Brewing your first batch – the basics of homebrewing

Homebrewing is a hobby and passion that has existed for over 7,000 years and we're happy to help you through every step of the process in making your own beer, wine, cider, or mead in the comfort of your very own home. You should feel confident that you've come to the right place; love2brew is one of the largest homebrew retailers in the country and known for our incredible customer service, great pricing, and huge (and ever-expanding) love2learn knowledge base. In this easy to understand guide we will walk you through the entire process of brewing step by step allowing you to approach your first beer with confidence and technique!

When considering your equipment you want to make sure you have the right tool for the right job. Our four starter Beer Making Kits (BEK001 / BEK002 / BEK003 / BEK004) are an optimal choice as they contain all of the necessary equipment to brew depending on how you want to approach to hobby. In addition to the equipment included in our kits you may want to pick up the following items (listed below with their part numbers) available at www.love2brew.com . 

• 5 Gallon Brewing Kettle (PLW002)
• Sanitizer (SAN009)
• Funnel (STR009)
• Bottles (BTL005) - For a 5 gallon batch you will need two cases.
• Bottle Caps (CAP036)
• Bottle Washer (BTL014) 

Extract: Extract brewing consists of using dried or liquid malt sugars as your main fermentable sugars. In addition love2brew kits will contain a combination of fresh hops and fresh grains that will help to impact the flavor and color of the beer. Extract brewing is the easiest way to start homebrewing and is what we recommend for new brewers.

Partial Mash: Similar to extract brewing but the grains are steeped longer to facilitate a mash where fermenting sugars are gained from the grains as well as the malt extracts.

All-Grain: This method of brewing consists of extracting all of your fermentable sugars from grains alone using no malt extract. Although not difficult All-Grain brewing is a more complicated process and does require a larger initial investment than Extract or Partial Mash. For more information see our love2learn section on www.love2brew.com .  

We have a large variety of Ingredient Kits primarily composed of Malt , Hops , Yeast that are available depending on what style of beer you would like to brew. The vast majority of beers are , and Water. All of our ingredient kits will come with fresh malt sugars, fresh hops, and most will contain fresh grains to steep for additional flavor and color depending on what style of beer your have chosen to brew. Water is one of the most important aspects of your homebrew. The basic rule of thumb is that if the water you are using is good enough to drink directly then it will be good for brewing. You’re going to need about 6 gallons of water for your brew. If you are using spring water we recommend putting one of the bottles in the refrigerator or freezer half way into your brewing process to use later during the chilling process. As you advance into the hobby you may begin to learn about water chemistry and how altering it may affect your beer by visiting our love2learn section. 

Sanitation is the most important part of homebrewing. Proper sanitation can make the difference between your best homebrew ever and a 5 gallon batch getting poured into the sink.

The concept is simple; by creating wort you are providing excellent growing conditions for your yeast. These conditions are also excellent for other micro-organisms such as wild yeast and bacteria. The objective of sanitation is to clean the area and then sanitize the area.  

Don’t stress sterilizing (eliminating all life) your equipment; instead just make sure you are properly cleaning your equipment and then using a sanitizer.

We offer sanitizer (SAN009) that will allow you to accomplish your goal with relative ease. You should sanitize everything that will come in contact with your unfermented wort; this includes airlocks, fermenting buckets/lids, racking canes, siphoning tubes, carboys, etc.

Items interacting with the wort before/during the boil do not need to be sanitized as the boiling process will kill any microorganisms.

Proper preparation will really help you make your brewing process run much smoother. The first thing you should do is separate your equipment and ingredients in order of use. The order of use of your ingredients will be found on the recipe you are using to brew. As we dive into the stages of brewing a list of equipment needed for each stage will be provided before the instructions. 

Necessary Equipment/Ingredients: Brew Kettle / Water (3 gallons) / Specialty Grains

Add 3 gallons of water to your brew kettle.

Note: If your recipe does not have any specialty grains please skip ahead to the Boil stage.

Specialty grains are used to add some additional flavor and color to your finished beers. The process of steeping grains is akin to making tea; you add your specialty grains to a grain bag, tie it up, and place it in the hot water (150 160°F). Allow grains too steep for 20-30 minutes and maintain temperature as best as possible by reducing flame on stove.

Do not allow water temperature to exceed 170°F while steeping. Remove grains using a spoon after the allotted time allowing them to drip dry. DO NOT squeeze the grains as you risk extracting unwanted tannins from the grains.  

Necessary Ingredients: : Malt Extracts / Hops

Heat your water until it begins to boil. Once you have reached the boiling point you are now ready to add your Malt Extracts. Upon addition of your malt you will create wort! (Pronounced “wert”). Wort is sweet tasting combination of water and liquid grain sugars. Wort is the fundamental building block in beer.

