Brew Your Own
-
1. Boil the ingredients
ILLUSTATIONS BY STEVE SANFORD
A store like Alternative Beverage will sell you a recipe complete with all the ingredients you need. At its purest, you’ll boil water and malted barley. But fancier recipes can include all sorts of things. As Alternative Beverage owner Jess Faucette puts it, "I like to say that making beer is like opening your cupboard to all of your spices."
ILLUSTATIONS BY STEVE SANFORD
A store like Alternative Beverage will sell you a recipe complete with all the ingredients you need. At its purest, you’ll boil water and malted barley. But fancier recipes can include all sorts of things. As Alternative Beverage owner Jess Faucette puts it, "I like to say that making beer is like opening your cupboard to all of your spices."
-
2. Add the hops
ILLUSTATIONS BY STEVE SANFORD
Typically, you'll add three different kinds of hops at three different points during the boil. The early hops add flavor. The second addition helps with clarity. The final hopping is for aroma.
ILLUSTATIONS BY STEVE SANFORD
Typically, you'll add three different kinds of hops at three different points during the boil. The early hops add flavor. The second addition helps with clarity. The final hopping is for aroma.
-
3. Ferment
ILLUSTATIONS BY STEVE SANFORD
After your wort has cooled, transfer it to a plastic bucket, add yeast, and let it sit for a while to begin fermentation. After about a week, transfer the beer (it’s OK to call it that now) to a glass jug called a carboy. After another week or so, transfer it back to the plastic bucket. Because it’s time to bottle some beer.
ILLUSTATIONS BY STEVE SANFORD
After your wort has cooled, transfer it to a plastic bucket, add yeast, and let it sit for a while to begin fermentation. After about a week, transfer the beer (it’s OK to call it that now) to a glass jug called a carboy. After another week or so, transfer it back to the plastic bucket. Because it’s time to bottle some beer.
-
4. Bottle it
ILLUSTATIONS BY STEVE SANFORD
Your plastic bucket will have a spigot. release the beer into presanitized bottles, cap them, and put them in a cool dark place. Be patient.
ILLUSTATIONS BY STEVE SANFORD
Your plastic bucket will have a spigot. release the beer into presanitized bottles, cap them, and put them in a cool dark place. Be patient.
-
5. Bottoms up!
ILLUSTATIONS BY STEVE SANFORD
After a few days, pop open a bottle to sample it (you know how you never cook a dish for the first time for company? You also never pour unsam- pled homebrew for friends). If it tastes OK, you’re good to go. Ideally, you should wait another week or so to begin drinking in earnest. And unlike the Buds and Millers of the world, which are pasteurized, homebrew will keep for five to ten years.
ILLUSTATIONS BY STEVE SANFORD
After a few days, pop open a bottle to sample it (you know how you never cook a dish for the first time for company? You also never pour unsam- pled homebrew for friends). If it tastes OK, you’re good to go. Ideally, you should wait another week or so to begin drinking in earnest. And unlike the Buds and Millers of the world, which are pasteurized, homebrew will keep for five to ten years.
It's a natural progression: you like beer, then you like good beer, and then, inevitably, you want to try making your own beer. As it turns out, Charlotte is a great place to be a homebrewer
Alternative Beverage (ebrew.com), which has a "superstore" in Belmont and a branch in South End, is one of the country's top homebrew retailers. CEO Jess Faucette started selling beer-making equipment in 1977, and he's built a customer base that spans the nation. Visit either location, and the helpful staff will have you brewing in no time. In addition to brewing kits, the store sells more than fifty prepackaged beer recipes, many designed to mimic popular beers such as Sierra Nevada or Sam Adams.
But you can't call yourself a brewmaster unless you add a little of this and a little of that. Once you're ready to start experimenting, Faucette's staff will point you to specialty hops and malts to match your tastes. And once you do call yourself a brewmaster, you might consider joining the Carolina Brewmasters. The local club (carolinabrewmasters.com) gathers regularly to talk shop and swap samples.
Before you start boiling your wort, though, allow us to clear up two common misconceptions. One, you can't save money by making your own beer. It's a hobby, and as with any hobby, you can spend as much or as little as you like on the trappings. A basic kit costs at least $100, and recipes run between $25 and $35. A recipe makes five gallons — or two cases — of homebrew. So it's feasible that, over time, you could come out ahead if you typically buy expensive craft beer. But if you think you can make your own light beer and save a little coin in the process, think again.
Two, forget about making your own Budweiser. The typical American style of beer is so light and delicate that it's very difficult to replicate at home. Any flaw would be screamingly obvious. Best to stick to the heavier stuff. — R. T.
How to Make Beer
At its core, beermaking is a simple process. Here’s a quick illustrated guide: