Zymurgy Introduction To Homebrewing

❋ Special Edition ❋
FOR THE HOMEBREWER & BEER LOVER

®
The Journal of the American Homebrewers Association®
An Introduction to
Homebrewing
From the
American
Homebrewers
Association ®
HomebrewersAssociation.org
What How to Advice from

Great
to Buy Brew Homebrew Guru
Recipes
Charlie Papazian
A Publication of
® the Brewers Association COMPLIMENTS OF YOUR LOCAL HOMEBREW STORE
This copy brought to you compliments
of your local homebrew store.
®®
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Journal of the American Homebrewers Association
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Publisher ...................................... Brewers Association
Editor-in-Chief .............................................Jill Redding
Associate Editor....................Amahl Turczyn Scheppach
Technical Editor..................................... Gordon Strong
Art Director.......................................... Allison Seymour
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American Homebrewers Association®

Director................................................................Gary Glass
Events & Membership
Coordinator.............................Kathryn Porter Drapeau
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brewers, their craft beers, and the community of
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2 ZYMURGY: An Introduction to Homebrewing The American Homebrewers Association is at www.HomebrewersAssociation.org

by the American Homebrewers Association
E
W LCOME!
®
Want to Brew Your Own Beer?

Start Here.
*
H ello and welcome to homebrewing!
This magazine is a special issue of
Zymurgy (zī' m r jē )—a publication dedi-
e
enjoying the finished product.
So, if you are standing in the homebrew

How Long Does it Take?
Just so you know what to expect, it will be
about four weeks before you can drink the
cated to the interests of the homebrewer. store right this minute, with an itch beer you make. Here’s a basic map of how
While this special issue is devoted to new to get started, buy the basic starter kit the process works:
brewers, it also includes some of our regu- recommended by your store plus the Brewing
lar columns and departments. Through ingredients given for the first recipe on A Get the equipment and buy ingredients
these, we’ll tell you a bit more about the page 19. Then you can go home, do about (20-30 minutes)
hobby, give you some recipes to try and 15 minutes of reading and be ready to brew. A Clean and sanitize the equipment
(10-15 minutes)
point you toward other resources to help Go ahead, do your shopping—you can read
A Brew the beer and start the fermentation
you learn more about the hobby and meet the rest of the articles when you get home! (60-90 minutes the first time)
others who brew. Fermentation
Brew on! A Here you just wait…(one to three weeks)
These pages contain all the information Bottling
you need to get started brewing your Charlie Papazian A Takes about an hour once fermentation is
own beer at home. We’ll start by walking President, Brewers Association complete
you through your first batch with all the Bottle Conditioning
details you need to make a great-tasting Gary Glass A Here you wait…wait…wait
beer. Everything you need is contained Director, American Homebrewers Association (usually two to four weeks)
in the section called “Brewing Your First A Chill and drink your beer!
(all depends: how fast do you drink?)
Batch” beginning on page 18. It’s easy Jill Redding
and you’ll have fun both making it and Editor-in-Chief, Zymurgy magazine
E
SP CIAL EDITION
Making Your First Batch From Beginning to End
We have included five short articles to teach you the basics of brewing and help you brew your
COLUMNS first batch. We recommend that you read the first four articles completely before you start brewing.
(Hint: we have found that you can read them in about the time it takes to drink one beer.)
5 | FROM THE GLASS Then when you are ready to brew, follow the instructions in each section to make sure you don’t
By Gary Glass forget anything or leave out a critical step.
7 | HOMEBREW AND BEYOND 11 | Basic Brewing Equipment

By Ray Daniels 15 | Sanitation
40 | LAST DROP 18 | Brewing Your First Batch
By Brian Yaeger 23 | Managing Fermentation
26 | Bottling Your Beer
DEPARTMENTS Additional Brewing Information
9 | DEAR PROFESSOR 19-22 | Basic Recipes: pale ale, stout and weizen
33 | EXTRACT TIPS 25 | Homebrewer Resources
31 | Going Beyond the Basics With Equipment
37 | WINNERS CIRCLE RECIPES
39 | Glossary of Basic Brewing Terms
by Gary Glass
FR oM THE GLASS
Welcome to Homebrewing
his special edition of Zymurgy, the
T magazine published for members of
the American Homebrewers Association
the world. A strong AHA will ensure your
right to homebrew is maintained long into
the future.
ings from Brewers Publications, AHA
National Homebrew Competition
entries, and AHA National Homebrewers
(AHA), is intended to be an easy-to-follow Conference registration.
guide to launch you into the wonderful AHA membership benefits include: A And more. See HomebrewersAssociation.
world of homebrewing! We are happy A Subscription to Zymurgy magazine and org for a full list of AHA member benefits.
to provide this free guide to help you on eZymurgy.
your way to brewing outstanding beers A AHA Member Deals for discounts at Membership to the American Homebrewers
at home. pubs across the U.S. Association is $38 for a year. This is a
A HomebrewersAssociation.org and AHA small price to pay for the beer and brew-
The AHA is a not-for-profit organization Forum. ing education, camaraderie, and fun that
made up of thousands of members from A Updates on the latest Government the AHA brings to homebrewing—a price
the U.S. and around the world. I invite Affairs issues affecting your right to brew that will soon be recouped by your AHA
you to join the AHA and dive right into and access to your favorite craft brews. Member Deals benefits. Join online at
the fun-filled hobby of homebrewing. A Access to the Great American Beer HomebrewersAssociation.org and unlock
Your membership dollars help us to con- Festival Members-Only Session and the wide world of homebrewing.
tinue our mission of promoting the com- Members-Only entrance.
munity of homebrewers and empowering A Free entry to AHA Rallies. Gary Glass is director of the American
homebrewers to make the best beer in A Discounts on the latest book offer- Homebrewers Association.
The American Homebrewers Association is at www.HomebrewersAssociation.org ZYMURGY: An Introduction to Homebrewing 5

by Ray Daniels
H OMEBREW AND BEYOND
Yes, You Can Brew Your Own

Great Beer
P eople often laugh in disbelief when I
tell them that some of the finest beers
available today are made in people’s homes.
from cherries to chocolate and carrots to
cardamom. Once you know the basics, it’s
up to you to experiment with these and
Then there is the culture of beer, stretch-
ing back more than 4,000 years. This
culture encompasses scores of different
It’s hard to believe, I know, but it is true. many more. beer styles and sub-styles. Each has a
I’m not saying that every homebrewed beer

is a world-class concoction, but many are
better than what you can buy on the shelf of
your local store or from the taps at your favor-
ite bar. If you like beer—any kind of beer—
you can make it, and make it well at home.
It is legal, by the way. Jimmy Carter saw

to that back in 1978. In the process,
he unleashed a force that led to today’s
microbrewery movement as evidenced by
beers like Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, Samuel
Adams Boston Lager, and many more.
Brewing is like many other activities that

people find rewarding as hobbies: cooking,
photography, gardening, home improve-
ment, model building, and car repair just to
name a few. Like these, brewing produces a
rewarding product—and one that reflects
the effort and craftsmanship of the creator.
But some people feel that homebrewing

offers even more. They find that brewing
is just downright fun. It’s obvious that
consumption of the finished product is
usually enjoyable. But those bitten with the
homebrew bug relish the many opportuni-
ties it presents for creativity, culture, and
companionship.
Creative outlets abound in brewing. From

the naming of your first beer to the design
of your first recipe, you’ll have endless
opportunities to call the shots. Perhaps
you’ve already got a magic name like
Dick’s Elixir, Whama Jama Stout or Sweet
Cheeks Cream Ale just waiting for a beer
that deserves it. Then, after a batch or
two, you’ll discover the world of offbeat
ingredients that can be included in beer,

distinct flavor—as well as a unique his-
tory. From Martin Luther and the mon-
asteries to Martha Washington and the
Mayflower, beer has been a part of man’s
endeavors. By brewing beer, we establish
connections to the past and a heritage that
we all share.
As a brewer, you’ll also take on a new

identity. For starters, your beers will
impress your family and friends. Also,
with your brewing skills comes admis-
sion into a club of folks who love to
brew—and drink—good ales and lagers.
Likely as not, you’ll find them meeting
monthly in your own hometown. Then
you will find them nearly everywhere
you look: from the next locker or cubicle
at work to the next barstool in a bar
far from home. Among these brewers
you’ll find that all like to talk about your
shared hobby and many are just like
you—no matter who you are!
Ray Daniels is director of the Cicerone

Certification Program and the author
of Designing Great Beers.

