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Make Beer - Quit Paying Taxes

(Well, almost...)

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by Chris Devaney

The Recipes

Both recipes use the same overall procedure.  I will note any differences in the procedure as they apply.   

Cooper’s Lager Beer Kit:

The Cooper’s Lager Beer Kit comes with 1 large can of hop flavored malt extract, a dried yeast packet, 1 kg. of corn sugar and a bag of priming sugar tablets for bottling.  It is all you need (except bottles and caps) to get going on a 5-gallon batch of home brew, although you could use a teaspoon of plain gelatin to help in clarifying the beer just before bottling. 

Medium Body Amber Beer or Ale:

2 cans of grocery store hop flavored light malt extract (1 kg ea or 2.2 lbs.)

1 lb. of sugar (corn sugar is best, cane sugar will do) or another can of malt extract for a heavier bodied brew and no extra sugar except for bottling. I used two 2.2 lb cans of malt and 1 lb. of corn sugar. Figure on using around 1 lb. of malt or sugar for each gallon of brew.

1 packet of beer or ale yeast.  I used an ale yeast  for my brew. The yeast that usually comes with the malt extract from the store is beer yeast and will be suitable for this recipe as well.

Additional half-teaspoon of sugar for each bottle during the bottling stage.

1 teaspoon of plain gelatin for clarifying the beer (optional)

1/2 oz of additional hop pellets (optional)

Preparation

1.         Clean the fermenter and sanitize the spoon.  I use 1/2 cup of unscented bleach in 2 gallons of water and splash it around the fermenter for a few minutes.  Then rinse well with clean water.  Never use soap or detergent for cleaning the beer-making equipment as it can leave a microscopic film that will adversely affect both the taste and the head retention properties of the final brew.

2.         Load the fermenter with 5 gallons of clean water, preferably soft water although hard water will do but has a deleterious effect on the beer’s head retention properties.

3.         Heat 1 to 1.5 gallons of this water in a stainless steel or enamel pot.  You do not have to reach a boil unless you are adding your own hops.  (See the Hops section for more information).  If you plan to add extra hops, bring the wort to a boil after step 5.

4.         Add the malt extract to the hot water while stirring.  The malt will sink to the bottom in a lump.  The stirring will keep the malt from scorching until it is dissolved.  The cooking broth is referred to as the ‘wort’.

5.         Add the entire package of corn sugar (kit recipe) or for the medium body beer recipe add the extra can of malt or plain sugar and stir again. 

6.         (Option) If you are adding extra hops you can add them now.  Bring the wort to a boil for 1/2 hour or longer depending on how bitter you like your brew to taste.  If you are using hops for aroma only, then add the hops at a later stage of the boiling cycle, say for the last 15 minutes of the heating cycle.  You may also opt to strain the wort before adding to the primary fermenter but it is really not necessary. 

7.         If you are not adding hops, heat below a boil for 1 hour to ensure all the sugars from the extract are dissolved. 

8.         While the wort is steeping, rehydrate the dried yeast by slowly pouring the yeast into one cup of warm (not hot) water and slightly agitate the jar.  Do not stir it.  Let the yeast solution sit for 15 minutes or longer until the wort is ready.  In about 15 minutes, the top of the yeast-laden water may look creamy as the yeast reactivates. 

9.         After the wort has been heated for an hour or more, remove it from the heater and pour it back into the primary fermenter into the remaining cool water.  Top off with cold water to make 5 gallons.

10.     Take a hydrometer reading according to the directions that came with the hydrometer.  Record the reading for future reference.  It should read somewhere around 1.040 to 1.042.

11.     Check the temperature.  If it is below 70F (21C), add the hydrated yeast solution. 

12.     Cover the fermenter with the lid and add the air lock.

Fermentation

13.     After one or two days you’ll notice a cream-colored white foam on the top of the liquid. More so if you are brewing an ale.  There will also be a heavier deposit which may or may not be visible on the bottom of the vessel.  This is the sign that all is going well and the fermentation is well underway.  Patience is the key ingredient now.  Ten to fourteen days of it.

14.     After a week, when the foam on the top of the beer begins to subside (it probably won’t go away entirely) you can, if you choose to, add a teaspoon of plain gelatin or “finings” as it is referred to in the home brew supply stores.  It is not necessary and is not included in an ingredient kit but it aids in the clarifying of the final brew.  It is not necessary with darker beers.

15.     After a week in the primary fermenter, every two days, withdraw enough brew to make a hydrometer reading.  You may, of course, drink the remains after the test to prove to yourself that your beer is improving each and every day.  Depending on many factors most important of which is the fermentation temperature, after about 10 days the specific gravity reading from the hydrometer should decrease to around 1.006 to 1.004, maybe even less.  Keep fermenting until the specific gravity reading stops falling and holds steady for at least two days.  At this point, the brew is ready for bottling or casking.  If you are not using a hydrometer, ferment the beer for at least 14 days to make sure it is ready for bottling.
 

Note:   At this point you can get an idea of the approximate alcohol content (by volume) for your brew using the original specific gravity reading (OG) and the final specific gravity reading (FG) from the formula below: 

Approx Alcohol Content = [(SG-OG) x (1000/7.46)] + 0.5 

            The 0.5 at the end of the formula represents the approximate alcohol content added to the brew from the use of priming sugar at bottling time. 

A Well-paid Brew Tender

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