| When you think of beer you might think that it has | | | | brew pots you need to steer clear of aluminum or |
| only been here for a couple of hundred years but is | | | | chipped enamel coated as these 2 pots will make the |
| so not the case, beer has been drunk all over the | | | | beer taste strange, the brew pot is used to cook |
| world in one form or another, from lagers to bitters. | | | | the beer ingredients and therefore start the |
| So How Is Beer Made? | | | | fermentation process. |
| To put it in simple terms beer is a fermented | | | | The Primary Fermenter |
| combination of water, barley, yeast and hops. The | | | | The primary fermenter is where all the action starts; |
| various beers on offer in the licensed establishments | | | | this is where that amazing stuff that makes you so |
| across the world are mainly determined by the yeast | | | | charming all begins. The primary fermenter has to |
| that was used during fermentation. | | | | hold at least 26 litres and must have an air tight seal; |
| So let's take a beer apart and examine the different | | | | the airlock and rubber stopper. Make sure when you |
| properties that make up a "pint". | | | | are buying one it is made of food-grade plastic, this |
| Water | | | | will ensure nothing gets in or escapes. |
| The chief ingredient in beer is of course water, in the | | | | Airlock and Stopper |
| old days the purity of the water is what mainly | | | | The airlock is a handy gadget that allows for C02 to |
| affected the outcome when brewing beer. Beer | | | | escape this is a must or it would blow up; at the |
| production in this time was specific to a particular this | | | | same time it doesn't let in any fresh air. The airlock |
| would have been mainly due to water quality. This is | | | | fits into a rubber stopper and this stopper then fits |
| no longer the case with the purification technology | | | | into the top of your primary fermenter. The |
| that we have available today. | | | | stoppers are numbered according to size, so make |
| Malt Barley | | | | sure you use the correct stopper for the correct |
| Malt barley is essential to beer brewing as the barley | | | | hole |
| contains the highest amount of fermentable sugar. A | | | | Plastic Hose |
| lot of breweries today have moved to wards | | | | This hose must be over 5 feet in length and made |
| powdered or instant barley malt as it ferments far | | | | from food grade plastic, there must also be no holes |
| faster and therefore the beer brews quicker. The | | | | or clogs and must be kept clean at all times, this |
| barley malt powder also contains extra minerals that | | | | hose is used to shift the beer from one system to |
| help the yeast to grow. | | | | another. |
| Yeast | | | | Bottling Bucket |
| Yeast is crucial to beer production and without it | | | | This is a large food grade plastic bucket with a tap |
| there would be no beer. Yeast is a single celled | | | | for drawing water at the bottom, this bucket needs |
| organism that consumes any sugar it comes in | | | | to equal in size to your primary fermenter so your |
| contact with and expels 2 very well known chemicals | | | | beer can be transferred over for bottling. |
| that you will know as alcohol and carbon dioxide. | | | | Bottles |
| There are several different variations of yeast used | | | | After the fermentation stage, you then siphon the |
| to make beer, but the 2 most common yeast strains | | | | beer in bottles for the secondary fermentation and |
| used are lager and ale. Now if beer was brewed using | | | | storage. The best types of bottles to use are solid |
| only water, yeast and barley it would be almost too | | | | glass with smooth tops that use bottle caps and not |
| sweet to stomach, this is where hops come in to the | | | | the twist-off caps. You can use plastic bottles with |
| mix. | | | | screw on lids but with these bottles the beer does |
| Hops | | | | not ferment as well and does not look anywhere |
| Hops are the flowers that grow on a climbing vine | | | | near as good as the glass bottles. A quick point to |
| plant; these vines can be found in various different | | | | remember, when making beer use dark bottles |
| regions through out the world. Hops are used to | | | | (brown or green) this is essential as bright light |
| make beer because of the bitterness of the flower, | | | | damages the beer. |
| adding bitterness to beer helps to balance out the | | | | Bottle Brush |
| sweetness as well as acting as a natural preservative. | | | | This is a thin, curvy brush which is used to clean |
| When more hops are added to the beer mix it then | | | | bottles; because of the shape of the brush it does a |
| has a very bitter taste, this brew is a favorite in | | | | superb job at cleaning the bottles. The bottle brush is |
| England and has been given the appropriate name | | | | a specialized cleaning utensil you will require in order |
| "bitter". | | | | to maintain your bottle kit. |
| For those of you who want to start brewing your | | | | Bottle Capper |
| own beer at home, there are plenty of resources | | | | If you buy glass bottles for the fermented beer, you |
| available in the form of home brewing kits. Home | | | | will need some sort of bottle capper and of course |
| brewing kits are great but as with everything reading | | | | bottle caps, you can buy them from any brewing |
| the instructions are essential. This is required if the | | | | supplies store. The best type of bottle opener is one |
| beer is achieve top quality. The only point I should | | | | that is fixable to the fridge of counter top and can |
| stress to you is when home brewing, USE FRESH | | | | easily handled and operated. |
| WATER! | | | | Thermometer |
| Many have often sought information on how to | | | | This is a thermometer which can be attached to the |
| make beer and the basic home brewing equipment | | | | side of your fermenter; it is just a thin strip of plastic |
| can be bought for as little as $100 | | | | which is self adhesive these temperature strips can |
| In order to start making your own beer the following | | | | be found in any store or shop. |
| items are needed: | | | | Household Items |
| A Brew Pot Primary Fermenter Airlock and Stopper | | | | In addition to the above specialized equipment, you |
| Bottling Bucket Bottles Bottle Brush Bottle Capper | | | | will need the following household items: |
| Thermometer | | | | Small bowl Saucepan |
| To make beer is quite easy even from your home | | | | Rubber Spatula |
| kitchen. A list of the equipment and their uses is as | | | | Oven Mitts/Pot Handlers |
| shown below. | | | | Big Mixing Spoon |
| Brew Pot | | | | So there you have the ingredients and the method |
| A brew pot is usually made from stainless steel; | | | | to make your own beer, all you need now is to get |
| some of the newer brew pots are made from | | | | yourself a beer making kit and you're on the way to |
| enamel coated metal and can hold up to 15 litres. For | | | | beer heaven. |