by Professor Surfeit
DEAR PR OFESSOR
Each issue of Zymurgy carries wisdom and advice on homebrewing from our own
world-famous brew guru, Professor Surfeit (a.k.a. Charlie Papazian). Here are some
of our favorite letters from this popular column. If you want to send the Professor
your own brewing-related questions, see the submission information at the end
of this article.
Damn the Instructions— Spent Hops Can Kill Your Dog! I was online with a cigar bulletin board
Full Speed Ahead Dear Professor, and posted the question for the brewers
Dear Professor, I am a fairly new homebrewer (four batch- on the board. One guy said “Get your dog
I have been making beer for about a es) and have discovered a problem that I to the vet NOW!” He posted some articles
year now. I just received my first copy believe you can help with. I was brewing from a veterinary journal that said hops
of Zymurgy and it didn’t take me very a batch of Pilsner the other day and took can kill dogs. It talked about eight case
long to realize that I could improve on two bags of hops from the wort and tossed studies in which six of the dogs had died. I
the recipe that comes with a can of malt. them on the ground to cool while I put called Animal Poison Control and they said
Still, I have quite a large supply of malt the wort into the fermenter. I noticed that “Get your dog to the vet NOW!” So I took
extract on hand, so I wonder if you could my dog had swallowed the bags of hops! him and they made him vomit, gave him
suggest a better recipe than the sugar one I called my vet and he said that it should charcoal and IV fluids, etc. He survived,
that comes with the malt. Meanwhile, I’ll not be a problem for the dog. I called thankfully, but the vet said it was only
continue to read Zymurgy and learn more my local brew supplier and they said the because I saw the dog eat the hops and we
about homebrewing. same thing. I looked up a big-time sup- got them out before they made him sick.
plier online and called them and they said The hops cause “malignant hyperthermia,”
Thank you, the dog will be OK. I was relieved. a sudden and almost irreversible increase in
Bill Tyson
Neaton, Texas
Dear Bill,
Well, it won’t take you very long to discover
that improving on the sugar recipes supplied
with many malt extracts is a pretty easy
thing to do. It doesn’t take a whole lot of
reformulation!
For starters, just substitute extract for sugar,

pound for pound. That is the simplest thing
you can do. If the extract you are using is hop
flavored and the straight substitution turns
out too bitter for you, then buy the plain,
unhopped version of that malt extract and
substitute that.
Don’t worry too much about over-bitter

beer when you first try the recipe, though.
Although you are adding more bitterness by
substituting hopped extract, you are also add-
ing more body and malt.
Sweetly,
The Professor, Hb.D.

body temperature that basically fries their ers, I use clear glass carboys that sit for
brains and organs. I was amazed that no weeks or months in my basement before I
one seemed to have heard of this. get around to bottling. When I do bottle,
I tend to prefer using my large
There is a potential danger for collection of half-liter Grolsch
pet owners who might dis- bottles because of their reus-
card their spent hops in the able wire and ceramic clo-
yard or allow their pets to sures. (I find caps a nui-
possibly eat the hops. I was sance.) These bottles are
surprised to learn that spent green. Although my beer
hops are more dangerous to is not exposed to direct
dogs than fresh ones. I am con- sunlight, I am concerned
tacting suppliers to ask them to about the fluorescent
include a warning in their brew- lighting in my base-
ing instructions. My local vet is ment, both during
spreading the word throughout the fermentation and
industry here as well. after bottling.
Can long-
I still find this amazing! Hops term exposure
seem to be such a safe ingredient. to this lighting
How could a flower be so danger- damage the beer
ous? Why would a dog eat something and, if so, what are
so bitter? the telltale signs?
Larry Wilson Kent Lancaster

Seminole, Fla. Ottawa, Canada
Dear Larry, Dear Kent,

Thanks for the helpful warning. I did a bit of Yesiree Bob, exposure to sunlight or fluores-
research and found this on several Web pages cent light can do damage to your beer. The
including http://workingdogs.com/doc0175.htm: effect is a not-so-neat skunklike aroma. If you
don’t get my drift then simply put a green-
Hops Homulus (sic) lupulus: the spent hops bottled commercial beer out in the sun for an
from the home brewing of beer presents hour and then compare it to one that hasn’t
a new danger to dogs. Since 1994, the been out of the house. There’s no mistake
National Animal Poison Control Center about it. Sunlight is the worst.
has been consulted on five dogs, only one
of whom survived. The dogs present with But cheeses, don’t worry. Don’t forget you’re
panting, restlessness, and signs of increas- a homebrewer. There are some really easy
ing pain. The most significant symptom is a solutions. Wrap your carboy in a towel or
rapid increase in temperature called malig- put a paper bag over the whole thing. Put
nant hyperthermia. Treatment includes your green bottles in a box and close it up.
gastric lavage, charcoal slurry, coldwater There are any number of things you can do
baths and IV sodium bicarbonate to reverse to protect your precious brew.
metabolic acidosis. Hops contain a variety of
biologically active compounds, the most sus- Made in the shade,
pect however is an uncharacterized alkaloid. The Professor, Hb.D.
Seriously, The Professor stands ready to answer

The Professor, Hb.D. your beery questions. Stuck on a prob-
lem? Can’t find an answer? Just write
Detrimental Light Damage the Professor, Hb.D. and your question
Dear Professor, will be answered. Send your homebrew-
Photo © Shutterstock
In recent months I have been getting ing questions to “Dear Professor,”

increasingly paranoid about the oft-men- PO Box 1679, Boulder CO 80306-1679;
tioned damaging effects of light on my fax 303-447-2825; or e-mail professor@
precious inventory. Like most homebrew- brewersassociation.org.

E
BASIC BR WING EQUIPMENT
What You’ll Need

for Your First Beer
I n order to make beer at home, you’ll

need a few items of equipment in
addition to the ingredients. Some of the
equipment can be found in your kitch-
en—things like spoons and pots. But you
will need to purchase some additional
items as well. Here’s a list of what we
recommend.
All of these items can be purchased

at your local homebrew supply shop.
To find a shop near you search the
Homebrew Supply Shop directory at
HomebrewersAssociation.org.
Things you usually have already

A A stove. Running water. (You can
brew without these, but it’s not recom-
mended for your first batch!)
A A pot with 2 to 5 gallons (7.6L to
18.9L) capacity or more—bigger is bet-
ter. (Do not use anything with visible
rust on the inside.)
A Cooking spoon—plastic, wood or
metal. (Again, no rust!) Fermenter and then fill the air lock chamber about
A Can opener Usually a 6.5- to 7-gallon (24.6 to 26.5 one-half full with water.
A Strainer L) food-grade plastic bucket with a tight
A Measuring cup—one cup capacity or fitting lid. The lid will have a small Thermometer
larger hole where the air lock will be inserted. Used to check the temperature of the beer
A A clean cup or small bowl—used for Veteran brewers often use a glass car- before adding the yeast.
Photos © 2012 Brewers Association
mixing up the yeast. boy instead, but the recipes given in the
articles that follow assume the use of a Racking cane and tubing
Things You’ll Buy From the plastic fermenter. Clear or white plastic cane and tubing
Homebrew Store: The Basics used for transferring the beer (racking)
Most stores offer a starter kit for home- Air lock and stopper from one vessel to another and during
brewers that contains the basics listed This allows carbon dioxide to escape dur- bottling. The cane should have a pointed
below. Additional nice-to-have items may ing fermentation while keeping air out. thimble attached to the straight end to
also be included as detailed in the “Options You will insert this in the hole in the fer- keep it elevated above the bottom of the
and Accessories” section that follows. menter lid using the proper-sized stopper fermenter.

Bottling bucket Sanitizing agent can reuse empty bottles (do not use screw
An open-topped plastic bucket used dur- Your homebrew shop can recommend top bottles) and clean them yourself. You’ll
ing bottling. Beer will be transferred into various options or you can use plain need two 24-bottle cases of 12-ounce
this bucket from the fermenter and then unscented household bleach. bottles for each 5-gallon batch of beer.
from here into the bottles.
Bottles Bottle cleaning brush
Bottle filler You can purchase clean, new bottles from You’ll need this eventually to clean your
A section of hard plastic tubing fitted many homebrew stores. Alternately, you used bottles.
with a spring-loaded plunger at the end.
Used to transfer beer into bottles by
pressing the plunger end against the bot-
tom of the bottle.
Bottle capper
A device used to affix bottle caps to the Hydrometer
filled bottles of beer.
Bottle Filler
Fermenter
Air Lock and Stopper

Bottle C apper
Glass or Plastic Carboy
Options and Accessories

The equipment listed previously will
allow you to make beer, but a few addi-
tional items will make the process easier
or improve the quality of your beer. Some
suppliers sell these items as part of a
basic setup and in most cases, you will be
happy you got them.
Hydrometer
This is used to measure the specific grav-
ity or density of the beer before and after
fermentation. Knowing this allows you
to determine the alcohol content and
monitor the progress of your beer. Highly
recommended.
Carboy and accessories

Using a 6-to-7-gallon carboy for your
initial fermentation requires a bit more
care and effort. One caution: do not pour
hot wort into an empty glass fermenter
as it may break, ruining your beer, your
fermenter, and your day. Plastic carboys
are rated up to 140° F (60° C). For each
carboy, you will want a stopper, a carboy
brush for cleaning the vessel and possibly
a handle or web harness. You will also
need a large funnel for pouring liquids
into the carboy.
Bottle/Carboy washer
Makes cleaning used bottles and carboys
faster and easier. These devices screw onto
a faucet (usually with a simple adapter)
and clean with a burst of water.

