How to Brew Small-Batch Beer in Your Kitchen

Interesting - small scale BIAB (Brew in a bag) -
Suggestions for improvement - (no specififc order..)
Yeast - at this scale and entry level use dry yeast - Safal US-05 (Fermentis)
only use a 1/4 packet

Bottling - Get grolsh or pry off bottles. clean and soak in water with bleach (40l = 1/4 cup scale as neccesary). Get bottle caps(soak in sanitizer) and bottle capper
Growlers... don't have...+READ

Interesting - small scale BIAB (Brew in a bag) -
Suggestions for improvement - (no specififc order..)
Yeast - at this scale and entry level use dry yeast - Safal US-05 (Fermentis)
only use a 1/4 packet

Bottling - Get grolsh or pry off bottles. clean and soak in water with bleach (40l = 1/4 cup scale as neccesary). Get bottle caps(soak in sanitizer) and bottle capper
Growlers... don't have those in Canada - I think those are basically large bottles of beer - as such if it had beer in it before there is no reason you can't put beer in it again - clean and soak lids as well -

Hops - This batch uses Bittering hops only - You should add 1/4 ounce at 20 min for flavour and 1/4 ounce at the end of boil to steep while cooloing for flavour - dont worry about bag - just throw in pot

Grain - I plugged this into a program called Beersmith 2 - depending on your "efficency" this may be a low alcohol beer - bump the grain up a pound. Also make sure grain is double crushed by Beer Supplier - or put grains in bag and recrush with roller - when removing - after allowing to drain (use gloves) and SQUEEZE the bag to get as much of the liquid out

Fermenting - after putting in the gallon jugs (or use a plastic fermenting bucket) Cover and shake - shake - shake - this gets oxygen in the liquid - the yeast need this for growing/fermenting for this stage

Bottling day - DO NOT SPLASH -this will oxidize beer - tranfer beer "quitely" - The amount of sugar shown below is for putting the beer in separate bottles - if using gallon jugs the amount needed is less ... use the 1 TBSP. If over/under carbed adjust next time

Resources - search mini-BIAB to find out how larger batches can be done using this technique

Here is a brew-day instruction sheet - sorry its mixed metric/imperial
(boil time is 60 min at start of boil and counts down)
ie add second hops with 10 minutes left in the boil time


Recipe: Test Batch TYPE: All Grain
Style: American Pale Ale
---RECIPE SPECIFICATIONS-----------------------------------------------
SRM: 5.1 SRM SRM RANGE: 5.0-14.0 SRM
IBU: 33.2 IBUs Tinseth IBU RANGE: 30.0-45.0 IBUs
OG: 1.048 SG OG RANGE: 1.045-1.060 SG
FG: 1.012 SG FG RANGE: 1.010-1.015 SG
BU:GU: 0.690 Calories: 427.1 kcal/l Est ABV: 4.8 %
EE%: 70.00 % Batch: 7.00 l Boil: 8.78 l BT: 60 Mins

Total Grain Weight: 3 lbs 8.0 oz Total Hops: 28.000 g oz.
---MASH/STEEP PROCESS------MASH PH:5.20 ------
Amt Name Type # %/IBU
3 lbs Pale Malt (2 Row) Canada (2.0 SRM) Grain 1 85.7 %
8.0 oz Munich (10.2 SRM) Grain 2 14.3 %


Name Description Step Temperat Step Time
Saccharification Add 9.40 l of water at 158.2 F 152.1 F 75 min
Mash Out Heat to 168.0 F over 7 min 168.0 F 10 min

---SPARGE PROCESS---
Remove grain bag, allow to drain, Squeeze bag and prepare to boil wort

---BOIL PROCESS-----------------------------
Est Pre_Boil Gravity: 1.038 SG Est OG: 1.048 SG
Amt Name Type # %/IBU
14.000 g Cascade [5.00 %] - Boil time left 60.0 min Hop 3 28.1 IBUs
7.000 g Cascade [5.00 %] - Boil time left 10.0 min Hop 4 5.1 IBUs
7.000 g Cascade [5.00 %] - Aroma -Add at end of boil Hop 4 5.1 IBUs



