A free instructional video detailing the equipment needed to make wine at home from kits. This is part 1. Enjoy.

Enjoy part four in this video course on brewing beer at home. Today’s instructions cover bottling your home brewed beer.

Here is part three in this informative video instructional series on brewing beer at home.  Follow along as we learn to brew home beer for a minimal investment.

Part two in this easy to follow and detailed video instructions on brewing beer at home.  Follow along as you’re guided through the process of home brewing. This part two in this home brewing video instruction series.

Detailed and easy instructions on brewing beer at home in under one hour.  Follow along as you’re guided through the process of home brewing. This is a two part home brewing video instruction series.

Beer is fast becoming a beverage of distinction and no longer just something to “let loose” with. There are many home brews that rival the big boys in taste and quality. Brewing a great beer is an art form and there are things to make this process all that much more easier and those are known as beer kits. but even a brew kit requires a bit of know-how to make a great beer and you need the equipment to do it justice. Beer drinkers are also becoming very health conscious and this article will show you how to use a beer kit and brew a great low carb beer.

Ingredients/Equipment:

• “Lite” Beer Kit
• Brewpot
• Primary fermenter
• Airlock
• Stopper
• Plastic Hose
• Bottling Bucket
• Bottles
• Bottle Brush
• Stick-On Thermometer
• Small bowl
• Saucepan
• Rubber spatula
• Oven Mitts
• Large Stainless Steel Mixing Spoon or Plastic)
• Plenty of Water
• Pure Iodine or Unscented Chlorine Bleach (2 ounces per 5 gallons of water)
• Pure Dextrose

Instructions:

Cleaning and Sanitizing Your Equipment

1. Clean the following items with soap and hot water in order to remove any film sediment: brewpot, primary fermenter, brew spoon, airlock and stopper, saucepan, small bowl, rubber spatula, big mixing spoon.
2. Mix your Iodine or bleach in a large basin or tub and soak the above items to sanitize them.
3. Once everything is submerged in either solution wait 5 minutes if using iodine and 30 minutes if using bleach.
4. Set a aside and allow to dry.

Initial Fermentation and Making Wort

1. Bring two quarts of water to a steaming point but not boiling, 160-180F. Remove from heat.
2. Add your beer kit per the kit’s instructions.
3. Stir the ingredients you just added until everything is thoroughly dissolved. Place the lid on the pot and turn the heat down to simmer and allow to sit for ten to fifteen minutes.
4. Add four gallons of cold water to your primary fermenter.
5. Combine the contents of the pot to the four gallons of water in your primary fermenter and stir vigorously for two minutes.
6. Feel the side of the primary fermenter and when it feels cold add your yeast.
7. Ferment your mixture as close to the correct temperature range as possible.
8. Wait three to five days.

Bottling and Second Fermentation

1. Follow the first section to clean and sanitize your bottles and bottling bucket.
2. Put three cups of water into the saucepan and dissolve 3/4 cup of dextrose in it. Bring to boil over medium heat, cover and set aside for fifteen to twenty in order to cool.
3. Place your bottling bucket on the floor.
4. Place the primary fermenter on a surface somewhere above the bottling bucket.
5. Attach the hose to the spigot on the primary fermenter and place the other end to the bottom of the bottling bucket. Pour the solution in the saucepan into the bottling bucket then turn the spigot on to allow the brew to flow from the primary fermenter into the bottling bucket.
6. Close the spigot and remove the hose – clean them both well.
7. Move the fermenter out of the way and place the bottling bucket on to a high surface attaching the hose to its spigot.
8. Line your bottles on the floor and place the hose into the bottom of the first bottle and turn on the spigot.
9. Fill your bottle to close to the top and quickly remove the hose and place in the second bottle and repeat until all your bottles are filled or the brew mixture is gone.
10. Cap your bottles.
11. Move your beer bottles to a cool, dark place with a temperature between 60-70 degrees, a basement or attic is ideal.
12. Wait one week and check the cloudiness of your beer. If it has gone clear you may chill your brew. If not, wait several more days.

Tips & Warnings

• You may add other fermentables to your brew to change flavors of the final product.
• When moving the primary fermenter try to not slosh the brew inside too much.
• Do not try to get the remaining brew from the fermenter – it contains sediment you do not want.
• Clean all of your equipment thoroughly before putting it away.
• Do not let anyone near your equipment after sanitizing them.
• Always be careful when working with bleach.
• Observe all safety precautions when working with hot liquids.

Author: Mike Johnson

Beer has been in our midst for as long as anyone can remember, it is one of the most common alcoholic beverages to be consumed in the world. But it’s worth a thought as to how beer is actually made. Just imagine how the beer tastes when it’s a blistering hot day or you have had the day from hell at work.

So How Is Beer Made?

To put it in simple terms beer is a fermented combination of water, barley, yeast and hops. The various beers on offer in the licensed establishments across the world are mainly determined by the yeast that was used during fermentation.

