ince the 1973 publication of Storey’s first Country Wisdom Bulletin, our commitment to BASIC S preserving the arts, crafts, and skills of country life has never wavered. We now have more than 200 titles in this series of 32-page publications, and their remarkable popularity reflects the common desire of HOMEBREWING country and city dwellers alike to cultivate personal independence in everyday life. Storey’s Country Wisdom Bulletins contain practical, hands-on instructions designed to help you JIM WEARNE master dozens of country living skills quickly and easily. From traditional skills to the newest tech- niques, Storey’s Country Wisdom Bulletin Library provides a foundation of earth-friendly information for the way you want to live today. Storey’s Country Wisdom Bulletins are packed with practical information, innovative ideas, and creative projects. For the best in independent living, pick up a bulletin on any of the following topics: ◆ Animals ◆ Herbs ◆ Birds ◆ Homebrewing ◆ Building ◆ Home Repair ◆ Cooking ◆ Horses ◆ Country Living ◆ Landscaping ◆ Crafts ◆ Natural Health ◆ Gardening ◆ Winemaking ◆ www.storey.com ◆ A-144 ß A Storey Country Wisdom Bulletin Discover the Wonderful World of The mission of Storey Communications is to serve our customers by publishing practical information that encourages Country Wisdom Bulletins! personal independence in harmony with the environment. ◆ BEER, WINE & CIDER ◆ Edited by Rachel Kelly Other related titles you might enjoy: Illustrations by Christine Erikson and Kay Holmes Stafford A-47 Making the Best Apple Cider A-75 Making Homemade Wine Cover design by Carol J. Jessop (Black Trout Design) A-53 Great Grapes! Grow the Best Ever A-101 Making Liquers for Gifts Text production by Heather Clemow © 1995 by Storey Publishing, LLC Other Topics Available in This Library Include . 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No part of this bulletin may be reproduced without written per- mission from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages or re- ◆ Animals ◆ Gardening produce illustrations in a review with appropriate credits; nor may any part of this 5 titles, including these best-sellers: 47 titles, including these best-sellers: bulletin be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by A-17 Eggs and Chickens A-27 Grow the Best Tomatoes any means — electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or other — without A-93 Raising Game Birds A-54 Pruning Trees, Shrubs, and Vines written permission from the publisher. ◆ Backyard Nature ◆ Growing Fruits, Nuts & Berries The information in this bulletin is true and complete to the best of our knowledge. 4 titles, including these best-sellers: 7 titles, including these best-sellers: All recommendations are made without guarantee on the part of the author or Storey A-114 Grow a Butterfly Garden A-01 Grow the Best Strawberries Publishing. The author and publisher disclaim any liability in connection with the use A-137 Bird Food Recipes A-33 Berries, Rasp- and Black of this information. For additional information please contact Storey Publishing, 210 ◆ Cooking ◆ Herbs MASS MoCA Way, North Adams, MA 01247. 27 titles, including these best-sellers: 7 titles, including these best-sellers: Storey books and bulletins are available for special premium and promotional uses A-91 Favorite Pickles and Relishes A-61 Grow 15 Herbs for the Kitchen and for customized editions. For further information, please call 1-800-793-9396. A-112 Making & Using Flavored A-119 Growing & Using Basil Vinegars ◆ Home Care & Repair ◆ Country Living Printed in the United States 5 titles, including these best-sellers: 12 titles, including these best-sellers: A-28 Simple Home Repairs A-19 Build a Pond for Food and Fun A-136 Restoring Hardwood Floors Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data A-92 The Best Fences ◆ Horses ◆ Crafts 3 titles, including these best-sellers: Wearne, Jim, 1950- 20 titles, including these best-sellers: A-121 TACK: Care and Cleaning A-109 Quilting Basics A-122 Buying and Selling a Horse Basic Homebrewing / Jim Wearne. A-130 Making Potpourri ◆ Natural Body p. cm ◆ Flower Gardening These 2 best-selling titles: A Storey Publishing Bulletin A-144 7 titles, including these best-sellers: A-160 Essential Oils in the Bath A-99 Landscaping with Bulbs A-168 Natural & Herbal Family Remedies ISBN 978-0-88266-349-64(alk. paper) A-110 10 Steps to Beautiful Roses 1. Brewing — Amateurs’ manuals. I. Title. II. Series TP570.W43 1995 641.8’73—dc20 95-30595 CIP ISBN 978-0-88266-349-4 > 9!BMECM=:UURSXSoY`ZeZ]ZnZ`EAN Basic Homebrewing Jim Wearne CONTENTS Why Brew Beer at Home ..........................................................2 An Overview of the Process......................................................3 Equipment