20 steps to brewing your own craft beer at home.

1. Home Brewing 101
20 Steps to
Brew, Ferment, Bottle & Condition a Beer
from an Extract Kit Using Basic Equipment
Gil Lopez
Queens Library
Summer 2017

2. Societies as we know them formed some 10,000 years ago, as agriculture replaced hunting
and gathering. The creation of crude fermented beverages from grain, many historians argue,
was one key reason for the abandonment of the nomadic lifestyle. So without beer we’d still
be chasing the herds…
Then, realize that beer is a living thing, comprised of live cultures of microorganisms that
create its many unique flavors. These living beers have long been downed at pubs, the
classic meeting place outside the home — a nexus for anything from politics to music to arts.
Sixpoint Brewery
Red Hook, BK

3. Home Brewing 101
20 Step Process
Section 1: Preparation
1. Gather Equipment
2. Sanitize, Sanitize,
Sanitize!
3. Prepare Key
Ingredients
Section 2: Let’s Brew
4. Steeping Grains
5. The Boil
6. Cool the Wort
Section 3: Fermenting
7. Transfer to
Fermenter
8. Add Water
9. Aeration
10. Add Yeast
11.Seal the Fermenter
Section 4: Bottling
12. Complete
Fermentation
13.Sanitize Bottles
14. Prepare Sugar
15. Transfer Beer
16. Fill Bottles
17.Cap Bottles
Section 5: Enjoy
18. Bottle Conditioning
19. Refrigerate
20. Enjoy!

4. Section 1: Preparation
1. Gather Equipment
2. Sanitize, Sanitize, Sanitize!
3. Prepare Key Ingredients

5. Step 1:
Gather Equipment
Make sure you have the proper equipment. Use the
following as a guide: Sanitizer, Brew Kettle/Pot,
Thermometer, Triple Scale Hydrometer,
Fermentation Vessel, Air Lock, Stir Spoon, Auto
Siphon, Bottles, Bottle Brush, Bottle Caps, & a
Bottle Capper.

6. Sanitizer
Fermenting
Vessel
Air Lock
Auto-Siphon
Thermometer

7. Beer Bottles
Bottle Capper
Bottle Caps
Triple
Scale Hydrometer

8. Home Brewing Starter Kits
These starter kits include all the equipment you will need to brew at home. Kits range
from $100-$230 for 5-gallon setups and between $35-$100 for 1-2 gallon brew batch
equipment.

9. Step 2: Sanitize, Sanitize, Sanitize!
Thoroughly clean and sanitize everything that is going to come in contact with
your beer. The easiest way to do that is to use an electric dishwasher set at the
high heat setting or use a powdered cleanser such as PBW (Powdered Brewery
Wash).
Do not use a scrubber that will scratch the surface of whatever you're
scrubbing—pathogens will grow in the grooves left behind, and they're almost
impossible to sanitize.
You can use bleach but it is not advised because it is more involved and may
cause unwanted flavors in your beer. You must sanitize with bleach then a
vinegar solution. It also requires rinsing, which can introduce microorganisms to
your sterilized equipment.
Remember, in beer brewing, you can do just about anything you want, and add
anything you want, to make whatever kind of beer you want—but proper
sanitizing is the MOST important thing you can do. Take the time and the energy
to do it right.

10. – Christopher Morley
“Cleanliness is indeed next to godliness.”

11. PBW & StarSan
PBW and Star San are great sanitizers
for your equipment. When mixed
properly, they are food safe and require
no rinse. Contact time is only one
minute. These are two of the most
economical solutions for your sanitation
needs. Widely used by brewers across
the globe.

12. Step 3:
Prepare Ingredients
Lay out everything before you begin. Have your
equipment at the ready and all your ingredients
prepared and measured before you begin.

13. Brewers Best Kit
Different styles of beer requre different quantities of grain, malt and hops. We will not get into these
details for this 101 class. Brewer’s Best kits contain the proper quantity of ingredients for a variety of
specific beer styles, plus priming sugar, yeast, caps and brewing instructions to make brew day simple
and easy.

14. The Four Key Ingredients
Before beginning the brewing process, you must first
understand the four key ingredients necessary to brew
a batch of beer: water, fermentable sugar, hops, and
yeast. Each ingredient is integral to the recipe and
must be cooked in a certain way to yield a successful
batch of brew. Understanding their basic qualities and
how each ingredient is meant to react with the others
is an important aspect of beer brewing.

15. Water
Water makes up 90% of the brew, so using
tasty water makes a big difference. If the
tap water at your house tastes good to you,
then it is fine to use for beer brewing. If you
don’t like the way your tap water tastes,
then you can use bottled or distilled water
instead. If you use tap water, boil it first to
evaporate the chlorine and other chemicals
that may interfere with the brewing process.
Let the water cool before using.

16. Fermented Sugar (&
Malt Extracts)
Malted barley is the ingredient
commonly used to fill the sugar quota
in a home brew recipe. Some brewers
will substitute a percentage of corn,
rice, wheat, or other grains to add a
lighter flavor to the beer. Beginning
brewers should purchase a ready-to-
use form of malted barley called malt
syrup or malt extract.