HOMEBREW S ANITATION
An Essential for Good Beer

*
Items to Clean and Sanitize

On brewing day, this includes the
following items:
A Fermenter
A Fermenter lid
A Air lock parts and stopper
A Strainer
A Thermometer
A Hydrometer
A Funnel (if applicable)
A Cup or bowl used for mixing the yeast
On bottling day, this includes:

A Racking or bottling bucket
A Racking cane and transfer tubing
A Bottle filler
A Hydrometer and hydrometer jar or tube
A Bottles and bottle caps
A Any other object that comes into
contact with the beer
B eer is created when brewers yeast

converts malt sugar into alcohol and
carbon dioxide. Thus, the whole purpose
significant chance to eat the food that
you prepare for it. That’s where sanitation
comes in. To make sure the yeast has the
soap or other detergent, and plenty of hot
water. Rinse equipment thoroughly with
hot water after cleaning.
of brewing is to create the perfect food for upper hand, you need to clean and sani-
microorganisms. tize everything that will come in contact After cleaning, all of your equipment must
with the beer. (See sidebar for a list of be sanitized. For sanitizing, you can use
Unfortunately, what is perfect food for these items.) household bleach or “no-rinse” sanitizers,
brewers yeast is also attractive to other such as Iodophor or Star San, that are
organisms commonly found in foods such Before each item is used, it should first be available at your homebrew supply shop.
as the bacteria that make vinegar and cleaned of all visible soil or residue and Bleach is the cheapest option. Fill the
yogurt. Obviously, you want your beer to then sanitized. To clean your equipment, fermenter or racking bucket with hot tap
taste like beer and not old milk or spoiled use a normal dish cleaning sponge (no water and mix in 2 fluid ounces of bleach
wine. Thus, the only way to make good- scouring pads as these can scratch the per 5 gallons of water (59 mL in 19 L).
tasting beer is to make sure that brewers surface of your equipment and provide Put all items that need to be sanitized into
yeast is the only organism that gets a spaces where bacteria can hide), dish the bucket to soak. To properly sanitize,

soak for at least 10 minutes. When you
are ready to use an item, remove it from
the bleach solution and rinse it thoroughly
with hot tap water (chlorine can cause
off-flavors in beer, so be sure all of the
bleach solution is rinsed off before using
equipment).
“No-rinse” sanitizers only require contact

with the items being sanitized, so don’t
require soaking. They are effective within
seconds of contact and do not require rins-
ing, which makes these sanitizers easier to
use. When properly used, there is no risk
of off-flavors from “no-rinse” sanitizers.
Note that you do not need to sanitize

your pot as you will be boiling liquid in
it, which will adequately sanitize the pot.
By the way, if you fail to clean and sanitize

effectively, the worst that can happen is
bad-tasting beer. There are no known
human pathogens (i.e. bugs that cause ill-
ness) that can survive in beer, so you don’t
have to worry about poisoning yourself or
your friends.

First Batch
Brew Your
First batch There’s (No) Trouble Brewin’
This is an American-Style craft—brewed Pale Ale

that is easy to make and easy to drink. It provides
an excellent introduction to the art of brewing
for the first-time brewer.
B efore beginning to brew this recipe,

you’ll need to make sure you have all
the required equipment and ingredients.
the first batch. It shouldn’t take more
than 90 minutes from start to finish.
Stir the pot until the extract has dissolved.
Add the dry malt extract and again stir
until dissolved. Turn on the burner again
You should also have read the previous Procedure and bring to a boil, stirring vigorously to
article on sanitation. Now, before you A. Bring 1 gallon (3.8 L) of water to a boil avoid a boil-over. You will boil for a total
begin, read the whole procedure so you in an uncovered pot large enough to hold 2 of 30 minutes. When there is 5 minutes
see how things are going to work and gallons (7.6 L) or more. left in the boil, add the hop pellets.
then you’ll be ready to dive in and brew.
B. While heating the water: D. During the boil, fill the already-sani-
Ingredients 1) Remove the plastic lid and yeast packet tized plastic fermenter about one-half to
Shopping List from the top of the Coopers kit. Immerse two-thirds full (approximately 3 gallons,
1 can [3.75 lb (1.7 kg)] Coopers “Bitter” the unopened can in very hot tap water or 11.4 L) with cold water. (See notes on
Brewing Kit (includes a packet of yeast) so that the thick syrup inside will soften. page 22 if you happen to be using a glass
2 lb (0.9 kg) Muntons light dry malt 2) Clean and sanitize your brew day carboy fermenter.)
extract equipment according to the directions
1 oz (28 g) Cascade hops (pellets) found in our article on sanitation. (See E. At the end of the boil time, turn off the
page 15 for a list of what to sanitize.) burner and remove the pot. The bitter-
These items, along with the basic equip- sweet solution you have just made is
ment needed, can be purchased at any C. When the water has come to a boil, called “wort” (pronounced wert).
homebrew store. If your shop doesn’t turn off the burner under the pot—this
have these exact ingredients, ask the will keep the extract from scorching when F. Carefully pour the wort through your
shop staff for appropriate substitutes. you add it. Next, open the can of extract strainer into the plastic fermenter contain-
and add its contents to the pot of boiled ing cold water. Add cold water, if needed,
Once you have all the needed equipment water. (Scrape out with a spatula, then to bring the total volume to 5 gallons
and ingredients, you are ready to make rinse with a small amount of hot water.) (18.9 L). Leave 2 to 4 inches (5 to 10

cm) of headspace above the liquid in the can take the simple approach to add-
fermenter. ing yeast by simply sprinkling the dry
yeast powder on top of the wort. Don’t
G. Put the clean, sanitized floating ther- worry that it appears to just sit on the
mometer into the fermenter so that you top and by all means resist the tempta-
can check the temperature. Set the lid for tion to stir it in. In good time, the yeast
the fermentation bucket loosely on top will dissolve and go to work. The next
while the wort is cooling. article on “Managing Fermentation”
has hints on other alternatives for han-
H. When the temperature of the wort dling yeast for future brews.
drops to less than 75˚ F (24˚ C), you are
ready to take a hydrometer reading and K. Once you have added the yeast, snap
add the yeast. the lid into place and attach the fermenta-
tion lock. Add a bit of water to the fermen-
I. If you have purchased a hydrometer, tation lock so that it will let carbon dioxide
this is the time that you want to use it. out without allowing air or wild yeast and
To do this, you can set the clean, sani- bacteria to circulate into the fermenter.
tized hydrometer gently into the wort.
Most of it will sink, leaving a portion of L. Store the fermenter someplace where
the thin stem sticking out of the liquid. the temperature will stay around 65-75˚
Give it a minute to settle and then take F (18-24˚ C). The cooler end of this range
a reading. This is what is known as is best.
your “original gravity” or OG. For this
recipe, the expected OG is about 1.046, Your beer will stay in the fermenter for
but this can vary considerably, maybe about a week. But you’ll want to keep an
between 1.038 and 1.058 depending eye on it so you know what is going on.
upon the exact volume of wort that you For now, take a break and enjoy a beer to
have in the fermenter. Don’t worry too toast your hard work in your own home-
much about this, just make a note of brewery. When you get a chance, read the
your actual OG reading. next article on managing fermentation to
help you monitor and assess the progress
J. For purposes of this first recipe, you of your first fermentation.