---FERM PROCESS-----------------------------
Primary Start: 1/11/2012 - 10.00 Days at 67.0-73 F (lower is better)

Style Carb Range: 2.30-2.80 Vols
Bottling Date: 1/25/2012 with 2.3 Volumes CO2:
Add 35g sugar to full volumn of beer - siphon into bottles
OR
Add (xx?) to full volumn of beer - siphon into 1 gallon jugs
---NOTES------------------------------------


Experiment - different hops different flavours-COLLAPSE

By shanecpatterson on January 11, 2012 06:12 AM

Oh, my husband is going to LOVE this!!

By gicrockpot on September 12, 2011 05:26 AM

fatha_francis, why do anything yourself if you can purchase a superior version?

By dbeighley on August 30, 2010 02:22 PM

I wouldn't trust foil for keeping out contaminants. I would definitely get a stopper and airlock. They're cheap and easy to use. Further, just because you don't get fermentation the first time doesn't necessarily mean something went wrong with the beer. It may well be that you got a bad batch of yeast or didn't "wake up" the yeast. It's worth pitching yeast a second time and seeing if you get...+READ

I wouldn't trust foil for keeping out contaminants. I would definitely get a stopper and airlock. They're cheap and easy to use. Further, just because you don't get fermentation the first time doesn't necessarily mean something went wrong with the beer. It may well be that you got a bad batch of yeast or didn't "wake up" the yeast. It's worth pitching yeast a second time and seeing if you get fermentation then.-COLLAPSE

By grigjd3 on August 6, 2010 01:38 AM

Thank you! I had to let you know your article and pics hit a home run with me. Perhaps only the folks whose Granny had 2 strapping Navy Submarine Jocks to help her put up the best home brew anyone ever put to their lips, could relate and enjoy. I can remember that it tasted sort of like BECK'S. Again, Thanks. I can only hope you come up with variations on grain treatments, as there are many ways...+READ

Thank you! I had to let you know your article and pics hit a home run with me. Perhaps only the folks whose Granny had 2 strapping Navy Submarine Jocks to help her put up the best home brew anyone ever put to their lips, could relate and enjoy. I can remember that it tasted sort of like BECK'S. Again, Thanks. I can only hope you come up with variations on grain treatments, as there are many ways to dry and malt the grains. Also the choice of grains can vary greatly.-COLLAPSE

By turleyt on July 24, 2010 05:38 PM

There are so many great craft brewed beer available today,when you want to drink them,why on earth would one go through all this nonsensical rigmarole?Otter Creek has a great copper ale and I doubt if it could be matched at home,in the freakin kitchen,if you had the recipe.It's just not necessary.You could drink a different beer everyday,a great one.And don't bother to give me that
stuff...+READ

There are so many great craft brewed beer available today,when you want to drink them,why on earth would one go through all this nonsensical rigmarole?Otter Creek has a great copper ale and I doubt if it could be matched at home,in the freakin kitchen,if you had the recipe.It's just not necessary.You could drink a different beer everyday,a great one.And don't bother to give me that
stuff about"doing it yourself.-COLLAPSE

By fatha_francis on July 21, 2010 07:26 AM

Wow! That's why I make cider and wine. Make it and forget it for a few weeks, rack and then forget for a few months. Bottle and enjoy a few months later.

By Crockett67 on May 20, 2010 04:16 PM

I would have to agree with rdhse, this is a very dated way of brewing up a batch of beer.

By CAMRA on May 19, 2010 12:45 PM

Too much work for a gallon of beer

By Jeff Avis on May 17, 2010 05:33 AM

This reads like homebrewing info from 1978.

