If you have always dreamt of making your own beer, you might be surprised by just how simple it can actually be. The process itself is not too hard, but what can take some time is being able to actually make it taste good enough to use and possibly even sell. Still, that is what comes with time and experience – for now, the main things you need to bear in mind is what the process actual entails, and it is much less hassle than you might have assumed. In this article, we are going to take a look at some of the major elements involved in brewing your own beer at home.
Gathering Equipment & Finding A Space
You will first need to decide where you are actually going to keep the beer as it is brewing, and this is important. If you don’t have anywhere in your home – bearing in mind that you might need to leave the beer there for many months – then you can’t really get started with doing this at all. It needs to generally be something the size of a bathtub for the actual brewing process, but you might find that you can get started with a smaller area like a barrel from Red Head Barrels. In either case, you will also need to make sure you get all the equipment together to start with, as you don’t want to start and find you don’t have anything. You’ll need a large bucket, sterilizer, the beer kit including hops yeast and so on, and some safety equipment such as gloves and goggles. Believe it or not, beer can actually explode, so this is just as important as the rest of the items listed here.
Mixing
Once you’ve got everything, it’s time to get mixing. That might sound simple, but actually it can be surprisingly complex to get it right. First comes the malt, followed by the water and yeast, how much depending on how much you are making. Then you need to stir and leave it for about a week or so. Once the fermentation is complete – which you will spot by the amount of bubbles – it is time to siphon it into your barrel or other container. You can then leave it there – or in bottles – for a few days before you need to transfer it to a slightly cooler place.
Storage
Once you have kept it in a cooler place for a while, you will find that it is now ready for tasting – but you will still need to think about where you need to keep the beer once it is brewed. Depending on how much you have made, a shed might do the trick, or you might simply want to make a little less. The beer will generally keep pretty well for about six months, so you don’t need to worry about storing it too much. Just make sure that you are making use of it and that you actually get a chance to properly enjoy it.