Note: Sometimes instructions provided can be a little confusing to the new brewer. Often the instructions will give an addition time for malt/hops and label it something like “60 min”. Instructions refer to boil additions by the amount of time left in the boil. “Actual Time Boiling” refers to the amount of time the water has actually been boiling for

For example if the instructions/recipe you are using says “6.5 lbs. Pilsen DME – 60 mins.” That means you would add it at the start of the boil (“0”). If there is an addition that says “Cascade Hops – 20 mins” you would add them when the wort has been boiling for 40 minutes. 

Follow your instructions and add your malt extracts to the boil. Make sure to constantly stir during this process in order to mix the wort well and avoid burning of your malt extracts (especially liquid malt extract or LME). It is important to keep your eye on the wort at this stage in the brewing process as foam will result due to the proteins present in the malt and could boil over onto your stove if not properly watched. The proteins will congeal during the boiling and rise. Eventually the proteins will join together and fall to the bottom of the brew pot. This process is referred to as the “hot break” and will take approximately 15-25 minutes to occur but the time may vary. Once the hot break occurs your wort will enter a rolling boil. Some brewers choose to wait until their hot break occurs to begin hop additions and start the timing of their 60 minute boil. This is more of a preference than a requirement.

Note: Once your water reaches a boil the lid to your kettle should not be left on. Malt releases sulfur compounds when it is being boiled. This compounds release into the air as vapor and if the lid is on the kettle they will form a condensation that can generate some off-flavors in your beer if they drip back in.

Similar to your malt extracts, hop additions will be performed on a timed schedule called a “hop schedule”. The schedule is an important part of achieving the desired results within your beer so, as you begin brewing you should pay close attention to the hop schedule the recipe calls for and follow it accurately.

Hops added during the beginning of the boil will be responsible for bittering your beer. As you add hops towards the end of the boil you will affect the flavor and aroma of your beer. As your experience with this hobby grows you will be free to experiment with hop additions to craft your own custom beer to your liking!

Note: If any of your recipes call for an addition at “Flame Out” you should add the hops after completing your 60 minute boil and you have removed your wort from the heat source. 

Once you remove your wort from the heat you must immediately begin to cool it. The easiest way to do this is to prepare an ice bath in your sink. Simply fill your sink up with some cold water (make sure that the stopper is locked in the drain), add ice, and move your brew kettle to the sink. Make sure to use some sort of hand protection like oven mitts as the brew kettle/pot will be hot. Be sure to constantly replace the water and ice to keep the cooling process as rapid as possible.

If you haven’t sanitized your fermentation vessel and airlock yet you’ll need to do so during this cooling period. Monitor the temperature of your wort using a sanitized thermometer. You’ll need to drop the wort down to 90°F before transferring it to the fermentation vessel.

As you brew more often you may be interested in some of the Wort Chillers (WCH001 / WCH002 / BLC014A) as they will dramatically reduce the time necessary to cool your wort to your desired temperature. 

When you are transferring your wort from your brew kettle to your fermentation vessel you want to make sure you are fully prepared with all of the necessary, sanitized equipment. The steps are simple:

1. Add 1 gallon of cold water to your fermentation vessel. If you are not using spring water we recommend using a simple sanitized gallon jug as an easy measurement tool.
2. Pour the cooled wort into the fermentor on top of the water.
3. Add any additional water needed to top off the batch so that it reaches the 5 gallon mark. (Your fermenting bucket has a measurement printed on it; carboys tend to have raised rings to mark the gallon levels.) Try and avoid transferring the “trub” (sludge) on the bottom of your brew kettle into your fermentor.
4. Seal the fermentor (lid or carboy bung depending on vessel) and rock the wort back and forth to aerate the wort.
5. Using your sanitized hydrometer measure and record your future beer’s original (specific) gravity (OG). If you are using a carboy instead of a bottling bucket pour a small sample into your sanitized testing tube towards the end of the transfer. The OG will be used to determine whether or not our fermentation is complete as well as helping you determine the alcohol content of your beer. 

The proper brewing term for adding yeast to your wort is called pitching. If you have followed this guide correctly then your yeast should be ready to pitch into your wort. Using a sanitized pair of scissors open your yeast packet and sprinkle it on top of your wort. If you are using liquid yeast pour it into your wort. It is critical that you have followed all of the necessary sanitation steps up to this point. Any addition of bacteria and/or other contaminants can ruin your beer. Once you have added your yeast you want to seal the lid of your bucket or insert a sanitized rubber stopper into your carboy. Insert your airlock into the grommet or rubber stopper on your fermentation vessel. Fill the airlock with a sanitized solution (water + sanitizer); a small amount of vodka is an acceptable substitute as well. Depending on your recipe you may want to use a blow-off tube instead of an airlock initially. Complex brews are likely to have some violent fermentations that could blow off air locks and cause a mess. Blow-off tubes are comprised of some sanitized 5/16” tubing (RCK001A) run from the fermenting vessel to a container filled with a sanitized solution. Here at love2brew we’ll use a gallon jug filled with a sanitizing solution with the cap attached and a small hole cut towards the top. 