By rdhse on May 15, 2010 07:33 PM

This blog did not help me decide to brew or not. Lots of conflicting info.

By canbbq on May 14, 2010 05:14 PM

Hmmmmm........... Beer!!!!!!!

By canbbq on May 14, 2010 05:12 PM

It's a little dangerous to carbonate in a growler or applejuice jug. They're not meant to contain the carbonation of bottle conditioning. I'd at least siphon it into bottles. If you want to keep it simple, use Grolsch-style swing-top bottles.

By TVarmy on May 13, 2010 08:57 AM

PerMarTown: the two type of contaminants to be most concerned with are: (1) airborne bacteria that would fall into an uncovered vessel, and (2) self-powered bugs that might have an interest in crawling into the beer. The foil is enough to protect against the first case, and in my experience is also enough to protect against the second. I press the foil down around the neck of the jug firmly...+READ

PerMarTown: the two type of contaminants to be most concerned with are: (1) airborne bacteria that would fall into an uncovered vessel, and (2) self-powered bugs that might have an interest in crawling into the beer. The foil is enough to protect against the first case, and in my experience is also enough to protect against the second. I press the foil down around the neck of the jug firmly enough so that no entry points for any bugs. That said, there's certainly no harm in first covering the jug with a closely knit cloth as long as you first make sure to carefully sanitize the entirety of the cloth. As far as handling the soaking grains (aka mash) you'll just want to avoid splashing, specifically during the initial mixing in of the grains and also at the completion of the mash, when lifting the bag of grains out of the pot and draining the remaining liquid.

Scaramanga20: any cap that can be tightly screwed on by hand will work fine. That said, it's probably a good idea to replace plastic growler caps after a few uses, after more than a few uses they start to wear down.

Throckmorton: thanks for raising this point. This is a simplified version of all grain brewing. Brewing with malt extract is another great way to to make beer that will give good results that you'll be happy with, and there are lots of very good books to help a beginner get started.

Everybody: thanks for the great feedback and questions!-COLLAPSE

By galenkrumel on May 12, 2010 01:08 PM

While I wouldn't consider myself an expert brewer by any means, I've done a bit of brewing in the past and am gearing up for another 5 gallon batch this weekend. The method outlined above is a small scale version of all grain brewing. You can simplify the process even more by using a recipe that utilizes DME (dehydrated malt extract) and specialty grains. However I would recommend that anyone who...+READ

While I wouldn't consider myself an expert brewer by any means, I've done a bit of brewing in the past and am gearing up for another 5 gallon batch this weekend. The method outlined above is a small scale version of all grain brewing. You can simplify the process even more by using a recipe that utilizes DME (dehydrated malt extract) and specialty grains. However I would recommend that anyone who wants to brew read a couple books first, no matter what the method. I recommend "Homebrewing for Dummies".

PerMarTown... you really only have to worry about oxidation when the wort is hot. Once it is cooled the chances of oxidation are low. Also, I think the chances of contamination are low with foil, although I can't give you an educated explaination as to why.-COLLAPSE

By Throckmorton on May 12, 2010 10:59 AM

I've brewed beer at home many times in the past. You don't need high end equipment, but you do need to be mindful of sanitation at every step of the process! It is not complicated otherwise.

By aaron_57811 on May 12, 2010 07:08 AM

One question I had in step 18 it says after you pour the beer into sanitized jugs you tightly screw the original cap on. i always figured you would need the caps sealed on or jugs with the sealed flip-tip caps. I have leftover growlers with caps that i would prefer to use instead of buying new ones. Just hand screwing the caps on will be enough? Thanks

By Scaramanga20 on May 12, 2010 06:41 AM

Oh, yeah.... After making my snippity remark... =) ... I forgot to ask a couple of questions that show my ignorance of the subject at hand. Namely, one of the criticisms that DOES concern me, was the one concerning the contamination potential inherent in covering the jugs with foil. My question is whether the potential for contamination can be reduced by covering the jug openings with a square of...+READ

