Ingredients combine with craft to make beer
This page is continually improving.
This page is not intended as a sole source of information but as a general reference for those interested in learning basic homebrewing.
We've attempted to present the right amount of information in the best possible format.
On the History of Beer....
Beer is considered the oldest human-produced fermented beverage, some even consider it the catalyst for most human invention. There are tons of books and articles published about the History of Beer. If you want to learn more, check Wikipedia. For our purposes and to deal with any myths/concerns, we cite 4 points.
-
Beer making has been going on for much longer than stainless steel, plastics, or modern sanitation, starting as early as 5,000 years ago. If they could make beer back then and through the ages, you can make beer now.
-
Beer making until the early 1800s was generally done in small batches at home and often by the matron of the house. Beer brewing for general consumption is relatively new. So, again, you can do this.
-
Modern equipment and techniques, even at their most basic, allow you to brew a much better product with fewer issues if you keep in mind a few basic things, which we will teach you here.
-
Unlike wine, beer was considered a beverage for the "common man," so keep it simple and fun. If you are stressing about your beer, you are missing the point.
Brew - Innovate - Enjoy - Repeat
Common Homebrewing Myths...Busted!!
I need to buy fancy, expensive equipment: NO
A basic brewing kit should be under $250, including a recipe kit.
All equipment can be used again for other batches. It pays for itself in about 3 batches.
I need a lot of space (because of tons of gear): NO
You need about 2x2 feet of space - big enough for a 7-gallon bucket.
I need to know a lot of fancy "beer" terms: NO
Impress friends with your beer, not your Scrabble score. If you can tell time, follow a recipe, stir a pot, and boil water, then you are good.
I need to know chemistry: NO
Only if you want to be a chemist.
People have been making beer for centuries under pretty "primitive" conditions. Learn about sanitation and a few basic concepts, and you and your beer will be fine.
What if I do something wrong? No one will die!
Those "sour beers" everyone loves were initially "funky" beers (aka "skunked" beers) from bacteria or mold infecting the beer during fermentation. Today's "sour beers," they introduce the bacteria on purpose. You would likely get yours from sanitation problems. It'll look/taste bad, but it's the same mold that grows on bread (Penicillium).
I'll get in trouble with ABC! NO
Well, only if you broke one of 3 simple rules!
ABC (Alcoholic Beverage Control) is not concerned with small-batch homebrewers if they follow these simple rules. It is when the homebrewer stops following the rules that ABC gets concerned.
-
Do not produce more than 200 gallons of beer per year - that is really a lot of beer
-
Do not sell/distribute/make money from your beer (be everyone's "free beer" friend)
-
Never serve alcohol to anyone under 21 - period.
If you want to get ahead of the ABC, DO the following, especially if you're in CA or NY:
-
Keep a record of your brewing (use a brewing app or even a notebook).
-
Make labels that include: beer name, ABV%, date brewed, date bottled, and location brewed
-
If operating a kegerator or serving area, make 2 signs:
-
"Only the host can pour beer."
-
"Homebrewed beer is not regulated."
-
See our ABC section for all the fine print, legislation, and details.
Beer's Four Basic Ingredients...
Over 90% of all beers use the same 4 ingredients: water, malt, hops, and yeast. All the varieties of beers come from these 4 basic ingredients, how they are prepared, and then how they are used in the brewing process.
Below is a description of these 4 basic ingredients found in beers the world over.
WATER
Beer = Solution
WATER makes up 95-97% of the volume of beer, therefore, it is a solution. Ensuring your water is of the highest quality is the first step to making high-quality beer.
In the SF Bay Area, we have extremely pure water. We can often just use water right out of the tap.
Not sure? Test your water! But avoid using distilled water or highly-treated water.
MALT
No Malt - No Beer
MALT has one purpose - to provide simple sugars for the yeast to ferment into alcohol. Malt also provides color and body.
Malt comes from grains that are soaked in water, causing them to start to germinate (sprout). Shortly after starting to germinate, the germination is stopped short by drying and toasting it, like roasting coffee. The longer the grain is toasted, the darker and richer it gets.
Malt has a "toast" scale (Lovibond or SRM), which tells you the color it will give the beer and the amount of residual sugar in the malt. Just changing the malt will change the color, taste, and amount of alcohol in your beer.
If you're in Alameda, CA, check out Admiral Maltings, one of a few floor malting facilities in the US.
HOPS
Make it bitter
HOPS are a preservative, adding alpha acids to ward off bacteria, hence the bitterness and aroma of beer. There are thousands of varietals, which, depending on how they are used in the boil, determine the beer's final taste and smell.
IBUs (International Bittering Units) are the measurement specific to the level of bitterness (0-170) in beer. Most beer is between 5 and 120 IBUs.Each hop variety has an IBU value, and like the Lovibond scale, IBUs tell you how bitter the hop will make your beer if it is added correctly.
Check your recipe for prescribed timing for adding hops - it's important.
Hops added in the first 30+ minutes of the boil are for bittering since more hop oils dissolve into the beer. Hops added in the last 0-15 minutes are for aroma since oils do not dissolve but keep their smell. Adding more hops after the boil and for longer periods increases acidity - why IPAs are acidy.
Did you know that hops are in the same plant family as marijuana?
YEAST
Brewers make wort
Yeast makes beer
YEAST does 95% of the work. During fermentation, yeast consumes the malt-derived sugars and metabolizes them into CO2 and alcohol. Alcohol is trapped in the fermenting solution (aka beer), while the CO2 is vented off through an airlock.
Yeast comes in many different names & varieties, but only two types:
-
ale yeasts
(brighter taste/lower alcohol/higher fermentation temperature)
-
lager yeasts
(stronger taste/higher alcohol/lower fermentation temperature)
The ABV (Alcohol By Volume) is measured after fermentation, using a simple calculated percentage.
Experimenting with different types of yeast can yield many different types of beers. If you find a yeast you like, try it in different recipes. Mastering yeast is the key to repetition and, therefore, quality.
As we say: if you can read a recipe, tell time, boil water, and stir a pot, you can make good beer. If you have patience, you can make great beer!!