*
Making Authentic Irish Stout
The ebony blackness of stout somehow seems most stores, you can buy them pre-crushed. Turn off the burner and add Muntons Hopped
to attract attention among beer drinkers and 8EVKIX3VMKMREP+VEZMX] Amber Malt Extract and dry malt extract. Stir
many have grown to love the flavor that goes until dissolved.
with it. This beer moves beyond malt extract to Turn on heat and boil for five more minutes, stir-
include the use of grains in the brewing process. Procedure
ring vigorously to avoid a boil-over.
The procedure is still very simple and you’ll love Put 1 gallon (3.8 L) of hot water in the pot.
the results.
Fill the fermenter one-half full with cold water.
Put the crushed roasted barley in the grain
Equipment bag and close securely. Put the grain bag in the
In addition to the basic equipment used for the water and begin heating the water on the stove. Turn off the burner and add the hot wort to
first batch, you will need a grain bag, approxi- Stir every three to five minutes until the water the cold water in the fermenter. Top up fer-
mately 7 inches by 7 inches (17.8 cm by 17.8 comes to a boil. (If you don’t have a grain bag, menter to 5 gallons (18.9 L) with cold water if
cm) or larger, OR a large kitchen strainer for you can add the grains directly to the water.) necessary. Allow to cool to 75° F (24° C) or
this recipe. lower, then follow the instructions in “Managing
Remove the grain bag as the water begins to Fermentation” to prepare the yeast and conduct
Ingredients boil. Let the bag drain into the pot. (If you are the fermentation.
not using a grain bag, use a strainer to fish out
1 lb (0.45 kg) pre-crushed roasted barley* as much grain debris as possible once you reach
1 can [3.3 lb (1.5 kg)] Muntons Hopped Amber a boil.) For additional recipes see “Winners Circle” on
Malt Extract page 37.
2 lbs (0.9 kg) light dry malt extract (Muntons Once the grain is removed, allow this liquid to
or other) boil for about 15 minutes.
1 packet dry ale yeast
*Brewing grains must be crushed before use. At

*
Notes on the Use of Glass Carboys
The procedure for the first beer has been written assuming the use of a plastic fermenter with a
removable top. Use of a glass fermenter will change some of the steps. First, it is not safe to pour
hot wort into a glass fermenter, even when it is partially filled with cold water. Thermal expansion
could cause the fermenter to break. Second, you will not be able to float your thermometer or
hydrometer in the fermenter to take readings.
To adjust, you will want to cool the wort in the pot you use for boiling. When the boil is finished,
turn off the burner and remove the pot. Rather than adding cold water to the fermenter, you can
add cold water to the pot to help cool the wort. Add as much as the pot will hold while still being
manageable. Then float your sanitized thermometer in the pot, cover it and set it in a cool place.
This cool place might include a sink partially filled with ice water, a refrigerator or freezer, or even
a snowy porch step or chilly basement corner. When the temperature has dropped to 100° F (38°
C), it is safe to pour the wort into the fermenter and fill it up with cold water.
To take a hydrometer reading, you will have to remove some wort from the fermenter after the
water has been added. Handling full glass carboys is a bit hazardous, so if you don’t feel you can do
it safely, it may be best to skip this step. But if you can manage it, shake or swirl the fermenter a bit
to make sure things are well mixed inside and then carefully tip it enough to pour out about a cup
of the wort. You may also use a “Wine Thief” to take a sample from your carboy. This wort can
FITYXMRXLIL]HVSQIXIVXYFIJSVEVIEHMRKSJ]SYVSVMKMREPKVEZMX]SV3+(SRSXVIXYVRER]SJ
this wort to the fermenter or you’ll risk contamination of the whole batch.)
Once this is done, you are ready to attach the stopper and the fermentation lock and place the
fermenter in a suitable location for fermentation. The only other factor you’ll want to consider is
that glass carboys sometimes overflow during fermentation. Normally, you’ll have little headspace
below the neck of the fermenter, so you’ll want to place the fermenter in a box lined with a garbage
bag or something similar so that it will be easy to clean up any spills that may occur. (Later you’ll
learn how to manage this with a blow-off tube.)
German-Style Wheat Beer (Weizen)

8LSWI[LSLEZIWEQTPIHXLI[SRHIVWSJ+IVQERFVI[MRKSJXIRGSQIE[E][MXLEPSZIJSV
the malty, spicy flavor of an authentic Bavarian wheat beer, known as a “weizen.” This basic
recipe allows you to produce that flavor right in your own homebrewery.
INGREDIENTS DIRECTIONS
2 cans [6.6 lb (3kg)] Briess Wheat Put 1 gallon (3.79 L) of water in the pot and
Extract (without yeast bring to a boil.
packet)
1 ounce Perle or Liberty Hop Pellets Turn off burner and add the malt extract.
1 tube/pack White Labs WLP300- Stir until dissolved and then turn burner back
Hefeweizen ale yeast or on. Add the hops. Boil for 30 minutes. Stir as
Wyeast 3068 Weizen needed to avoid boil-over.
Yeast
(Note: If you prefer the Fill the fermenter one-half full with cold
softer flavor of American- water.
style wheat beers, use
WLP320—American Allow the hot wort to stand for at least five
Hefeweizen yeast or minutes before adding to the fermenter. (If
Wyeast 1010 American using a glass fermenter, follow instructions
Wheat yeast instead.) in the sidebar at right to avoid breakage.)
Expected Original Gravity: 1.050-1.051 Add the hot wort to the cold water in the
for 5 gallons (18.9L) fermenter, topping up to 5 gallons (18.9 L) if
necessary. Let cool to 75° F (24° C) or lower,
then add the yeast. Follow the instructions
shown in “Managing Fermentation” (page
23) to monitor the fermentation.

E
F RMENTATION
Managing Fermentation,
or the Art of Yeast Wrangling
W hile brewers like to claim that they
make beer, it is actually the yeast
that turn our prepared sugar solution into
have any control over it, the cooler end of
this range is better.
ity and brewing convenience. There is a
wider variety of liquid yeast than there is
of dry yeast. Each type produces different
an alcoholic beverage. During this pro- By the way, if you buy a package of characteristics in the finished beer and
cess we brewers mostly wait—although dry yeast and don’t use it, toss it in the often you must use a special yeast type
some amount of watching is useful as refrigerator until you do need it. This when you want to create a particular style
well. This article discusses fermentation will help to sustain the freshness and of beer.
and your role as the brewer. It begins by vitality of the yeast.
describing a more desirable technique for Liquid yeasts come in packages that con-
preparing and adding dry yeast and then Liquid Yeasts tain enough yeast for a 5 gallon (18.9 L)
continues with a discussion on fermenta- Many homebrewers use liquid yeast prep- batch. One style comes in a foil pouch.
tion itself. After the fermentation is over, arations as an alternative to the packages To use it, slap the pouch to break a small
you’ll be ready for bottling. of dry yeast. Liquid yeasts tend to cost wort package inside and incubate the
more than dry yeast packages, but they package for three hours. The expanded
Pitching Dry Yeast can be well worth it in terms of beer qual- pack is ready to be pitched into the beer.
Each time you make beer, you’ll be add-
ing (pitching) yeast once the tempera-
ture of the wort drops below 75˚ F (24˚
C) or lower. While you can sprinkle
dry yeast on top of the cool wort as we
did in the first recipe, you’ll improve
the probability for success if you take a
few minutes to prepare the yeast for the
feast it is about to receive.
To do this, you’ll run warm (about

98-100˚ F or 37-38˚ C) water into a clean
and sanitized cup, bowl or measuring
cup. Open the yeast packet and pour it
onto the warm water without stirring.
Allow the yeast to dissolve in the warm
water for about 10 minutes then stir in
with a clean spoon.
Once prepared, this yeast slurry can be

added to the cool wort in the fermenter.
Then you will attach the lid and fermen-
tation lock. (Don’t forget to put some
water in the fermentation lock to serve as
an airflow barrier.) Fermentation should
start within 24 hours. During fermenta-
tion, you’ll want to store the fermenter
someplace where the temperature will
stay around 65 to 75˚ (18-24˚ C). If you

Another brand of liquid yeast comes in
a vial. The contents of the vial can be
pitched directly into the wort.
Liquid yeast packages have a more lim-

ited shelf life than dry yeast. Liquid
yeasts carry a date indicating when they
were filled by the manufacturer or a best-
before date.
This authoritative, no-nonsense text introduces brewing
in an easy step-by-step review that covers the essentials Fermentation
of making good beer—ingredients, methods, recipes If it is convenient, you’ll want to check
and equipment. the fermenting brew every 12 to 24
Beyond the first batch, it provides an accessible reference hours for activity. If all goes well, you
to intermediate techniques like all-grain brewing and should see vigorous activity within the
recipe formulation. A must-read for any novice or interme- first day. This will be indicated by rapid
diate brewer looking to discover the joy of homebrewing!
bubbling of carbon dioxide out of the
Veteran homebrewer John J. Palmer is a respected fermentation lock and also by the devel-
author and speaker in homebrewing circles. His years of
Third Edition opment of foam, called kraeusen, at the
hands-on experience help homebrewers consistently
make great beers while expanding their knowledge and 400 pages top of the liquid level. This is usually vis-
including photos, ible from the outside even with opaque
experience with the hobby.
illustrations and 22 recipes
$19.95 white plastic fermenters.
BrewersPublications.com or Once this has happened, you know that

