Chapter One
The Homebrewer's Companion
Work is work. Play is play. Beer is beer. Homebrew is the best.
The Homebrewers Companion is for beginning, intermediate and advanced homebrewers. Before getting into a somewhat orderly presentation of brewing ingredients, process, equipment and style, this first chapter offers some helpful hints that may make some very significant improvements in the quality of your beer. These choice pearls are noteworthy for their simplicity and effectiveness - you may find that one of them is worth the price you paid for this book. That will make the rest of the book a continuing companion and a bonus, full of resources to help you discover even more ways to brew the kind of beer you want.
AN IMPORTANT REMINDER
Without a doubt the single and most dramatically significant thing that can spoil the taste of your beer is ... worrying. Remember that whenever you brew or enjoy a glass of beer: Relax. Don't worry. Have a homebrew. This is the Golden Rule of Homebrewing.
CHOOSING AND USING INGREDIENTS: SIMPLE IMPROVEMENTS
BOILING
Malt, hops, yeast and water - that is what it all boils down to, and boil, you must. Many beer kits do not advise boiling the ingredients with water at all. Others advise boiling for only 10 to 15 minutes. Ignore that advice. Some beginning brewers minimize boiling times in an attempt to simplify or shorten the brewing process. Please don't. By avoiding or reducing boiling times, you are eliminating time to relax and have a homebrew.
Boil your wort for a minimum of 60 minutes. An active and rolling boil will help stabilize the flavor of your beer once it has reached its peak. The chemical reactions taking place between hops and malt during a good rolling boil will help clarify your beer and reduce chill haze (that tasteless haze that forms when you chill your beer). It will also help minimize the possibility of contamination from microorganisms that can detrimentally affect the character of your beer.
A good rolling boil of hops, malt and water is essential for fully utilizing hops and helping to predict bitterness.
In some cases a short or no-boil regime can result in a sweet cornlike flavor and aroma in beer that, when evident, usually detracts from your enjoyment.
YOUR STOVE
It may seem inconsequential to consider your stove as a contributor to your beer's character, but it is. If you use an electric stove and your brewpot is in direct contact with the burner element, then you are scorching malt sugars onto the inside bottom of the pot. Have you noticed that your light ales and light lagers haven't been as light as you anticipated? Perhaps some of your brews have a discernible burnt flavor.
When the hot element of your electric stove (an electric immersion-type heater will also create the same effect) is in direct contact with your pot, it caramelizes sugars during the boil. Caramelizing takes place during any kind of boil, but is exaggerated by the high temperatures of red-hot electric stoves.
There is an easy, simple and inexpensive solution. Buy a wire "trivet" and place it between the pot and the stove coil. You also can fashion a simple triangular trivet from a nonlacquered coat hanger. This will greatly reduce the caramelization of your boiling wort.
SUGAR AND KIT INSTRUCTIONS
Beer kits, packaged in cans with all manner of beer styles to choose from, are a welcome introduction to homebrewing for many. They are simple to use and require minimal processing. They are designed so that they do not intimidate a new homebrewer with overwhelming procedures or concerns. A good beer can be made from many of them.
However, if you want to make better beer or you want to help others improve upon their own kit beers, here's some advice that will result in major improvements in beer flavor.
Whenever a beer kit calls for the addition of sugar in a recipe, substitute light dry malt extract (except where it calls for sugar for priming carbonation). You will end up with a beer that tastes like something you would want to pay money for.
CHANGING YOUR YEAST
Have you ever had a fermentation that seems to take forever? is there a flavor in your beer that is reminiscent of bananas or plastic Band-Aid strips? If so, then change your yeast, especially if you are using dried yeast. Choose a name-brand dried yeast that you or your homebrew supply shop owner trusts to have consistency and a dependable supply. If you are brewing from kit beers and haven't been quite satisfied, then avoid using the nameless and labelless yeast package provided with the kit. Yeast strains vary tremendously. Some will produce flavors you don't prefer because they are a particular strain, while others will produce strange plasticlike flavors or long, slow fermentations because of wild yeast contamination of the cultured yeast. When yeast is packaged in a simple white foiled or paper envelope, you never can depend on it. If your results have been inconsistent or consistently frustrating, progress from one name brand of yeast to another until you find one that suits your preference.
ENHANCING YOUR YEAST'S PERFORMANCE
Homebrewers have access to both dried cultures of yeast and active liquid cultures of yeast. Starting your fermentation with a good healthy crop of yeast will certainly help improve the quality of your beer.
Rather than simply adding dried yeast directly into the wort, enhance its performance by rehydrating it in hot water (100 degrees F 138 degrees Cl) for 15 minutes. Use boiled water that has been allowed to cool in a sanitized jar. Cover the jar with a clean unused piece of aluminum foil during the rehydration period.
Can liquid yeast cultures make a positive difference in the quality of your beer? The answer is clearly yes, assuming that you have a clean culture. The quality of most liquid yeast cultures currently available through homebrew supply stores is excellent. If they are handled properly, they can markedly improve the quality of your beer ...
The Homebrewer's Companion(Continues...)
Excerpted from The Homebrewer''s Companion by Charles Papazian Copyright © 2003 by Charles Papazian. Excerpted by permission.
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