Brewing your own beer is one way to experiment with different flavor combinations. It is an investment to buy all of the equipment necessary. This can be a great way to provide your friends with unique refreshments during your fight viewing nights. Here are the steps to brewing your own beer.

Malting for Flavor

Many people choose to leave this part of the process to an expert. This process involves taking your raw materials and allowing them to germinate. The more common raw materials are wheat, rye, oats, and sorghum. Malt is the sugar that the yeast is going to feed off of during the fermentation process. The first step is to dry your raw material in a kiln. The kilning process allows you to store your raw material for a long period of time and develop the flavors. The longer the material is stored, the more aroma it will develop.

Mash the Sugars

Once the raw materials are to your satisfactions, you soak them in hot water. The hot water and enzymes that are added allow the starch molecules to break down. The starch breaks down into smaller and simpler forms of sugar. The simpler forms of sugar really get the yeast excited. The type of sugar that is formed is called maltose. The next step in the process is to dry this mixture down. The process will take time. Eventually the mix will be the consistency of a thick syrup of even a dried powder. You may even choose to skip this process and use extract to make things simpler.

Cooking the Solution

This solution is now referred to as the wort. The wort is just the unfermented beer mix. It is made up of water, the maltose sugar, and the other substances that were created during the malting process. The first part of the procedure is to boil the solution. Boiling will help to remove any contaminates and bacteria that may have been introduced. While the mix is boiling, the hops are added. This adds the bitter component to the beer. After this mix has cooled sufficiently, the yeast can be added. If the temperature is too warm, the yeast will not work.

Ferment the Mix

Once the yeast becomes active, the fermentation process begins. For most beers, it only takes a few days to a few weeks for fermentation. For stronger beers or even lagers, the fermentation process will take longer. In some cases, it can take up to a few months in order to have a usable product. Once you are satisfied with the strength of your beer, you can bottle it or even put it into a keg. You could even add some class to the even by even getting hand blow glass, like that from Weston Table, to serve it in. This fermenting process is often referred to as the conditioning time. It is important to sanitize your equipment in between batches. Having unclean equipment can lead to beer that is contaminated.

Brewing your own beer allows you to create unique flavor combinations. Use these steps when making your own brand of beer for your fight nights.