You are hereFrequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
A local homebrew shop is a good resource. Check the yellow pages under "beer and winemaking supplies." If there is one in your area, stop in and introduce yourself to the proprietor. Explain that you are interested in getting started. Most shops sell equipment kits containing most of what you will need for your first batch. Some offer homebrewing classes taught by experienced brewers.
Otherwise some great online shops are:
http://www.northernbrewer.com/
http://www.williamsbrewing.com/
http://www.homebrewheaven.com/
Also check if there is a local homebrew club in your area, clubs are an excellent source of information and an opportunity to share your passion with others of a like mind. Homebrewers are very social and eager to help new brewers. You can learn a lot by watching and helping others brew.
Online forums are another "club" like resource. Here are a few good ones...
http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/
http://forum.northernbrewer.com/
http://brewersroundtable.com/
There are quite a few homebrewing books, including several excellent ones. Many people give high praise to John Palmer's How to Brew , which is online as well as in printed form. Hundreds of thousands of homebrewers learned from Charlie Papazian's The New Complete Joy of Homebrewing, available for more than 20 years and now in a new third edition. Ray Daniels' Designing Great Beers is more advanced and excellent for recipe formulation, although it contains not a single recipe.
The books "Clone Brews" and "Beer Captured" are good resources for recipes very close to some of our favorite domestic and import craft beers. You are likely to find at least a couple of recipes for a desired style if not for a specific beer. Though it may not be possible to duplicate a beer exactly; some people like the challenge while others say your own beer is what matters.
Check out our "Home Brewer's Essential Library" here »
Yes, but...
American style lagers (very light and pale) are among the hardest styles to brew. They are so light and pale that any flaws in the brewing/fermentation process will show through in the taset and aroma. To make beers of this character requires all-grain brewing, and the use of adjuncts such as corn or rice in the mashing process. Fermentation takes place at controlled temperatures, lower than that of ales, gererally starting out around 50º F and lower throughout the lagering process (a period of cold aging "lagering" in a secondary fermenter at 40 F or below).
It is possible to brew lighter beers (Kolsch and Cream style ales, or "Steam" beers like a California Lager) with malt extract and a neutral ale yeast, especially if they are cold conditioned, but they will not be quite the same as the commercial light lagers, Usually more body and flavor than the commercial stuff (and that's a bad thing?).
No.
There are no known human pathogens that can survive in beer. The alcohol and relative acidity help to protect it. Infected beer may not taste very good and you may not want to drink very much of it, but it won't make you sick per se. Of course overconsumption of beer can result in temporary sickness and nasty hangovers, so drink responsibly and know when you've had enough.
You can do home brew on the cheap side and omit a few items, but for simplicity, the following will just make things so much easier, they're worth it.
A good spot for affordable equipment is craigslist.org
Boiling Pot(4 gallon minimum): Preferably Stainless Steel, but a sturdy aluminum vessel will do just fine and they are much cheaper.
Fermenter: Usually a 6.5 to 7 gallon food-grade, plastic tub with a tight fitting top. The top will have a small hole where the air lock will be inserted.
Air lock: This allows carbon dioxide to escape during fermentation while keeping the room air out. Insert in hole on the fermenter top using a proper-sized stopper. Fill air lock chamber about one-half full with water.
Transfer or racking tubing: Clear plastic tubing used for transferring the beer from one vessel to another and during bottling. Often comes with a stiff cane-shaped tube attached to one end which makes it much easier to use. The cane should have a pointed thimble attached to the straight end to keep it elevated above the bottom of the fermenter while it is being used.
Bottling or racking bucket: An open-topped plastic bucket used during bottling. Beer will be transferred into this bucket from the fermenter and then from here into the bottles.
Bottle Filler: A section of stiff tubing fitted with a spring-loaded plunger at the end. Used to transfer beer into beer bottles by pressing the plunger end against the bottom of the beer bottle.
Bottle Capper: A device used to affix bottle caps to the filled bottles of beer.
Thermometer: Used to check the temperature of the beer before adding the yeast.
Sterilizing Agent: Star San, Saniclean, IO Star, BTF Iodophor, there are quite a few and they all work well. Though it can be used in a pinch, I'm of the opinion that household bleach should be avoided.
Bottles (and bottle caps): You can purchase clean, new bottles from many homebrew stores. Alternately, you can acquire empty returnable bottles and clean them yourself. You'll need roughly 54 - 12oz bottles for each 5-gallon batch of beer.
Bottle cleaning brush: For cleaning bottles. You'll need this eventually, even if you buy clean, new bottles from the store.
Optional stuff that is good to have:
Hydrometer: This is used to measure the specific gravity or density of the beer before fermentation. Knowing this allows you to determine the alcohol content and other characteristics of the beer.
Glass carboy: Five gallon glass carboys are the fermenter of choice among more experienced homebrewers. Unlike plastic, they do not scratch and therefore are easier to keep clean and sanitary. Using them for your initial fermentation requires a bit more caution and effort. For each carboy, you will want a cap and a handle. Also useful: A carboy brush for cleaning.
Funnel: Necessary when using glass carboys. Some come equipped with a strainer.
Grain/hop bag: Used when grains are a part of the recipe. A household strainer can be substituted, but the bag is easier, faster and often does a better job.