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The Brew Process: Step by Step Guide to Brewing Beer |
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Page 1 of 6 Easy-to-follow Steps for Brewing At Home
Brewing beer at home can be extremely easy or very complicated depending on the kind of beer you are trying to brew. There are many different styles of beer and many techniques to brew them. Overall, brewing a beer is a combination of several simple processes. First is the mixing of ingredients and bringing the solution (wort) to a boil. Second is the cooling of the wort to the fermentation temperature.
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Next the wort is transferred to the fermenter and the yeast is added. After fermentation, the beer is siphoned off the yeast sediment and bottled with a little extra sugar to provide the carbonation. These are simple steps but there are some important things to keep in mind every time you brew: Cleanliness, Preparation and Good Record Keeping. 
- Cleanliness - Cleanliness is the foremost concern of the brewer. Providing good growing conditions for the yeast in the wort also provides good growing conditions for other micro-organisms, especially wild yeast and bacteria. Cleanliness to prevent contamination must be maintained throughout every stage of the brewing process.
- Preparation - Take the time to prepare your brewing area. Have the ingredients ready on the counter. Prepare your yeast. Have the ice bath ready to cool the wort when its done boiling. Make sure that all equipment is clean and ready to go before starting. Patience and planning are necessities.
- Record Keeping - Always keep good notes on what ingredients, amounts and times were used in the brewing process. You need to be able to repeat good batches and learn from poor ones.
- Cleanliness - Cleanliness is the foremost concern of the brewer.
- Cleanliness - Cleanliness is the foremost concern of the brewer.
- Cleanliness - Cleanliness is the foremost concern of the brewer (got that?).
 Brewing relies on the conversion of sugars into ethyl alcohol and carbon dioxide by yeast through fermentation. Fermentable sugars are obtained by steeping malted grain (malt) in hot water during a process known as mashing. When malt is mashed at temperatures between about 60-70°C natural enzymes in the grain break down large starch molecules into smaller non-fermentable starch-like molecules known as dextrin and into fermentable sugar molecules.
Dextrins provide mouthfeel and sometimes sweetness to the final beer while the sugars are converted to alcohol. The resulting solution, known as wort (pronounced wert) is run off from the mash during a process known as "sparging". The wort contains the sugars, dextrins, proteins and other molecules which are carried into the final beer. The wort is boiled with hops to add flavor as well as a preservative effect. Then the wort is cooled to near room temperature and yeast added to begin the fermentation process.
Remember that brewing can be easy or complicated. Well, you have some choices as to how much you want to be involved in the brew process. Basically, you can do an extract, extract with steeping, mini-mash or all-grain brewing.
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