1/22/12 Ho to Make Beer

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Cocktails & Mocktails BBQ & Grilling Beverages Cand Homebrew Pie
Ho to Make Beer
Follo
Author: imarunner2
The picture is from the starting line at Grandma's Marathon in Duluth, MN.
I'm in there somewhere near the middle of the pack.
32
Followers
6
1/22/12 Ho to Make Beer
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So, you've considered brewing your own beer but you're not yet willing to drop the cash for the entry level
kit just yet. With a few simple pieces of equipment and ingredients here's how you can brew your own mini
batch. n just a couple of weeks you can taste for yourself if homebrewing is a hobby you want to take to
the next level.
Don't get me wrong, think the entry level brew kits are a good value. They include some special equipment
not used here that will make things easier. But, will you enjoy the beer or find the brewing process
rewarding? think so. This project will allow you to find out for yourself.
Sep 1 Eqipmen

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Be po - an lage kichen po ha ill hold a cople of gallon of ae ih oom o pae o aoid
boiling oe.
Kichen aine - o ain gain and hop befoe going o he femene
Kichen hemomee
Lage fnnel
Rolling pin - fo ching he gain
3 gallon conaine of boled ae - hi ill poide o ih he ae o make o bee and ee a
o femenaion conaine
Boling conaine - An emp conaine of a lea 3 gallon...cold be anohe emp ae bole o a
clean, cach-fee, food gade plaic bcke.
3 fee of 3/8" clea pol-inl bing - fo iphoning and femenaion ai lock
Bole - hee ae a lo of opion hee and I'll coe ome of hem in he boling ep lae
Sep 2 Ingedien
Mo ecipe fo he homebee ae ien o make 5 gallon bache. I'e impl c he ingedien li b
half fo he 2.5 gallon bach hee. Yo'll need o find a local homebe ppl hop o one of man ch
hop on he eb fom hich o pchae he ingedien. (See eoce li in Sep 15)
Simple Ale
3 lb ligh died mal eac

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8 o ched cal mal
1 o Nohen Bee pelle hop
1 pkg bee ea
3/8 cp ga fo boling
Sep 3 Ching he Gain
Ue a lage hea feee bag and po in oghl 8 once of he cal mal a lile a a ime. Ue a
olling pin o ch he gain. Yo don' an o make flo hee j a e coe ee of boken gain.
Lae on, hen o decide o ge moe eio, o ma ih o pchae a mal mill deigned pecificall
fo hi ppoe.
Sep 4 Seeping

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Thi i he being em fo he poce of eacing he goodne fom pecial gain, cal mal in
hi ecipe. Fi po 1/2 gallon of ae fom o 3 gallon ae bole and place a mak a he 2 1/2
gallon ae leel. No po p o 2 1/2 gallon of he emaining ae ino o be po leaing a lea 3
inche o he op of he po. Add o ched gain. Tn on he hea o medim high and bing he
empeae p o 150 o 155 degee. Tn off he hea and coe he be po o le he magic ake place
inide fo 30 mine. Ue a aine o emoe a mch of he pen gain a poible iho oing oo
mch abo a fe emaining gain.
Sep 5 The Boil

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N big he ce f he be a bi. The, ee f hea ad i i he a eac.
Re hea ad agai big a bi. Be caef hee! Thi i he i hee ae a i f
biig e. A bi e i ehig defiie a aid a ' hae ie a ic e cea
if i hae. Oce hae a ced bi add ab 2/3 f he h ee he bi ad aiai
he bi f 60 ie ge he f he bieig eia f h. Sbee iche
aie i he bi f he a 15 ie aiie i f ae e. A he ed f 60 ie ff he
hea ad add he eaide f he h ee. Ce ad e he e added h ee f 10 ie.
H added a hi i i cibe e h fa ad aa fiihed bee.
Sep 6 Air Lock

