredients ready for adding to the mash tun. (You may want to get your water to temperature in your boiler while doing this.) Your grains should be milled if you have bought them whole by passing them through a grain mill. Note though that certain cereals and grains need not be crushed or mashed. These include cereal adjuncts such as torrified wheat, flaked barley. Roasted barley can be added directly to your boiler or mashed just as with chocolate malt and black malt. Chocolate malt and Black malt are used for both flavouring and colouring in beers. They produce a rich dark colour ideal for milds, porters and stouts.

Mashing

Heat up your water in the boiler to 73°C (This is slightly higher than our aimed mash temperature of 67°C as when the strike water hits the grains it will slightly cool.) Add a quantity of the prepared grains to the mash tun and add enough of the strike water to soak the grains. Gently mix this with a brewers paddle to ensure their are no dry pockets in the grains. Add more grains and repeat until all the ingredients are in the mash tun. The amount of water required for mashing is usually 2.3 litres of water to every kilo of grain. Although this is not overly scientific as certain grain absorb more water it seems to work. Check the temperature before you have filled the tun with the required amount of water. If the temperature has dropped below the required temperature for mashing you may need to add some hotter water.

Cover your mash tun with its lid and as a precaution place some towels over the lid to create extra insulation then leave for the full mash time - usually 90 minutes.

After 90 minutes has passed check the temperature of the mash tun. (Don't do this during mashing as removing the lid will cause the temperature to drop.) Keeping notes on temperatures can aid future brewing ventures and at this stage will also rate the efficiency of your mash tun - does it require more insulation ?

Connect a piece of tubing to the tap on the mash tun and start to drain the wort into a plastic kitchen jug. Do not drain the tun to vigorously as this may cause blockages to occur and break the grain bed. The first few drawings from the mash tun will be cloudy and contain numerous bits. This needs to be returned to the mash tun for refiltering through the mash bed. When the wort is draining clear transfer the draining tube into a large bucket or your fermenting bin.

When adding the first drawings back to the mash tun be careful not to disturb the grain bed as this will cause blockages. A simple tip is to use a light plastic plate or plastic lid with holes drilled into it that can rest on top of the grains.

Once the mash tun has been emptied it is time to sparge.

Sparging

Sparging is the technical term for rinsing the sugars from the grains remaining in the mash tun. The usual method is to add hot water gently over the grains while draining off the collected water from the mash tun outlet. This is commonly referred to as Fly Sparging. Sparging devices are available from your home brew shop or alternatively something like a watering can can be used to evenly distribute the hot water. It is important to control the flow of the sparge water so as not to upset the grain bed. The grain bed left by your initial mashing should act like a natural filter.

Another process commonly used is Batch Sparging. This is an easier method than fly sparging and one that I intend to try (I have always used fly-sparging by force of habit). A good and well written resource can be found at the Bay Area Mashers website.

Boiling

Once the correct amount of wort has been collected it is time for the boil. Pour the wort into the boiler and heat until you achieve a good rolling boil. You will need to watch out for any boil overs throughout this stage. They are most likely to occur when the wort reaches the boil point for the first time, when hops are added and when protofloc tablets etc. are added. Once the boil has been achieved after 15 minutes (or as specified by your recipe) it is time to add the required bittering hops. Towards the end of the boil it is then time to add your required aroma hops. The boil time usually lasts for 90 minutes. Again, in the last few minutes of the boil it is time to add your finings (Irish Moss, Whirfloc etc.) to coagulate the unwanted proteins in the mix. You will see the proteins clump together almost immediately.

Wort Cooling

In the last few minutes of the boil, if you are using a copper immersion heater, you will need to place your cooler into the wort. Assuming that you have cleaned the cooler prior to immersion, the boiling wort will naturally sterilise it. Turn off the boil and start the water flowing through your cooler. The cooling process usually takes 20-30 minutes.

