By Loyd Ken
If you have never tried or heard of craft beer, where have you been for the last decade? Craft beer has exploded in countries all over the world and you can buy it almost anywhere. It is in bars, restaurants, supermarkets and more. One of the coolest things about craft beer is that you can make it all by yourself. Yes, you can have your own little brewery at home.
Here are some tips to help you brew craft beer like a pro.
Ingredients
The first thing you need to do when you start to make craft beer is buy ingredients. Typically, you will need a choice of grains, hops, malt, and yeast. In addition, you will also need to buy a flavour extract to add to the brew. Your recipe all depends on the type of beer you choose to produce. You can try to do something standard or use seasonal ingredients and make a seasonal brew.
Clean the Equipment
If you have just invested in gas bottles for beer or any other type of equipment, make sure you have washed it and kept it clean for brewing. Take out all your growlers, the carboy, the siphon, and anything else the beer is going to touch. Make sure it is spotlessly clean, so it does not offset the beer. All of this should be done the night before you plan on bottling the beer.
Brew the Beer
Boil the water and steep the grains for at least 30 minutes. Now remove the grains and bring the water to the boil while adding the malt. When you have 15 minutes left, add in your hops. When finished boiling, bring the temperature down.
Fermentation & Siphoning
Funnel the beer and add yeast. You can then let the beer ferment for about a week until you start to siphon it into a bottling bucket. Now add water and corn sugar to let it carbonate. Once it is ready, transfer it into growlers.
Let it Age
The beer has to carbonate, so leave it for about 2 weeks. Once ready, you can bottle and drink.
There you have it, a simple way to make your own brew like a pro from home. If you do not fully understand the process, take a look at some videos online and follow them step by step. You could also visit a local brewery and learn more about the process.
