14 - SIMPLE METHOD: Enhancements

Enhancements
Once you've made a few batches of your own homemade beer, it's fun to experiment with different 'enhancements'. When adding your own personal touch, however, caution is always a good idea; try things in small amounts so as not to over-do it.
Here are few suggestions:


• Molasses. Add a cup or two of molasses to the malt while it's cooking. Cut back a bit on the sugar. This will impart a darker, more full-bodied taste to the beer. Blackstrap molasses is darker and richer; Fancy molasses is lighter.
• Licorice. Throw a few sticks of licorice into the malt while it's cooking. Leave in for 5 - 10 minutes, then remove any unmelted pieces before pouring the brew into the carboy.
• Hops. Put whole hops (dried) or hop flakes into a cheesecloth bag and add to the cooking malt. A handful is plenty. This will give a distinctive hop flavor to the beer.
• Herb teas. Try adding 3 or 4 teabags of Celestial Seasonings "Bengal Spice" tea, or "Apple Cinnamon Spice" tea. Add to the cooking malt and remove after 10 minutes. This will add a bit of spice to the taste of the beer, a very interesting flavor.

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12 - SIMPLE METHOD: Bottle

Bottle
Set the carboy on a sturdy table and the 12 2-liter bottles on the floor, with newspaper underneath to catch drips or overflows. Using a funnel, put 2 level teaspoons of sugar in each bottle.

Siphon the beer into the bottles, trying not to disturb the sediment on the bottom of the carboy. (One method is to tape a plastic straw alongside the bottom end of the siphon hose with 1" projecting beyond the end. The tip of the straw can touch the bottom of the carboy without the siphon drawing up sediment.) Tip the carboy as you near the bottom.
It is important to not splash or agitate the beer too much when bottling as any oxygen introduced can lead to oxidation and a “cardboard” taste.

As you fill the bottles, keep the end of the siphon tube near the bottom of the bottle to avoid frothing. It is essential that the bottles ar not completely filled - leave an airspace. Screw the caps on tightly. Invert each bottle and shake to dissolve sugar on the bottom. Set bottles in a warm area for the first few days, then store in a dark, cool spot. You can drink the beer within a few days of bottling, but it will improve with age.

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8 - MORE FERMENTATION

This second stage fermentation takes place in the bottles. That is why it is important for your bottles, as well as all your equipment, to be completely spotless and germ-free.

• You will need pure dextrose, to make a priming solution. This allows the remaining yeast in your beer to carbonate. Put 3 cups of water into a saucepan and dissolve ¾ cup of dextrose in it. Bring it to boil, then cover it and set it aside and let cool for 15 to 20 minutes.

• After the solution has cooled, pour it into the bottling bucket. Then use the hose and allow the beer in the primary fermenter to flow freely into the bottling bucket.

• Hook up the plastic hose to the spigot on the bottling bucket and line up all the bottles on a level surface. You are ready to bottle your beer. Stick the hose in the bottle and fill. Leave about one inch of airspace at the top of the bottle.

• After all the bottles have been filled, you must cap them as soon as possible. They are vulnerable to dust and bacteria if they are left in the open air. Check all bottles for leakage and re-cap if necessary.

• Find a cool, dark place to store the bottles while they are in their second fermentation stage. Any location is good as long as it is a steady temperature of 60-70 degrees. Now you should wait for a minimum of two weeks before you can have a drink fest.

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6 - BREWING YOUR BEER

Cleanliness is extremely important in brewing the perfect batch of beer. Bacteria and fungi can ruin your beer if it is not completely removed from your brewing equipment.
You must clean and sanitize all your equipment

To make beer from a beer kit:
1. Steam 2 quarts of water to 160-180F, then remove from heat.
2. Add your beer kit ingredients and fermentables according to the directions. Each variety of fermentable will contain a unique flavor.
3. Stir the ingredients together, make sure everything gets dissolved. Put a lid on the pot and let it sit for 10-15 minutes on low heat.
4. Add the contents of your port to 4 gallons of cold water already in your primary fermenter. Mix well, this will add oxygen to your wort before you add the yeast. When the side of the fermenter feels cool, it is a sign to add the yeast. Some kits recommend re-hydrating your yeast in water, but it is not necessary.

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4 - HOME BREWING EQUIPMENT

You will need the following items before the brewing process begins. You can purchase these items from our online or from your local brewing supply store.

• Brewpot
• Primary fermenter
• Airlock and stopper
• Plastic hose
• Bottling bucket
• Bottles
• Bottle Brush
• Bottle Capper (if glass bottles are being used)
• Stick-On thermometer
• Household Items

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2 - BREWING

Step 1
Fill the pot 2/3 full of water and bring to a boil. When the water starts to get hot, add the malt extract syrup. Be sure to stir constantly until the syrup is completely dissolved. After the mixture, known as wort, begins to boil you won't need to stir any longer because the natural agitation of the bubbles will keep things moving.

Step 2
Boil the wort for at least an hour. This process kills any living organisms that may be in the wort, which will spoil the beer.

Step 3
Add about an ounce of hops, or more depending on your taste. More hops creates a more bitter beer. For a milder beer, add less than an ounce.

Step 4
Add the "finishing hops" to the pot right before you turn off the heat. You can add a quarter or so of an ounce. The addition of these hops are not going to add much bitterness because they are added late in the boiling cycle.

Step 5
Remove the wort from the heat and cover with a tight lid immediately. Put the pot into an ice bath. Add ice to the bath as necessary to cool the mixture as quickly as possible. Make sure that the lid stays on the wort to ensure it stays bacteria-free.

Step 6
Transfer the cooled wort to your fermenter and top off with cold tap water. You can use chilled, pre-boiled water if you are concerned about contamination. Shake or stir the liquid every so often to add air to the mixture.
Step 77
Add the yeast to the wort. You can either add the yeast straight from the envelope or rehydrate it in boiled, cooled water and then add it. Once you've added the yeast, apply the lid and airlock. It will be at least a week before you will bottle the brew.

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