ArtsAutosBooksBusinessEducationEntertainmentFamilyFashionFoodGamesGenderHealthHolidaysHomeHubPagesPersonal FinancePetsPoliticsReligionSportsTechnologyTravel

Top Ten Home Beer Brewing Tips

Updated on November 17, 2012

In this hub I've put together my ten top tips for successful home brewing. These tips are intended for begineers new or relatively new to the rewarding hobby of home brewing.

 

Tip Number 1 - Keep Your Equipment Clean

This might seem quite an obvious tip to be number one but dirty equipment is a major cause of failure in home brewing.

The best method for cleaning your equipment is to use slightly soapy water with a soft cloth and to rinse with boiling water.

Don't ever use any abrasive method of cleaning such as a stiff brush or a scouring pad as these will leave invisible scratches on your equipment which may harbor bacteria and cause your beer to go off.

More obstinate hardened on residue should be softened by soaking in hot water.

Photo courtesy of deege@fermentarium.com on Flickr
Photo courtesy of deege@fermentarium.com on Flickr

Tip Number 2 - Sterilize Your Equipment Correctly

Tip Number 2 is very closely related to Tip Number 1 but having clean and unscratched equipment is only the first part of the preparation of your equipment. You then have to sterilize your equipment to make sure that there are no nasty bacteria lurking to come out later and spoil your beer.

There are a few methods of sterilizing that can be used. My preferred method is to use sterilizing solution as I feel safer sloshing this around than boiling water. I also think the fact that I used sterilizing solution to clean my son's baby bottles made me more comfortable with this method. You can also use bleach but I read somewhere that bleach can be corrosive and toxic so I've never attempted to use this method.

Make sure you follow the manufacturer's guidance and dilute the sanitizer with the right amount of water. It is important that every part of every surface is covered by the sanitizer, hence the need to slosh the mixture around and don't forget to rinse everything with hot water and air dry. Using a cloth will just reintroduce the bacteria you've just spent so much time and effort getting rid of.

Don't forget to clean and sanitize every piece of equipment right down to your measuring jug and spoons.

Photo courtesy of darkpatator on Flickr
Photo courtesy of darkpatator on Flickr

Tip Number 3 - Temperature Control Matters

The temperature that you'll need to maintain depends upon what type of beer you are brewing. Normal ales have a fermentation temperature in the range 68 to 72 °F (20 to 22 °C) and lagers have a fermentation temperatures from 45 to 55 °F (7 to 13 °C).

If you're new to home brewing you might be wondering how brewers keep the temperature so high particulary in the cooler months. The problem is much more often trying to keep the temperature down this is because the fermentation process produces its own heat. An active fermentation can warm a typical 5-gallon (19-L) batch of beer by 10 to 15 degrees Fahrenheit (5.5 to 8.3 degrees Celsius).

There are two simple and inexpensive methods of controlling temperature and I've given these in Tips 4 and 5.

Tip Number 4 - Keep the Temperature Down

The simplest and cheapest method to keep the temperature of your brew down is to place your fermenter in a container of water and cover it with wet cloths that sit in the water to keep them wet as the water evaporates.  It is the evaporation process which cools the brew.

Tip Number 5 - Keep the Temperature Up

An effective and cheap way to keep the temperature up is to stop the heat escaping and you can do this by covering your fermenter with a thick blanket. 

Photo courtesy of david.nikonvscanon on Flickr
Photo courtesy of david.nikonvscanon on Flickr

Tip Number 6 - Nuture The Yeast

Tip Number 6 is in the same area as Tips Number 3, 4 and 5 because it concerns temperature but rather than the temperature for fermentation this is the temperature needed to nuture the yeast.

Quite simply the temperature of the mix must be between 21C and 27C when you add the yeast. If it is too high the yeast will die and if it is too low the fermentation process may not start.

It is also important to add the yeast to the brew without delay so getting the right starting temperature matters.  See Tip Number 7.  The longer you delay the more chance there is that your beer will become contaminated with bacteria or wild yeast.

Tip Number 7 - Getting the Right Starting Temperature

Tip Number 7 is directly connected to Tip Number 6.  A rule of thumb to get the right temperature to add your yeast you will need to use a ratio of 1 litre of boiling water to 10 litres of cold water.

