Guest Post by By: Jeff & Greg Kuper

Remember all of those classes in high school that you though were irrelevant to life at the time? What could chemistry, history, and math possibly be used for simultaneously, while still having fun with the guys? In one respect, brewing beer involves most of the so-called useless information you learned while in high school. It is an elaborate chemistry experiment that dates back thousands of years, and must be made with a finely measured set of ingredients. Here is an abbreviated set of helpful hints on brewing your own beer.

Before you even start, here are a few basic key points. 1. It’s a hobby, have fun and don’t put too much pressure on yourself. If it’s not fun, it’s not worth it. So, don’t get stressed no matter what. 2. Have a few, or more, while you are doing this. See point number one. 3. Get good water. Beer is 99.9% water and it needs to be good water to get good beer. Chlorinated city water is no good, hard water is no good, highly salinated soft water is no good either. If you have to, go buy good water. 3. Get yourself a good brewing book. Several different resources are always a big help. 4. Keep a notebook. This way, you can keep track of your mistakes as well as your successes. Repeat the successes and you will always improve your batches.

1. Before starting, find yourself a local home brew supply shop (find home brew supplies in your state). Home brew upply companies will get you all the necessary equipment and ingredients (home brew kits) you need to get started. They also offer a choice of hundreds of different kinds of beers.


2. The key to brewing beer is sanitation. Your equipment must be operating room sterile or you’re wasting your time. In your kit you will receive directions pertaining to the style of beer you are brewing. Follow them exactly. They are very self-explanatory; however, there are a few things they don’t tell you.


3. For instance, in the beginning of brewing, you have to boil all of the ingredients. Boil-overs happen in a matter of seconds. They are not only messy but they can also affect the outcome of your brew. Do NOT leave the stove area. Also, each kit makes five gallons of beer, but you don’t have to boil all five gallons. You can boil three gallons and add two frozen gallons after you are done boiling. This will considerably cut down your brewing and cooling time.


4. First time brewers may feel brave enough to use extravagant yeast strains. Stick with the dry yeast packets until you get more experience. The dry yeast packets are very easy to use and are fairly reliable. After the boil and yeast is added, your wort (not beer yet) will be fermenting. Check the following day for bubbles in the air lock, and then try to forget about it for a few days. Let the yeast eat in peace for a few weeks.


5. Now it’s time to bottle your beer. Again, operating room sterilization is crucial. Clean everything before using it, especially the bottles and caps. After bottling, find a cool, dark place to store your bottles of beer. You’re going to be inpatient, so go ahead and have one in two weeks. However, try to put the rest out of sight and out of mind for at least a month. The longer you wait, the better the beer will taste. Patience will pay off in the end. Once it does come time to enjoy your homebrew, pour it into a mug, and try to leave the settlement in the bottle.

More than likely you would have picked up on these tips after a few batches, but helpful hints never hurt. The most important thing (other than cleanliness) is to have fun and don’t rush. If you let nature take its time, you will finish with a product that you can take pride in, is good to drink, and is also a good conversation piece. Hopefully, this advice will improve your home brewing experience.

Happy brewing.