1.888.822.6273 / 1.303.447.0816 everything will be OK. In a week or so,
Brewers Publications
A Division of the Brewers Association your beer will be ready to bottle.
www.BrewersAssociation.org
If you don’t see any signs of fermentation

activity within the first 48 hours, there may
IPA
be trouble. Generally, the best approach
is to wait it out. If you’ve been away for a
Brewing Techniques, couple of days or forgot to check for activ-
Recipes, and the ity during the first 48 hours, it may have
Evolution of done its thing while you were away. In
INDIA PALE ALE this case you should still see a ring of gunk
around the top edge.
BY MITCH STEELE,
Brewmaster, Stone Brewing Co. If you get a quick initial fermentation
(within 48 hours), you’ll most likely be
“Mitch has taken what he has learned and
neatly woven it into an engaging and
ready to bottle five to seven days after
eye-opening history of IPA blended with the brew day. Follow the instructions for
immensely technical brewing information." bottling on page 27. If your fermentation
-- MATT BRYNILDSON, Brewmaster, starts more slowly, you must wait until all
Firestone Walker Brewing Company
activity has ceased before you think about
bottling. Check the fermentation lock
Explore the evolution of one of craft beer’s
every day or so and when you can see no
most popular styles, India Pale Ale.
tBrewing techniques from water treatment to
more visible bubbling, wait another three
hopping procedures. to five days before proceeding to bottling.
t48 recipes ranging from historical brews to the most
popular contemporary IPAs.
tA comprehensive discussion of style development,
If you fail to notice any signs of fermen-
variations, techniques, tips and recipes. tation after a week, you may open the
tExtensive historical documentation from the 1700s to fermenter and check on things. Before
the modern era.
you do this, clean and sanitize both
the inside and outside of a measuring
Brewers Publications cup. Use this to collect about a one-cup
A Division of the Brewers Association
BrewersPublications.com www.BrewersAssociation.org ® sample of the beer or wort once you have
removed the airlock and lid. Once the

sample is collected, replace the lid and
airlock. Now you have a sample of your
beer and you can assess its condition.
First, if you have a hydrometer, fill the
hydrometer tube and take a reading. If
the reading is at or below 1.020, then
you’ve had a successful fermentation.
Whether you have a hydrometer or not,

you can also taste the beer. If it is thick
and tastes very sweet and syrupy, then it
most likely has not fermented. If it has
the general properties of beer (minus the
carbonation at this point), then you are
on the right track. In either case, don’t
return the sample to your fermenter—it
can contaminate the batch. If you are in
doubt, save the sample in the refrigerator
and ask the folks at your local homebrew
shop at your earliest convenience—
they’ll be glad to help out.
*
Additional Resources
Membership in the American

Homebrewers Association
This includes a subscription to Zymurgy, dis-
counts on beer and food, book discounts
and other benefits. See Homebrewers
Association.org or call 1-888-822-6273.
HomebrewersAssociation.org
The official website of the American
Homebrewers Association is packed with
information on homebrewing, including the
online AHA Forum for homebrewers and
the homebrewopedia wiki.
How to Brew by John Palmer

A complete guide to ingredients, methods,
equipment and recipes for brewing beer
at home.
The Complete Joy of Homebrewing

by Charlie Papazian
An excellent guide to both beginning and
advanced brewing techniques and the stan-
dard text for every homebrewer.
Join a Homebrew Club

Clubs welcome new members—especially
if they are carrying a few bottles of home-
brew! Check HomebrewersAssociation.
org for a list of clubs near you.
Your Local Homebrew Shop

A valuable resource for both supplies
and advice–check out our Homebrew
Supply Shops page under “Directories” at
HomebrewersAssociation.org.

bottling
Bottling
Your Beer
A few days after fermentation is complete, you
are ready to bottle your beer. Here’s a checklist
of the things you’ll need on bottling day.
Equipment good-tasting beer! Next, you’ll transfer the (pronounced troob), at the bottom of the
A Measuring cup, one cup (237 mL) or beer from the fermenter to the bottling fermenter. Trub can create haze and off
larger capacity, capable of measuring bucket and add a bit of sugar to the beer flavors in the finished beer, so you do
0.75 cup (177 mL) so that it will carbonate in the bottle. After not want it going into the beer you put
A Small pot for boiling water that, you are ready to fill the bottles and in bottles.
A Bottling bucket [7 gallon (26.5 L), cap them.
plastic] In the process of removing the beer from
A Racking cane and transfer tubing Throughout this process, you want to the trub, you will also add some “prim-
A Bottle filler minimize splashing, foaming and aeration ing” sugar for the remaining yeast (there
A Hydrometer (optional) of the beer as this can have undesirable is still plenty of yeast suspended in the
A Bottle capper flavor effects. This isn’t a huge deal, but fermented beer at this point) to consume
just remember that “quiet is cool” when and produce carbon dioxide in the sealed
Supplies dealing with fermented beer. bottles, naturally carbonating your beer.
A 50+ 12-ounce bottles The standard quantity of sugar used for
A 50+ bottle caps Sanitize the Equipment priming 5 gallons of beer is 0.75 cup (177
A Corn sugar (purchased from your and Bottles mL). Use corn sugar (also known as dex-
homebrew supply shop) The first step in bottling is cleaning. All trose) available at your local homebrew
of the equipment that will touch the supply shop for this purpose. You should
Overview beer—no matter how briefly—must be not use ordinary table sugar.
First, if you haven’t used a bottle cap- cleaned and sanitized as described in our
per before, experiment with it a bit on article on sanitation. See page 15 for a list Measure the sugar using a measuring cup
an empty bottle or two. Once you’ve got of things you need to sanitize on bottling and then stir it into 0.33 to 0.66 cup (75
the hang of it, just use a bottle opener to day. In addition, all the bottles must be to 156 mL) of boiling water. Remove the
remove the practice caps from the empty cleaned and sanitized as well. If you are sugar water from the burner and let it sit
bottles. (Just think, you’ll soon be doing using new bottles, you can usually go for at least 10 minutes to ensure the solu-
that to bottles of beer that you brewed straight to the sanitizing step. tion is properly sanitized. Pour the sugar
yourself!) solution into the sanitized bottling bucket.
Racking and Priming the Beer
Now, here’s the overview of the bottling Prior to putting the beer into bottles, it “Racking” is a brewer’s term for transfer-
process. First, you’ll sanitize everything should be removed from the spent yeast ring or moving the beer from one vessel to
to make sure that you will wind up with and other debris, collectively called “trub” another. In this case, we’ll rack the beer off

* With the racking tube clamp still closed,
affix the bottle filler to the end of the tube.
Siphon Your Beer—Please Don’t suck! Now use the empty priming sugar cup to
Once your beer has fermented, you’ll need to transfer it from the fermenter to the bottling bucket. practice. With the racking cane in the beer
This will probably be the first time that you have occasion to use the racking cane and tube. It needs
to be filled with sanitizer before use and then you’ll need to get it full of beer so that it will flow by and the bottle filler in your priming cup,
siphon action for racking. open the clamp on the racking tube. Then
press down on the bottle filler so that beer
When trying to get the racking cane and tubing started, your natural inclination is to stick the cane flows into the cup. If you want, put 6 ounc-
into the sanitizer or beer and then suck on the tube end to draw the beer into the tube. Bad idea. es or so (177 mL) of beer into the cup and
The human mouth is full of nasty bacteria—even after treatment with an anti-bacterial mouthwash.
To get around this, you can fill the cane and tube once at the beginning of your day and then keep
use this to measure the gravity with your
them filled with some fluid until you are done. Here’s one approach. hydrometer. The gravity recorded at this
point is known as “final” or “terminal” grav-
At the beginning of the day, fill the whole racking tube and cane assembly with water. You can suck ity and usually abbreviated as “FG” or “TG.”
on it here if you want, but better yet, hold the open end of the tubing up against the faucet and let (Oh, and you can drink the beer you collect
the pressure of the water fill the device. Then drop the cane end into your bottling bucket filled for the hydrometer reading—don’t add it
with sanitizer. Using siphon action, open the clamp on the end of the tubing and use a measuring
cup or other small container to run solution through the racking cane and tubing until they are full back to the stuff you are going to bottle.)
of sanitizer. Close the clamp and throw the clamp end into the bucket of sanitizing solution along
with the cane end so that both can soak. You are now ready to fill those bottles!
Insert the bottle filler into a bottle and
When the soaking is done, you will have a sanitized racking cane and tube that are full of sanitizing press it against the bottom of the bottle to
solution. For the rest of the day, you’ll want to keep that tube and cane full of liquid—that way you’ll
start the flow of beer. Continue until the
always be ready to start the flow of liquid and you’ll never have to suck on the end. Voilá!
liquid level comes near the top of the bot-
tle. As soon as you release the pressure on
the filler, the flow of beer will stop. Then,
the trub in the fermenter into the bottling the clamp and let the sanitizer flow into as you remove the filler from the bottle,
bucket with the priming sugar solution the cup or bowl until you get beer coming the level of beer will drop. When the filler
using the sanitized racking tube and cane. through the end of the tube. Clamp the is removed, the beer will be about an inch
(See the sidebar above for how to start the tube, then move the end of the tube to the from the top of the bottle. Be sure to leave
transfer without sucking on the tube!) bottom of the bottling bucket and release an inch or so of head space in the bottle to
the clamp again to allow the beer to flow ensure proper carbonation.
To rack, we’ll use the magic of siphon into the bucket. Discard the sanitizer. Try
action to move the beer. Siphon power to minimize splashing by keeping the end At this stage, you may find it easiest to fill
depends on keeping the level of the hose of the tube submerged in beer. The beer a whole case of bottles before you begin
end and the liquid in the bottom container flowing into the bottling bucket will mix capping.
lower than the level of liquid in the top evenly with the priming sugar solution you
container. Keep this in mind and adjust previously added to the bucket. As you fill, keep an eye on the level of
things during the racking process if you beer in the bottling bucket. When it starts
need to. Near the end of racking, you will want to to get low, tilt the bucket so that you can
tip the fermenter to keep the end of the draw out most of the beer without suck-
Put the fermenter on the counter, with racking tube submerged in beer for as long ing up any air.
the bottling bucket below it on a chair as possible and minimize beer loss. Then,
set directly in front of the counter. as the thimble on the racking cane is about Once the bottles are filled and capped,
(Alternately, you can put the fermenter to emerge from the last of the beer, close they need to rest for two weeks to a
on a chair and the bottling bucket below the clamp on the tube end so that the rack- month before they’ll be ready to drink.
it on the floor.) ing tube and cane remain filled with beer. Ideally, you will keep them at room tem-
perature, 65 to 75º F (18 to 24º C) dur-
Now put the racking cane filled with sani- Bottling ing this time so that the fermentation and
tizer in the fermenter, hanging the tube Set the bottling bucket on the counter or aging processes can take place properly.
end with the clamp closed below near the a chair and make a work area for yourself
outside of the bottling bucket. Ideally, the on the floor so that siphon power will It is hard to wait, but patience is usu-
height of the bottling bucket should be move the beer for you. Do not bottle on ally rewarded with better tasting beer.
such that the tube will rest on or near the carpet as you will assuredly spill some (Of course to prove this, you might have
bottom of the bucket when the hose is put beer in the process! to taste one bottle after two weeks.) If
into the bucket. Use a large clean, sanitized you are that anxious, go ahead and make
cup or bowl below the fermenter to drain Next, arrange the bottles nearby. You may another batch of beer so that you’ll have a
the sanitizer from the racking cane and tub- find it convenient to leave them in the steady supply coming once you taste the
ing to start the siphon of your beer. Release case boxes to make them easier to handle. first batch.