Storage of your fermenting wort is important; you’ll want to store it in a place with a consistent temperature. Basements and/or closets are great places to store your brew. You want to avoid contact with light (sunlight or other) so if you need to store it in an area that will be constantly exposed to light wrap a towel or blanket around your carboy.

Ales should ferment around 67-71°F.

Lagers should ferment around 45-55°F and will then need to complete the lagering process around 35°F. Lagering beers in your home will require a little work however it is well worth it if you enjoy craft lagers the most.. You may check out our love2learn section at www.love2brew.com for methods and techniques on how to successfully lager beers in your own home. 

The fermentation process for your first brew will be fairly hands off for the most part. In 24-48 hours you should begin to see an active fermentation going on within your beer. A good way to judge this if you aren’t using a clear carboy is to check your airlock for bubbles however please note that bubbles are not an accurate sign of whether or not your beer is done fermenting. Primary fermentation times vary however they typically range from 1 to 3 weeks.

Note: It is important to resist the urge to open up your fermenting bucket to peak at the fermentation. The less exposure to the outside world your brew has during fermentation the better.

The layer of foam you see at the top of your beer is called Krausen. As the fermentation process continues that Krausen will dissipate and additional particles in your beer such as hops, dead yeast cells, and grain particles will fall to the bottom of your fermentor. The collection of excess particles is called trub. Having your beer sit on the trub will give your beer flavors that you are looking for initially but having the beer sit on the trub for too long will cause your beer to take on some off-flavors.

Sometimes you will want to transfer your beer to a secondary fermentor. Our Complete Beer Kits (BEK002) come pre- assembled with a secondary fermentor. The choice to transfer to a secondary fermentor depends mainly on the type of beer you are making and what type of additions you are adding. In most cases with your first beer you will not need to transfer to a secondary fermentor. Should you decide that you would like to transfer to a secondary fermentor follow the instructions below: 

Equipment: Tubing / Carboy or Bucket / Airlock / Rubber Stopper (for carboy) / Racking Tube or Auto-Siphon

1. Sanitize everything. We cannot stress this enough. Soak everything in a sanitizing solution and be sure to have a sanitized fermentation vessel on hand.
2. Set the current fermentation on an elevated platform above the secondary fermentor. (Kitchen counter and floor work fine.)
3. Racking is the process of transferring your beer from your fermentor to another vessel, removing it from the trub. Racking is done by creating a siphon from one vessel to another (see instructions above). Follow the steps below to easily bottle your beer.
4. Attach your tubing to your auto-siphon or racking cane and place the other end in your secondary fermentor.
5. Siphon beer by pumping auto-siphon or you’re using a racking cane fill your racking cane and tubing with water and hold both ends. Insert the racking cane into the primary fermentor and put the tubing into your secondary. Release the end and allow the water to flow. Avoid starting a siphon by sucking on the tube as bacteria from your mouth could contaminate the beer.
6. Once the transfer is complete seal your secondary fermentor and add an airlock.

As emphasized multiple times throughout this guide the most important part of the brewing process is sanitation. You must sanitize all of your bottles, caps, the bottling bucket, and siphon tubing. There are a few ways to sanitize your bottles and having a no rinse sanitizer such as Star San will make the process move a little smoother.

1. Sanitize all equipment.
2. Confirm that your bottling spigot is closed.
3. Add your priming sugar/water solution into your bottling bucket.
4. Rack beer from fermentor to bottling bucket. Siphoning your beer on top of the priming sugar solution will sufficiently mix your priming sugar with your beer. This will allow for proper bottle carbonation.
5. Attach your tubing to your bottling spigot.
6. Attach your bottle filler to your tubing.
7. Open your bottling spigot and begin to fill your bottles.
8. Be sure to leave some room in your bottle; an inch is sufficient. This is important so as to give the CO2 enough room to move without creating too much pressure within the bottle.

Once your bottles have been filled they may be capped. Using your Bottle Capper that comes with both each of our Equipment Kits you should place your cap on the bottle and carefully position the capper on top of the bottle. Be sure to have the capper on an even level and apply equal pressure to both handles as you push down; the capper with crimp the caps effectively sealing the bottle. Your homebrew should produce 45-50 bottles of beer using standard 12 oz. Beer Bottles. Make sure that you are using amber beer bottles as green or clear bottles are more sensitive to light and could negatively affect the beer with prolonged exposure to light.

Note: Do not force the cap on. If you feel as though the cap isn’t sealing do not try and muscle it. You seriously risk breaking the bottle and making a mess. Capping is a fairly low pressure process if done correctly. Should you feel that the bottle is not capping move on to the next one. You can always come back later and re-adjust the cap.

Conditioning: Bottle conditioning takes 7-14 days on average with some higher alcohol beers taking longer.. It’s better to be safe than sorry but then again, what homebrewer could ever resist an early sample bottle? Make sure to store the bottles in a dark, room temperature area. After 7-14 days you may transfer the bottles to your refrigerator or leave them at room temperature if your space is limited.