How to Make Beer at Home Best 4 Methods
Home brewing beer at home is a rewarding and inexpensive hobby that is continuing to grow in popularity. The quality of home brew equipment and ingredients now available, along with an abundance of ‘how to’ information from the internet and online forums, means home brewers can now make excellent quality craft beers in any style they want, no matter what their experience as brewers may be.
There are many different ways to brew beer at home with differing levels of complexity. If you are new to brewing, you might find the options a bit confusing; however, the basic brewing process is relatively straightforward, and there are many similarities and overlaps between methods. Learn all about how to make beer at home with detailed 4 tried and tested methods.
In general terms, the process of how to make beer at home can be broken down into four broad categories:
- How to make beer at home for beginner – Beer Kit or Hopped Extract Tin Brewing
- How to make beer at home for intermediate – Extract Brewing
- How to make beer at home for expert – All Grain Brewing / Brew In A Bag (BIAB)
- Fresh Wort Kits – A Convenient Quality Brewing for all levels
When choosing a home brewing method, you are really deciding on your approach to the wort. You can buy a ready-made Beer Kit or make it yourself via All Grain Brewing / BIAB. Extract Brewing offers something in between. Fresh Wort Kits provide a convenient option that delivers a high-quality wort right to your door.
Like with most hobbies, new home brewers tend to start with the easiest method, and as their knowledge increases, they progress through to ever more complex brewing processes. In general, we see the majority of home brewers progress from Beer Kit or Hopped Extract Tin brewing to Extract Brewing, followed by All Grain Brewing (i.e., Beginner – Intermediate – Expert). With that said, given the quality of the Beer Kits or Hopped Extract Tins available nowadays, a very good craft-style beer can be made by a beginner, especially if they experiment with premium yeasts, additional hops, and pure malt fermentables (as opposed to Dextrose).
It is worth noting that All Grain Brewing and Fresh Wort Kit Brewing will give you the best result. In the case of fresh wort kits – craft Australian breweries have meticulously crafted these Fresh Wort Kits using high-quality grains and hops. This approach saves home brewers from 6 to 8 hours of brewing time compared to the traditional All Grain Brewing method, while still delivering exceptional quality. All Grain Brewing represents the pinnacle of the art of beer making. This is due mainly to the ability of the home brewer to have full control over all aspects of the brewing – from selecting grain, milling, mashing, boiling, adding hops, selecting yeast, etc.
Whatever method of home brewing you undertake, the key stages are the same and can be categorized as:
- Combining extracted sugars to make a wort either directly from grain or via an extract tin + a fermentable sugar. Or use ready wort from Fresh Wort Kit
- Adding hops either via a boil or via a hopped extract tin
- Pitching a yeast, the strain of which will be dependent on the beer being brewed
- Primary fermentation
- Clearing the beer, either via finings, cold crashing, or racking to a secondary fermenter
- Bottling or kegging
- Carbonating via secondary fermentation (i.e., adding sugar to bottled beer) or via CO2 (force carbonating if kegging)
- Drinking
How to Make Beer at Home with Beer Kit or Hopped Extract Tin
Level: Beginner
Beer Kits are readily available and are typically supplied in a 1.7kg tin with a yeast sachet under the lid. They are commonly referred to as ‘Beer Kits’, ‘Beer Tins’, or ‘Hopped Extract Tins’. They are the most common form of home brewing for beer due to their ease of use (great for beginners) and relatively low cost. Almost everyone that home brews beer started on these kits. They are quick and easy to use and require very little equipment.
Beer Kits are essentially a ‘head start’ on what an extract or all grain brewer would do. The tins contain malt extract that has also had the hops added. They are available in a wide variety of beer styles and common brands include Thomas Coopers, Morgan’s, Black Rock, Brick Road and Beermakers.
A 1.7kg tin is typically combined with 1kg of Dextrose or 1.5kg of malt (either dried or wet) in a fermenter, which is then topped up to 23L with water before having the yeast pitched. This will make circa. 60 x 375ml stubbies of beer.
Although beer kits make a great beer, many home brewers will also add additional hops, steep grain into the brew, add fruit or other flavorings, and use premium yeasts to enhance the beer. Aussie Brewmakers uses Beer Kits as the basis of many recipe packs we have available, most of which introduce additional ingredients for the beer kit brewer.
