Aucbvax.6343
net.cooks
utzoo!decvax!ucbvax!baden
Mon Mar  1 23:15:16 1982
Hints from a home-brewer
I have a few comments to make about the Art of Brewing Beer.

The key to brewing good beer is to be nice to it!  The
wort should ferment in the dark in an environment with
a constant temperature.  Don't let it get too warm, I'd
keep it at a temperature no higher than  65 degrees F. (~19 C).
I prefer to make beer in the cellar but this is difficult
given my current living arrangments.  I keep the Primary
under a plastic bag to keep out the light.

Be careful not to agitate the wort too much either.  The
only time agitation is needed is when you add bottling sugar
and when you twist the bottles during the first few weeks of
aging (two or three times once a week for the first few weeks).
Be careful about adding too much bottling sugar, or a terrible
explosion could result!  I like to add 1-1/2 -> 2 cups.

You may be tempted to jack up the alcohol content but
this will only make your beer taste sour if you are not
careful.  Better to make good beer for awhile and try
some acrobatics after you have some experience.

I prefer darker beers, and the extra dark malt will tend
to mask a good deal of sourness.
If you use more malt and reduce the sugar quantity then
the beer will have more body and will not be as sour. This will raise
the cost of the beer, however.  I use two cans of malt
(some cans are larger than others) and 1-1/3# of corn sugar.

I like to boil hops and malt (when I  use the grain) in a
bag made out of cheese-cloth.  This makes everything a whole
lot easier.  Remember to squeeze the juices out when removing
the bags.

Be sure that everything is VERY clean, I use baking soda to
clean out the primary and secondary.  I soak the bottles in
bleach to remove the labels and to sterilize them.  I was
once told that Hydrochloric acid would sterilize the bottles,
make a weak solution from the concentrate (you can buy
this a pool supply stores, make sure that there are no
other chemicals in it!). I've never tried using HCl.

I've used tap water with no problem, I'd break down and
get spring water if it was convenient.  Just let the water
sit a few days to let the chlorine to escape (keep the
container loosely covered to keep out dirt and germs).

A word on aging: THERE IS NO NEED TO RUSH THINGS!!  The beer
will only taste better with age.  The shelf life of home-brew
depends upon the storage conditions.   I live in the Bay
area and have no trouble storing beer for a year here.  Just
keep the temperature reasonably low <= 65 F, and keep it constant!

I let the beer sit in the carboy until it is crystal clear (2-4 months) 
This time is dependent upon the aging temparature.  After bottling I let
the beer sit for another month or two.

Yes, you can drink the beer in 1-2 weeks, but why bother to go to
the trouble of making home-brew unless you are going to let it
gradually acquire its true flavor.  You'll be missing something
if you drink 'green' beer.

have fun!

Scott