Homemade

Guide to Homemade Wine, Beer, Cider & Mead

Alcoholic beverages; commonly beer and wines and made at home. Most often brews are made from brewing kits purchased at shops specialized in spirits. Cheap Draft features homebrew recipes, equipment requirements, and best practices needed to deliver the perfect batch!

As in wine making, clarifying beer should not be necessary as, if everything has gone according to plan, the beer will clarify itself in no time at all. However, it sometimes happens that everything does not go according to plan; we then have to resort to clarifying our beers. But do not attempt this unless the beer refuses to clear within three weeks after fermentation has ceased in the case of draught beers. In the case of bottled beer, the yeast should settle soon after bottling so that, held up to the light, the beer will be - or should be - as clear as a bell. As already mentioned, brilliant clarity as we want it in wines is not essential in dark beer and is not absolutely essential in ales of the light type that ordinarily one expects to see quite brilliant.

Isinglass is undoubtedly the best clarifying medium for beers. In treating draught beers, in jars, the best plan is to take a little of the beer - about a pint - and warm it. Into this stir about a teaspoonful of isinglass with a fork until it is dissolved, keeping the beer warm until this is affected. Do not let the sample become cold, otherwise it might gel - turn to thin jelly. When all, or most, of the isinglass is dissolved, strain through fine muslin and pour into the bulk. Bung down again and in a day or so the beer will be brilliant.

Where gaseous bottled beers are to be treated a problem arises, for in opening the bottles the gas is lost. Therefore, in treating bottled gaseous beer you will have to return the lot to a large vessel and treat as for draught beers. Then, when it is brilliant, siphon the clear beer off the sediment into another large vessel and prime it again - add 2t oz. of sugar to the gallon and a speck of yeast (a very tiny amount). This will ensure that renewed fermentation goes on to give back to the beer the gas lost during treatment. After priming, the beer must be bottled as before and put away in the normal fashion.

Final Words Before You Begin

I find the best way to get the fullest value from the hops in these recipes is to boil them separately and in a small muslin bag with something such as a glass marble in the bag to submerge the hops at once. So bear this in mind when reading the direction, ‘boil the hops…’ Some loss of liquid will occur during boiling but this does not matter.

When straining the wort into the boiler and again when straining into the fermenting vessel, make sure the straining cloth is fine enough to hold back all solids. Coarse cloths of open texture should be folded several times before use.

1£ using the hydrometer to ascertain the gravity of the wort before fermentation so that you can arrive at the exact alcohol content of the beer when it has finished fermenting, take the reading when the wort has been made up to four gallons (or two gallons as the case may be) and when the sugar has dissolved. As the warmth of the wort will affect the volume and therefore the reading, it is better to let it cool and to take the reading immediately before adding the yeast.

It will be seen that there is more than one recipe for each type of beer: for example, there are two recipes for brown ale. Each recipe in this case and others makes for different sorts of brown ale, or bitter, or whatever it is.

And finally, do not expect to turn out at first attempt a beer exactly like the last one you tasted at your local - this would be expecting too much. Take your first shot at this as an initial experiment into finding the recipe which is going to prove the one to make the beer best suited to your personal taste. All tastes vary, therefore it is unlikely that the first recipe you use will be the one you will want to use next time. Bear this in mind and be prepared to experiment a little and I assure you it will be very soon that you make beer to surpass your expectations.

Note

In the recipes in the following chapters you will come across the reference: ‘ferment for five-six days’, or whatever it happens to be. This is a general purpose instruction meaning that under favourable conditions fermentation will have slowed down or be nearly complete so that hydrometer readings may be taken. They may be taken every day after the yeast has been added if this suits you. But it is at this five-six day stage that we must take note of the progress of fermentation so that we can work according to whichever type of beer we are making. If fermentation goes on longer than the days suggested, do not worry; it may go on for several days longer, even a week longer, depending on how even a temperature is maintained and whether this is in the 600 -70 Of. range, as is best.