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Thi ep can be done ealie b I choe o do i ding he boil. In an cae o'll an o keep one ee on
he boil a all ime. Did I an o abo boiling oe?
I ed a commecial ai lock b o cold fahion an ai lock fom a piece of clea inl bing, one end
fied o he cap and he ohe end in a cp of ae. The commecial ai lock ae onl $1 o o and ae
inclded in he ae ki. I dilled a 3/8" hole in he ae bole cap. The ai lock fi ngl in he hole.
The idea i o le cabon dioide podced ding femenaion ecape hile keeping ai oide fom
geing in.
Sep 7 Cooling he Wor
Congalaion! A hi poin o hae o (pononced e). Wo i impl nfemened bee.
i bee hen i come o cooling. One mehod fo cooling i o ceae a cold ae bah in he ink o
paiall bmee he be po in. Adding ice o he bah ill help acceleae he cooling poce.
il he be po in he cold bah ae. Once he ide of he be po become cool o he och o'e
ead fo he ne ep b fi a od on aniaion.
Saniaion i e impoan in being. Anhing ha come in conac ih o cooled o m be
aniied ele o n he ik of ndeieable cie liing and mlipling in he o onl o conibe
na ninended flao in o bee. Yo'e aniied o aine in he boil, igh? Yo femenaion
bole i ania becae o j opened i and capped i afe ing ae fom i, igh? Yo fnnel and
anhing ele o come in conac ih he o can be aniied b oaking in a olion of 1 ablepoon of
bleach pe gallon of ae fo 30 mine.

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Sep 8
Gentl pour our cooled wort through our sanitied strainer and funnel into the empt fermentation bottle.
You'll want the total volume in the fermenter to be 2 1/2 gallons. If our brew pot was big enough to allow
ou to boil a full 2 1/2 gallons ou'll have to compensate for evaporation that took place during the boil. If
ou need to add water to reach the 2 1/2 gallon mark made in Step 4 do it now. Tap water is fine.
use water from the 1/2 gallon ou poured off in Step 4 if ou saved it to a sanitied container. Bring the
total volume up to the mark we made earlier on the bottle.
Sep 9 Piching he Yea

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Piching ea i he being em fo adding ea o he nfemened o. If he o, no in o
femene, i appoimael oom empeae o can pich he ea. If he ide of he femene ae
am o he och hen le he o cool o oom empeae befoe piching he ea. Noe: A package of
bee ea picall conain an amon fo a 5 gallon bach o po appoimael half a package ino
he femene. A lile moe han half i fine and i' pobabl bee o be a lile oe han a lile nde.
Sep 10 Fermenaion

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Oe he ne 7 o 10 da he ea ill do i ok of coneing ga in he o o alcohol and cabon
dioide. Place he femene in a cool, dak place. Toal dakne in' necea b diec nligh i a
definie no-no. The femenaion poce i fn o ach b don' be concened if nohing appea o be
happening fo 12 o 24 ho. Afe ha ime o hold begin o ee foaming and bbble ecaping fom
o ai lock. Afe 7 o 10 da he femenable ga hold be coneed b he ea and o'e ead
fo he ne ep.
Sep 11 Priming

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Congalaion, o no hae bee! B, o'e no done. If o dink i no i' going o be fla. Piming i
he poce of adding a meaed amon of addiional femenable ga j befoe boling. Lie ea
ill in o bee ill cone he addiional ga o cabon dioide hile in he bole. The cabon dioide
ha no a o ecape he bole eling in cabonaed bee.
Boil 3/8 cp (1/4 cp pl 2 ablepoon) of ga (pefeabl con ga b able ga ill do) in 1 cp of
ae fo 5 mine. Coe and le i cool ome hen po ino a aniied conaine lage enogh o hold
o bee (anohe lage emp ae bole, emp plaic bcke, ec). No iphon o bee fom he
femene ino he boling conaine being caefl no o dib oo mch edimen a he boom of he
femene (o did emembe o aniie ha iphon hoe, didn' o?). Yo bee i no pimed and ead
fo boling.
Sep 12 Boling

