So, You Wanna Make Your Own Beer, Eh?

It's really easy, actually.

I just bottled my Summer Ale and everyone's been asking me, "How do you make beer at home?". Well, I took some pictures and I'll go through the process step-by-step with you. The first and most important thing to remember is that Sanitization Is Key. All of your equipment, bottles, and working areas need to be free of any harmful bacteria. You'll be dealing with yeast and fermentable sugars which need a clean environment in order to produce the desired results.

You can start home brewing for about $100 in equipment and as little as $30 in ingredients. A standard starter kit will include a 6.5 gallon food-safe plastic bucket with lid and spigot, tubing for siphoning and bottling, a capping device, a hydrometer, and an airlock (a one-way air valve). Most people choose to pay an additional $20 to receive a 6 gallon glass carboy; it's used for "secondary fermentation" which allows the beer to clarify after sitting in the primary bucket for a week or two.





Left: 6.5 gallon plastic bucket used for primary fermentation and later on for bottling the beer. Right: Highly recommended glass carboy used for secondary fermentation. In this picture we're siphoning the beer back into the plastic bucket in before bottling the Summer Ale.





First-timers will probably want to purchase a pre-assembled ingredients package. You can find basic kits for Pale Ales (Sweetwater 420), Brown Ales (Newcastle), Stouts (Guinness), IPA's, Porters, Wit Beirs, Wheat Ales, the list goes on. The kit will include dried and/or liquid malt extract (malted barley), 1-3 different kinds of hops (in compressed pellet form), an assortment of grains for additional flavor and color, and a magical package of dried beer yeast, specific to the style of beer you're brewing. You'll also find 50 bottle caps and some priming sugar, which is used during bottling.

Clockwise from the top left: bottle capper, siphoning and bottle equipment, assorted grains, liquid malt extract, dried malt extract, dried ale yeast, priming sugar, hop pellets, cleaning brush, instructions, and bottle caps.

Apart from all of this equipment, you'll need a large stainless steel pot of at least 14 quarts capacity (ours is 22 quarts b/c we're ballers). Save 50 clean, brown longnecks. They cannot be of the twist off variety because they won't work and they're an inferior way of keeping beer fresh. Also buy some sanitizer at the brew store.

Now, start by cleaning and sanitizing your brew kettle, primary fermenting bucket, and a long metal spoon for stirring the wort (that's what we call the beer as it's boiling). Carefully follow the instructions for your particular beer, but this is the basic procedure: Heat 1-2 gallons of clean water to about 125 degrees Fahrenheit. Pour your grains into a net (came with kit) and steep the grains for about 20 minutes. Remove the grain bag slowly so it can drain out. Dispose of grains (or compost them or give to local farmer). Bring the wort to a boil. Now slowly add in the liquid and/or dried malt extract(s). Be careful! The malted barley will foam up like a mad man. You should pour it in at intervals, and you may find it necessary to temporarily turn off the heat. You must stir constantly to fully mix the wort. Once that's settled and boiling, add your first set of hops. These are used primarily for bittering the beer. Boil for about an hour, then during the last 5 minutes add a second helping of hops; they'll add a nice aroma to the beer. Hops are also a natural preservative, making them a very important part of the beer.





Left: Steeping the grains. Below: The wort boils intensely as we pour in the malted barley extract.

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Now That's a Meal!

For my dad's birthday this year I decided to cook my family and friends an awesome dinner. It was also Memorial Day weekend, so there was more than one reason to drink booze.

Beer-Braised Beef, Twice-Baked Stuffed Potatoes, Roasted Asparagus w/ Raspberry-
Shallot Sauce, and Honey-Cinnamon Carrots.

The dinner started with some toasted french bread brushed with olive oil (extra virgin, of course) and some homemade bruschetta. My dad grew the tomatoes and most of the herbs that were used to make it. I'll get the recipe and post it soon.

My mom also made some awesome Mojitos. She makes her own simple syrup (equal parts water and sugar, boil to dissolve) infused with homegrown mint leaf. An ounce of syrup, two ounces of premium light rum, club soda, and a squeeze of lime juice, stirred in ice. Delicious and refreshing.



The main course included my popular Beer-Braised Beef. The recipe is in another post below, but succinctly: after browning your beef, caramelize a ton of carrots, onions, and celery in beer (I used Yuengling Black and Tan) over low heat for 45 minutes. Put the beef back in your pan, fill with more beer, and cook 2-3 hours at 350 degrees. The beer and sugars from the caramelized veggies tenderize the beef and give it a mouth-watering flavor.




A new dish that I had been meaning to make for a while was Twice-Baked Stuffed Potatoes (Williams-Sonoma has a good recipe.) After completely baking some large russet potatoes, slice a cross into the top of each one and pull back the corners of skin. Spoon out most of the flesh and mash in a bowl with milk, butter, sour cream, chives, bacon, cheddar cheese, salt, and pepper. You can really experiment with different fillers. Scoop the mixture back into the skins, top with more cheese, and bake for another 20 minutes. You could even rub the skins in some kosher salt before filling to give them that steakhouse authenticity.






Next, I found another new recipe for Asparagus in a Lemon-Raspberry Vinaigrette. After roasting or sautéing some thick asparagus, whisk together some olive oil, minced shallots, raspberry vinaigrette, and fresh lemon juice. Toss the asparagus in the dressing and serve.



My mom also made her Honey-Cinnamon Carrots. Boil some baby carrots for about five minutes, drain, then put in a hot sauté pan with some butter and olive oil. Slowly add honey and sprinklings of ground cinnamon until the carrots are cooked to your liking and resting in a shallow pool of sauce. Service immediately.