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Sometimes known as beer in a can, no-boil, and hopped wort; beer kits contain liquid malt extract that, when reconstituted with water, produces wort. They are the easiest method available since the basic varieties typically don't require boiling or other preparations. Generally, the quality of beer from these kits can be on par with commercial beer but are generally not as good as home brew made from using malt extract or all-grain methods, and can be a good start for someone overwhelmed by the process. Kits requiring additional sugar tend to produce thinner beers. These "sugar" kits typically come in one 1.8 kg can.
Some more authentic kits contain extra malt extract and come in two cans weighing a combined 3 kg. A few advanced kits may also come with a hop teabag and require you to boil this with the wort before cooling it and pitching the yeast. On the whole two-can kits produce thicker-tasting, more commercial brews as all the alcohol is made from malt sugars. Some learners try a few of the more complex 3 kg kits to get used to the copper hopping process—boiling wort with hops—process before progressing on to more complex brews.
Brewing by use of beermaking kits may allow the homebrewer to avoid the need to boil the wort. Wort is typically boiled for an hour to two hours, which allows the beer to be infused with hop flavor and which also has the effect of sterilizing the liquid so that it will not be contaminated before the addition of yeast. Beermaking kits are frequently pre-boiled with the hops. And as long as the homebrewer observes sanitary practices, such as sanitizing the fermentation vessel before addition of the malt extract and liquor, the yeast will immediately take hold in the sweet liquid and other microbes will have less chance to spoil the beer.
Brewing process
Primary fermentation of homebrewing takes place in a large glass or plastic carboys or food-grade plastic bucket, nearly always sealed. When sealed, the fermenter is stoppered with the carbon dioxide gas produced venting through a fermentation lock. During this time, temperatures should be kept at optimum temperature for the fermentation process. For ale this temperature is usually 65-75°F / 18-24°C, for lager it is usually much colder, around 50°F / 10°C, wine will start fermenting around 20°C, cider between 15°C and 18°C. A vigorous fermentation then takes place, usually starting within 12 hours and continuing over the next few days. During this stage the fermentable sugars (maltose, glucose, and sucrose) are consumed by the yeast, while ethanol and CO2 are produced as byproducts by the yeast. A layer of sediment, the lees or "trub", appears at the bottom of the fermenter, composed of heavy fats, proteins and inactive yeast. Often, the brew is moved to a second carboy after primary fermentation called a secondary fermenter. This secondary fermentation process is often utilized by more advanced home brewers to enhance flavor. While not required, it is generally practiced by home brewers who were not happy with the taste of their first batch.
Beer
Main article: Brewing#The brewing process
The principles behind the process of homebrewing beer are similar to commercial brewing. A hopped wort is produced and yeast pitched into the beer to stimulate fermentation. The complexity of the process is mostly determined by the approach used to manufacture the wort; by far the simplest method is kit brewing.
Main article: Mashing
Homebrewing malt extracts: liquid in a can and spray driedHomebrewers may purchase liquid or dried malt extracts that are quite simply the condensed or dried wort that is sold in concentrated form. Whether the homebrewer chooses to mash their own grains or chooses to purchase malt extracts, the homebrewer will then need to add hops and boil the liquid, typically for an hour to an hour and a half.
A partial mash differs from an extract brew in that the extract remains enzymatically active. Unlike dead malts where some of the starch has been converted to sugar via the action of heat and the natural enzymes have been destroyed, wheat and unmalted extracts need the help of enzymes to convert their starches into sugars.
The next step up from extract brewing is to use a diastatically active malt extract to convert starches from other beer adjuncts such as flaked and torrified barleys, flaked wheat, and wheat flour into fermentable sugars. These extracts are currently only available in the canned form. Unmalted barleys and wheats can add extra "body" to a finished beer.
Advanced homebrewers make their own extract from crushed malted barley (or alternative grain adjuncts such as unmalted barley, wheat, oats, corn or rye) by mashing the grain in hot water. This requires an insulated vessel known as a mash tun.
In one procedure popular with homebrewers called the "Infusion Mash", all grains are combined in the tun and added to brewing liquor. Before being combined with the grains, the brewing liquor is heated to a "strike temperature" that is hotter than the desired temperature for enzymatic activity. The reason the liquor is heated is to compensate for the fact that the grains are cooler than the desired temperature.
The mash is then removed to a lauter tun and the grains washed with hotter water to obtain all the sugars from the tun in a process known as sparging. The sparging process will also stop any further enzymatic activity if much hotter water is used; conversely the mash may be heated to around 80°C to end such activity prior to placing it in the lauter-tun, and to prevent cooler grain from lowering the sparge water temperature to a lower than desirable figure.[4]
The resulting wort is then boiled for around 90 minutes. Copper hops are added at the beginning of the boil and flavouring hops after 75 minutes. Irish Moss, a form of seaweed, is typically added at the end of the boil to help prevent any hazes in the final brew. Haze-preventing additives to the boil are known as copper finings.
