How Clear Is Your Beer?

Beer is more than just a great tasting beverage.  While many choose not to partake, beer is a large part of the American--indeed, even the human--experience.  Benjamin Franklin famously said "Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy."  The fact that a culture has grown up around the joy of making and enjoying fine beer testifies to how much beer has become part of our culture.  Enjoying beer is about far more than just the taste of the brew itself.  Beer is an experience, very much about where you have your beer, the company with whom you drink it, what you drink it out of, and how the beer looks in the glass.  And while you as a home brewer cannot control many of those factors, you can control the quality of the beer you make so it not only tastes great but is visually appealing as well.

If you pour a commercial beer from a bottle or a can, you may not be aware of how much those beer makers put into not just the taste but the affect your other senses have on the beer drinking experience.  The way the beer pours.  The aroma as you pour it.  The head of foam that wells up in your mug. How the beer looks in the glass.  These are all just as important as the beer's flavor.  The emphasis the big beer producers put on ascetics is so extreme that they even make the sound the can makes when you "pop a cold one" to be unique because they know that sound alone can prepare you to receive the taste of a great beer drinking experience.

The truth is none of that will change whether the beer itself is of high quality or is good to drink, but visual appeal matters.  One area of visual appeal that you have some control over when making your own beer at home is clarity.  Clarity simply refers to how the beer looks in the glass.  If you can see through the beer and it is a consistent beige or amber color, that is visually appealing.  But if things are floating around in the beer, even if they are perfectly harmless byproducts of the brewing process, that can diminish how inviting your beer is to enjoy and even diminish how enjoyable the beer is to drink even if the beer itself is of high quality.

A lot of the "stuff" that floats around in beer comes from the yeast that is crucial to the fermentation process, which makes beer beer.  Some yeasts are better than others about settling out of the beer during fermentation.  Another source of visible material in the beer comes from what is referred to as non-microbiological particles or NMPs which are a byproduct of the brewing process.  Again, none of these visible materials are harmful to consume nor do they reduce the value of the beer.  They just look bad and hurt the clarity of the beer which is one way beer is measured for quality.
Many of the NMPs are introduced during the initial creation of the wort which is phase one of any brewing operation.  The wort is boiled at a high temperature for a significant enough period of time to cause the proteins in the ingredients to break down and become part of the fluidity of the wort rather than remain in a substance state or a "floc" which remains visible in the finished product.  To avoid this make sure your boil sustains a temperature of 215F for 60-90 minutes to assure complete processing of the proteins.

Another important brewing step that you can do to reduce visible agents in your beer is to cool the wort very quickly.  It is, of course, advisable to cool your wort quickly anyway in order to get the yeast working as soon as possible and avoid hang time that allows bacteria and wild yeasts to contaminate your brew.  But by bringing the temperature down rapidly, the clarity is vastly enhanced as well.  When you transfer the cooled wort into your fermentation vessel, be sure to leave behind the debris that is in the bottom of the brewing kettle--in addition to spent hops, there is what is called "cold break," which has a lot of solidified proteins that lead to cloudy beer.  As a beginning home brewer, I used several methods to cool my wort--ice baths in the kitchen sink, leaving the wort in a sealed fermenter outside overnight, and even sinking the hot kettle in a snowbank for an hour or so, but by far the best method, for a minimal investment of money, is an immersion chiller.  This is a simple apparatus made of metal (usually copper) tubing coiled up so it fits into your brewing pot, and some rubber hose or tubing.  Cold water flows in one end, takes on heat transferred from the hot wort liquid, and comes out hot on the other end.  A simple wort chiller can bring five gallons of boiling wort down to yeast pitching temperature in ten to fifteen minutes.  A scaled-up version of the wort chiller is the counter flow chiller, but while highly recommended for being faster and more efficient at chilling your wort, a regular single-direction immersion chiller is certainly sufficient and gives you plenty of bang for your buck.

Finings, or additives, are another option for keeping your beer clear.  Irish moss, isinglass, gelatin, and bentonite are all products added either during the boil or after fermentation that clear your beer (or wine, in some cases!) at the microscopic level.

If you want to get really involved in clearing your brew, there's always filtration, which we'll talk about in more depth another time.

Seeking beer clarity can become a major passion of yours as a home brewer and there is a whole science to using clarifying agents such as Irish Moss to enhance beer clarity without diminishing beer quality or taste.  Learning good techniques for making your beer clear and appealing is just another step in your ongoing quest to become the best amateur beer maker possible.  And that is a quest worth pursuing!