Oh, yeah.... After making my snippity remark... =) ... I forgot to ask a couple of questions that show my ignorance of the subject at hand. Namely, one of the criticisms that DOES concern me, was the one concerning the contamination potential inherent in covering the jugs with foil. My question is whether the potential for contamination can be reduced by covering the jug openings with a square of closely knit cloth (fastened with a rubber band), which could then be covered with the foil as directed? Another question, related to the back-and-forth issue of oxidation, is just how careful do I need to be when pouring and moving the liquid from place to place? If I understand correctly, the rounded mixing bowl, shown in the photo, will assist in preventing oxidation as long as I'm very careful in the pouring process. However, what should I look for, try to avoid, and be aware of as to whether I may have been too rough in handling (am I correct in calling it....) the mash? Thank you for your help and understanding!!-COLLAPSE

By PerMarTown on May 11, 2010 08:26 PM

I am very excited to find this article, and I send my most sincere thanks to the author(s)!! I'm one of those beer-lovers who has often been tempted to try my hand at home brewing, but have been put off by the perceived complexity and cost involved. However, this article has succinctly demonstrated that the process is not as complicated as many would try to make it sound, and it is possible to...+READ

I am very excited to find this article, and I send my most sincere thanks to the author(s)!! I'm one of those beer-lovers who has often been tempted to try my hand at home brewing, but have been put off by the perceived complexity and cost involved. However, this article has succinctly demonstrated that the process is not as complicated as many would try to make it sound, and it is possible to brew a drinkable beer with equipment already found in my kitchen.... BTW, I've read with amusement the previous messages (both critical and otherwise), and all I can say is that I'm totally convinced that the author(s) knowledge and experience far outweighs the somewhat pseudo-intellectual and self-important criticisms of people who did not understand the value and purpose of this delightful introduction to home micro-brewing for a novice such as myself!! Thank you immensely!!-COLLAPSE

By PerMarTown on May 11, 2010 07:54 PM

As a homebrew shop worker and a long time homebrewer, I agree with the oxidation potential issue just because it didn't happen in a test batch means you got lucky, but otherwise I think you hit the points pretty well. Only thing is if using a liquid yeast and save it, you'll likely contaminate future batches with off bacteria or yeast in bad shape that would cause off flavors. Dry yeast in this...+READ

As a homebrew shop worker and a long time homebrewer, I agree with the oxidation potential issue just because it didn't happen in a test batch means you got lucky, but otherwise I think you hit the points pretty well. Only thing is if using a liquid yeast and save it, you'll likely contaminate future batches with off bacteria or yeast in bad shape that would cause off flavors. Dry yeast in this case would work better because of it's hibernated state and easier to seal in a bag with the air squeezed out for storage.-COLLAPSE

By geistbear on May 8, 2010 07:40 PM

Galenkrumel - Something else for you to experiment with. Years ago in the Navy I used to make wine from "bug juice" (military's version of kool aid). Since alcohol is not allowed aboard U.S. vessles bootlegging such as this was not too uncommon, however if the wrong person got wind of it your career was over. No stove or other heating equipment was needed, just a vessle and it needed to be moved...+READ

Galenkrumel - Something else for you to experiment with. Years ago in the Navy I used to make wine from "bug juice" (military's version of kool aid). Since alcohol is not allowed aboard U.S. vessles bootlegging such as this was not too uncommon, however if the wrong person got wind of it your career was over. No stove or other heating equipment was needed, just a vessle and it needed to be moved around and concealed as room temperature in engineering spaces ranged from 80f to 160f. A person just needed to know where to place the container and not get caught doing so. Something for you to think about =)-COLLAPSE

By vintagechef on May 7, 2010 05:44 AM

Thank you for pointing that out davis. You are indeed correct, and after reading what I wrote after reading your post from your point of view my post was misleading even to me. Although pale and dark decribe color and color does darken with longer times or higher temps and higher temps do pose a starch issue, it was not really my intent to point out color, but rather taste. A bready pale, in my...+READ