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As a homebrewer ou're ultimatel going to want brown beer bottles and caps or a kegging sstem to
contain our finished product. There are man alternative options for the first time brewer. You can bu
empt bottles and caps. You can reuse bottles and bu caps (not the twist-off cap bottles). If ou're going
to use regular pr-off cap bottles ou're going to need a capper (included in starter kits) to press fit the
caps on the bottles. You can reuse champagne bottles. You can reuse empt growlers from our local
brew pub. You could use empt soda bottles and caps. In an case it's important to use something that will
withstand pressure in the bottle resulting from carbonation. Again, sanitation is important. So, clean and
sanitie the bottles prior to filling them. Soaking in a diluted bleach solution for 30 minutes and rinsing with
clean tap water will do the trick.
Sep 13 Aging

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Bottle-conditioned beers must be aged in the bottle at least 7 das to allow the fermentation that takes
place in the bottle to carbonate the beer. Place our bottled beer in a cool dark place for 7-10 das and tr
to avoid the temptation to open a bottle earl. Don't put the bottled beer in the fridge et or the east will
not be able to do its job on the priming sugars. The beer will also begin to clear during this time as
suspended east settles to the bottom of the bottle.
Sep 14 Drink i!

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Place a few bottles in the fridge to chill. Open a bottle and slowl pour into a glass leaving just a bit in the
bottom of the bottle.
This one turned out well. It tastes ver good but I did notice a slight chill hae after refridgeration.
I'm still prett new to this so I'll have to do some research to find out what causes chill hae. Nevertheless,
it's still a tast brew!
Sep 15 Reference
Brewing supplies:
Northern Brewer - http://northernbrewer.com/
Recommended reading:
The Complete Jo of Homebrewing b Charlie Papaian -
http://www.amaon.com/gp/product/0060531053/sr=8-1/qid=1146779286/ref=pd_bbs_1/104-1364816-
4552766?%5Fencoding=UTF8