17. Malt Extracts
Ready-to-use forms of malted barley
include liquid Malt Extract (LME) and
Dry Malt Extract (DME). Using a malt
extract will guarantee the fermented
sugar is prepared in just the right
manner and will act as it needs to
throughout the beer brewing process.

18. Hops
Hops are cone-like flowers found
on a hop vine. They lend the bitter
flavor to beer that balances out
sweetness. Hops also inhibit
spoilage and help keep the “head”
(the frothy top when a beer is
poured) around longer.

19. Hop Varieties
& Their Characteristics
Choosing a variety of hops to
brew with can be a fun, but also
confusing. Certain beers styles
rely on specific types of hops to
impart unique flavor. This chart
can help determine which hop
variety you want to use based
on its hop characteristics. You
may also want to consider the
Alpha Acid %, what common
beer styles and their possible
hop substitutions.

20. Yeast
Do not use bread yeast for beer brewing! Beer
yeast is cultivated especially for use in brewing.
Beer brewing boils down to mixing a mash of
malted grain (often barley) with hops and then
fermenting it with lager or ale yeasts. There are two
broad categories of beer yeast: ale and lager.
As their names suggest, the type of yeast used
plays an important part in influencing the type of
beer that will be made. Do not rely on the yeast to
define the beer, however, as all of the ingredients
play a part in the taste and type of beer you will
create.

21. Beer Yeast
BEER YEAST IS A SINGLE-CELLED FUNGUS THAT METABOLIZES SUGARS AND
PRODUCES BYPRODUCTS SUCH AS ETHANOL, CARBON DIOXIDE AND
VARIOUS ESTERS AND CHEMICALS.

22. Ale Yeasts
Ale yeasts yield a darker and more alcoholic
brew.
Ale yeasts are top-fermenting, which means they
tend to hang out at the top of the carboy while
fermenting and rest at the bottom after the
majority of fermenting has occurred. Ale yeasts
will not actively ferment below 50 degrees F (20
degrees C).

23. Lager Yeasts
Lager yeasts yield a light, crisp and
golden brew.
Lager yeasts are bottom-fermenters
and are best used at a temperature
ranging from 55 degrees F (25 degrees
C) down to 32 degrees F (0 degrees C).

24. Section 2: Let’s Brew
4. Steeping Grains
5. The Boil
6. Cool the Wort

25. Step 4: Steeping Grains
Fill your 5 gallon brew kettle with 2.5
to 3 gallons of water. As you heat
your water, put any specialty grains
into a grain bag (a mesh bag to
contain the grains—like a tea bag,
only a lot bigger). Steep your grains
for 20-30 minutes, or until your water
reaches 150-170 degrees.
When you remove your grains, allow
the water to drip out of the grain bag
back into the kettle. Do not squeeze
the bag, because you may extract
tannins that will give your beer an
astringent flavor.

26. Step 5: The Boil
Bring your kettle to a boil, add the malt
extract and bring everything back to a
boil. The hops are usually added at
various intervals to add flavor,
bitterness, or aroma and the times will
be spelled out for you in the kit's
instructions for your style of beer.
In general, hops added early in the boil
will contribute more bitterness, but at
the expense of flavor and aroma. Hops
added at the end of the boil will have a
more pronounced flavor and aroma, but
will not contribute significantly to the
bitterness of the beer.
You now have wort (pronounced wərt).

27. Step 6: Cool the Wort
After you have boiled the liquid (called
wort—, you need to cool it as quickly as
possible. The easiest way is to put the
whole pot in a sink or bathtub that is
filled with ice water. But the most
effective way is to use a wort chiller. A
wort chiller is inserted into your wort.
Cold water runs from your tap, through
the chiller, and out to the sink bringing
the heat of the wort with it. Either method
will get you the desired results.
You can gently stir the wort to help
expedite the cooling, but try not to splash
or aerate the wort while it's still hot (it can
make for some funky flavors).
Once it's around 80°F (27°C) you are
ready to transfer it to the fermenter.

28. Section 3: Fermenting
7. Transfer to Fermenter
8. Add Water
9. Aeration
10. Add Yeast
11. Seal the Fermenter

29. Step 7:
Transfer to Fermenter
After sanitizing your fermentation vessel, the
cooled wort can be poured or siphoned into your
fermenter. Some pots even have a valve for easy
transportation from your kettle to your fermenter.
Using a large strainer (usually cheapest at
restaurant supply stores), scoop the hops out—
you've already got all the good stuff out of them. (If
using a carboy, strain the wort as you pour it into
the carboy).

30. Step 8:
Add Water
Add water to bring the level to (5) five gallons (20
liters).

31. Step 9: Aeration
Aerate your wort by splashing it
around in its container. Yeast
need oxygen and splashing your
wort will help.
This is the one and only time that
splashing is encouraged. Yeast
need oxygen, and splashing the
wort as you pour it into the
fermenter will deliver that.
Once fermentation has started,
you want to minimize exposure to
air, as it will lead to off flavors and
aromas.

