| |
| |
|
Your Recipe Center |
Making beer is easy, inexpensive, and most of all, fun. With the rise in popularity of homebrewing, there are a wide variety of top quality ingredients available.
You can literally make hundreds of styles of beer that will taste great and impress your friends. Getting started making beer will only cost you a small amount of money, depending on your level of interest. Most beer making kits range from only $60 to $200 and make great, unique gifts.
How to Make Beer
Making Beer is just like cooking. Each recipe requires different ingredients and techniques. This page is an attempt to go over the basics of homebrewing in order to give you an understanding of how beer is made.
First of all, beer is made from 4 basic ingredients: water, malt (malted barley), hops, and yeast.
Water
Water is the most abundant ingredient in any style of beer. When making beer at home try to use filtered water instead of plain tap water. If your water doesn't taste good from the tap, you probably won't like it in your beer either. Do not use distilled water because it has been depleted of its oxygen.
Malt
Malted barley is barley grain that has been carefully soaked in water until it sprouts and then dried. This malting process develops the necessary sugars and soluble starches needed for fermentation.
The malt is then taken through a process called mashing which extracts the sugars and starches from the grain. Although advanced homebrewers can accomplish this step at home, most will buy the malted barley already mashed in a product called malt extract.
Hops
Hops are green flowers that grow on a vine and look similar to pine cones. They perform several roles in the beer making process. Most notably are the taste and aroma they impart on a beer.
Since not all of the sugars will ferment, the malt will cause the beer to be really sweet. Hops will balance out the sweetness by adding a degree of bitterness. Hops will also add a distinctive aroma to the finished brew.
Yeast
Yeast is the catalyst that makes it all happen. In short, yeast is a living organism that feeds off of the sugars in the malt. The yeast will convert the sugars to alcohol and carbon dioxide in a process called fermentation.
There are many strains of yeasts (even in the air we breathe). In order to get the results needed for making beer, a specially cultured beer yeast is required. The yeast will also impart taste and mouthfeel qualities to the beer.
The Beer Making Process
To summarize, the malt, hops, and water are boiled for a period of time. This mixture is called wort (pronounced wert). Then the wort is poured into fermenter and allowed to cool.
Next, the prepared yeast is pitched into the fermenter and an airlock is placed over the opening. Now it's the yeast's job to do its thing.
The yeast will multiply like crazy as it consumes the sugars in the brew. After a period of time, usually within 7 to 10 days, the yeast will have consumed all that it can and fall to the bottom of the fermenter.
Finally, the beer is bottled and set aside for a couple of weeks to mature and carbonate.
Making beer at home really is a fantastic hobby and can be a great social activity. Have some friends over and let them try your new brew. Better yet, get them involved and see who can make the best batches. Have blind taste tests with your buddies. Most of all, have fun!
About The Author
Jason Ditto
Author of the www.2BASNOB.com website about the enjoyment of coffee, tea, wine and beer.
Raspberry adds twist to old recipe Hattiesburg American I asked her to write her recipe. So, to new friend, Jenny Busby, here is her recipe. I can't wait to try it! In a large pot, place figs and Jell-O. Bring to ... |
PF Chang's eggplant dish worth duplicating MiamiHerald.com A: PF Chang's does not share its recipes, but since this is one of my favorites at the chain, I did my best to duplicate the flavors. ... |
Lemon Cake: So good, but a recipe for weight gain San Angelo Standard Times The recipe for you in her book might as well have been a singles ad: Lemon Cake seeking main squeeze. Must possess sense of humor and parchment paper. ... |
Recipes Using Essential Oils New York Times By THE NEW YORK TIMES Fill a small vial or jar, preferably with a twist-off cap, with a natural salt. Add 5 to 10 drops of therapeutic grade peppermint ... |
 Telegraph.co.uk | Rose Prince's recipes for August: Tomato tart with basil oil Telegraph.co.uk Thin and crisp, the buttery base of this easy-to-make tart shows off the flavour of sweet cooked tomato. By Rose Prince Bake it thoroughly and it will last ... Rose Prince's recipes for August: land of plenty Rose Prince's recipes for August: Baked eggs with roasted sweet peppers and ... |
Free Range on Food: Summer beers, drinks and recipes Washington Post Two of the grain salad recipes I have tried recently call for soaking the chopped or sliced onions in cold water, then draining. What does this step do? ... |
 Palm Beach Post | Celebrate National Ice Cream Month with new frozen treats The Star-Ledger - NJ.com Their 50 recipes for ice cream, sorbet, and other frozen treats include fresh and dried herbs and spices, such as basil, cumin and cinnamon. ... Making ice cream at home is a snap Exploring a summer love of ice cream Creamy without cranking |
Recipes: Mango Lassi and Mel's Mango Chicken Seattle Times The standard recipe here can be altered to your taste — if you are watching calories, use ice or water in place of the milk and an artificial sweetener in ... |
 Telegraph.co.uk | Rose Prince's recipes for August: Chicken in curried yogurt sauce with peach ... Telegraph.co.uk I love the Kit a Kat curry powder blend from the Spice Shop in Portobello, which is ideal for this recipe. Buy it online, or from 1 Blenheim ... |
Let's camp out! Creative recipes, games, and activities for camping with ... Kansas City Star For my family, camping is the perfect mix of the sublime and the ridiculously fun. Even little moments can be big adventures. ... Let's camp out! Creative recipes, games, and activities for camping with ... |
| home | site map |
| © 2007 |