Five Tips for New Craft Beer Brewers
Are you an enthusiast who wants to start brewing your own craft beers? Are you starting a business? Whether you are opening a full craft brewing business or are interested in investing in a small tap room, brewing your own beer is an essential part of the process to understand this ancient, delicious beverage. Hobbyists and business owners alike should emphasize a few simple things in their brewing pursuits. Below are five tips for new craft beer brewers.
Begin with the Water
Water is an essential ingredient in brewing beer. After all, it isn’t just the basis for beer, it is the most precious resource in the known Universe. Whether you are making a drinkable lager or barrel aged stouts, the water is pivotal. That’s why you should use reverse osmosis (RO) to filter your water of dissolved sediments, chemicals, and whatever else might find its way into your water system. A commercial RO system will filter your water on site. The quality of water will make the beer taste a lot better. When you are brewing high quality beer, you need high-end water to start with. You will taste the difference.
Learn About Hops
Hops are another key ingredient in beer. It makes up for a huge portion of the flavor in the beer. Not only are they integral to making beer, but there are also many different types of hops that can be used. Each kind of hops has a different flavor. Learning what kind of hops taste good together, in different styles of beer, and in various levels of alcohol content. The hops that you put into the beer make a huge difference to the taste of the beverage. The amount of hops that you put into the beer will also change the way that the beer tastes.
Emphasize the Fermentation Process
Beyond the water and hops, the only other ingredient is yeast. The fermentation process is instrumental to the taste, style, and quality of the beer. How fermented it is impacts the flavor and alcohol content of the beer. It is a delicate process that could go wrong very easily. Learning about hops is very important, but the fermentation process may even be more significant. You need to at least understand the amount of time it takes, how much yeast to use, and how fermentation can alter the taste of the beer and how strong it is.
Choose Styles
Whether you are harkening back to the history of beer or are more influenced by the modern array of beer styles, the next step in learning how to brew beer is to decide on styles. There is no end to the various types of beer and the style they’re made in. Lagers and pilsners are lighter, drinkable beers with relatively low alcohol content. There are many different types of sour beers you can make. India Pale Ales (IPAs) are some of the strongest and most bitter beers, relying mainly on the flavor of the hops. Stouts can be very strong or sweet like a dessert.
Beer has a long and interesting history. It is one of the oldest drinks in the world. People have been drinking beer before water was adequately filtered. Over time, so many different styles and types of beer have sprung up. Learn about the history, what people are doing, and the styles of beer that you enjoy.
Make Sure To Sanitize and Sterilize
Finally, you should make sure to sanitize and sterilize your equipment. Sterilization is important when you first cool the beer before the yeast ferments. You want to prevent bacteria in the beer as well as any other infections in the liquid. Sanitizing your equipment is also important. Issues with sanitation can begin before brewing even starts. Whatever kind of beer you are making, sanitizing and sterilizing are key.
Whether you are just starting to brew beer at your house or are starting a brewery where you will dive headfirst into the business, brewing craft beer is a simple yet complicated process. You should learn about the history of beer styles, the various types of hops, how fermentation is used, the quality of water, and the process of sanitization and sterilization. If you dive into these things, you can start brewing your favorite style of beer in no time.