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HOME BREW
Here's the cheap and easy way to make amazing home brew!
by Zach Brown
Understanding the ingredients:
Malt is germinated and roasted barley and provides the sugar necessary for fermentation. There are many, many, different types of malt that can be used .In the picture below, there is a bag of malt, and a big plastic jar that says "malt extract". The best way I can describe malt extract is to compare it to chicken bouillon; a concentrated chicken stock. When malt is mixed with hot water and steeped, like tea, a sweet liquid is made. The process of "steeping" is called "mashing" and is where starches are converted into sugars. Once strained, this sweet liquid called wort (pronounced wert) is collected into a brew pot. Malt extract is simply a concentrated wort packaged neatly and compactly for the home brewer. There are a few advantages to malt extract. Less equipment is needed for the home brewer, less space is needed, and less time is needed. As far as taste in the final product is concerned, there is really no difference. The only real limitations of malt extract are present when trying to expand beyond the flavor that the extract offers. Because of these limitations, some extract recipes come with specialty grains to accompany the extract. These additional grains are referred to as "steeping grains". Just to clear up any confusion, there is nothing wrong with extract brewing. In fact, at brew competitions all over the world, home brewers are winning with their extract recipes.
Hops are important for a few reasons and play a major role in beer. They provide bitterness, acidity, and aroma. Most home brew kits come with pellet hops, which are compressed hop flowers and are the industry standard. At your Local Home Brew Store (LHBS) you can find hop plugs, and whole hops too. There isn't a difference in quality, and it all boils down to preference.
Yeast is the catalyst and fermentation would not be possible without it. Shown below is a package of yeast called a "smack pack" because it must be smacked in your hand to pop the bag inside the bag to activate the yeast. This should be done ahead of time to give sufficient time for the yeast to propagate and so the swelling bag can be a visual cue that the yeast is alive and well. We wouldn't want to pitch (brewers use this word when talking about adding yeast to the cooled wort) dead yeast into our wort. Yeast will eat the fermentable sugars, and the byproducts will be CO2, and alcohol.
Water is the vessel for all of the wonderful things that will ultimately become your beer!
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Understanding the equipment:
Airlock: A very simple "check" valve that allows a gas to move out, without letting anything in. |
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| Thermometer: Proper temperature identification is important for mashing, cooling, and pitching our yeast. |
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Hydrometer: This is the tool we use to measure Specific Gravity of liquids. In other words, how much sugar is in a liquid. This is very important for determining our Original Gravity (O.G.), and later to determine the completion of fermentation, and ultimately to calculate our alcohol content. |
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Sanitizing solution is a must. Everything must be cleaned thoroughly and sanitized or the risk of a ruined batch of beer is imminent. |
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Here is a bag of steeping grains. |
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The grains need to steep for an hour at 154F which will convert all of the starches into sugars. |
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Straining out every last drop of sweet wort from the grains. |
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Hop pellets. That's 2 oz right there, and it's all you need for a 5 gallon batch! |
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The wort must be boiled for an hour, watching carefully so it doesn't boil over. Portions of the hops need to be added at different times throughout the boil for bittering and aroma. |
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After the boil, the wort needs to be quickly cooled down to 80F by placing the pot into a sink full of ice water. Once this is accomplished, the wort needs to be poured into the primary fermentor, the gravity reading needs to be taken, and the yeast must be pitched. I take very careful notes when I brew because there is no way I could keep all of that info straight. The airlock needs to be attached and the lid secured. |
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Bon Appetite! |
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Chef Zachary Brown showed an interest in food at an early age and has worked very hard to make it his career. Classically trained at Johnson & Wales and mentored by chefs in numerous fine dining restaurants, Zach has immense talent and and a deep commitment to the culinary field.
He currently serves in the US Navy, and just finished his tour on the USS Pasadena (SSN 752) attack submarine. In December, Zach will begin his new job as an Enlisted Aide Private Quarters Culinary Specialist in Washington D.C.
One day he hopes to own a restaurant in the Boston area with an undisclosed theme. You'll just have to stop by and see it for yourself.
If you have questions or comments, you may email Zach at zepicurean@comcast.net
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