Tap to Read ➤

How to Make Homemade Beer

Scholasticus K
After water and tea, beer is the third most-consumed drink all over the world. Here we give you a simple procedure to make homemade beer.
Beer, the most ancient alcoholic beverage is produced through a brewing process where the starch found in cereal grains, malted barley, wheat, corn and rice is fermented. One of the most common ingredients found in all kinds of beer is the hops. They act as natural preservatives and renders its distinctive taste.
Sometimes, other preservatives and flavors like herbs are also added during the fermentation process. The beer that is brewed worldwide is often divided into two categories, namely, pale lager and ales. Most beers have a rather low alcohol content which ranges from 4% to 6%.
Nowadays, many people have actually started brewing their own beer at home and we present a very simple recipe that can be tried out even by someone who is brewing their own beer for the very first time.

How to Make Homemade Beer?

Requirements:
The process of brewing your own beer can take a long time and a few specific ingredients are needed.
The tools that are needed for the process are:
  • A large pot that can hold 3 gallons of liquid and a 10 gallon bucket.
  • A vinyl tubing, kitchen thermometer, a long spoon and also a set of empty bottles with caps to store the beer.
Along with these, required ingredients are:
  • Water
  • 40 oz malt extract
  • A packet of yeast
  • 7 cups of sugar
Procedure:
Step 1: The first step involves sterilizing all the utensils that are to be used for the process. Hence, wash the pot, bucket and the spoon in near boiling water or in the dishwasher.
Step 2: Pour exactly 3 gallons of freshwater in the bucket and place it at such a location that it would not be disturbed for a very long time, during the period of brewing. It must also be ensured that the temperature in the room does not go above 20 degrees Celsius very often.
Step 3: Boil about 2 gallons of water in the large pot and keep on stirring. Add the malt extract when you see bubbles in the water. After about 20 minutes the water starts boiling due to the immense heat underneath. Now is the time to add and dissolve the sugar.
Step 4: After the sugar has been dissolved, tip the contents of the whole pot into the large water filled bucket. It is extremely important to pour the contents quickly due to which the air bubbles get trapped in the mixture. The air bubbles are extremely important because they play a significant and important role in the fermentation process.
Step 5: In this step pour some cool water over the brew so that the temperature comes down. After the temperature of the brew cools down to room temperature, add yeast and stir till it dissolves completely. Now, cover the bucket with a lid or a foil and leave it untouched for fermentation.
About 10 to 12 days later taste a few drops of the beer. If the beer tastes sweet, let it ferment for a few days more, till it tastes bitter.

Beer brewing does not end with just the fermentation of the beer, it is also important to bottle this beer.
  • To bottle the beer, first sterilize all bottles, either in a dishwasher or in a pot of boiling water.
  • Add 2 tbsp of sugar to all the bottles.
  • Using a tube, siphon off the beer into the bottles and fill them up. Make sure you leave some space for the liquid to move. Be careful and don't disturb the sediments at the bottom of the bucket.
  • Shake the bottles till the sugar dissolves and preserve them in a warm place for the few days, then in a cool dark place.

Popular Variations

You can drink your homemade beer after about 7 days but the more you let it age the better it will taste. Once you have the hang of making your own beer you can try to experiment with its taste with these variations.
Spices and Herbal Tea: Add 3 to 4 tea bags to the cooking malt mixture and remove after 10 min. This will lend the beer a unique interesting taste. Some popular herbal teas to add are, 'Bengal Spice' tea or 'Apple Cinnamon Spice' tea.
Spices such as nutmeg and cardamom can also be added to obtain an exotic flavor to the beer.
Licorice: Another interesting variation would be adding 1 to 2 sticks of licorice while the malt is boiling. Around 10 minutes later remove the licorice sticks to get a distinct anise-like flavor of your brew.
Fruits and Vegetables: Cherries are the most popular fruits added to the boiling malt brew. Blueberries, raspberries, apricots are added in the crushed form for a slightly stronger beer. Peppers are added for spicy beers and pumpkins for Halloween or Thanksgiving beers.
Beer is one of the most preferred alcoholic beverages all over the world, and as Thomas Jefferson appropriately advises, "Beer, if drunk with moderation, often softens the temper, cheers the spirit and promotes health."
What's more, homemade beer will definitely delight your friends and family with something that will taste better than most beers bought in shops, and that which you have made yourself.