32. Step 10:
Add Yeast
You are now ready to "pitch"
(add) the yeast.
Some yeast requires that you
"bloom" (stir with warm water to
activate) them prior to pitching,
others do not.
Dry yeast is the easiest as you
typically don’t have to prepare it
beforehand. Sanitize the yeast
pack and a pair of scissors, cut
the corner off the yeast pack,
and pour the yeast into the
fermenter.

33. – Ralph Waldo Emerson
“God made yeast, as well as dough, and
loves fermentation just as dearly as he
loves vegetation.”

34. Step 11:
Seal the Fermenter
Put the lid on your fermenter
(or stopper in your glass
carboy) and affix the air-lock to
the top. Put the fermenter in a
dark area that stays a fairly
consistent room temperature
(around 68 degrees for
ales...lagers need refrigeration
to ferment properly). In about
24 hours, you should notice the
air-lock happily bubbling away,
if it hasn't started doing
anything after 48 hours, you
might have a problem such as
dead yeast.

35. Section 4: Bottling
12. Complete
Fermentation
13. Sanitize Bottles
14. Prepare Sugar
15. Transfer Beer
16. Fill Bottles
17. Cap Bottles

36. Step 12: Complete Fermentation
After a week or so, the activity from the airlock will
slow to a crawl. Leave it alone for two weeks
measured from the time you first started the
brewing/fermenting. The beer is now ready for bottling.

37. Signs of Spoilage
Keep your eyes peeled for strands of
slime in the beer and a milky layer at the
top and/or residue bumps clinging to the
air space in the bottleneck. If the beer
has strands, it most likely has a lacto
infection and should be discarded. The
milky layer is a sign of a micro-derm
infection; this beer should also be
discarded.

38. Step 13: Sanitize Bottles
Sanitize your bottles, bottle filler,
bottle caps, and bottling bucket
you will be using for transfer.
Use a bottle brush on your
bottles to make sure they are as
clean as possible. You will also
want to sanitize any transfer
hoses you use for this step.

39. Step 14: Prepare Sugar
Your kit probably came with
some priming sugar or DME
(dried malt extract)., this may
also be called priming sugar.
This is used to provide
carbonation to your beer once it
is in the bottle.
Boil the sugar in a little water
(approx. 16 ounces) and cool it.
Then, add it to the empty,
cleaned and sanitized bucket
with the spigot or to your
fermented beer.

40. Step 15: Transfer Beer
Use your cleaned and sanitized
plastic tubing as a siphon to
transfer the beer as gently as
possible—so that there's little or
no aeration—from the fermenter
to the bottling bucket with the
priming sugar solution in it. Try
not to get any of the sediment
(trub) from the fermenter into the
bottling bucket.

41. Step 16: Fill Bottles
Attach your cleaned and sanitized bottle
filler to your clean and sanitized plastic
tubing, the other end of the tubing attaches
to the bottom end of the spigot. Open the
spigot on your bottling bucket and push the
bottle filler to the bottom of the bottle. This
will let the beer flow into the bottle. Fill each
bottle to the top. When you remove the
bottle filler, it will leave the perfect amount
of space at the top of the bottle.
(If you are only using one bucket, it is
important to let the fermented beer settle
after stirring in the priming sugar solution.
There is sediment on the bottom (trub) that
will lend an off flavor to your beer).

42. Step 17: Cap Bottles
Cap the bottles with bottle caps
and a bottle capper.
There are various types of bottle
cappers including the table top
capper, double arm capper and
hammer capper.

43. Section 5: Enjoy
18. Bottle Conditioning
19. Refrigerate
20. Enjoy!

44. Step 18: Bottle Conditioning
Store the bottles at room temperature for
roughly two weeks. This gives your beer
proper time to carbonate.
Keep bottles cushioned with a towel or
newspaper. Sometimes, if too much
sugar is added, bottles can pop their top
or if thin walled glass is reused instead of
purchasing proper bottles, they may
shatter and make a huge mess.
(The pressure gauges in the image are
only to demonstrate this process, you do
not need to measure the pressure inside
the bottle)

45. Step 19: Refrigerate

46. Step 20: Enjoy!

47. – Abraham Lincoln
“I am a firm believer in the people. If given
the truth, they can be depended upon to
meet any national crisis. The great point is
to bring them the real facts, and beer.”

48. Resources and References
http://www.northernbrewer.com/learn/homebrewing-101/
http://drinkcraftbeer.com/home-brewing/how-to/how-to-home-brew-beer-
in-your-kitchen.html
http://www.popularmechanics.com/home/how-to-plans/how-to/g143/how-
to-make-brew-beer/
http://dish.allrecipes.com/how-to-brew-beer/
http://sixpoint.com/about/
http://www.taptrail.com/advances-in-beer-yeast/

49. – Bill Owen
“Give a man a beer, and waste an hour.
Teach a man to brew, and waste a lifetime.”