and Supplies ............................................................6 Basic Recipe ................................................................................10 Preparation ..................................................................................11 Cooking Through First Fermentation ..................................13 Second Fermentation ................................................................17 Bottling and Storage ..................................................................21 Serving..........................................................................................25 Here's to You! ............................................................................27 Glossary........................................................................................28 Resources ....................................................................................31 Why Brew Beer at Home Home brewing can be very satisfying and rewarding. Like most worthwhile occupations, it involves the investment of your time and resources. What makes it worthwhile? If I may, I'd like to start with a little philosophy. I feel that it is good for the spirit to master what I call a primitive skill. By "mastering a primitive skill," I mean to become proficient in an art, a craft, or other endeavor that was done in pre-technological times, and was essential for the survival or enrichment of humanity. There are many such primitive skills. Baking bread from natural ingredients. Sailing. Organic gardening. Weaving. Needlework. Log cabin building. Wilderness camping. Mountain climbing. Skiing. Bow hunting. Orienteering. Knitting. Candle making. The list goes on and on. These ancient disciplines can provide a sense of balance for out otherwise busy, technology-filled dats. As a science fiction fan, I might put it like this: When the pioneers land on planet Q the leaders of the mission will call on the others, one at a time, to state what special skill or gift they can bring to the tribe. I could look them in the eye and say: "I am a brewer," and be confident of a respected place in the society. As a brewer you enter a guild that goes back beyond the ancient Egyptians into pre-history. You enter the domain of shamans and priests, a realm that is awe-inspiring and mystical, that is touched by magic and powered by life itself; brewing is a part of what it means to be civilized humans. Welcome to the guild. - 2 - An Overview of the Process This book is not intended to be the ultimate or only resource you will ever want for home brewing. By following the steps outlined in this section and detailed in the following sections, you should be able to produce your first two cases of beer. The equipment you purchase in the process may be all the gear you will ever need. This section is intended to give a general understanding of what is in- volved in brewing beer at home. Please read it thoroughly before moving on to the recipe and procedures. Many books and magazine articles have been written with beer recipes and alternative techniques for brewing. I hope that you ex- periment with many of these. You may eventually settle down to one or two favorite recipes, as I have. But there are endless opportu- nities for experimentation, which can be very rewarding and tasty. airlock lid drilled rubber stopper 5-gallon glass carboy 5-gallon channel- ware canner (used bottle capper as a boiling kettle) 12-pounce glass bottles hydrometer stainless bottle filter steel spoon racking hose sample jar racking tube Basic Homebrewing Equipment - 3 - The first thing to do is to obtain the necessary supplies and equipment. Some pieces of equipment are standard cooking uten- sils; some are specialized brewing gear. Look for brewing equip- ment and ingredients at specialty homebrewing suppliers. Thanks to an increasing interest in homebrewing, such suppliers exist in all parts of the country. My main supplier is primarily a shop for people who make their own wine. They have added brewers' sup- plies and are an excellent source. You can also try restaurant supply houses, hardware stores, natural food shops, mail order, or any of the reference books listed in the back of this bulletin. Once you have everything you need, look at the calendar. Homebrewing usually takes three sessions, separated by several days or weeks. The first session is spent cooking and starting the first fermentation. This can take several hours start-to-finish. Your equipment for this stage will include a large cooking pot, a large stainless steel spoon, and the primary fermenter. Your principal supplies will be water, malt concentrate, hops, yeast, and water- conditioning minerals. You will cook the hops, malt concentrate, and 1 gallon of water in the pot. This mixture will be gently