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General Ingredients and Equipment
Each recipe will call for different types and combinations of hops, yeasts and grains, depending on the kind of beer you want to make. If you're brewing for the first time, consider using a recipe that calls for using a malt extract. This will make your first home brew easier. However, if you're feeling adventurous, or have experience brewing, you may want to make an all-grain beer from scratch, meaning no extracts. You'll also need sugar, as per the recipe, to prime your beer for bottling.
One of your ingredients will be water. Water will affect the taste of your brew, so if you don't like the taste of your water, don't use it. Consider using spring water or filtered water instead.
General equipment includes kitchen cookware, such as a large pot that can boil five or more gallons of water. You'll also need a metal stirring spoon, a measuring cup and a probe thermometer.
You'll also need a fermenter and lid, maybe two, depending on your recipe and how you choose to ferment your beer. These are essentially food-grade plastic buckets except the lids are designed to add an airlock. If you do a second fermentation, you may want your second fermenter to be made of a different material, such as glass carboy. You'll also need a bottling bucket with a spigot and plastic tubing.
Then, of course, you'll need bottles. If you think you might turn brewing into a hobby, consider getting swing-top Grolsh-style bottles, as these bottles are reusable and easy to cap. Otherwise, you'll need to get separate caps and a bottle capper.
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Sanitization
You should sanitize your brewing equipment before you use them because you don't want any harmful microbes ruining your beer.
Wash the equipment with soap and warm water. Then, using a solution of one tablespoon of bleach for every gallon of water, sanitize the fermenters, bottling bucket, tubes, measuring cups and spoons, stirring spoon, airlock, thermometer, bottles and anything else you're doing to use during the transfer and fermentation process for at least 20 minutes. You can do this by placing the smaller pieces of equipment into the fermenters and bucket, then fill the containers with your sanitizing solution. Rinse everything thoroughly when you're done.
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Brewing and Fermenting
Depending on what yeast you've purchased, you may have to prepare it by soaking it. Some yeasts do not require preparation, so read the instructions on your yeast packaging.
Boiling the water and adding the grains, hops and extracts will occur during different stages, and removing the pot from the heat will also be required on occasion. Therefore, make sure you understand your recipe so you can be prepared for each next step. The mixture you create is called a "wort," and you'll see this mixture start to create foam at the top. Watch the pot because you do not want it to boil over. Once you've completed making your wort, adding the last bit hops, you'll need to prepare your fermentation setup.
Depending on your recipe, you may add ice to your fermenter before adding the wort. This will depend on the ratio of water to ingredients used to make your wort. Otherwise, it's a good idea to take the pot and place it into a sink or tub full of ice to rapidly cool the wort. This will ensure that no harmful microbes contaminate the brew.
When adding the wort to the fermenter, use a strainer to remove the foam, used hops and other solids from the liquid. During transfer, splashing will help aerate the liquid to provide oxygen for the yeast. Once the wort has cooled to about 80 degrees F, add the yeast. Cover the fermenter with the lid and cover the airlock hold with plastic wrap and rubber stopper, if the latter is provided with your fermemter. Rock the container back and forth to further aerate the liquid and to mix in the yeast. Active fermentation should begin within 12 hours of adding the yeast and airlock. During fermentation, the airlock should bubble regularly.
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Bottling
Once you are done aerating the wort, remove the plastic wrap and stopper, insert the airlock, and store the fermenter in a dark, cool place for two to three weeks. After this time, you can either use your second fermenter to add flavors to your beer or go straight to bottling.
Add your priming sugar solution to the bottling bucket. This solution is made with part sugar and part water, the ratio of which depends on what sugar is used and the recipe. Using the plastic tubing, siphon the brew into the bottling bucket, careful not to splash. From here, use the spigot to pour the beer into the bottles, slowly at first. Cap the bottles, checking to make sure all the caps are secure. Store the bottles away in a cool dark place for another two weeks before opening one to drink.