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Dec 30, 2011. 4:22 PM
Sep 2, 2011. 5:25 PM
Sep 25, 2011. 12:36 PM
Sep 21, 2011. 8:31 AM
Sep 4, 2011. 6:12 AM
1
Ag 9, 2010. 6:47 PM
350 commen
Add Commen
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Khaabe a:
eaie a o cabonae o bole i o add con ga o each bole hee he cha
12 o bole 3/4 p
16o bole 1p
22 o bole 1 1/2 p
1 lie bole 2 1/2 p
2 lie bole 1 1/2 bp
3 lie bole 2 1/4 bp
i ha ea and o don hae an hee nea a mch ik of o mch o no enogh ga
hen boling a o do ing a gaing olion mied ih he o
mhahim el-ahi a:
I ing hop necea ? c i coldn' ge an...and i hee a eplacemen ?
mbillp a:
Yo can bie ohe hing fo he hop like Sce ip.
BeeLoe a:
Thi look fanaic. I CANNOT ai o i.
g a:
a ha ep old e add ohe flao?
ofan a:
I almimm ok fo he be po ?
Foden a:
I recentl discovered the Basic Brewing web site. Lot's of good information here including audio and video
podcasts... http://www.basicbrewing.com/
Thanks to Luke for the brewing photograph and the starter kit that got me interested in brewing to begin
with!
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O 7, 2010. 5:16 AM
J 28, 2011. 9:09 AM
1
A 10, 2010. 9:53 AM
S 21, 2011. 8:30 AM
S 25, 2011. 12:32 PM
O 4, 2010. 1:36 PM
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psoper22 :
LOL... ....
1/22/12 Ho to Make Beer
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O 8, 2010. 8:46 PM
J 28, 2011. 9:06 AM
1
M 5, 2009. 3:52 PM
J 28, 2011. 1:56 AM
17
J 8, 2011. 8:23 AM
1
J 1, 2011. 2:43 AM
N 14, 2010. 7:39 PM
madmedi :
Y .... (
), CO2 . G 24" . G .
. NO MORE BOTTLING. .............
2 . NO SEDIMENT. I ' . N
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Scmcdiggle :
YEAH !... .
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ciohemonke :
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hoeighlife :
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IBeakHeaSff :
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Oc 7, 2010. 12:02 PM
Oc 3, 2010. 8:47 AM
N 14, 2010. 7:40 PM
J 21, 2009. 9:55 PM
4
Ma 6, 2009. 5:25 PM
6
e. The ea i he be i ha cab he - d' a ge id f a f i
heie 'd hae fa bee =(.
organic mechanic a:
I hae deeed a bee ceaig echie ha iiae a age bee ce. I i
c he fiihed bee i a eaed be (Ie a 2 ie be. Cig bee a he
ga CO2 die i he bee. The I caef deca he bee i ahe be. I
eae he edie behid. If he be ef f fa d he gee
ig, e ahe caie. becae a a i he edie caiig be
igh he he edie i i.. ai f he fa bide he fi . eebe ai
ae bee g ae. c2 ga iiae ga ge ha i h ITS ALL ABOUT THE
HEAD. b I e bee i ad a aic bce ih a id.... ai c...... bee i
diabe 7 da afe beig.....
gd c a I ii ach i a he aa a ehee i a he
a. B i' eid
teufel.dan a:
If hae ahe caie afe bee i, hee i a ce caed
ecda feeai. Whe afeig he bee e a ih i ad
ee f he ea f ecda. Kee bee i ecda f ahe 7 da,
hi ce add e aiig ie b i a h i.
IBreakHeavStuff a:
O - da. L ie aeed aead.
BeerBellJoe a:
Y ca aa e Caifig aid ch a; Iih M, Geai ad Iiga. Y add e
f hee ab 20i ef i he bi ad he ac a a age aacig he eded
ea ad haig i ee a he b f he feee. Thi i cideab e he
a f ea eee a he b f he be, e fie he bee (Which
d' a d a i ae a he Gde f i!).
imarunner2 (ah) a:
If age g egh...a ce f ee e, ea i ee e fi a
he b. J caef ad hd' ge ch ea i ga. Be
cdiied bee i aa hae e ea ee he b. Thee ae ehd f
cabaig fieed bee befe big b ha ge e bed he ie f hi
icabe.
herr_twiggie a:
I d eced agai addig he a f he h ad ceig he ee a fae , hee' a
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Oct 3, 2010. 9:26 AM
Apr 28, 2011. 12:24 PM
Apr 25, 2011. 8:19 AM
Aug 9, 2010. 12:00 AM
chance that diacetyl could accumulate in the wort and give the beer a buttery flavor. Add the hops 10
minutes before flame out and keep that cover off.
DouglasLa says:
It all depends on what you are trying to accomplish. the closer to flame out you add the
hops the more aromatics from the hops you retain. According to the AHA
HomeBrewoPedia...
dry hopping.
1. The addition of loose dry hops to the primary fermenter (when the wort has cooled down
to 75 F, 24 C), the secondary fermenter, or to casked beer to increase the aroma and
hop character of the finished beer without significantly affecting its bitterness.
Homebrewers usually add 50-60 grams of aroma hops or hop pellets per 5-gallon batch
during primary or, more often, secondary fermentation. Hop extracts are not recommended
for dry hopping because they may contain traces of the organic solvents used for their
extraction. 2. In England, dry hopping more specifically refers to the addition of fresh hops
to a cask of draft beer when it is racked from the primary fermenter.
Some people carry it to extremes... do a web search on "Hops" + Randall" and you'll see
what I mean.
The diacetyl comment is well taken.
DouglasLa says:
A couple of other items for the reference section:
