The Technical Stuff.

I have quickly realised that an explanation of the basic brewing methods and ingredients is needed. So here is a simple run down of things you need to know when trying to create your own yummy beers:-

What makes a Beer?

1) Malt. This gives the beer its colour, most of the flavour and most of the sugars needed to ferment with the yeast. There are lots of kinds, but we shall discuss the varieties as we come across them whilst making different beers.

2) Sugar. The malts alone rarely generate enough sugar to create the right amount of alcohol. Commercial brewers do not use the sort of sugar you and I put in our tea. These sugars are too refined for brewing. Less refined sugars such as syrups are a much better idea as they impart some flavour and sometimes colour to your beer.

3) Hops. These delicate petals give the beer the bitterness to balance the maltiness. They also give a beautiful aroma. Again there are lots of different types and the ones you use can make a huge difference to the character of your beer. We will talk more deeply about the hops when we come across them in the recipes.

4) Adjuncts. Other cereals are sometimes used in brewing beer, such as wheat, rice and barley. These are used for a number of reasons. To give extra flavour or just to save costs (as they are cheaper than malts) and even for giving your pint a better foaming head.

5) Yeast. This coverts the sugars into alcohol and your beer wouldn’t be much good without that stuff. It also produces the carbon dioxide needed to make your beer all fizzy! Amazingly there are many different varieties of yeasts and the one you pick depends on the style of beer you are aiming for. A beer for example should only be called ale if it has been brewed using ale yeast.

Brewing techniques.

1) Yeast starter. It’s worth getting the yeast cultivating before you start brewing. The yeast is added to some sugary warm water and left to its own devises a day before you start.

2)Mashing. This is when you add the malts and adjuncts to hot water in a suitable boiler (must be around 62-66c) and is left at this temp for about an hour. A pan on your domestic cooker will do but a brewing boiler with a thermostat is a much easier way to do it. The exact temperature is needed to create the right conditions for enzymes to break down the starch into fermentable sugars.

3) Sparging your wort. This is just the retrieval of those fermentable sugars from the mashed grain; this liquid is called the wort. This is normally collected using a grain bag, which allows you to lift the mashed grains from the boiler. The bag must be supported in such away to allow the remaining wort contained within the grain to drain out and be collected. Once I start my brewing I will include pictures to demonstrate what I mean.
Once the grains look fully drained further wort is collected by gently pouring hot water over the grains. This process is continued in till the desired amount of sweet wort is achieved.

4) Boiling. Once the desired amount of wort is collected it requires boiling along with the hops for about an hour. Once completed it can then be topped up using cold water to produce the correct amount of liquid.

5) Gravity reading. A specific gravity reading can be taken at this point. This will require a devise called a hydrometer. It is used to measure the amount of sugar in the solution. Various things can be worked out from this reading including the potential alcohol content. It is also a good way of checking the progress of the beer.

6)Fermentation. Once cooled to room temperature the yeast can be added.

7) Bottling or putting in barrels. Both require priming of the container. This means adding a little sugar to the bottle or barrel to restart some more fermentation. Because the beer will be fermenting in an air tight container the carbon dioxide is trapped. This is what gives the beer its head and fizz.

8) Drinking. The best bit.