How To Brew Your Own Beer

Are you new to brewing beer at home? Or maybe you made it a 2011 goal is to get started with home brewing? If that describes you, our three-part series is just right for you. My guide will take you through all the basics of home brewing from beginning to end such as what materials you'll need, how to brew & ferment your beer, not to mention how to bottle and age it.
Contrary to popular belief, home brewing doesn't require you to splurge on sophisticated, pricy materials to brew your own beer.
Here's a checklist of what you'll need:
o Large Pot - should hold at least 3 gallons. Go larger if you can because a bigger container will hold more, resulting in minimal spillage.
o Tubing & Clamp - to siphon beer from one container to another & to bottle your home brew. A 5 foot section of 5/16-inch ID (inner diameter) food grade tubing is going to do. The larger the diameter, the more easily you can transfer your beer. Check that the clamps you get match the ID (inner diameter) or OD (outer diameter) of your tubing.
o 5-Gallon Carboy - A carboy is basically merely a glass bottle. A 5-gallon airtight bucket will also work, but I have a preference for a glass carboy with a rubber stopper because never have I seen an airtight seal break on a carboy (I have with plastic buckets).
o An Air Lock and Stopper - sizings can fluctuate; you want to purchase one that works with your fermenter (carboy or plastic bucket).
o A Bottle Filler - make certain the tubing & clamps are going to fit the bottler.
o A Thermometer - you should have a thermometer with a range of 0-100 Celsius or 32-220 degrees Fahrenheit. Floating thermometers can be a excellent option.
o Bottles - 5 gallons of beer would supply approximately 54 12-ounce bottles or 27 24-ounce bottles so plan properly. Don't skimp here, select high-quality bottles that aren't closed with a plastic twist-off top. You want the bottles you actually need a bottle opener to open.
o Bottle Brush - Sanitation is key! This is not needed, but I advise it and I generally suggest taking every step to ensure your home brewing equipment is as sanitary as it possibly can be!
o A Bottle Capper - a hand powered unit to cap your bottles
o Bottle Caps - this is somewhat self-explanatory, but you will want as many caps as beer bottles. Furthermore, nearly all beer caps will fit almost all beer bottles so if you can't see any measurements on the ones you're buying then they will probably do the trick. But check just in case.
o Sanitizing Solution - Beer is quite prone to to bacteria or contamination so I can't emphasize enough how necessary it is to carefully clean before & after brewing. You can also use household bleach but you'll have to clean thoroughly to avoid bleach contamination. I recommend iodophor or starsan. Personally, I use iodophor.
This is only half of part 1, later I'll also walk you through the brewing process as well as give you a collection of ingredients you'll need to start brewing at home. In the remaining parts we'll take you through home brewing step-by-step, but you'll have to stay tuned!

By: Jack Etach

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Visit www.backyardbeer.com/2011/01/beginners-guide-to-home-brewing-part-1/ for the full blown article & for the continuation of this series. Come back often!