For detailed information on brewing beer from Beer Kits, please refer to the ‘How to Make Beer, Cider & Ginger Beer’ and ‘Getting Started’ below.
NEIPA home brewing beer recipe from Black Rock tins
How Beer Kit or Tin is Made
Creating beer extract tins follows a meticulous process similar to commercial beer production. However, instead of cooling, fermenting, and maturing the beer, the wort is sent to an evaporator after the Whirlpool stage is completed.
Milling
Malted barley is crushed in a mill to break up the grain husks. The settings on the mill rollers and the extent to which the grain husk is broken up are crucial during lautering. If the husk is too finely milled, it results in excessive sediment in the wort, leading to cloudy beer.
Mashing
The crushed malt is mixed with water in the mash tun. The time and temperatures are specifically set and controlled for each recipe to impart unique characteristics to the final beer. This step determines the fermentability of the wort. Dark beers, for instance, require lower fermentability, resulting in more body, while lagers have higher fermentability, which results in less residual sweetness and allows hop bitterness to prevail.
Lautering
The wort is separated from the spent grains using traditional European lautering methods. This involves straining the liquid wort from the mashed malt and subsequently rinsing the spent grain with hot water to extract as much wort as possible.
Kettle Boiling
The wort is collected in the kettle, where fresh hops are added for bitterness. Late hops are then added for aroma, using only fresh hops. During the vigorous kettle boil, the bitterness components of the hops (alpha acids) are isomerized, imparting the desired bitterness to the final beer. Additional hops are added at the end of the boil for aroma, which is high in specific aromatic oils. The vigorous boil also helps remove unwanted volatile compounds and causes proteins to denature and settle out.
Whirlpooling
The boiled wort is transferred to the whirlpool, where the circular motion allows the protein and used hop material to settle to the bottom for removal.
Evaporation
The wort is then concentrated by removing 80% of the water in a gentle three-stage evaporator. Temperatures are kept low to prevent darkening of the wort, stabilizing it for packaging. Once stabilized, the concentrated wort is ready for packaging into beer extract tins.
Although beer kits make a great beer many home brewers will also add additional hops, steep grain into the brew, add fruit or other flavourings and use premium yeasts to enhance the beer. Aussie Brewmakers uses Beer Kits as the basis of many recipe packs we have available, most of which introduce additional ingredients for the beer kit brewer.
For detailed information on brewing beer from Beer Kits please refer to the ‘How to Make Beer, Cider & Ginger Beer’ page under ‘Getting Started’ on this website.
How to Make Beer at Home using Extract Brewing
Level: Intermediate
Extract brewing is the next step up from Beer Kit brewing. The primary difference is that you will be using malt extracts that have not already had the hops added, giving you greater control over the beer’s style and flavor by allowing you to manage the hop profile. Unlike All Grain Brewing, extract brewing does not involve the mash process.
Extract brewing is typically done with a large pot and a thermometer on the stove or a gas burner. Malt extract, either wet (from a tin) or dried, is added to water and boiled with hops introduced at different stages of the boil. The boil time of the hops will define the flavor and bitterness profile, depending on the hop variety used.
After this boiling process, you are essentially at the same stage as a Beer Kit brewer. You then add water and ferment as normal.
While Extract Brewing saves time and requires less equipment compared to All Grain Brewing, it does involve some trade-offs in flexibility and control over the entire brewing process.
At Aussie Brewmakers, we offer a range of signature clone recipes that allow you to replicate popular commercial beers with ease. These kits include everything you need to brew high-quality beer at home using the extract brewing method. Some of our popular clone recipes include:
- Aussie Pub Draught Clone: A classic Australian beer style, perfect for those who enjoy a crisp, clean draught beer.
- Little Creatures Pale Ale Clone: This kit replicates the famous Little Creatures Pale Ale, known for its floral hop aroma and balanced malt profile.
- Coopers Sparkling Ale Clone: An iconic Australian ale with a robust flavor and a hint of fruity esters, closely mimicking the original Coopers Sparkling Ale.
- James Squire Amber Ale Clone: This kit produces a rich, full-bodied amber ale with a complex malt character, inspired by the popular James Squire Amber Ale.