After the beers
have aged, throw
a couple of bottles
in the refrigerator
to chill them down.
Open and enjoy
By the way, this is the stage where you

start thinking about that old bugaboo
of homebrewing—the exploding bottle.
The sanitation and priming techniques
we use today make this an extremely
rare occurrence. Nonetheless, it is a good
idea to keep your bottled beer stored
inside cardboard case boxes with the lids
closed. That way, if one does happen to
over carbonate and explode, the glass
will be contained inside the box.
After the beers have aged, throw a couple

of bottles in the refrigerator to chill them
down. Open and enjoy.
Labeling your Brew

If you drink all of one batch before you
make another, you’ll never have any need
to label your beers. But often batches
overlap, so some system of labeling comes
in handy.
The easiest is to take a felt tip marker

and mark a batch number on the top of
each bottle. If you want more than that,
you can get some of the small, round,
self-adhesive labels sold at office supply
stores and affix them to the tops of the
bottles. With these, you can write out
some additional information including
the name, style, bottling date, etc. if
you want to.
Another fun thing to do with your home-

brew is to have some labels made up to go
on the front of the bottle. If you are artis-
tic or have some skill with a computer,
this can be easy to do. Homebrew shops
often offer gummed paper that is pre-cut
or perforated to produce normal bottle-
sized labels. But whatever you do, remem-
ber the three most important rules of
bottle labels: 1) Have fun, 2) Go wild, and
3) Show off.

E
B YOND BASICS
Even More Brew Toys
J ust about any kit or extract beer can be

made using the basic equipment you buy
to make your first beer. But as you advance,
the following items may prove useful.
Carbon Water Filter

Carbon filtration removes chlorine from
your brewing water. This is important
because chlorine can form unpleasant-
tasting compounds when included in your
brewing water. A simple faucet-attached
unit can be installed in 10 minutes without
requiring any changes in your plumbing.
Large Brew Pot

Under ideal circumstances, the entire vol-
ume of wort that will go into the fermen-
ter should be boiled. To do this, you will
need a brew pot that will hold at least 6
gallons (27.3 L) of liquid for extract-based
brews. These can be $40-$180.
Wort Chiller
This is a long section of copper tube that
has been coiled up to fit inside your brew
pot. Water is run through the coil while it
Wort Chiller

sits in your hot wort in order to quickly in a reasonable time period. As an alter- you. If you want to have greater control
chill the wort after boiling. If the volume native, you might buy a propane-fueled over the crush that you get, you can mill
of wort you boil is more than 2 gallons outdoor burner (a.k.a. turkey fryer). These your own. A number of grain mills designed
(9.1 L), we strongly suggest you acquire connect to readily available propane tanks specifically for homebrewing can be pur-
this piece of equipment. and put out enough heat to quickly pro- chased at homebrew stores. These aren’t
duce a rolling boil. Just remember, these cheap, with prices ranging from $85-$140.
Secondary Fermenter burners must be used outdoors! Prices run
As homebrewers advance, one of the from $50-$90. Good Reading
first things they add to their equipment If you haven’t already, check out your
is a secondary fermenter, preferably a Grain Mill homebrew store or shop.beertown.org to
glass carboy. This is just an additional Many homebrew shops will crush grain for find out about books for homebrewers.
fermenter, which allows you to rack your
beer off the trub in the primary fermenter
so that it can be aged. If left on the trub
too long, the beer will eventually develop
off-flavors. Many beer styles benefit from
extended aging, and a secondary fermen-
ter allows you to age your beer without
risk of developing off-flavors from aging
in the primary fermenter. You can use
your bottling bucket as a secondary fer-
menter; just rack back to your cleaned
and sanitized primary fermenter when
you need to bottle.
Propane Burner
Few domestic stoves are powerful enough Propane Burner
to boil 6 or 7 gallons (27.3–31.8 L) of wort
Grain Mill

by Amahl Turczyn Scheppach
EXTR aCT TIPS
Brewing Great Extract Beers

A Comes in a variety of grades (e.g. A Water composition, dissolved salts and
U sing malt extract has both advantages
and disadvantages over using a grain amber, light, dark, etc.) barley quality out of brewer’s control
mash, but ultimately you are sacrificing A Widely available A No control over fermentability of
control over the brewing process—and A Unhopped extract quite versatile for diluted wort
a little extra cash—for the convenience recipe formulation A Even extra-light extracts can produce
extract offers. With today’s sophisticated A Hopped extract can make brewing darker beers than all-grain process
methods for producing extracts, there process extremely easy A Can scorch if added directly to a boil-
are no sacrifices in quality. Here are the A Can be used to supplement all-grain ing kettle
highlights. beers or kit beers
A Great yeast nutrient for meads Suggestions for Maximizing
Malt Extract Pros your Malt Extract Experience
A Requires less brewing equipment Malt Extract Cons A Use the freshest extract you can find
A Less time needed per brew A Expensive relative to all-grain A Dilute with softest water possible
A Easier to brew high-strength beers A Limited shelf life—will darken over A Use light or extra light extract and
A Bulk brands often cheaper and fresher time color with specialty grains if desired
A Convenient medium for making yeast A Both syrup and powdered forms can A Use plain, unhopped extract and add
starters be messy hops separately
DON’T GO THIRSTY…OR BROKE

AHA Member Deals: Saving you money on good beer
AHA members save money at pubs, breweries, homebrew shops and more. With
more than 675 participating businesses across the nation, you’re bound to find
deals near you. Bring your AHA member card and enjoy!
AHAMemberDeals.org
American Homebrewers Association
Check out the mobile Member Deals locator! A Division of the Brewers Association
www.BrewersAssociation.org