Thank you for pointing that out davis. You are indeed correct, and after reading what I wrote after reading your post from your point of view my post was misleading even to me. Although pale and dark decribe color and color does darken with longer times or higher temps and higher temps do pose a starch issue, it was not really my intent to point out color, but rather taste. A bready pale, in my opinion, tastes like a dark.-COLLAPSE

By vintagechef on May 7, 2010 05:16 AM

Great article -- similar to the way my grandfather described how his Slovak parents would make beer at their farm in Michigan, though they were making a pilsener. (Apparently, my great-grandpa was notorious for sneaking into the basement and drinking up the beer while it was still green.)

By MikeB3542 on May 6, 2010 07:10 PM

wchesak: If you mash the grain while the water is coming up to a boil it may not hit the target temperature for long enough for starch conversion to take place. The enzymes only work within a certain temperature range and not holding it properly is a recipe for starchy beer.

vintagechef: Beer color is generally not determined by how the grains are steeped, but rather by which types of grain are...+READ

wchesak: If you mash the grain while the water is coming up to a boil it may not hit the target temperature for long enough for starch conversion to take place. The enzymes only work within a certain temperature range and not holding it properly is a recipe for starchy beer.

vintagechef: Beer color is generally not determined by how the grains are steeped, but rather by which types of grain are used. Darker ales are created by using more deeply roasted grains.-COLLAPSE

By davis_sq_pro on May 6, 2010 09:36 AM

You're worried about oxidation during the mash but then you pour the fermented beer later??? Totally wrong: It's at that later stage that you need to worry about oxidation, not during the mash. Invest in a siphon and read up on proper technique.

By davis_sq_pro on May 6, 2010 09:28 AM

No known pathogenic microorganisms will grow in beer, that's not to say that a contamination might not make it extremely unpleasant to drink.

By rockfish42 on May 5, 2010 10:03 PM

nsolis: contamination generally refers to off-flavors. It's pretty hard to poison yourself with bad beer.

By lessleyellen on May 5, 2010 05:44 PM

When you say "contamination" (for ex., that you don't want to contaminate the beer), what exactly does that mean? Does it make it unsafe to drink (i.e., you'll get food poisoning or something)? Is it just not as tasty?

By nsolis on May 5, 2010 04:46 PM

@bvandy - While I agree with most of what you say, the water:grist ratio is not that important. I personally prefer something around the 1.35qts/lb mark but when doing a Brew-in-a-Bag as is demonstrated here, you do not sparge and thus need the thinner mash to get your volumes.

By dgilks on May 5, 2010 04:36 PM

vintagechef, you are correct. Our goal here is to present a simple set of steps that can help beginners get started on homebrewing easily and with a minimal amount of up-front cost, effort, and accumulation of equipment. The end result is a drinkable beer.

As wchesak points out, oxidization is indeed a problem to be wary of, and it is definitely important to avoid unnecessary splashing. That...+READ

vintagechef, you are correct. Our goal here is to present a simple set of steps that can help beginners get started on homebrewing easily and with a minimal amount of up-front cost, effort, and accumulation of equipment. The end result is a drinkable beer.

As wchesak points out, oxidization is indeed a problem to be wary of, and it is definitely important to avoid unnecessary splashing. That said, we never found any off-flavors that were strong enough to convince us that we shouldn't have made the beer in the first place.

