I have been brewing my own beer for almost 10 years. It was my husband who first got me into it, he really enjoys trying new things; first it was wine and now it is beer. Beer has been a great love of ours, it goes well with football and pizza and it is how we met.  Initially I traveled to the library to get all of the information I could gather on the subject of beer brewing. And, trust me, at the time there wasn’t very much information out there. But, a lot has changed in the last decade. Think about the current state of the brewery industry. We have everything from small local family owned and operated micro-breweries, mid-sized corporate micro-breweries and then large micro and corporate beer companies. We have varieties ranging from the cheapest beer out there to light sunset wheats and dark stouts. The whole beer industry has undergone a transformation the likes we have never seen. My husband and I don’t even pay attention to the cheap beers, we focus solely on the premiums. And, below I will tell you exactly how you can brew your own premium beer right in your own home.

The first step in brewing a premium beer at home is to get the environment and utensils properly setup. What you will need to brew beer are the following items: a keg (We prefer a 2 gallon size as the directions below have been sized appropriately), a tap, a one gallon container, a 3 qt or larger pot, a metal spoon or whisk, a can opener, measuring cups and spoons, a bowl or plate, hopped malt extract, dry brewing yeast, standard sugar and approximately eight bottles. These items will be used at different intervals during the brewing process shown below.

The preparation for the brewing process begins by sterilizing the inside of the keg. This is done by adding luke warm water and a cleanser and swirling the water around inside. The second step in the brewing process includes inserting all utensils into the keg to sit in the sterilizing water for approximately 10 minutes. At this point there is nothing on either the keg or utensils that will kill the bacteria. So, drain the water and remove the utensils to a clean paper towel and move to the actual brewing process.

First warm the malt extract in hot tap water, this ensures that it will pour easily. That will definitely help later in the process. Next, place 4 quarts of cold water into the keg and 4 cups of water into the clean 3 quart pot. Sprinkle a good malt sugar into the 3 quart pot and stir until it is dissolved. Once the malt sugar is dissolved, bring the water to a boil and remove the pot from the heat. Add in the malt extract and stir to combine. This mixture is sometimes referred to as wort. This wort will be added to the cold water in the keg bringing the total volume to 8.5 quarts. Stir this mixture well. After the water and wort mixture is combined you will sprinkle in the yeast allow it sit for 5 minutes and stir vigorously. After the yeast has been combined you will store the keg out of direct sunlight where the temperature is between 68 and 76 degree F. Store in this place for a minimum of 7 days and do NOT open during this time. The fun part, bottling, comes next.

You will know when it is time to bottle the beer when it is no longer cloudy. If you can’t see it in the keg or you aren’t sure; draw out a little of the fluid and examine.  The bottling process will require approximately eight sterilized bottles with screw caps, or if you have a bottle cap press you can use the standard bottle cap. The process goes something like this: chill and carbonate the keg, connect plastic tubing to the tap on the keg, chill the bottles to be filled, place the tubing in the first bottle to be filled and open the flow, having foam on the top is good as it keeps out the oxygen, continue until all bottles are full and then cap them, refrigerate. (See at bottom for more recipes, premium beer ingredients, kits and books on how to do it)

Tip for brewing the best beer: start with good quality water and premium ingredients.

Here is a summary of the beer brewing process:

Malted barley soaked in hot water releases malt sugars
Those sugars are combined into a solution and boiled with Hops for seasoning
Cool the mixture and add yeast to start fermentation
The yeast will release the sugars, CO2 and alcohol
After fermentation is done, the beer is bottled with a bit of added sugar to kick the yeast once again and gives the carbonation

There are tons of home brewing discussion groups on the Internet if you have any questions or issues.

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