I Heart Beer – A 101 on Homebrew Ingredients
Run out of reasons to tell your wife why your shirt and breath always reek of beer? Try this: According to the New England Journal of Medicine dated November 1999, drinking one or two bottles of beer a day prevents stroke cases by 20 percent.
But your wife will probably grow tired of that justification soon. Why not brew your own beer? Brewing your own beer is cheaper than buying it-and who knows-you could even sell your beer and earn some decent money. Why don’t you start with the ingredients? If you haven’t got a clue what ingredients to use, start reading.
Beer is over 90% water. Because it is the main ingredient by volume, to brew good beer, you need to start with good water.
Brewing sugar and yeast are another two main homebrew ingredients that you can’t-and must not-do without. Remember what your Chemistry teacher told you about them? No? Here’s a refresher for you. The yeast and the brewing sugar are key elements in fermentation. The yeast uses the brewing sugar and converts it into two chemicals, carbon dioxide and of course alcohol.
Next, don’t forget the hops. They should be kept in oxygen barrier bags in a freezer at all times. A day or two out of the freezer means a change in their bitterness and taste characteristics that they shouldn’t have, and thus makes the beer or brew taste differently.
READ: In principle, the fresher the ingredients, the better.
Understand that to make the “perfect” beer, you must first enjoy the learning process to make beers. Because there are many different types of beer with different ingredients, you can do a lot of testing and tasting with your friends and family to come up with that one beer that speaks of you.
Beer has been brewed for many centuries, and you can use some of the wisdom gained over thousands of years to be a great brewer of home beer. Getting started on this fascinating hobby is far easier than you may have thought, and although you will have to learn a few things about the process of making beer, it will be fun. Besides, you get to drink the final product anyway.
You ready with your beer garden?
Author: Dharmendra Zala
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Canada duty rates