These clone kits from Aussie Brewmakers provide an excellent way to enjoy your favorite commercial beers at home, with the added satisfaction of brewing it yourself. Each kit includes detailed instructions and high-quality ingredients to ensure a great brewing experience and delicious results.
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How to Make Beer at Home via All Grain Brewing / Brew In A Bag (BIAB)
Level: Expert
All Grain Brewing is the most expensive and complex form of making beer at home. It does, however, give you total control over the beer style and flavor. If you know what you are doing, any beer style (even ones you invent yourself) are within reach.
All Grain Brewing involves taking malted grain and converting the starch into sugar by soaking the malt in warm water – this is called mashing. Typically, base and specialty malts are combined to make a style of beer. Following mashing, the malted grain is sparged with hot water to ensure all of the sugars are extracted into a sugary liquid called the wort (pronounced ‘wert’). This liquid is then transferred to a brew pot (unless you are using a single vessel system like a Grainfather or Robobrew) where it is boiled and hops are added for bitterness, flavor, and aroma. The wort is then cooled rapidly and transferred to a fermenter, and yeast is pitched. Fermentation is then undertaken as per all the other brewing methods.
All Grain Brewing can be as complex or simple as you like. Single vessel breweries are available, such as Grainfathers and Robobrews, as well as large multi-vessel systems such as a HERMS system (Heat Exchanged Recirculating Mash System) or a RIMS system (Recirculating Infusion Mash System). Brew In A Bag or BIAB is the simplest variation of all-grain brewing.
BIAB basically removes the need for a dedicated mashing vessel and then a transfer to a brew pot. Basically, all of the process is undertaken in the brew pot. Typically, malted grain is placed in a bag and placed in the brew pot. After the sugars are extracted, the bag and malt are removed, and then the boil and hop addition takes place in the same pot. The obvious benefit of BIAB is it is a lot simpler and requires less equipment.
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How to Make Beer at Home with Fresh Wort Kits
Fresh Wort Kits – A Convenient Alternative All Levels
Fresh Wort Kits are a fantastic option for those who want to brew high-quality beer without the time-consuming and intricate processes involved in other methods. These kits provide a pre-made wort, which is the unfermented beer, and they come ready for fermentation. This method bridges the gap between beginner and intermediate levels, offering the convenience of a Beer Kit with the quality closer to that of All Grain Brewing. Fresh Wort Kits are suitable for all levels of brewers, from beginners new to home brewing to experts seeking to save time while still producing outstanding craft-quality beer.
What Are Fresh Wort Kits?
Fresh Wort Kits are professionally brewed and packaged worts that are ready for fermentation. They are crafted with precision by experienced brewers and provide a consistent and high-quality base for your homebrew. These kits come in various styles, such as NEIPA, Lager, Session Pale Ale, Hazy Pale Ale, and Cream Stout, and are available starting from $65. At Aussie Brewmakers, we ensure these kits are delivered fresh to your door, ready for you to pitch your yeast and start the fermentation process.
Benefits of Using Fresh Wort Kits
Convenience: With Fresh Wort Kits, the lengthy and complex process of creating the wort is already done for you. All you need to do is transfer the wort to your fermenter, pitch the yeast, and let it ferment.
Consistency: These kits are made by professional brewers, ensuring a consistent and high-quality product every time. This consistency can be hard to achieve with traditional home brewing methods, especially for beginners.
Time-Saving: Since the wort is pre-made, you save hours of brewing time. This allows you to focus on the fermentation and bottling processes, which are crucial for the final product.
Variety: Fresh Wort Kits come in a wide range of styles, allowing you to try different beers without needing to invest in various grains, malts, and hops.
Quality: The quality of beer produced using Fresh Wort Kits can rival that of professional craft breweries, making them an excellent choice for home brewers at all levels.
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Conclusion
Making beer at home is not rocket science! Hope you got to the same conclusion too after reading How to Make Beer at Home article. Whether you are just starting out or if you are a seasoned veteran looking to change the way you are brewing, Aussie Brewmakers are here to assist you at every step. From Beer Kits and Extract Brewing to All Grain Brewing and Fresh Wort Kits, we have the resources, equipment, and ingredients you need to brew delicious beer at home. Explore the various methods, experiment with different styles, and enjoy the rewarding experience of home brewing. Cheers!
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