How to Make Homemade Beer

Beer, the most ancient alcoholic beverage is produced with the help of a brewing process. In the brewing process, the starch that is found in cereal grains, malted barley, wheat, maize and rice is fermented. One of the most common ingredients that is found in all kinds of beer is the hops. The hops act as natural preservatives it beer and also renders it's distinctive taste. Sometimes, other preservatives and flavors like herbs are also added during the fermentation process. The beer that is brewed world wide is often divided into two categories, namely, pale lagers and ales. Most of the beers have a rather low alcohol content, that ranges from 4% to 6%.

Now a days making beer at home has become very fashionable. Many people have actually started brewing their own beer in huge quantities at home. The following is a very simple recipe that can be tried out by people, who have just started brewing their own beer.

How to Make Homemade Beer – Simple Recipe

Requirements
The process of brewing your own beer is pretty long and hence a lot of accessories are needed. The following are the tools that are needed for the process:

• A large pot that can hold about 3 gallons of liquid and a 10 gallon big bucket.
• A vinyl tubing, kitchen thermometer, a long spoon and also a set of empty bottles with caps to store the beer.

Along with these tools, ingredients are also required:

• Water
• 40 oz malt extract
• A packet of yeast
• 7 cups of sugar

Procedure

• Step 1: In the first step all the utensils that are to be used for the process are supposed to be sterilized. Hence, wash the pot, bucket and the spoon in almost boiling water or in the dish washer.
• Step 2: Pour exactly 3 gallons of fresh water in the bucket and place it at such a location that it would not be disturbed for a very long time, during the period of brewing. It must also be ensured that the temperature in the room does not go above 20 degrees Celsius very often.
• Step 3: Boil about 2 gallons of water in the large pot and keep on stirring. Add the malt extract when you see bubbles in the water. After about 20 minutes the water starts boiling due to the immense heat underneath. Now is the time to add and dissolve the sugar.
• Step 4: After the sugar has been dissolved, tip the contents of the whole pot into the large water filled bucket. It is extremely important to pour the contents quickly due to which the air bubbles get trapped in the mixture. The air bubbles are extremely important because they play a significant and important role in the fermentation process.
• Step 5: In this step pour some cool water over the brew so that the temperature comes down. After the temperature of the brew equals to the room temperature, add yeast and stir till it disappears. Then covet the bucket with a lid or a foil and leave it stable for fermentation.
• After a time span of about 10 to 12 days or more, have few drops of the beer. If the beer tastes sweet, let it ferment for few more days till it becomes bitter.

The brew eventually changes into delicious homemade beer. Beer brewing is not complete with just the fermentation of the beer. It is also important to bottle the homemade beer.

• To bottle the beer, first sterilize all bottles either in a dish washer or in a pot of boiling water.
• Add two table spoons of sugar, to all the bottles.
• The next step is the most critical step. Using the tube, siphon off the beer into the bottles and fill them up completely. Make sure that you leave some space for the liquid to move. Be very careful and 'do not disturb' the sediments at the bottom of the bucket.
• Shake the bottles till the sugar dissolves and preserve them for a long, long time in a cool place.

The best beer can be tasted after the bottles have been stored for a few years. You can also try out other homemade beer recipes that are available on the Internet. Some of them will have excellent and delicious results.

Always remember never over drink even though the beer, indeed, tastes delicious. Avoid abuse and addiction of alcohol. An Irish proverb says,

"Drink is the curse of the land. It makes you fight with your neighbor, it makes you shoot at your landlord and it makes you miss him."

Also there is nothing wrong in drinking, as Thomas Jefferson appropriately advices,
"Beer, if drunk with moderation, often softens the temper, cheers the spirit and promotes health."

Cheers!!