Getting That First Batch of Beer Brewing

Beer is such a popular beverage because it has such a deep earthy flavor and because the variety of flavors, brands, colors and textures of beers is so diverse that you can explore a new brew each and every time you want a beer and never get bored.  And yet most of us pretty much settle on one taste and stick with it.  That is until we discover brew pubs. That is when our eyes are opened to the idea that we don’t have to depend on Budweiser and Miller for good beer.  It can be made right at home.

Some of the finest beers you could hope to taste are not made in the big commercial factories but in small brew pubs all around the country.  So if you have discovered some particularly flavorful home brewed beers, it isn't long before you might decide to take a stab at brewing a batch yourself.  Be careful because once you start experimenting with brewing your own beer, you may become hooked into an addictive hobby that will provide hours of fun as you tinker with your recipes, get new and better equipment and become a true beer expert in brewing your own custom blends for the best flavored beer.

But it all starts with that very first batch.  You might approach that moment when you decide to make your first batch of beer with some fear and trembling.  But keep your spirit of adventure and experimentation because, after all, if you bought good equipment, you will get the hang of it.  As the wise man said, that the journey of a hundred miles begins with the first step.  So too your journey toward becoming a master brewer starts with your first batch.

The process of brewing that first batch is pretty simple actually.  Here are the steps to go through to get your first brew underway.

-Gather the ingredients to have them on hand as you step through the brewing process.  You don’t' want to have to stop and go dig something up so have them ready to go when they are added in as the brewing process is underway.

-It all starts with water.  One gallon of good water will do.  You don't need specialty water as tap water in most areas of the country does well due to a good combination of minerals that actually makes the beer taste better.  So get a gallon of water boiling in a large pot capable of holding 2-3 gallons of water.  You need that extra space for adding ingredients.

-The first ingredient to add to the boiling water is the brewing yeast that you bought just for this purpose.  The yeast will have specific instructions but in essence you will mix the yeast with piping hot tap water and stir it in a separate pot or pan until it becomes a thick paste.

-You can prepare the yeast while the water boils and when it's ready, add the mixture to the water.

-Once the yeast is mixed in well, add the malt extract that you bought for this brewing process.  Make sure the malt is mixed in well and dissolved before moving on.

-Hops will come as pellets when you bought them from the supplier so add them when the water is boiling again and allow the entire mixture to boil for another five minutes.

-During this preparation time, get your fermenting equipment sanitized and ready to go.  As the brewing process approaches completion, fill the fermenter about three quarters full with cold water from the tap.

-The strong beer you have boiled is called the "wort" which is now ready for fermenting.  Pour the hot wort into the cold water in the fermenter.  What you are looking for is an end result of five gallons of mixture in the fermenter so if you don't find you are at that level, add more water. 

The brewing process is done and you can follow the directions for fermenting that are provided with the equipment or that you learn from other resources about the fine art of fermenting beer.  Now it's just a matter of letting nature do what it does to ferment your beer.  Enjoy the anticipation as you allow the fermenting to continue and then enjoy the flavor of your very own first batch of home brewed beer.

Brewing on a Budget--The Poor Man's Guide Learning to Brew Beer at Home

For a true beer lover, one of the most rewarding hobbies is brewing your own signature beer.  Once you get set up with the equipment and basic supplies, it’s a fairly affordable hobby and you will get a lot of entertainment value out of going through the brewing and fermentation process.  The real enjoyment, however, comes from the sense of pride you get from watching the enjoyment on friends' faces when they taste a beer that you made.

One of the hold ups that keep many people from getting into home brewing is the startup cost.  Let's face it--if you've ever taken a tour of a brewery seen the huge machines and storage tanks, it can be hard to see how you can make beer in your kitchen with just a few simple devices.  Fortunately, there is an entire home brewing subculture that has risen up based entirely on being able to make beer in small batches and at relatively low costs.  It's legal, it's fun, and brewing beer can become a major hobby as well.

All that said, it's true that the initial costs can be a bit intimidating.  The cost of the pots, fermenters and other specialized equipment can run into several hundred dollars.  It's risky to sink that kind of money into a new hobby before you even know if you will enjoy making beer, whether the beer you make will be drinkable, or if you will stick with it.  And during a time when we need most of what we earn just to get by, that is a risk that may be holding you back from getting into the hobby.