Once the wort has cooled to approximately 30°C you will need to run the wort from your boiler to your sterilised fermenter. By placing a sieve on top of your fermenter you can remove any unwanted sediment that may come from the boiler and also aerate the wort ready for yeast pitching.

It is now time to follow the fermentation process.

Enjoy the Benefits of Brewing Beer at Home

The benefits of brewing beer at home are endless. In comparison to many hobbies it is relatively cheap to start brewing and after a few brews you will have made this money back on what you would normally pay for ready made beer. There are no huge taxes to pay!

Home brewing is an ongoing hobby - the more you do the more your knowledge on the subject will expand to the point that your own recipes will become as good, if not better than those produced by the commercial brewers.

Home brewing is relatively eco friendly. In certain areas small breweries are appearing in individual bars promoted as eco bars, cutting the travel logistics of many mainstream commercial beers. (I worked in a bar where the beer was made 6 miles away. However the beer was then taken to a distribution depot before being delivered. The round trip was more than 80miles in total !).

When creating your own beers and ales you will find yourself experimenting with the many varieties of beer - from porters, stouts, bitters, milds, IPA's etc. You will gain a wide knowledge and invariably a heightened appreciation of the product. Read on to learn more...

Home Brewing: Where do I start ?

There is nothing more confusing than walking into the Home Brew Shop for the first time. You will be met by shelves packed with large varieties of grains, sugars, tins of malt extracts, beer kits, sugars, yeasts, small packets of mystery not to mention boilers. barrels and buckets. One thing to remember though is that the shops are invariably staffed by home brew experts. Don't be daunted - they are there to help and their passion and knowledge for the subject often comes through as positive honest enthusiasm.

Cost effective advice for the newcomer to Home Brewing.

The cheapest and easiest way to get started making beer is through step 1 below. From there you can expand as and when required.

1.Purchase a starter kit with the aim of using a beer kit.

2.When comfortable with the process of making beer with beer kits move on to malt extract brewing. The only extra equipment required is a large pan or alternatively at this stage you may want to invest in a boiler from your Home Brew Shop.

3.If you have followed steps 1 and 2 and have grown accustomed to the brewing processes it will be time to expand to All Grain Brewing. This is where you will have full control over the entire brew process. Here you will have to acquire a Mash Tun for preparing the brew liquor and definitely need a dedicated boiler. Descriptions of the required equipment for all stages of brewing can be found on the Equipment for Home Brewing page.

When in the Home Brew Shop...

When in the Home Brew shop for the first time tell the staff that you are new to brewing. They are most likely to point you towards a starter pack which includes everything that you need to make beer including a choice of Beer Kit. This is the best way to start. Brewing with Beer Kits is the easiest process to get to grips with the important points to making beer. The products included in the starter kit will also be reusable and required for the more advanced brewing techniques should you wish to expand at a later date. The starter kit will probably include a fermenting Bucket with lid, an air lock, a brewers paddle, a racking cane (for syphoning), a pressure barrel (usually 25ltrs), thermometer, hydrometer (for measuring the gravity of the beer), sterilising powder or fluid, and a choice of beer kit. There will also be included a system to add gas to the pressure barrel. The two main ways to do this is through either small gas cartridges similar to those used in soda syphons or through a small refillable gas bottle. The refillable gas bottle is more cost effective but will require the correct fitting for the pressure barrel. There is usually a small deposit to be paid on the gas cannister. Negotiate the extra into the overall price of your starter kit.

An alternative to using a pressure barrel is to bottle your beer straight from the fermentation bucket. Instructions on bottling beer are featured later on this tutorial. There are advantages of bottling beer in particular it is far easier to transport. If you move a pressure barrel it needs time for the sediment to settle otherwise your beer could become cloudy for a time.

Books on Home Brew

In my pursuit for the perfect beer I have read many books on how to make beer. These books are invaluable and are always to hand when I am making beer (unlike my PC) in case of emergency. However, to the novice, brewer I have found many to be over technical and use jargon that the newcomer may not be familiar with. For this reason I have tried to keep the jargon to a minimum on this site and have written a Glossary of Brewing Terms section.