So let’s take a beer apart and examine the different properties that make up a “pint”.

• Water

The chief ingredient in beer is of course water, in the old days the purity of the water is what mainly affected the outcome when brewing beer. Beer production in this time was specific to a particular this would have been mainly due to water quality. This is no longer the case with the purification technology that we have available today.

• Malt Barley

Malt barley is essential to beer brewing as the barley contains the highest amount of fermentable sugar. A lot of breweries today have moved to wards powdered or instant barley malt as it ferments far faster and therefore the beer brews quicker. The barley malt powder also contains extra minerals that help the yeast to grow.

• Yeast

Yeast is crucial to beer production and without it there would be no beer. Yeast is a single celled organism which consumes all the sugar from the barley during fermentation. After the yeast has consumed all the sugar it then expels two familiar chemicals you know as carbon dioxide and alcohol.

There are several different variations of yeast used to make beer, but the 2 most common yeast strains used are lager and ale. Now if beer was brewed using only water, yeast and barley it would be almost too sweet to stomach, this is where hops come in to the mix.

• Hops

Hops are the flowers that grow on a climbing vine plant; these vines can be found in various different regions through out the world. Hops are used to make beer because of the bitterness of the flower, adding bitterness to beer helps to balance out the sweetness as well as acting as a natural preservative. When more hops are added to the beer mix it then has a very bitter taste, this brew is a favorite in England and has been given the appropriate name “bitter”.

For those of you who want to start brewing your own beer at home, there are plenty of resources available in the form of home brewing kits. Home brewing kits are great but as with everything reading the instructions are essential. This is required if the beer is achieve top quality. The only point I should stress to you is when home brewing, USE FRESH WATER!

Many have often sought information on how to make beer and the basic home brewing equipment can be bought for as little as $100

In order to start making your own beer the following items are needed:

1. A Brew Pot
2. Primary Fermenter
3. Airlock and Stopper
4. Bottling Bucket
5. Bottles
6. Bottle Brush
7. Bottle Capper
8. Thermometer

To make beer is quite easy even from your home kitchen. A list of the equipment and their uses is as shown below.

• Brew Pot

A brew pot is usually made from stainless steel; some of the newer brew pots are made from enamel coated metal and can hold up to 15 litres. For brew pots you need to steer clear of aluminum or chipped enamel coated as these 2 pots will make the beer taste strange, the brew pot is used to cook the beer ingredients and therefore start the fermentation process.

• The Primary Fermenter

The primary fermenter is where all the action starts; this is where that amazing stuff that makes you so charming all begins. The primary fermenter has to hold at least 26 litres and must have an air tight seal; the airlock and rubber stopper. Make sure when you are buying one it is made of food-grade plastic, this will ensure nothing gets in or escapes.

• Airlock and Stopper

The airlock is a handy gadget that allows for C02 to escape this is a must or it would blow up; at the same time it doesn’t let in any fresh air. The airlock fits into a rubber stopper and this stopper then fits into the top of your primary fermenter. The stoppers are numbered according to size, so make sure you use the correct stopper for the correct hole

• Plastic Hose

This hose must be over 5 feet in length and made from food grade plastic, there must also be no holes or clogs and must be kept clean at all times, this hose is used to shift the beer from one system to another.

• Bottling Bucket

This is a large food grade plastic bucket with a tap for drawing water at the bottom, this bucket needs to equal in size to your primary fermenter so your beer can be transferred over for bottling.

• Bottles

After the fermentation stage, you then siphon the beer in bottles for the secondary fermentation and storage. The best types of bottles to use are solid glass with smooth tops that use bottle caps and not the twist-off caps. You can use plastic bottles with screw on lids but with these bottles the beer does not ferment as well and does not look anywhere near as good as the glass bottles. A quick point to remember, when making beer use dark bottles (brown or green) this is essential as bright light damages the beer.

• Bottle Brush

This is a thin, curvy brush which is used to clean bottles; because of the shape of the brush it does a superb job at cleaning the bottles. The bottle brush is specially designed for cleaning the bottles before and after brewing and it is a must for keeping up your bottle kit.

• Bottle Capper

If you buy glass bottles for the fermented beer, you will need some sort of bottle capper and of course bottle caps, you can buy them from any brewing supplies store. The best type of bottle opener is one that is fixable to the fridge of counter top and can easily handled and operated.

• Thermometer

This is a thermometer which can be attached to the side of your fermenter; it is just a thin strip of plastic which is self adhesive these temperature strips can be found in any store or shop.

Household Items

In addition to the above specialized equipment, you will need the following household items:

1. Small bowl Saucepan
2. Rubber Spatula
3. Oven Mitts/Pot Handlers:
4. Big Mixing Spoon

So there you have the ingredients and the method to make your own beer, all you need now is to get yourself a beer making kit and you’re on the way to beer heaven.

