Why not get brewing, says homebrewing enthusiast Abby Jones.
If you are thinking about homebrewing, you need a few things to get started, but not as many as you think and some of it is already in your kitchen.
You need basic tools, a recipe, ingredients and a vague understanding of the science and the terminology. To start off, you will need some equipment (or approximations).
Equipment
10 litre pot
Straining bag (or muslin) to hold the grain
Measuring jug
Kitchen scales
Cooking thermometer (easily found online)
Mixing paddle (or big spoon)
Steriliser/sterilised bottles or containers
Airtight tub/container for fermentation
Ingredients
Water Grain/malt
Hops
Yeast
There are six basic steps to making beer.
The mash: This is where you mix and heat up grain and water, breaking down the grain’s starch into sugars.
Sparging: This is where you pull out the grain and give it a good rinse down to get out all the good stuff. This leaves a sugary liquid, called wort.
The boil: This is where the wort is boiled. This kills any bacteria. It is also the time where you add hops, depending on the flavour you want from the beer.
Fermentation: You will then put your brew into a fermenting vessel with a bit of yeast, which changes the sugars into alcohol.
After about two weeks, you can bottle your beer, adding just a little extra sugar for the final stage of development in the bottles.
After about three or four weeks, drink!
Once you have all the above, go online and find a recipe which will tell you timings and measurements or pop into the London Beer Lab to get a recipe and ingredients.
Happy brewing!
