Brewing Your First Beer

Homebrewing beer can be a fun and satisfying hobby. But brewing your very first beer can be a stressful thing. Until you have brewed that first one you really don’t know what making beer is all about. Here are a few tips to make sure that brew day goes off without a hitch.

First, double check all of your equipment. Homebrew supply shops usually sell starter kits that include almost everything that you need. If you can go to the store yourself instead of ordering it have the clerk explain what each piece is for and how it works. It’s not complicated stuff but its good to go over everything with some who has brewed before. 95 more capacity than the amount of liquid that you plan to boil and that’s a minimum, more is better. Boiling wort easily and quickly boils over producing a terribly sticky mess so you need plenty of room in the pot. Also, make sure that the pot is of good quality. Don’t settle for a thin bottomed pot that can scorch your beer. Consequently, expect your pot to be the most expensive piece of equipment.

Double check your ingredients. Make sure that you have everything that a recipe calls for and make sure that you understand when and how to use the ingredients. A lot of homebrew supply stores have pre-assembled ingredient packages which are perfect for first time brewers. Again, have the clerk explain everything.

Pick a good “first timers” style. I know that you want to brew the perfect pilsner, hoppy IPA or delicately balanced Belgian wit and you will in time. But for starters stick with simple, dark beers. Porter and stout are perfect newbie brews. The ingredients are simple and straightforward and dark beers tend to cover up mistakes. Give yourself room to learn.

These few simple steps will help your first brewday become a success. Save the complicated pumpkin-mango spice beers for later on when you’ve developed some skill as a brewer. For now, take it slow, keep it simple and in no time you’ll be sipping your own homebrew!