You will also come across the reference ‘until the beer goes “flat” ‘. In using the word ‘flat’ I am describing the surface of the brew at the stage where fermentation has ceased. At this stage, when the yeast has been removed or where a bottom fermenting yeast is in use, the surface of the beer will indeed go flat; there will be no evidence of frothing or of bubbles breaking on the surface as we see the effect of drizzle-rain on a puddle. The beer does go flat in the sense that it is no longer lively - it does, in fact, become what it really is, draught beer. As already explained, this draught beer can be left as draught beer or primed to make it into a sparkling beer.

This is an elementary precaution almost anyone would take. But it is surprising how many would overlook the necessity. The mash tun (polythene pail), should be covered with a sheet of strong polythene with no holes in it. This should be tied down with strong string or, better still, a strong elastic band or several linked together and joined by a small wire clip or hook. This will hold the covering in place tightly so that air and airborne diseases cannot gain access.

The fermenting vessel must be covered in a similar fashion. The covering on this will billow up like a balloon under pressure from the gas generated. The gas will find an outlet for itself, keeping up a constant out-going stream to prevent diseases entering.

Winemakers will be familiar with the causes of spoiled wine and while we are not likely to encounter them in making beers, cider, meads and other alcoholic drinks, it is as well to know about them. We are then able to understand why precautions against them are so necessary.

Spoilage in meads and ciders, etc., is covered in their respective chapters. Here I am concerned only with spoilage in beers and how to prevent it. In beer making, risk of spoilage is quite remote. This is because any wild yeasts or bacteria on the ingredients are destroyed during the boiling of the wort.

Risks of contamination of the wort by yeasts and bacteria floating about in the air is also remote. This is because covering vessels as directed prevents them reaching the wort. If the vessels are not covered as directed, wild yeast and bacteria may reach the wort to turn it insipid and Hat, oily or vinegary. Leave a bottle of beer or one with a drop left in the bottom opened for a few days and then smell it and the chances are that it will smell of vinegar. This is evidence that the vinegar bacteria has been at work on the alcohol and turned it to acetic acid - otherwise, vinegar. If this bacteria, or others or many of the wild yeasts in the air are allowed to come into contact with the beer, then calamity is in the offing.

It will be seen in the recipes that we must keep the wort at a certain temperature for a certain period. This is because during this period starches that would cloud the beer are converted by enzyme action into sugar which is later fermented out. It sometimes happens, no matter how careful we are, that not all the starch is converted during the time stipulated and it is not always possible by looking at the wort to decide whether or not the changes are complete. If conversion is not complete boiling will ‘fix’ the starch and removal later on will become a problem.

There is a simple test we can carry out to ascertain whether the changes have taken place or not at the end of the time given in the recipes. If changes are not complete the wort may be left for half an hour or an hour at the stipulated temperature until the changes are complete. Do not carry out this simple test until the end of the time given in the recipe, unless you feel sure that the changes have taken place earlier than expected.

Take about a tablespoonful of the wort into a glass or white cup or basin; to this add a few drops of medicinal iodine which has been diluted with an equal quantity of water. If the sample turns blue, starch is still present. If it does not, then the changes are complete. Do not worry if first tests show the presence of starch - just maintain the temperature for a little longer as already suggested and all will be well. A second test may be carried out if doubt still remains after extending the period in the mash tun.

Do not return tested sample to the bulk - throw it away.

Little need be said about the action of enzymes, except that if temperatures during the mash tun and fermentation stages are not reasonably constant, enzyme action will not take place. Enzymes are biological catalysts; they bring about chemical changes essential in the production of good beers. Starches and other matter are converted to sugars, and flavor is produced; indeed, without their action we would not be able to make beers at all.

The temperature in the mash tun stage ensures that enzyme action takes place and a warm atmosphere during fermentation ensures that the yeast is happy. If too hot the yeast will be destroyed if too cold it will go dormant. Always allow the boiled wort to cool well - to about 70°f. if you have a thermometer - before adding the yeast and try to keep the fermenting beer at between 60° and 70°f. This will ensure a good ferment which is essential if good beers are to result.

Beer usually ferments well without much bother; indeed, a good vigorous ferment is assured if we proceed as advised. However, the yeast must have certain conditions if it is to make the alcohol we want without undue waste of time. The first essential to good fermentation is a temperature of about 65 of. and if this can be maintained, fermentation should be all over and done with in five to eight days. But sometimes we encounter a sluggish ferment and this is not a good thing if good beers are to result. Therefore, to ensure that the yeast will make good beers, give a little nutrient as used by home winemakers. This is merely a blend of chemicals essential to speedy yeast growth, they have no effect upon the taste of the finished beers.

