This should contain some information and links to information on basic brewing principles.
As with the brewing of nearly any alcoholic beverage, homebrewing is all about converting sugars into alcohol and CO2 using yeast. The sugars used are generally that of malted grains. Additional flavor profiles can be created using adjunct grains, spices, and hops.
The vast majority of sugars will be extracted from malted grains. These sugars are often pre-packaged as dried or liquid malt extract but can be created using all grains in a process known as mashing. While the conversion rate for all grain brews will vary depending on grains, pH balance, and a number of other circumstances, you can usually count on fairly consistent amounts from dried and liquid malt extracts.
The addition of sugars and adjuncts to water prior to any yeast being added is called a wort. Essentially a non-alcoholic non-carbonated sugar water.
How much sugar is contained within your beer is determined using a "gravity" reading. This is taken using a hydrometer in a cylinder (you may recall this from science classes in high school). The gravity of pure water would be 1.000. The addition of sugars will raise this gravity causing the hydrometer to float higher in the solution.
You can generally expect an gravity increase of 40 points to achieve a level of 1.040 per pound of dried malt extract and 36 points or 1.036 per pound per gallon of extract used. So if you were looking to achieve an original gravity of 1.080 for a 5 gallon batch you would need approximately 10 pounds of dried malt extract.
You can use the formulas below to determine the amount of DME/LME you will want to use.
- DME: 1.0 + [(40 * L / V) / 1000] = G
- LME: 1.0 + [(36 * L / V) / 1000] = G
L = Pounds of Extract V = Target Wort Volume in Gallons G = Original Gravity
It is important to note that the target wort volume is post-boil. Since evaporation will occur during boil, you will inevitably start with more water than you end up with. See "Boiling" below for more information.
Different grains will impart different flavors and other characteristics such as color. Common grains include wheat, barley, and rye.
In addition to malted grains, beers will use various other ingredients to achieve a variety of flavors. These can be anything from hops which are fairly standard in some amount across almost all beers, but also fruit and spices. Different types of beer will traditionally be brewed with different hops as well as different adjuncts to create a flavor profile consistent with the style.
The addition of hops and adjuncts to a the wort can range in time from boiling to fermentation. Often it is the case that different amounts of different types will be added to the wort at different times during the boil to be either used more for flavor or more for aroma.
Aroma is generally achieved by the addition of hops late in the boil, once removed from heat, or even during fermentation. This is true also of other adjuncts as well.
The process of brewing is essentially broken down into several stages. If you are doing all grain brewing you will have a mash and sparge phase where sugars are extracted from malted grains to be added to the boil. In all cases you will have some form of boil (even if you're using a kit that doesn't technically require you to boil the wort).
Boiling your wort is essential not only to ensure even distribution of sugars, but to impart additional flavor based on the addition of hops or adjuncts and often times to reduce to appropriate OG levels or colors.
Depending on both stove/burner and climate, the rate of evaporation on your boil will likely range anywhere from 6% to 15%. This means that if your goal is a 5 gallon batch, you may want to start with as much as 6.5 gallons of water if you see faster evaporation. You can adjust heat levels, boil for slightly longer or less to get this exact, but unless you're particularly fussy you don't need to worry about it too much.
Pitching is the process of adding yeast to your wort. The ultimate goal of pitching is to get your yeast added with the highest possible survival rate. For both dried and liquid yeast this will sometimes mean creating a starter. This is just a fancy word for saying, give the yeast something to grow and/or multiply in before adding them. Usually this is a miniature wort at a lower gravity and precise temperatures.