How to brew a batch of ale
Making beer or ale is fairly simple, once you have all the equipment. And you don’t need a ton of fancy equipment either.
You need a brew pot ( at least 2 gallon ). A 6 gallon, food grade plastic bucket, with tight fitting lid and hole in lid for air lock.
Search online for a home brew starter kit and you should find one for around a 100 dollars.
This one will get you going and has the ingredients for your first batch.
You brew pot should hold at least 2 gallons, the more you can boil, the better.
Get one with a THICK, SOLID, bottom and made from Stainless Steel. They cost more but they will last a lifetime. The thick bottom is probably a copper core, surrounded by SS. This is good and it will dissipate the heat and help prevent burning!
Stainless Steel Stock Pot
Next up it put some water in the pot. Don’t fill it up because you will be adding about seven pounds of other stuff.
Put at least a gallon and a half of water in and set on stove.
Toast your malt:
Pre-heat oven to 350 deg F.
Spread 1/4 lb of whole pale ale or two-row malt on a cookie sheet.
Cook for 10 minutes then watch. Let it go for a few minutes but don’t let it burn.
Toasted Grain
Mill your grain or crush thoroughly with a rolling pin.
Brewing:
Use a grain bag for the grains. Add the grain to 2.5 gallons of cold water and heat until the water boils, stirring occasionally.
Grain Bag
Add extract and honey and stir until dissolved. Add first Cascade hops. Bring to a boil and boil for one hour. You must watch your brew kettle at all times, but especially in the first 20 minutes of the boil, because it can boil over at anytime.
Add the last of the hops 2-4 minutes before the end of the boil.
Cool the wort down to around 100 degrees. Then add it, and additional cold water to make a total of 5 gallons, into your primary fermentor.
Chilling the Wort
Pitch the yeast, seal your bucket or carboy and install the fermentation lock.
Ferment for 6 to 8 days or until fermentation stops, then bottle according to your normal procedures.
Ok, after several pints, I will sign off and return and edit this post at a later time.
Salud
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