Nutrient tablets used by winemakers are quite suitable for our purpose and should be used as directed by the supplier. This means, usually, merely crushing the tablet and dissolving the powder in a few drops of the wort and then stirring it into the rest.

A pinch of salt boiled with the hops, and a few crystals of citric acid per gallon will also assist fermentation. None of these additives will give their flavor into the finished beer.

The Action of Yeast

Choice of yeast is most important, for herein lies one of the secrets of successful beer making.

Many people obtain brewers’ yeast from their local brewery and impart to some extent some of the characteristics of the beers turned out by that brewery. Others use dried yeast or bakers’ yeast from doubtful sources, but don’t do this yourself. Far better to get a good yeast from one of the suppliers listed at the end of this book, either top or bottom fermenting kind. Bottom fermenting yeast settles to the bottom of the fermenting vessel; most of this is left behind when the beer is bottled. Any in suspension at bottling time settles to the bottom of the bottles and sticks so hard that all but the merest trace of beer can be poured off clear before the yeast is disturbed.

Many home operators very successfully use yeast from bottled beers. They get a bottle of their favorite stout, or Guinness or Worthington and let it stand overnight. You then pour off the beer very carefully - not into the sink, of course, drink it! leaving about an inch of beer in the bottle. This last inch will contain the variety of yeast used in the beer you have bought. This may be brought into activity by boiling about a quarter pint of water and about an ounce of sugar together. When this is cool pour into the bottle containing the yeast using a funnel. Give a shaking, plug the neck of the bottle with cotton wool and in a day or two or perhaps even in a few hours, this little lot will be fermenting ready to add to the batch of beer you have been waiting to make.

When this batch of beer is nearly finished, you may take a little of the yeast from the top or bottom, treat it as above and you will have a new nucleus ferment readv to add to the next batch when advised in the recipes. You can do this each time you make a batch of beer.

The practice of using yeast from bottled beers can only be done successfully when the beers are dark; this is because only dark beers have a yeast deposit. Bright, light, sparkling ales do not have them.

By the time we add the yeast, sugar will already have been added to the wort in the fermenting vessel. In beer making we add enough sugar to give the amount of alcohol we want and bottle the beer at a point where there is very little sugar left. The fermentation that goes on after bottling charges the beer with the required gas - see draught or bottled beers:

Yeast feeding on the sugar produces alcohol and carbonic acid gas and turns the murky wort into clear foaming beer with a nice percentage of alcohol. The action of yeast has been fully described in various wine books of mine”: it is therefore enough merely to say here that it is the yeast that makes the beer for us, and to explain briefly what happens when yeast is put into the wort. Yeast is a living thing and like all living things it must reproduce itself if it is to survive. When put into a sugar solution - fruit juice in wine making, wort in beer making - it springs to life and almost at once begins to reproduce itself. In so doing it produces alcohol and the gas we see rising in the form of bubbles during fermentation. In wine making, fermentation goes on until so much alcohol is made that the yeast is destroyed by that alcohol. But in beer making we do not want nearly so much alcohol. Therefore, we add just enough sugar to produce the alcohol we want. In wine making we add from two to four pounds of sugar to the gallon. The yeast will use approximately 2~ lb. in producing about 14% of alcohol by volume. This amount of alcohol is usually sufficient to kill the yeast. Therefore any sugar in excess of 2t lb. is left unfermented to sweeten the wine. Obviously, if we use only two pounds of sugar to the gallon the amount of alcohol will be less than 14% and the wine will be dry. The wine will be of 14% and still dry if 2t lb. of sugar is used. If three pounds are used, the wine will still be of 14%, but less dry as there will be half a pound left unfermented to sweeten it.

I mention this to make clear that the more sugar you use the more alcohol you will obtain. But as mentioned, beers should not be too strong; indeed, the amount of sugar given in the recipes is plenty because the amount of alcohol produced from this is ample for beers.

During fermentation a good deal of frothing takes place. This is yeast rising to the surface. Do not disturb unless advised in the recipes in the event of a top fermenting yeast being used.