A Store away from heat, light and oxygen
Jaromir Jagr Honey Lagr A Remove kettle from heat before adding
A Dry extract added to boiling wort =
potential boilover
A Liquid malt extract (syrup) contains
for 5 U.S. gallons (19 liters) This is a light, dry, easy-drinking easy-to-
about 20-percent water
brew Pilsner beer with a touch of honey. It
5.0 lb (2.26 kg) light liquid malt
A Heat extract syrup just before adding
goes well with hockey games.
to lower viscosity
extract
1.0 lb (0.45 kg) honey Pilsner lager strains are attenuative enough
A For kit brewing, substitute dry malt
0.5 lb (227 g) 10L crystal malt to make this a balanced, refreshing lager,
extract whenever sugar is called for
1.0 oz (28 g) US Hallertau hops but remember that a hefty pitching rate and
(pellets), 4% alpha acid a lengthy lagering time are necessities for Estimating Original Gravity
(60 min) this beer. Steep crushed crystal malt in 155° If you are making a purely extract-based
0.5 oz (14 g) US Hallertau hops F (68° C) soft brewing water for 30 minutes, beer, you can use the following method
(pellets), 4% alpha acid then remove grains, add honey and extract, to estimate your original gravity (O.G.).
(30 min) and bring to a boil. The larger a volume of Brewing software packages will help
2 packages Wyeast 2007 Pilsen Lager wort you can manage to boil, the lighter a you determine your O.G. with a greater
or White Labs WLP800 beer you’ll end up with. Skim off any foam degree of accuracy, since you can include
Pilsner lager yeast that collects on the surface of the wort, then a greater variety of parameters, but for
carefully add your first charge of hops. Boil the beginning brewer, this method will
Original Specific Gravity: 1.042 for 30 minutes, add the last hop charge, get you in the ballpark. As a benchmark,
Boil Time: 60 minutes and boil another 30 minutes. Chill down to 1 pound (0.45 kg) of the following fer-
at least 60° F (16° C), aerate (stir or shake mentable sugars dissolved in 1 gallon of
to dissolve oxygen in wort, which will help water will yield the following original
fermentation), and pitch yeast. Ferment at gravities:
50 to 53° F (10 to 12° C) until fermentation is Granulated sugar 1.042
complete, then rack into secondary fermen- Corn sugar (dextrose) 1.040
ter and lager (cold age) 10-12 weeks at 35° F
Dry malt extract 1.040
(2° C) or so. Prime with Coopers Carbonation
Liquid malt extract 1.034
Drops at bottling.
Honey 1.030
Pale malt (mashed) 1.025-1.028
Crystal malt (steeped) 1.016
Multiply the number of pounds of each

ingredient by last two numbers of the
original gravity listed above. Then, since
these are for 1 gallon only, divide by the
number of gallons you will be brewing.
Let’s say you are making a 5-gallon batch
of honey lager. You are using 3.5 pounds
of light malt extract syrup, 1 pound of
honey, and are steeping a half a pound
of crushed, 10L crystal malt. So for the
extract, 5 times (1.0)34 = 170; for the
honey, 1 times 30 = 30; and for the crys-
tal malt, 0.5 times 16 = 8. Total extract is
170 + 30 + 8 = 208, divided by 5 gallons
= 41.6, so you can expect an original
gravity of 1.0416, or about 1.042.
Amahl Turczyn Scheppach is the asso-

ciate editor for Zymurgy. He now
brews at home in Lafayette, Colo.
3 4 ZYMURGY: An Introduction to Homebrewing The American Homebrewers Association is at www.HomebrewersAssociation.org

3 DAYS 500 BREWERIES 2,000+ BEERS
Great American
Beer Festival
®
The nation’s largest

For more information visit
GreatAmericanBeerFestival.com beer tasting event!
Held each Fall
Photo © Shutterstock
in Denver, Colorado
The Great American Beer Festival
is presented by the Brewers Association
www.BrewersAssociation.org ®

WINNERS CIR CLE
National Homebrew
Competition
E very year, the American Homebrewers

Association organizes the AHA
National Homebrew Competition, the
beer at home for the fun of it—yet their
finished product was rated by experi-
enced beer judges as being the best
world’s largest beer competiton, in which homebrew in the country. These repre-
thousands of beer entries from all over sent a few of the very best of the best. We
the world are judged. Awards are given to hope that these gold medal-winning reci-
the top three entries in each of 28 style pes will inspire you to try your hand at
categories. Many of these recipes use reproducing their championship cre-
malt extract and follow simple brewing ations. And who knows, maybe one day
procedures like those you have already soon your own favorite handcrafted beer
learned. The following beers were recipe will find its way into the elite
brewed by people just like you, making ranks of Zymurgy’s Winners Circle.
Belgian Dubbel
GOLD MEDAL, AHA 2009 NATIONAL HOMEBREW COMPETITION
Phil Keener, Ashland, OH
for 5 U.S. gallons (19 L) Bring 1 gallon (3.8 L) of water to a boil.
6.6 lb (3.0 kg) Muntons light liquid Remove from burner and stir in extract,
malt extract candi sugar and maple syrup. Boil for a total
2.0 lb (0.9 kg) Extra light dry malt of 60 minutes, adding hops as indicated in
extract the recipe. Strain into fermenter with 3 gal-
1.0 lb (0.45 kg) Belgian candi lons (11.4 L) of cold water. Top up with cold
sugar water to make 5 gallons (18.9 L) total. When
0.25 cup (59 ml) maple syrup temperature drops below 75º F (24º C), pitch
2.0 oz (57 g) Cascade hops, 5.75% yeast. Ferment for 10 days at 70º -72º F (21º-
alpha acid (60 min) 22º C) or until airlock activity ceases. If you
1.0 oz (28 g) Cascade hops, 5.75% have a second fermenter, rack to secondary
alpha acid (5 min) fermenter and age 30 days. If you do not
2 packages Wyeast 1214 Belgian ale have a second fermenter, age another one to
yeast two weeks in primary fermenter before bot-
5.0 oz (142 g) corn sugar (to tling. Bottle with 0.5 oz (142 g) corn sugar.
prime)
JUDGES’ COMMENTS
Original specific gravity: 1.068 “Estery at first. Banana/bubblegum domi-
Final specific gravity: 1.012 nates. Mild caramel malt, not very intense.”
Boiling time: 60 minutes

Northern German Altbier
Scott Miglin, Mt Vernon, Ohio
“Strike Team Chanukah Altbier”
for 5 U.S. gallons (19 liters) Steep grains at 150º F (66º C) for 30 minutes in 1 gallon (3.8 L) of
water. Strain out grains, add extract and bring to a boil. Boil for a
2.75 lb (1.25 kg) Munton’s amber dry malt extract total of 60 minutes, adding hops as indicated in the recipe. Strain
3.0 lb (1.36 kg) Munton’s dark dry malt extract into fermenter with 3 gallons (11.4 L) of cold water. Top up with cold
1.0 lb (0.45 kg) 60° L caramel malt water to make 5 gallons (18.9 L) total. When temperature drops to
2.0 lb (0.9 kg) dextrin malt around 65º F (18º C), pitch yeast. Ferment for 5 days or until airlock
1.0 oz (28 g) Magnum pellet hops, 13.5% alpha acid activity ceases. If you have a second fermenter, rack to secondary
(boiled 60 min.) fermenter and age 25-30 days, preferably cold (30-35º F/1-2º C). If
1.0 oz (28 g) Columbus pellet hops, 14.3% alpha acid you do not have a second fermenter, age another one to two weeks
(boiled 5 min.) in primary fermenter before bottling. Bottle with 0.75 cup corn sugar.
1-2 packages (0.94 L) Wyeast No. 1007 German ale yeast
0.66 cup corn sugar (to prime) JUDGES’ COMMENTS
“Chocolate roastiness is a touch bigger than I wanted. Very easy to
Original Specific Gravity: 1.058
Photo © 2012 Brewers Association
drink and enjoyable. To bring it into style more, reduce the chocolate.
Final Specific Gravity: 1.020 Also hopping would be enhanced more if it tasted German.”
Boiling Time: 60 minutes
“Very drinkable beer. Good balance of hop to malt. I’d prefer a bit
more maltiness and doing so could enhance beer within style guide-
lines.”

Glossary
* Spice Beer
Clean—Denotes the absence of visible soil Roger Gibson, Liberty, MO
or debris.
“Summertime Ginger Ale”
Dry Yeast—A powdered or granular form
of yeast that has been dehydrated.
FG—Final Gravity. The same as terminal for 5 U.S. gallons (19 L) Steep Belgian aromatic malt for 30 minutes
gravity. A measure of the density of finished
beer. in 1 gallon (3.8 L) of water while heating to
2.0 lb (0.9 kg) extra light dry 150º F (66º C). Strain out grains, add extract,
Hops—The green, cone-like flowers of malt extract honey and lactose and bring to a boil. Boil
a rapidly growing vine properly called
1.0 lb (0.45 kg) clover honey for a total of 60 minutes, adding hops and
Humulus lupulus. Hops impart bitterness
to beer and, depending upon how they are 4.0 oz (113 g) Belgian aromatic ginger as indicated in the recipe. Strain into
used, can also confer a range of flavors and malt fermenter with 3 gallons (11.4 L) of cold
aromas to the finished product. 0.5 lb (226 g) lactose (added to water. Top up with cold water to make 5 gal-
boil) lons (18.9 L) total. When temperature drops
Malt—Short for “malted barley,” the cereal
grain from which beer is made. Raw barley 1.0 oz (28 g) Spalt whole hops, below 70º F (21º C), pitch yeast. Ferment for
is malted by wetting it and allowing it to 2.5% alpha acid (boiled 5 days or until airlock activity ceases. If you
germinate. The grain is then dried so that 45 min) have a second fermenter, rack to secondary
it can be stored and transported for use 2.0 oz (56 g) fresh chopped gin- fermenter and age 10 days, adding remaining
by brewers.
ger (boiled 15 min) ginger during the last 7 days. If you do not
Malt Extract—A solution of sugars and Wyeast Kolsch yeast No. have a second fermenter, add ginger directly
other compounds extracted from malted 2565 to your primary fermenter after fermentation
barley and used in the making of beer. 2.0 oz (56 g) fresh chopped gin- ceases and age 7 days. Bottle with 0.75 cup
Mash, mashing—A thick combination ger root (seven days) corn sugar.
of crushed malt with hot water designed 0.75 cup (177 ml) corn sugar (to
to extract malt sugars and flavors. Unlike prime) JUDGES’ COMMENTS
steeping, this process strives to activate the
“A clean beer with a touch of ginger for
natural malt enzymes in order to maximize
the conversion of starch into sugar. Original specific gravity: 1.028 complexity. Missing honey character.”
Final specific gravity: 1.000
OG—Original Gravity. The specific gravity, Boiling time: 60 minutes “A nice beer, but the honey character could
or density of the wort prior to fermentation.
be increased. The ginger buries the subtlety
Pitch, pitching—The addition of yeast to of the Kolsch style. Nice effort.”
wort to initiate fermentation.
Rack, racking—The process of transfer-

