Brewing your own beer has endless creativity but there are some basic ingredients you will need to get started.

1. Brewing
Beer

2. Beer is an alcoholic beverage produced by extracting raw materials
with water, boiling (usually with hops), and fermenting. In some
countries, beer is defined by law—as in Germany, where the standard
ingredients, besides water, are malt (kiln-dried germinated barley),
hops, and yeast.
What is beer?
History of brewing
Beer doesn’t just taste great; it has a fascinating history too. Brewing,
in some form or other, has been around for thousands of years, with
evidence of recipes dating back nearly as far as 2000 BC. The Beer
quickly became the most popular alcoholic beverage in the world, with
currently around 2 billion hectolitres being brewed worldwide, per
year.

3. These are processed grains which have a naturally
high starch content. Brewers use the starch for the
formation of sugar and the eventual production of
alcohol. Malted barley, or malt, is the brewer’s
preferred grain for making beer though many
other types of malted and non-malted grains are
commonly used.
MALT
Ingredients
HOPS
Hops are what makes beer beer. They provide a
flavour and aroma and help keep the beer fresher
for longer. In most brewing situations, some
number of hops are boiled in wort for 1-1.5 hours,
and it is during this time that the ‘alpha acids’
provide the main bitter and preservative element
of beer.
YEAST
Yeast is the most important element of brewing.
It’s what converts the sugar to alcohol. Most yeast
manufacturers indicate the ‘style’ of beer the yeast
is most suited to, in order to help you in the
beginning.
WATER
Pure, clean water is essential as it makes up more
than 85% of your beer. The better that quality of
the water, the better the beer. With the correct
knowledge and adjustments, water can be the
difference in turning a great beer into an amazing
beer!

4. A brew kettle is used to boil wort during the
wort-creation process. We recommend
choosing a high-quality product here,
especially one made from 304 stainless steel.
The resistance to corrosion and heat damage
which will prove its value over time and last
for years.
BREW KETTLE
B R E W I N G
E Q U I P M E N T
MASH TUN
If you are proceeding to all-grain brewing from
extract, then you may also need to get your
hands on a mash tun for the additional
mashing process. While many systems
combine both the kettle and the mash tun into
a single piece, it is possible to use a separate
mash tun from your kettle.
FERMENTER
A critical piece of equipment for any
brewer. A fermenter is where the sugary
solution made from steeping malted grains
in warm water (the wort) takes on its
alcoholic content.

5. There are only 3 rules in brewing. Sanitise, sanitise
and sanitise! It may not be the most enjoyable part
of brewing but it’s the most important. The last
thing a brewer wants is a batch of beer ruined by
avoidable contamination.
SANITASING
Brewing Process
MASHING
Mashing refers to the process where enzymes in
the grain convert complex starches into sugars
which can be turned into alcohol. Using a ‘Mash
Tun’ the grains are steeped in warm water usually
between 65°C – 68°C (149°F – 154°F) for an hour.
BOILING
Boiling concentrates, sanitises and contributes
significantly to the final wort composition, which in
turn controls many of the factors in flavour, body
and palate fullness of the final beer. It‘s also where
we add delicious hops.
FERMENTATION
To begin the fermentation process, you transfer
cooled wort to a fermenting vessel and add the
yeast. During this process, the yeast converts the
sugar in the wort to alcohol and CO2. Important
flavour compounds are also being created at this
stage.

6. KEGGLING & BOTTLING
Bottling beer
Bottling is generally the cheaper and simple option for those starting out. It also
makes it easier to turn up to a BBQ with your latest homebrew in hand.
Just like everything in brewing, bottles need to be clean and sanitised.
Fortunately, this can be as easy as running them through a hot wash in a clean
dishwasher. Bottles can be glass or plastic and can be reused to make the hobby
even more sustainable.
Kegging
Kegging beer is a more consistent alternative to bottling – it also takes less time.
Kegs can be hooked up to a tap and served just like your local brewery. It’s more
of an investment but as well as ease of process, it comes with the ultimate
bragging rights. Picture your next hangout, sharing your latest brew from your
home bar set up. If you think kegging is the way to package up your brew, you can
find some great tips in our guide to kegging.