Instructions for making a five gallon batch of beer

The following review is not intended to be a complete instructional lesson on how to brew beer. Only a concise re-examination of the steps necessary to brew a 5 gal. batch of beer. Read completely before beginning.

Sterilize all equipment. Before beginning, determine how much water five gallons is:  

1) In a 2 1/2 gallon boiling pot or larger (stainless steel or enamel) bring minimum one gallon of water to a boil, and then remove from heat. Next stir in a total of 6 to 10 lbs. malt or malt & combined sugars (malt extract is a very thick syrup, if the can is soaked in hot tap water for 30 minutes before opening for better dispensing). If you must use corn sugar, use no more than 20% of the total mixture. Corn sugar tends to give your beer a cider flavor. If your malt is not already hopped add 1 to 2 oz at beginning of boil for bittering, . Bring to a rolling boil (uncovered) for 60 minutes, (if you do not keep an eye on the boiling wort it will boil over) add 1/2 oz of hops the last 15 min for flavoring. Add 1 tsp. of irish moss the last 15 min of the boil (clarifying). Then cool rapidly by taking your boiling pot with a lid on it and placing it in a sink of ice water (not to exceed 40 minutes). Remember anything coming into contact with the wort should be sanitized.

 

A special note on dry hopping For true hop flavor and aroma, add hops three days after fermentation has started. Leave hops in the beer for up to two weeks when possible.

2)  While wort is cooling, prepare the primary fermenter. It must be clean, sterilized, and contain approximately 3 1/2 gallons of cold water. When the wort has cooled pour it into the primary fermenter containing the cool water. (You can help cool the wort by giving it an ice & water bath in the sink; optimum temperature once all ingredients are mixed is 70-75 degrees f). The starting specific gravity depends on how much malt or other fermentable sugars you use (remember to always take a specific gravity reading and write it down in some sort of brewing log) stir in the yeast and cover the fermenter with a lid and apply an air lock half filled with water. The primary fermenter could be either a 5-gallon glass carboy with a 1-inch blow off hose inserted in it with the other end submerged in a container of sanitized water or a 7 1/2 gallon food grade plastic fermenter with a lid and air lock; primary fermentation takes roughly 4-7 days. Rack, or siphon, (optional) into a five-gallon carboy and apply an air lock 1/2 filled with water for an additional 7-10 days, your ending s.g. should be approximately 1/3 or less of the starting specific gravity, Example: starting gravity 1.045 ending gravity between 1.015 1.008.this is the time to bottle. 

3)  Have about 55 12 oz. Beer bottles, clean and ready. In a small pan heat one pint of water, or beer, and add in 1/2 of a cup of corn sugar and stir until dissolved, cool down rapidly. Next, pour corn sugar into a clean container, siphon beer into the same clean container, leaving the sediment behind, and mixing the sugar solution throughout the entire beer. Siphon the beer into bottles to within one inch of the top and cap with sterilized caps. At this point the corn sugar ferments in the bottle and creates carbonation. 

4)  Keep the bottles at standard room temperature and out of the light for at least 10 days to insure carbonation, the beer may be ready before this, but 10 days is universally recommended. The beer can be consumed at this point, but will mature if aged at cooler temperature, approximately 60 degrees f, for an additional 3-6 weeks.

Have a brew day

Your friends at the Wine Barrel

Mg revised 4/6/2001