"A watched pot never boils." This oft uttered maxim just has to have come from a brewer. Someone who has tended a careful boil of just the right combination of malt and steeped grains, patiently (or not so patiently) awaiting that first bubble that signifies the time to add the first hops.When people first learn that BW and I brew, I think their perception of home-brewing is much like my own one was before we got started. I always pictured a complicated, smelly process involving lots of expensive equipment and a huge mess. I also had my doubts that the end product would be potable, much less taste good. And let's face it: there is a certain "I live in my mom's basement and play online video games instead of looking for a job" persona that is often associated with brewing ones own beer.
BW has been going on about wanting learn to brew for years, but for a long time we weren't sure where to start. Up until a few years ago, the only DIY brewing kits that were widely available were the sort that come with pre-measured ingredients for one brew and a plastic keg. To me, this seemed like buying instant cake mix: most of the work, but no creative input and a sub par product at the end. Luckily for us, some friends, who value quality as much as we do, took it upon themselves to brew for the first time, demystifying the process for us and turning us onto a whole new world of libation adventure.
Equipment
Like many other hobbies, in brewing, you can start with some basic equipment and then
add on as you get more into it and pursue more complicated recipes. Some of the brew stores offer a basic equipment kit with optional upgrades (we were able to get everything in the lists below in a kit + upgrades for about $150)
To start with you'll definitely need:
- a large (at least 5 gallon) pot
- an ale bucket with an airlock
- a thermometer with a long stem that reads to 220 degrees F
- siphoning hose with clamp
- sterilizing agent
- bottles and caps
- bottle capper
Nice to have add-ons
- a five gallon glass 'carboy' (giant bottle with an airlock used in 2nd stage fermenting)
- a bottling bucket
- bottling tool (fits on end of hose)
- long paddle for stirring
- hydrometer (if you want to measure the amount of alcohol in your brew)
- theif tool (dips out a vertical sample for testing)
Ingredients: To Kit or Not to Kit
We started with an ingredient kit for "Honey Nut Brown Ale". We had heard that brown ales are the most forgiving brews and therefore great for beginners. There are a plethora of kit options available both online and at your local brew store. Midwest Supplies has dozens (and maybe hundreds) of kits available which offer optional yeast upgrades and some creative options within the kit recipes (i.e. whether/when to add honey, how many hops to use). Starting with a kit was great for us because it walked us through the process in a way that made it easy to see how it would translate to other styles.
If you don't want to start with a kit, there are some great brew books out there, along with thousands of recipes online. If you are looking for a book, I threw a couple that we like on the Amazon widget. The advantage of working with recipes is that you can stick to them or not, adding more of your own variations as you get more experienced. If you are going this route, don't be afraid to ask for help at the brew store, usually employees are brewers themselves and can be a wealth of information.
Once you have your equipment, ingredients and a recipe or kit, you're ready to get started. Leave yourself at least a few hours for the first time you brew. We found it easiest to sanitize all of the equipment before beginning the first time.
After that, it's really just a question of following your recipe. Most of the recipes and kits we have used have had very clear, easy to follow instructions and resulted in end products that met or exceeded our expectations. Drop us a line and share some of your home-brewing adventures!
Cheers from the Bar Fly!