Welcome to your Nano Brewery

The main aim of any hobby is to enjoy it. Home brewing is great fun and enlightening with a great end product but remember to drink sensibly.

UK Government halts planned tax rise on Cider

UK Ministers have withdrawn the planned 10% tax on Cider after fierce opposition from both workers in the cider industry and MP's desperate to save the large number of 'craft' cider producers in the country.

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St Peter's Brewery team up with Munton's

Muntons have announced the release of their latest beer kit. This 3.0 kg twin-tin boxed beer kit is the 'first' in a planned new range of beer kits made in association with the world famous brewery - St Peters, based in Bungay, Suffolk.

The first kit unveiled is the Ruby Red Ale – A delicious tawny red beer with subtle malt undertones and a great spiced hoppy aroma.

St. Peter’s Brewery is located in beautiful untouched countryside in North Suffolk nearby the historic market town of Bungay. St. Peter’s Hall is the centerpiece of the brewery site and dates from around 1280. In 1539 the East wing was added using resources from the cloe by Flixton Nunnery, which was one of a dozen Monastic houses gifted to Cardinal Wolsey by King Henry VIII to fund the building of a school in Ipswich, Suffolks main town. Just as today, Suffolk barley was skillfully malted to produce beers and that tradition is carried on today in the St Peter’s brewery.

Their beers are available the world over instantly recognised by the distinctive and unique “medicine bottle” design of their bottle. These unique bottles will also be available to homebrew wholesalers for distribution to the the retail trade.

Top 10 Beer Instructional Sites

Below I have listed my Top 10 Home Brew Beer Guides. There are plenty of sites on the web but you may find that some become too technical or others are just hard to follow. Below is my selection...

1. Jim's Beer Kit

www.jimsbeerkit.co.uk/

Jims Beer Kit is a site that is packed full of information and written by one of the great homebrew enthusiasts. A great source for home brewing technique and practise and also includes one od the best user forums on the net.

2. Go Make Beer

gomakebeer.com/

Go Make Beer is an easy to read step by step guide to all the processes of making beer - from using starter kits to all grain brewing. Full of useful tips and information and never over complex. Great starter site for home brew newbies.

3. Beer In The Making

www.beerinthemaking.co.uk/how-to-brew-beer.php

This is a great concise instructional on making your own beers and ales using the pre-bought beer kits - the ones where the ingredients are pre-prepared so there is no boiling or mashing needed. Great for beginners as it is so easy to do.

4. 2 B A Snob

www.2basnob.com/homebrewing-instructions.html

An odd URL but good step by step guide on the basics of brewing beer. The idea of the main site is to 'become a snob' on a particular subject - quite a fun read.

5. YoBrew

www.yobrew.co.uk

Superb site for those wishing to design their own beers. Great resource of home brew information for both wine making and beer/cider making. Quite large pages to work through but definately worth the effort.

6. John Palmer's How To Brew

www.howtobrew.com/

John Palmer is a great writer. His website is basically a free edition of his first home brew book 'How To Brew' in it's entirety. The book itself is now onto it's 3rd Edition and is available at all good home brew shops and book shops. He goes into great detail about all processes of home brewing and is probably more beneficial for people who have at least started brewing and have a vague familiarity of the brewing processes. Basically you are legitametly getting a great book for free.

7.Home Brew Zone

www.homebrewzone.com

Simple guide to starting homebrew. Useful check list style. Great for the beginner to get an insight into what is required to make beer.

8. ehow Videos on Home Brewing

www.ehow.com

This site contains some useful videos to your home brew arsenal. There are quite a number of videos in the Home Brew Category offering a wide variety of tips on all the processes of home brewing.

9. Instructables

http://www.instructables.com/id/Make-Beer

Instructables is a great site for learning how to do virtually anything. The beer making section is relatively good for beginners and all the instruction guides are down-loadable and printable via PDF.