http://www.homebrewersassociation.org/
The American Homebrewers Association (AHA) has all sorts of information and support for
both the new and the experienced homebrewer and
http://www.howtobrew.com/intro.html
John Palmer's book is available for free online. The online edition is 2 prior to the one that is
currently in print but the brewing information is virtually identical.
Disclosures...... I am a member of the AHA. I am a satisfied user of John Palmer's website
and paid cash money for a hardcopy of the book.
MekkMan says:
Tap water?? Yech! 1. not really bug free in a lot of places. 2. Nasty chlorine affects taste 3.
Chlorine can interfere with yeast growth. Instead use the bottled water (also not very
attractive because of nasty plasticizers), boiled water that's cool (boiling drives off the
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Ma 30, 2011. 6:10 PM
Ma 7, 2010. 8:22 PM
Ma 27, 2011. 4:29 PM
Ag 10, 2010. 9:48 AM
Oc 4, 2010. 2:34 PM
No 14, 2010. 7:46 PM
chloine), o ap ae ha' been p hogh a good file. I pefe boiled and fileed.
kclouse a:
I agee, boil he ae and le i cool, b no fileing i needed. In he US mo ap ae i
"bg" fee, ping i hogh a Bia file o omehing of he o ill end o inceae he
micobe leel. Thi ill hoee emoe a lo of he mineal naned in ome pe of
being.
paultheombie a:
Can o place he gain in a blende and ple i a lile a a ime o ge he conienc o
an?
DeliciousMstic a:
If o hae a high end blende, like he ia-mi, he a foodi go-o ool, he make a
blade pecific fo eed and ch, hich I'd ge old ok pe ell. I alo hae a
ocke blende pe dink mie ih a eed/gain pecific blade. Wold be oh a ho.
jp_pianogu a:
Blende i a bad idea, becae i' no eall mean o handle olid. A food poceo ill
do he job, a mini one if o hae i ill ok oo. J don' ch hem oo mch. All o
eall an o do i b open he hk hile leaing hem a inac a poible, ha a
he ae eaie o ain o lae.
k5cqb a:
I am ne o home being. I a a he hombe oe he ohe da and menioned ing a
ae bole. The g hee aid no o e he efillable ae bole becae he "beahe"
and I cold do one bach of bee hen he bole old no be efl afe ha. I don' kno
ha he mean b beahe ohe han he bee old ain o ge ino he plaic affecing
ohe bee afe ha. Anone ele hae hi poblem o ecommend a paicla bole?
IBreakHeavStuff a:
Yo can e plaic. PET bole (like he one ofdink come in) ae OK - hogh o
need o oe o bee aa fom ligh becae i ill beak don he acid in hop and
gie o a ae o REALLY don' an - bee like hi i called 'knk' fo a eaon.
Bon PET bole ae alo aailable fom homebe oe (a lea hee in Aalia).
Thee ae pefecl fine fo oing bee (a good a gla) and eaie o clean and handle
(boling i mch fae ih hee babie). I'd ecommend hem if o can find hem.
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Oct 5, 2010. 3:07 PM
Oct 4, 2010. 3:33 PM
Oct 8, 2010. 11:36 AM
Oct 3, 2010. 9:38 PM
1
Oct 4, 2010. 4:54 AM
6
Nov 1, 2010. 4:23 PM
1
johnd1763 sas:
alwas use glass
mattthomas992003 sas:
make sure to feel the inside of the container, if ou feel scratches don't bu it/use it. those
scratches can harbor man different tpes of bacteria that can turn the wine/beer bad. it
took me several trips to the brew store and a lot of wasted mone/alcohol. the best thing
ou can bu is a glass carbo, ive had mine for 5 ears and never had a problem. most
brew stores/online stores sell them, ou can bu them from (U.S. measurement) 1 gallon
through 30 gallons. I have got a 1 gallon, 5 gallon, and 10 gallon. but DONT use a glass
carbo if it has been used for collecting coins of an kind. the coins can make small
scratches in the glass.
Sergei- sas:
The best wa to clean plastic brewing contaiers if ou don't have glass ones or don't want
to spend heaps of mone on those powder sanitiers is to use a couple of cap fulls of
bleach and fill it with warm/hot water and let it sit for an hour to kill all the germs then wash
out with the biodegradable detergent
Then fill it up with warm hot water and let it stand after rinsing to get rid of an left over
detergent residue
marcard86 sas:
Thanks to this instructable, I've been homebrewing for the past 4 ears. I just entered m
latest batch in the Arkansas State Fair Homebrew competition. Just wanted to sa thanks!
imarunner2 (author) sas:
Haha.... ver cool! I'm glad I had some small part in our entrance to a fascinating and
rewarding hobb.
marcard86 sas:
Got m results from the homebrew competition: 48,47,41,38,40 (out of 50). Not good
enough to place, but at least I can quantif m enjoment! If the numbers go up, it means
I'm having more fun.
M recipe was all grain:
American Amber Ale:
9 lbs american 2-row
12 o crstal 80L
3 o roasted barle
1 o centennial hops (60 min)
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2011 Instructables
1 oz cascade (20 min)
American Ale Blend Yeast
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