Hi there,
I said in my last post that I wouldn't post these, on the basis that there's plenty of info on this site.
However, I've since received four email requests for them so I did a bit of searching and found that there really isn't a step-by-step basic guide to brewing a batch (the kind of guide you get inside the can) on the forum part of this site.
So, I'll take a punt and post these for your review. If you agree they should be a sticky, please critique the instructions and I'll make any necessary changes before asking the mods to turn them into a sticky (should they agree). Please note, these instructions are basic - how to prepare your fermenter, how to prepare your brew, how to brew etc. They assume no grains, boiling or racking. It's a newbies guide meant to complement this
http://www.homebrewandbeer.com/howtobrew.htmlHere goes:First, read this guide here
Preparing the fermenter1. Disassemble the fermenter - everything, including the taps, airlock, grommets etc.
2. Place cap over tap hole.
3. Add 2 teaspoons of pink cleaning agent to fermenter.
4. Add 2 litres of hot water.
5. Clean the fermenter thoroughly, ensuring all sediment reside is gone. DO NOT use a scourer as you will scratch your fermenter and risk later infection.
6. Empty and rinse in cold water.
7. Add another few teaspoons of sanitizing solution to the fermenter and fill with a few litres of cold water.
8. Throw in spoon, airlock, grommet, tap, sediment reducer, sugar measurer (the brown thing).
9. Attach lid.
10. Swish and roll the liquid around for a few minutes. Wash out tap by hand if necessary.
11. Pull out cap on tap hole and allow liquid to drain.
12. Rinse everything thoroughly in cold water.
13. Assemble fermenter. NB: Don't forget to turn the tap off at this point or your wort will just run out the tap!
Preparing the brew1. Remove label from beer concentrate can and liquid malt extract (if any).
2. Sit the cans in hot water for ten minutes (this will loosen the contents).
3. Put the kettle on. This will be used for your hops (if any) later.
4. When your two cans have sat in the hot water for ten minutes, start making the brew. Just before you do though, start steeping your hops. You need to time it so the hops have finished steeping by the time you've finished making your brew. Hop steep times vary. Sometimes you boil rather than steep so use your judgment.
Making the brew1. Place two litres of hot water into the fermenter.
2. Add the fermentables (brewing sugar or liquid malt) and stir thoroughly ensuring the fermentables have liquefied.
3. Add the beer concentrate and stir thoroughly until mixture is completely dissolved.
4. Fill the fermenter to the top (19-23 litres depending on recipe but leave at least an inch from the top) with cold water. While you're doing this, monitor the temperature. You want to keep it between 20 and 27 degrees (but ideally, 22) so add hot water to maintain the balance in lieu of cold water (if required).
5. As you add water, stir vigorously, and I mean vigorously - you want to aerate the wort.
6. Throw in the hops (including the water you soaked it in).
7. Take a reading using the hydrometer. This is your OG reading. Do this before you add the yeast.
8. Add the yeast - no need stir it in.
9. Seal.
Monitoring the brewOver the first 24 hours the temperature will slowly drop until it reaches its "constant" level.
After this, if your temperature is between 18 to 27 degrees, it will take between 5 days (for temps closer to 27c) and 14 days (for temps closer to 18c) to brew.
Here's what I think
18 degrees 14 days
19 13
20 12
21 11
22 10
23 9
24 8
25 7
26 6
27 5
Increase this scale if temps are below 18 degrees.
However, many brewers simply leave it for two weeks, regardless of temperature.
Otherwise, using this guide, you want to take your first reading when the temp/days ratio is reached. Apply the formula (that comes with the instructions in the beer concentrate), using the starting reading (OG) and current reading (FG).
Here's the formula:
OG-FG
7.46 + 0.5 (which allows for secondary fermentation in bottle)
OG= Original gravity (your initial reading you took before adding yeast)
FG= Final gravity (reading you take when temp/days ratio is reached).
When applying your formula, you can remove the decimal points from OG & FG (1.042 become 1042).NB: There's no need to take any readings before the minimum fermentation period has passed.
1. Gently unseal the lid and let the air escape.
2. Close the lid. (I usually leave it slightly unsealed via a small gap)
3. Draw half a cup of beer from the tap and tip it down the sink (this is full of sediment). You only need to do this once.
4. Pour some beer in your test tube.
5. Take a reading. Write it down.
6. Wait 24 hours then take a second reading.
7. Wait 24 hours then take a third reading. If reading has remained unchanged over this period, you're ready to bottle.
8. If it has changed wait another day or two before testing again.
Bottling the beer1. Sterilise your bottles now, using the pink cleaning agent and rinse thoroughly with cold water.
2. A better way is to buy a plastic bottle cleaner pump and use the Santize cleaning solution - no need to rinse. Make sure you always rinse your bottles out after you finished drinking the contents. That way, you should only ever need to use the pump and sanitize solution, rather than the pink powder, which requires rinsing.
3. Using a sugar measurer, add white sugar (or preferably dextrose) to each bottle.
4. Fit the long pouring tube to the tap. Turn the tap on.
5. Insert tube into bottle.
6. Push bottle up to release liquid.
7. Repeat for each bottle.
Make sure you store bottles upright - it's not wine! Storing temperature should be at least 18 degrees for the first few days. After that, move it to a cool, dark place.
The only time you refrigerate beer during secondary fermentation is when brewing lagers (including pilsners) and only after four or five days in the bottle at 18+ degrees.
You can start tasting after two weeks but the longer you leave it, the better (even a year), as it:
- enhances flavour;
- allows the yeast to become more compact; and,
- reduces the bubble size.
TroubleshootingCheck this Q & A
http://www.homebrewandbeer.com/qanda.htmlIt's brilliant. Also has a section which tells you what to do if your beer didn't seem to ferment at all.
Other troubleshooting:Beer's too gassyUsually because fermentation didn't fully complete. Could also be too much sugar when bottling or the brew is infected.
Lack of head or no carbonationEither you used too much water or you didn't rinse the cleaning agent out enough during preparation. Otherwise, you've cracked open a bottle too soon. Some take three weeks to carbonate fully.
White skin on top of fermented beer/sour tasteYou've infected the beer because you either didn't clean you gear properly, you left the wort exposed for too long before adding yeast and sealing, or you didn't bottle quickly enough after fermentation completed.
Beer smells badEither the beer's infected (see above) or was brewed at too high a temperature.