ring wort or beer from one container to
another.
Sanitize—To treat with solutions that

dramatically reduce the number of microor-
ganisms present on a surface.
Secondary Fermentation—A second,

slower stage of fermentation. Many beer
styles benefit from aging fermented beer in
a secondary fermenter. Beer is racked off
trub from the first fermenter into a second
fermenter and allowed to age an additional
two weeks to several months.
Steep, steeping—Soaking of crushed

grains in hot water to extract flavor com-
ponents.
Wort—The boiled solution containing malt

sugar and hops that is cooled and pitched
with brewers yeast to produce beer.
Yeast—The single-celled organisms

responsible for converting sugar into alco-
hol and carbon dioxide during the making of
beer and other alcoholic beverages.

LAST DR OP By Brian Yaeger
Becoming a Zymurgist
I started homebrewing because when

people at beer fests and book events
asked if I brewed, I grew tired of answer-
ing “no.” For three years, I soaked up
beer culture through breweries’ histories
and brewers’ stories. I lit out on a jour-
ney to write a book about the American
craft beer scene. My “research” led me
on a 10,000-mile odyssey to meet (and
drink) with the owners and employees of
14 breweries—1 percent of the domestic
market at the time—to catch a glimpse of
the brewing arts.
I say arts because as someone who can

neither paint nor draw nor sing nor even
score very high on “Rock Band,” I’ve
always applied my one artistic merit, writ-
ing, to those who create.
After the book was published, what I I have just bottled my first batch, a ses-
encountered at author events through- sionable Extra Special Bitter. Batch No. 2
IF NOTHING ELSE, I NOW out the country—this time rolling 13,000 is perhaps overly ambitious for a newbie.
miles—was a tremendous, emphatic I’m attempting a Latte Stout, tossing lac-
BETTER UNDERSTAND THE tose and coffee beans in the mash, and
homebrewing community. The one ques-
DIFFICULTY AND POTENTIAL tion I got more than “Did you make it to I’ve been advised to percolate some cof-
MISHAPS SO AS TO GAIN (insert favorite brewery)?” or “Why didn’t fee in case it’s needed during secondary
you visit (insert same favorite brewery)?” fermentation.
EVEN MORE RESPECT FOR
was “Do you homebrew?” I explained
BREWERS, BOTH THE PRO that my mission was to meet the men and My girlfriend loves stouts and lattes. And I
AND HOME VARIETY. women who brew professionally so that all may just draw her into the act this way.
of us who don’t brew at home are able to
stay plied with great beer. This is all “research” for my next book
Furthermore, I can cook but I can’t bake. project, which is not only about beer, but
When it comes to that exact science, I could not ignore, however, that I’m hits closer to home.
particularly when a recipe calls for bakers blessed with having a homebrew sup-
yeast, I wind up with a clump of dense ply shop a few blocks away. And a large Transitioning from beer fan and writer to
dough that doesn’t rise. closet. And a tolerant—even supportive— zymurgist (which I refer to myself as with
girlfriend. great humility for fear of denigrating all
With several great books already out there those who do it so well), I’m embracing
Photos courtesy of Brian Yaeger
on the science and mechanics of brew- So I made the leap from ale enthusiast to what we all know about brewing, that it’s
ing, I was solely interested in the human homebrewer. If nothing else, I now bet- both an art and a science.
aspect. Besides, I suck at science. When ter understand the difficulty and poten-
you make a mistake in storytelling, it’s tial mishaps so as to gain even more Brian Yaeger is the author of Red,
easy to edit. That’s what the delete but- respect for brewers, both the pro and White, and Brew: An American Beer
ton is for. When you err in science, say, home variety. Now when people ask me Odyssey (St. Martin’s Press). He blogs at
zymurgy, the drain is your delete button. the “do you” question, I answer yes, as http://beerodyssey.blogspot.com/
4 0 ZYMURGY: An Introduction to Homebrewing The American Homebrewers Association is at www.HomebrewersAssociation.org

IV ZYMURGY: An Introduction to Homebrewing The American Homebrewers Association is at www.HomebrewersAssociation.org

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❋ Special Edition ❋

FOR THE HOMEBREWER & BEER LOVER

The Journal of the American Homebrewers Association®

What How to Advice from

American Homebrewers Association®

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to:

Cover Photo © 2012 Brewers Association

2 ZYMURGY: An Introduction to Homebrewing The American Homebrewers Association is at www.HomebrewersAssociation.org

Want to Brew Your Own Beer?

So, if you are standing in the homebrew

7 | HOMEBREW AND BEYOND 11 | Basic Brewing Equipment

The American Homebrewers Association is at www.HomebrewersAssociation.org ZYMURGY: An Introduction to Homebrewing 5

Yes, You Can Brew Your Own

I’m not saying that every homebrewed beer

It is legal, by the way. Jimmy Carter saw

Brewing is like many other activities that

But some people feel that homebrewing

Creative outlets abound in brewing. From

The American Homebrewers Association is at www.HomebrewersAssociation.org ZYMURGY: An Introduction to Homebrewing 7

As a brewer, you’ll also take on a new

Ray Daniels is director of the Cicerone

8 ZYMURGY: An Introduction to Homebrewing The American Homebrewers Association is at www.HomebrewersAssociation.org

For starters, just substitute extract for sugar,

Don’t worry too much about over-bitter

The American Homebrewers Association is at www.HomebrewersAssociation.org ZYMURGY: An Introduction to Homebrewing 9

Larry Wilson Kent Lancaster

Dear Larry, Dear Kent,

Seriously, The Professor stands ready to answer

In recent months I have been getting ing questions to “Dear Professor,”

10 ZYMURGY: An Introduction to Homebrewing The American Homebrewers Association is at www.HomebrewersAssociation.org

What You’ll Need

I n order to make beer at home, you’ll

All of these items can be purchased

Things you usually have already

The American Homebrewers Association is at www.HomebrewersAssociation.org ZYMURGY: An Introduction to Homebrewing 11

Air Lock and Stopper

The American Homebrewers Association is at www.HomebrewersAssociation.org ZYMURGY: An Introduction to Homebrewing 13

Glass or Plastic Carboy

Options and Accessories

Carboy and accessories

14 ZYMURGY: An Introduction to Homebrewing The American Homebrewers Association is at www.HomebrewersAssociation.org

An Essential for Good Beer

Items to Clean and Sanitize

On bottling day, this includes:

B eer is created when brewers yeast

The American Homebrewers Association is at www.HomebrewersAssociation.org ZYMURGY: An Introduction to Homebrewing 15

“No-rinse” sanitizers only require contact

Note that you do not need to sanitize

By the way, if you fail to clean and sanitize

16 ZYMURGY: An Introduction to Homebrewing The American Homebrewers Association is at www.HomebrewersAssociation.org

This is an American-Style craft—brewed Pale Ale

B efore beginning to brew this recipe,

The American Homebrewers Association is at www.HomebrewersAssociation.org ZYMURGY: An Introduction to Homebrewing 19

20 ZYMURGY: An Introduction to Homebrewing The American Homebrewers Association is at www.HomebrewersAssociation.org

The American Homebrewers Association is at www.HomebrewersAssociation.org ZYMURGY: An Introduction to Homebrewing 21

German-Style Wheat Beer (Weizen)

22 ZYMURGY: An Introduction to Homebrewing The American Homebrewers Association is at www.HomebrewersAssociation.org

To do this, you’ll run warm (about

Once prepared, this yeast slurry can be