BeerDude
Homebrewing
FAQs
Q:
What
kind of beer can
be made?
A: All types: light, amber, red, dark, ales, lagers, stouts, anything
I'm
in the mood for.
Q: How much beer is made at one time?
A: A typical home-brew batch is 5 gallons, but some guys make enough to
fill a keg, 15 1/2 gallons.
Q: How long does it take?
A: Ales take about a week, other beers a month because you have to age
them. Total labor is about 5 hours.
Q: How much does it cost?
A: About half as much as buying it.
Q: So what exactly is beer?
A: "Fermented barley tea" is the easiest way to describe it.
Q: But beer is made from hops, right?
A: Sort of. The main ingredient (besides water) is actually barley.
Q: What are hops?
A: A fragrant plant. Hop buds give beer a pleasant bitterness and fresh
aroma.
Q So how do you make beer?
A: Here's a summary. Brewers buy malted-barley, and so actually start
with
step 2:
1. Take barley, keep it warm
and wet for 3 days, then dry it. This makes malted-barley.
2. Grind the malted-barley and
cook it in water for about an hour.
3. Drain off the liquid and
discard the barley.
4. Boil the liquid with hops
for about an hour.
5. Let it cool, add yeast, and
let it ferment for about 3 days.
6. Add carbon-dioxide (CO2) for
bubbles (naturally or artificially), and drink it!
Q: That sounds like too much trouble. My grandpa used to make beer in a
bathtub.
A: Uh-huh. And I bet it tasted like it too.
Q: Whatever. So how about step-by-step instructions?
A: Glad you asked. See Equipment, Techniques,
and Recipes.
Comments
welcome: mark.eby@twc.com