How to Brew Cheap Wine

Ingredients:

1. 2 cans of juice concentrate (room temp). You can use any type of concentrate like Welch’s concord grape, strawberry, kiwi-whatever, etc., as long as it doesn’t contain any preservatives, artificial flavors or coloring.
2. 2 cups of sugar.
3. 1 packet of active dry wine yeast (more will not increase alcohol content but will impart a bad “yeasty” flavor).
4. Water, dump between half and a third of the water out of the jug. At the end, top up the bottle using tap water (boil it if it contains a lot of chlorine).

Equipment:

1. 1 gallon jug  of water.
2. 1 Funnel.
3. Plastic hose for siphoning.
4. Air lock.
5. Large sauce pan. For boiling water (gallon).
6. Bleach.

Steps:

1. Never underestimate the importance of sanitizing! Sanitize everything you’re going to use to hold the fermenting wine, to keep bacteria from growing. The easy way to sanitize everything at once is to use your dishwasher at the high heat setting, with appropriate detergent. Some dishwashers are designed especially to sanitize your dishes (183 degrees F water temperature), this will at least reasonably clean the equipment, and it makes the task really easy. After the machine finishes the dry cycle you will be ready to start making the wine. If you do not have an automatic dishwasher, wash with detergent, then bleach the funnel and anything else you may use. You do not need to clean the jug, as it has only had pure water in it. Air dry.
2. Bring the water to a boil and turn down the heat setting to a slow boil. Allow to boil for a few minutes in order to kill any bacteria in the water. Remove from heat and let cool.
3. Add the room temperature juice concentrate to the clean, dry jug. Use the funnel if needed.
4. While the hot water cools, dissolve 2 cups of sugar into the water. Stir while pouring.
5. Activate the yeast following the directions on the packet. Another method of activating the yeast is to place 1 teaspoon of sugar into a separate bowl. Add 1/4 cup of hot water (100-110 degrees Fahrenheit). Add the yeast and stir briefly. Let sit for 10 minutes. The yeast should become very frothy. However, simply sprinkling the yeast on top of the juice and sugar mixture will give you a higher live cell count than re-hydrating in most cases, and will be far less trouble.
6. Pour the dissolved sugar-water into the jug filled with the juice concentrate. If it is too warm, cool it by placing the jug into a sink filled with cool water; add ice cubes to rapidly cool the mixture and limit the time the open container is exposed to bacterial contamination.
7. Touch to make sure the mix is cool, then add the yeast. Cap the jug and shake thoroughly to completely mix all the ingredients .
8. Remove the cap of the bottle.  Drill hole in cap large enough for the air lock to fit securely in.
9. Fit air lock into cap and replace on jug.
10. Keep the jug at room temperature and do not expose it to direct sunlight. After a few days, if it does not start to bubble, throw it away and try again being more careful to use sanitary equipment. Otherwise, wait 10-14 days, when the mixture will stop bubbling. Then transfer into another bottle or smaller bottles using the plastic hose to siphon the liquid off, leaving the sediment on the bottom of the first bottle, and then enjoy!

Tips:

• If you do not have a large enough pot, it is perfectly acceptable to use two pots instead.
• Not all of the water fits back into the gallon jug. Before boiling, dump out enough water to fit in jug.
• When done fermenting, strain as you pour into a wine bottle or glass, leaving the clumpy yeast in the jug. Make sure to wash and sterilize again.
• When adding the yeast, the juice should not be too hot or it will kill the yeast and ruin your wine. The jug should feel just warm to the touch.
• The quality of the wine produced depends on the quality of the ingredients. Try experimenting with higher quality juices and different types of yeast (See Warnings).
• When purchasing your juice, pay attention to the ingredients list on the label for “Preservatives” because these are intended to inhibit fermentation and spoilage.
• As an alternate buy a gallon jug of apple juice (no preservatives), pour yourself a glass (for head space) pour in 1 cup of regular cane sugar, and 1 pack of wine or ale yeast, replace the cap just loose enough to allow the CO2 to escape. In 3-5 days you have hard cider. Let it settle, pour off into an empty leaving the trub. Foolproof.
• Tips for adding the sugar – put the kettle on! 2 cups full from the 2ltr water bottle. Dissolve the sugar into the two cups of hot water. Then when its cool enough add it to your mixture.

Warnings:

• Yeast consumes and consumes until there is no food left (in this case sugar), then it becomes dormant (or until the alcohol content is so high that the yeast cannot survive). By adding more sugar, you increase the brewing time and also raise the alcohol content. Theoretically, if you add a lot of sugar you could ensure it would be very sweet when finished, but it would also be very potent, and take a long time to finish; however, likely, the yeast would die from the high alcohol content before it can produce more alcohol.
• Use dry wine yeast. When wine yeast is unavailable never use “rapid-raise” types.
• Don’t assume the alcohol content is as low as your average glass of wine. Plan not to drive for a while after consuming!
• Do NOT use “Brewer’s yeast” as sold in health food stores – this is dead yeast, and won’t do anything!