Your First Beer Brewing Recipe

It's amazingly easy to brew beer. Many years ago, there were breweries all over the country. Now, it seems the big dogs like Miller, Coors, Budweiser, etc are buying out all the small breweries. Once you've made your first batch and see how simple it is, you may not be going to the beer store as often.

A little research online will reveal a ton of places to find all the ingredients you will need to make great beer. You can also look locally and get started immediately. Your best bet is to buy a beer making kit. These kits will supply you will everything you need. You'll have fun mixing and matching the various malts they give you so experiment and have fun.

The equipment you need for beer making is modest. Most of what you need will be given to you in the kit. You will of course need the beer making kit, a source of heat, water, and a fair amount of counter space. You may want to use the kitchen when it will not be needed for cooking. That way, you can spread out and not be rushed.

The hardest part of making beer is deciding which type of beer to brew. The three popular styles of beer are dark, pale, and amber. There are also American, German, Belgium, and English styles so you have a big decision to make.

You have your kit and equipment. As with everything we eat or drink, make sure you sanitize the equipment. Wash all of it with hot, soapy water and let it dry. Remember, you are your own quality control here so don't start out with dirty equipment.

Choose good water, either filtered or bottled. Add the malt extract you've chosen and bring it to a boil. You use either pre-hopped or un-hopped extract depending on the recipe you want. Next you will cool down the mixture usually by putting the brew kettle in a sink of cool water. After the brew has cooled, pour it into the sanitized fermentation container. This liquid is called the wort. You don't have beer yet.

The yeast is now added to your brew. This will start the fermentation process and your brew can now officially be called beer. The yeast you add will determine the flavor of the beer. Remember the hardest part is deciding what kind of beer you want. The kit will tell you how long to let it ferment, but it is usually around eight to ten days. Once the bubbling stops, that's the yeast making the alcohol; let the beer stand at room temperature for a few days. Total time from start to finish is about two weeks. Most of the time is waiting for the wort to become beer.

You're now ready to bottle your beer. There may be some filtering that needs to be done. Pour the beer into a large container and add the proper amount of sugar depending on how much beer you are making. The added sugar will be needed to give your beer the carbonation. Pour your brew into the bottles and apply the cap. Let the bottle carbonate for ten days or so. You are now ready to put the bottles in the refrigerator and let it chill. We Americans like our beer cold, but you could do as some Europeans do, drink their beer warm.

Pull up a chair, turn on your favorite TV show, and enjoy you own home made beer with your favorite snack.