==== ==== Please check out The Home Brewing Academy for great tips on Home Brewing. www.besthomebrewingpractices.com ==== ====
When you are brewing beer, there are many different methods. Sure, the process is basically the same. But depending on your brewing expertise, you might perform some steps differently than other brewers. That's why there are so many different beers. So, I'd like to give you some tricks of the trade that you can apply during different brews to see which ones work best for you. Adjust your brews each time so that you can get a different taste. You'll soon find the method that works for you and perfect it each time you brew. Crush Grain When you buy your grain from a home brewing supply store or one of the many sites on the net, you might want to just add the grain as is to your brew. But, you'll want to crush your grain just a little to let out the taste. You're not trying to crush them entirely, just enough to bust open the husks. This is not really a problem at the store, because most will crush them for you. All you have to do is ask. But if you buy from the net, it's easy to do with a rolling pin. Place the extract on the counter and cover with a towel or see through plastic so that you can see when your extract has been crushed enough. You could just purchase a malt mill, but that shouldn't come until you know you want to be a consummate beer brewer. Water Many brewers will tell you to purchase bottled water so that there are no parasites or small bugs that you can't see from the tap. I would agree that for the best beer, you might want to look into doing that. But, I have boiled water for brews before. It's just like being in the military and making mountain water into wonderful fresh water that properly hydrates. Steeping When you add your crushed grains to the water, there are many different ways you can do this mess free. I particularly like using cheesecloth and string. Weave the string through the edges of the cheesecloth and make yourself a type of teabag. Pour your extract into the cheesecloth, tighten the ends and drop in the water before turning up the heat. When you are ready to remove the extract after reaching 160 degrees, it's easy to just pull it out of the water using the string. Let it sit after removing the extract for about 30 minutes. By the way, allowing the heat to reach 160 degrees is a judgment call that can be adjusted. Try 150 and different temperatures until your brewing becomes a great fit for your taste. Also, allowing
it to sit for 30 minutes is another adjustment point. You can find different cooling times that might work better. Brewing Pots Expert brewing enthusiasts might have shiny new looking pots or huge aged pots that they've been using for years. But, I love using the keg. Cut the top off of one of the old kegs you can find just about anywhere. It helps if you are a regular at a bar or know a bar owner. They might just give you one. It's also unique. You just might be the only brewer in your circle of brewing friends who uses a keg. There are many ways to skin a cat. When you are working with brewing beer, you'll find that you might have different methods that you like. Go back and forth. Don't be afraid to experiment. That's how the best brews in the world were made in the first place.
Stan Schubridge is a beer enthusiast who loves tasting new beers and attending beer events. Staying up to date on new innovations in beer and beer products keeps Stan on top of the beer world. You can read a great deal about beer from beer brewing to new inventions at Beertaps Learning Center. Stay up to date with invaluable beer and home bar information by subscribing to our newsletter.
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==== ==== Please check out The Home Brewing Academy for great tips on Home Brewing. www.besthomebrewingpractices.com ==== ====