Of course one natural solution is to get your first exposure and training in making beer with someone else's equipment.  Once you start poking around on home brewing websites and places where the equipment and supplies to make beer are sold in your town, you can find out about clubs and societies that are full of people who have taken the plunge and are making beer all the time right in their own homes. 

These people love home brewing, and they can become real boosters for their hobby.  Ask if you can sit in on their next brewing session.  With very little encouragement, you can enjoy some Saturdays in their shop or kitchen learning how to brew beer with someone who already knows the process.  This kind of experience is priceless because you learn what to look for in equipment, as well as what is essential and what is merely optional.  You can go through the brewing process and learn a lot about how to make actual beer that is drinkable, and what pitfalls to avoid.  Meanwhile, you may not have spent any more than the cost of lunch for your friend, and maybe a bag or two of pretzels for the tasting party when the beer is done.

When you are ready to get started brewing on your own, your knowledge of what you really need will pay off in a big way.  You still don't have to pay top dollar for the equipment to get up and running.  Lots of people get started with making beer, and then for a variety of reasons, their hobby stops suddenly.  The outcome is that there is a pretty brisk market out there for used basic home brewing equipment.  You can find discounted equipment in new or like new condition for sale on eBay or
Craigslist all the time.  Don't overlook the local sources like home brewing clubs and associations--they may have bulletin boards with listings from people who want to sell or upgrade their own equipment.  Pawn shops in the area are another great resource.

Another great way to save money is to go in with a friend or family member and split the costs all the way down the line.  This makes brewing beer more fun and social, and each of you can have the equipment and supplies home at different times.   If you each learn to make good beer separately, you can also make great beer together!  And who knows--you may get so good at it that you start selling your beer to local pubs.  When the big bucks come rolling in from that, your investment in learning to
brew beer will have been well worth it!

A Short History of Home Brewing

Ever since the joys of drinking alcohol was discovered about 7,000 years ago, and with the scarcity of commercial brewing companies at that time, people resorted to brewing beer in the comfort of their own homes. As expected, it only took a short time before commercial breweries started to mass-produce beer. While that made beer more accessible to the general public, beer lovers and hobbyists have never stopped brewing their own beer.

Home brewing was very popular in England during the medieval period, largely because it was customary for feudal manors to make sure beer was available for consumption for the lords and their subjects.

In America, the most influential people who took up home brewing were George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and more recently, Barack Obama.
 
Home brewing took a drastic blow when in the 1800's, brewing was heavily taxed by the government in order for the commercial breweries to get more profit. Eventually, the Prohibition was enacted, causing all types of alcohol to get banned. Since then, home brewing was the only way for people to get their beer, and a risky endeavor at that.

The Prohibition got lifted in 1933, but at this time, only wine was allowed for home production. It was only when President Carter passed the 1979 Cranston Act that home brewing beer became legal again, partly due to the proliferation of crime involving beer smuggling in the previous years.

Home brewing hobby shops steadily increased in number ever since. In 1981, home brewing hobby shops numbered 150. This number grew to 1,000 in 1996. After some retrenchments, the number dwindled to 550, one of the reasons being the rising costs of materials.
 
Commercial breweries have permeated the fabric of society since then, but while home brewing was still legal, it dropped down in popularity and was relegated to "connoisseurs" and fanatics. It came to a point where being a home brewer became an elitist stance, since the product did not justify the cost of materials and amount of preparation required in brewing beer.

Today, the American Homebrewers Association roughly estimated the amount of home brewers to 1 million. The Internet revolution may have had an influence, but one of the main reasons for the surging popularity is the production of scaled down brewing kits and the easier access to 100 different strains of yeast. The quality of advice and the ingredients has improved dramatically. Years ago, the materials involved in home brewing were a can of Blue Ribbon malt extract, a 10 gallon ceramic crock, and a pile of Fleischmann's bread yeast. Now, home brewers can purchase hundreds of different beer ingredient kits, which are much cheaper and less unwieldy than earlier beer home brewing kits.

Because of these significant changes, home brewers are now producing beers with better quality. A wide range of possibilities has opened up.  Different types of beers with unique flavors have come out of the woodwork, and still continue to do so. This is a sign that home brewing is here to stay. In fact, there's no better time to start up the hobby than now!