We intentionally left the carbonation level a little bit lower out of a desire to err on the side of safety. By using a conservative amount of priming sugar we're less likely to see exploding bottles, which I'm pretty sure would be a very big turn-off for the novice brewer.-COLLAPSE

By galenkrumel on May 5, 2010 01:20 PM

Kudos to the author for presenting a process that might work and is somewhat simpler than the tried-and-true homebrew methods. If you follow the procedure above I would recommend doing it in the cleanest kitchen possible, and also plan to consume the beer as soon as its done. Because the process above appears to an experienced brewer to be fairly unsanitary. A few helpful tips: You should keep a...+READ

Kudos to the author for presenting a process that might work and is somewhat simpler than the tried-and-true homebrew methods. If you follow the procedure above I would recommend doing it in the cleanest kitchen possible, and also plan to consume the beer as soon as its done. Because the process above appears to an experienced brewer to be fairly unsanitary. A few helpful tips: You should keep a lid on the boil kettle while chilling in the water bath. In the photo above we see open pot sitting in the sink while chilling. This is a sure fire way to contaminate your beer. Second, I would highly recommend spending a few bucks for proper airlocks, which are available at the beer store where you get the yeast. If you just use foil wrapped around the top, you are at great risk of oxidizing the fermented beer. Fruit flies and other bugs can get past a simple foil barrier, crawling up through the gaps where the gas escapes. A simple $2 plastic airlock stops these things. Third, if you use granulated cane sugar for priming, then be prepared for a longer carbonation time than listed and more time for any contaminants to cause problems. Because the yeast must invert cane sugar. Better to use corn sugar or even better, a tablespoon of dry malt extract powder, available from the beer store where you bought the yeast. Malt sugar is a single-ring sugar that is consumed much more easily by yeast. It greatly decreases carbonation time. One other thing that I should mention about the mashing, that was not mentioned above, which is that you want to make sure to use 1.35 quarts of heated water for every pound of grains you intend to mash. That proportion produces the correct acidity for mashing enzymes in the malt to function properly. Any more water, and the pH will be too high, and any less and the pH will be too low. When mashing fails due to this problem, you'll end up with a lack of fermentable sugar, and in the end the beer will be bready and low in alcohol.-COLLAPSE

By bvandy on May 5, 2010 10:53 AM

If you were to steep your grains while it comes to a boil wchesak rather than letting it steep at 150 deg and cooling you would not end up with a pale ale, but rather a dark ale. While either method will indeed work, I believe the author's intent was to brew a pale ale, however that was never mentioned. I believe that is also why he only adds hops one time. He seems to be intentionally trying to...+READ

If you were to steep your grains while it comes to a boil wchesak rather than letting it steep at 150 deg and cooling you would not end up with a pale ale, but rather a dark ale. While either method will indeed work, I believe the author's intent was to brew a pale ale, however that was never mentioned. I believe that is also why he only adds hops one time. He seems to be intentionally trying to make a pale ale with a very light flavor, much like brewing a weak tea. If his intent was to brew a darker ale, with a fuller flavor then I would agree with you to brew at a higher temperature while saving time and bringing the steep to a boil while steeping. Again, I believe the author was following the K.I.S.S. method of teaching when writting this document. (Keep It Simple Stupid) K.I.S.S. Providing us with just the very basic of instructions that anyone can follow to learn to brew at home a drinkable beer. I do agree with you that he/she (the author) left out alot of technical information, including the oxidation process, or stressing how important the pour is durring the adding and mixing of the sugar, as it should be accomplished as gently as possible, but he is correct in getting the sludge seperated from the steep prior to adding the sugar and his method does accomplish this with minimal oxidation if poured correctly. If you notice in his pictures he is doing / accomplishing this with a round shaped container too to help minimize the sudden sudden stop and oxidation that would occur if the steep was poured into flat bottomed / walled container. The round bottom / walled bowl will allow the liquid steep to continue in motion without the sudden stop and also facilitate circulation and mixing of the sugar in a gentle manner. His method is teaching a first time brewer the "how" with out teaching them the "why" or going into any lengthy and technical explanations. If done correctly I believe the methods taught here to brew a small gallon batch in your kitchen will produce a drinkable beer. I will have to try it myself to see how effective it is.-COLLAPSE

By vintagechef on May 5, 2010 02:40 AM