The Art and Science of Fermentation

   Zymurgy is the art and science of making beer at home, in your own kitchen, or basement. Maybe even outside. Why brew your own beer? Wouldn't you like to have fresh beer that you made yourself? You can control the taste of your beer! Every serious brewer should at least consider the hobby of home brewing. If you drink the more expensive microbrews you can learn how to make beer that may be just as tasty, at almost half of the cost, after your initial purchase of brewing equipment. If you continue in the hobby (and I hope you do) most kits wil pay for themselves after 3 or 4 batches.

   I think the coolest thing about homebrewing is that anybody can make their beer anyway they want. There really aren't any rules.

How's it done?

What does it take to make homebrew? Some malt extract, hops, yeast and water. Okay, you do need some tools, but these can be found at your local homebrew shop, or an online homebrew shop. My local brew shops are Brewer's Coop , which is a part of Two Brothers Brewing Co. in Warrenville, Ill., and Winemakers in Elmhurst, Ill. As far as mail order is concerned, I mostly use Northern Brewer in Minnesota. I've bought raw ingredients as well as kits. I've used the siphonless fermenter from Williams Brewing in California for past couple of years without any problems (no more siphoing!.) I've found cheap Canadian bulk extract at Listermann.com and I've found that North Country Malt Supply is good for some harder to find English grains.

All the ingredients and equipment you need can be purchased at most of the shops listed above, but you may find it easier to go to a local homebrew shop. Check the yellow pages or visit the American Homebrewers Association's (AHA) to find homebrew shops in your area. I would suggest that you do some homework before you run out and buy a homebrew kit. The best book around in my opinion is The Brewmaster's Bible : The Gold Standard for Home Brewers by Stephen Snyder. Charlie Papazian offers a low-key approach to homebrewing that got me started in the hobby. His best book is the New Complete Joy of Homebrewing.

Before making any beer, one should become familiar with the various styles of beer. Something I learned many years ago is that beer can come in a variety of types, not just lager and ale, but pilsner, bock, doppelbock, brown, stout, porter and barleywine as well as others. The American Homebrewing Association's has some good information concerning the various styles of beer. There is also some great information on learning to make beer. If you know what do, but you're trying to figure out what brew to make, check this searchable database of recipes.

What's it Cost to Make?

A good starter homebrew kit can cost around $60 to $140. It may seem like a lot, you can get a lifetime of use out of some of the equipment. Like any hobby, over time you'll probably end up purchasing more equipment, and more gadgets to make your beer.

The ingredients for a typical 5-gallon batch of beer cost about $22 to $42 depending on the style of beer. I think that in terms of quality, Northern Brewer has the some of best kits, but Morebeer.com has a pretty good selection, too. Lighter-style beers of course require less malt and hops and are therefore less expensive, stronger beers require more ingredients and typically cost more to brew. The quality of your yeast also can cause the price to go up. If you use liquid yeast, expect to pay about $5-$7, if you use dry expect to pay about a dollar. Dry yeast is a little easier to use the first time out, but liquid yeast allows you put some more interesting flavors into your beer. Also, the strains of yeast for certain styles, such as Bavarian Hefe-Weizen, are only available in liquid form.

Join a Club

Once you've got your equipment and your ingredients, all that is left to put into the process is your own energy and hard work. That hard work can pay off in a great tasting beer, something that you and your friends will hopefully enjoy. Homebrew is best shared in the company of friends. If you're looking for more beer geek friends, then I suggest checking out your local homebrew club. Check the AHA for a list of homebrew clubs if you're interested.
The homebrew clubs that are part of the AHA hold many events and competitions throughout the year. These events can be good if you're looking for some feedback about your beer. If you're truly obsessed about your beer, competitions can be a good place to strut your stuff, if you're into that sort of thing.

Finally, I keep my own journal of all my recipes and the batches that I have brewed. I'm always looking for feedback on what I do.

I've also learned I'm not alone in sharing my brewing stories with the world. You might want to check out the following journals and "brew blogs."

Have a brew blog you want listed here? Send me an email with the link.

  The Olde Grey Cat Brew House
Pictured to the left is the Olde Grey Cat brewhouse, which consists of a temporary three-tier system. (I haven't used this all-grain system in awhile, as I've been favoring the ease of extract and partial mash brweing.) The top tier is my plastic fermenter, purchased from William's Brewing Company. It is drilled out to hold a special spigot with a backnut on the inside of the bucket that prevents the outlet from clogging with hops and yeast. Both the fermenter bucket and spigot are sold at Williams Brewing. The second tier is the a five-gallon Gott cooler with a Phil's Phalse Bottom. I replaced the factory spigot with a mini-keg bung with a 3/8-inch diameter hose threaded the center. The flow is controlled by a clamp on the hose. The third and final tier (not pictured) is the brew kettle that is situated on the floor.

Below are some homebrewing links for those already brewing or those ready to jump into the hobby.


Brewing Tips:

Keep everything clean and sanitized! I think where a lot of people mess up their brews is by not cleaning and sanitizing their equipment and all surfaces that will contact their equipment. This is essential! Every opportunity to minimize bacteria from getting into the beer must be taken. I use iodophor to sanitize pretty much everything. A sanitizing checklist is also good idea. Send me email if you want a copy of my list.

Boil at least 2.5 gallons of a 5 gallon batch. This will increase extraction rates from the hops and make better beer.
Get a wort chiller. This a device made from copper tubing that is immersed in the hot wort (unfermented beer) which cools off this malty mixture in a hurry, thus reducing the chance for infection by nasty little bacteria.

Use a liquid yeast. This will cost more than dry yeast but it will make better beer. How much better? Well, it will make a cleaner tasting beer (if the right yeast is chosen) and help you match certain styles that depend on yeast flavor, such as German Hefe-Weizen. I use White Labs mostly, but I have had success with WYeast, too.

Watch your room temperature. I don't how long I brewed not knowing the temperature of the space where my beer was fermenting. I think for a long time I fermented my beer way too hot! I bought a digital thermometer about a year ago for about 20 bucks and noticed that I was fermenting my beer in 82 to 85 degrees F., which was too warm. Cooler, consistent temperatures produce better beer with less off-flavors.

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