A Beginner’s Guide to Brewing Beer at Home

Are you a wannabe beer maker? Brewing beer at home might seem complicated, but if you want your own custom beer for your at-home brewery, why not take up beer making as a new hobby? 

With enough practice, you’ll be making small-batch craft brews that will impress all of your friends. 

Not sure how to get started? No worries, we want to help you out. Keep reading for a quick guide on how to make beer at home. 

Get The Right Gear

First and foremost, you’re going to need the right tools for the job. Beer ingredients vary depending on what you’re making, but the beer brewing equipment is fairly consistent. 

For ingredients, in short, you’re going to need:

• Hops
• Yeast
• Grains
• Malt extract
• Ice

You will need more ingredients for your specific beer recipe, but this is a good starting point. As far as equipment goes, you’re going to need (at a minimum):

• A stove
• A 3-gallon pot
• A grain bag
• A fermenter bucket
• Bottles
• A thermometer
• A hydrometer 
• (Optional): A Co2 tank (check out this resource for more information)

This is only a brief list of things that you’re going to need. You may be able to get many of these items in a beer maker’s kit, but it’s a good starting point. 

Find Your Recipes

Once you’ve assembled some of your ingredients, you’re going to have to decide what kind of beer you want to make. When you’re getting started, we recommend keeping it simple and choosing from pre-made recipes. As you get more comfortable with your brewing, you’ll be able to get more creative and try new things. 

Use beer-making resources to find recipes that other people upload. You can find lookalike recipes for popular beers and some unique options as well. 

Ferment The Beer (Twice)

All alcoholic beverages require fermentation. Bottled beer goes through the fermentation process twice: once in the fermentation bucket, and once in the bottle.

Beer needs to ferment in a cool and dark area for two weeks. The back of a closet or cabinet is a great choice for your fermentation location. No matter what, do not bother the bucket unless you’re checking its temperature. 

When you’re ready to bottle your beer, you’re going to add a corn sugar solution (2 cups of water to 4 oz corn sugar) to the bucket. Fill clean brown bottles with beer, cap them, and then leave them alone.

For your beer to go through its final transformation, you need to let it ferment for up to two more weeks. This extra time will be worth it!

Brewing Beer at Home Is a Science

Brewing beer at home isn’t easy, but it can be a fun, fulfilling, and tasty hobby once you get the hang of it. The most difficult part is learning. Once you have all of your equipment and you have a few failed brews under your belt, you’ll start making your favorite custom beers in no time!

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