Photo courtesy of darkpatator on Flickr
Photo courtesy of darkpatator on Flickr

Tip Number 8 - Water is a Key Ingredient

Beer is around 95% water so the water that you use matters. Some home brewers spend a great deal of time researching this area and it can be a very complex subject revolving around such things as ions, sulfate, chloride and sodium. I could devote a whole hub just to this subject but it is quite a specialist area so I doubt whether this hub will ever get written.

My simple tip as far as water is concerned is to use filtered tap water.

Tip Number 9 - The Airlock

The airlock is an important piece of kit as it is the way in which the excess carbon dioxide escapes during the first fermentation process.  It has to be a one way process so that no foreign bodies can get back into your brew.  This means that there are a few things you need to get right. 

  • The airlock needs to have a tight fit.
  • The airlock and the rubber grommet into which it fits need to be sterilized.
  • You have to half fill the airlock with boiled water to keep the air out.
  • To stop flies and other insects from getting into the water loosely place some cottonwool in the top of the airlock.  This keeps the flies out but allows the gas to escape.

Tip Number 10 - Give Your Brew Some Attention and Some TLC

A home brew is not something which you make and put in a corner somewhere and forget about.  It is a living process which needs a certain degree of attention to detail and some TLC to ensure a successful conclusion.

working

This website uses cookies

As a user in the EEA, your approval is needed on a few things. To provide a better website experience, hubpages.com uses cookies (and other similar technologies) and may collect, process, and share personal data. Please choose which areas of our service you consent to our doing so.

For more information on managing or withdrawing consents and how we handle data, visit our Privacy Policy at: https://corp.maven.io/privacy-policy

Show Details
Necessary
HubPages Device IDThis is used to identify particular browsers or devices when the access the service, and is used for security reasons.
LoginThis is necessary to sign in to the HubPages Service.
Google RecaptchaThis is used to prevent bots and spam. (Privacy Policy)
AkismetThis is used to detect comment spam. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide data on traffic to our website, all personally identifyable data is anonymized. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Traffic PixelThis is used to collect data on traffic to articles and other pages on our site. Unless you are signed in to a HubPages account, all personally identifiable information is anonymized.
Amazon Web ServicesThis is a cloud services platform that we used to host our service. (Privacy Policy)
CloudflareThis is a cloud CDN service that we use to efficiently deliver files required for our service to operate such as javascript, cascading style sheets, images, and videos. (Privacy Policy)
Google Hosted LibrariesJavascript software libraries such as jQuery are loaded at endpoints on the googleapis.com or gstatic.com domains, for performance and efficiency reasons. (Privacy Policy)
Features
Google Custom SearchThis is feature allows you to search the site. (Privacy Policy)
Google MapsSome articles have Google Maps embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
Google ChartsThis is used to display charts and graphs on articles and the author center. (Privacy Policy)
Google AdSense Host APIThis service allows you to sign up for or associate a Google AdSense account with HubPages, so that you can earn money from ads on your articles. No data is shared unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Google YouTubeSome articles have YouTube videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
VimeoSome articles have Vimeo videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
PaypalThis is used for a registered author who enrolls in the HubPages Earnings program and requests to be paid via PayPal. No data is shared with Paypal unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook LoginYou can use this to streamline signing up for, or signing in to your Hubpages account. No data is shared with Facebook unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
MavenThis supports the Maven widget and search functionality. (Privacy Policy)
Marketing
Google AdSenseThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Google DoubleClickGoogle provides ad serving technology and runs an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Index ExchangeThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
SovrnThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook AdsThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Unified Ad MarketplaceThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
AppNexusThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
OpenxThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Rubicon ProjectThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
TripleLiftThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Say MediaWe partner with Say Media to deliver ad campaigns on our sites. (Privacy Policy)
Remarketing PixelsWe may use remarketing pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to advertise the HubPages Service to people that have visited our sites.
Conversion Tracking PixelsWe may use conversion tracking pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to identify when an advertisement has successfully resulted in the desired action, such as signing up for the HubPages Service or publishing an article on the HubPages Service.
Statistics
Author Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide traffic data and reports to the authors of articles on the HubPages Service. (Privacy Policy)
ComscoreComScore is a media measurement and analytics company providing marketing data and analytics to enterprises, media and advertising agencies, and publishers. Non-consent will result in ComScore only processing obfuscated personal data. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Tracking PixelSome articles display amazon products as part of the Amazon Affiliate program, this pixel provides traffic statistics for those products (Privacy Policy)
ClickscoThis is a data management platform studying reader behavior (Privacy Policy)