Home Brew Beer Beginners: How To Produce Your Own Ale

For hundreds of years, people have been brewing their own alcoholic drinks, which includes home brew beer. At different points in history, most countries had restrictions on the practice. Now, although there may still be restrictions in some countries and limits to the alcohol content in others, it is often legal to engage in this pastime.

Before producing a beer or ale, a recipe will need to be chosen. Just like cooking a meal, following a recipe to create a beer will give it a distinctive taste, and by altering the recipe, something new can be created. In general though, all beers will need to contain at least some water, barley malt, hops and yeast (for the fermentation).

The quality of the water is very important simply because beer is about 90% water. It cannot be distilled because the yeast needs minerals in the water so that it can properly ferment the alcohol. This makes a good quality spring water the best choice. Tap water can also be used if it has a mineral content and no chlorine. If there is chlorine in the water, it will need to be boiled out before using it.

Barley contains minerals and has a sugar content; both of these are used during fermentation. Before the barley is introduced into the mixture it can also be processed with heat to change its color and taste. The more it is heated, the more sugar will be turned into starch, and the darker it will become. This is the basic process used to create darker ales.

Hops are bitter so are used to balance out the taste of the beer. However, by boiling them for different amounts of time, the taste can be changed. Boiling them for a very long time can create a very bitter tasting beer, whereas boiling them for just a few minutes will create a more aromatic brew.

Yeast is extremely important as it is what ferments the mixture and produces alcohol. Yeast produces alcohol by consuming the sugar content. There are only two main types somebody brewing at home is likely to come across: Lager yeast and ale Yeast. Ale yeast can ferment alcohol at room temperature, which means it is much easier to use. Lager yeast is necessary to produce beers like Pilsner, but it needs a cold room in order to properly ferment; this means it is not suitable unless one has a specialized container to brew the beer.

The concept of brewing the beer is much like following a recipe whilst cooking; every little change in the times or measurements will make a beer that tastes slightly different. The basic method is to soak the grains in the water, boil the mixture, adding the yeast and then waiting for the fermentation process to happen over a few weeks. There are various pieces of equipment that will need to be purchased, or for the first-time brewer an all-in-one package can be purchased (usually at lower cost). This means that it can be very quick to get started.

Even after hundreds of years and the availability of cheap beers in stores, home brew beer continues to be a hobby for millions of people around the world.

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