Homemade products are always better, don’t you think? We certainly do! That’s why we encourage amateur brewers to go even further in creating their own unique beers. To do this, it’s essential to understand the key ingredients—hops, malts, water, and yeast—as well as the entire brewing process. With a bit of beer knowledge, you’ll see that brewing can be just as enjoyable as drinking.
Beer and brewing
Beer is a beverage produced through the alcoholic fermentation of a wort made from malted cereals, water, and hops. Yeast, the primary fermentation agent, converts sugars into alcohol and CO2. These sugars come mainly from the malt. The brewer’s role is to create a healthy, optimal fermentation environment for the yeast—this process is what we call brewing.
Ingredients
Water
Water is beer’s main ingredient. Its mineral content influences both the nutritional qualities and the flavor profile of the beer.
Hops
Hops provide the acids responsible for beer’s bitterness and stability, as well as essential oils that enhance its aromatic complexity.
Malt
Malt refers to cereal grains, usually barley, that have been malted. When mixed with hot water, enzymes convert the starch into simple sugars, creating a sweet liquid called wort.
Yeast
Yeast is a microorganism that reproduces by budding and transforms the sugars in the wort into alcohol and carbon dioxide. Yeast also plays a key role in shaping the beer’s aroma.
The main stages of brewing
There are three main types of brewing kits available:
- Hop kits (typically in cans)
- Malt extract kits (hops added separately)
- All-grain kits
These kits differ in the brewing steps required to obtain your wort, but fermentation and bottling follow the same process. Instead of brewing directly from barley malt (known as “all-grain” brewing), you can use malt extract to skip certain stages. This simplifies the brewing process, allowing you to focus more on fermentation and bottling. Both hop kits and malt extract kits are based on malt extracts that have already undergone mashing, sugar extraction, rinsing, and filtration—saving you time on brew day.
Here’s a quick summary diagram of the brewing process:
Brewing with an All-Grain Kit
This is the complete brewing method, letting you craft your beer from start to finish by following every step in the diagram. It’s the most rewarding option for brewers, closely resembling the work of professional brewers.
Brewing with a hop kit or malt extract kit
The two main advantages:
They require less time to produce your wort. Brewing with extract eliminates the need for a filtration system or malt mill, making it a lower investment. The difference between a hop kit and a malt extract kit is simple: hop kits include hops, while malt extract kits do not. Even if using a hop kit, it’s worth adding extra hops for aroma, as the wort’s concentrated liquid form (from boiling) can lead to some aroma loss. Adding aromatic hops at the end of boiling enhances the final product.
Hop Kit
A hop kit contains pre-hopped malt extract in liquid form. You can place the can in a hot water bath to liquefy the syrup, then dilute it in water and bring it to a boil to extract the hops’ bitter compounds before adding any additional hops.
Malt extract kits
Malt extract kits start you directly at the boiling stage, with extracts provided in liquid or powder form. Pay attention to filtration, which can be a critical step. Some kits include crushed grains (“Maillard malt” or “steeping grains”)—these are malts you steep at the beginning of wort preparation, then remove before reaching 78°C. This step adds aroma and color to your wort, similar to steeping a tea bag.
Choose your brewing method based on your time and preferences. With this knowledge, you’re ready to take your first steps into the world of home brewing !
Read other articles : How to serve draught beer ? and Does beer contain gluten ?
