1. Pre-brew: Check for all ingredients/equipment. Activate yeast package. Take top-off water out of refrigerator (was put in night before). Don't forget Ice.
2. New sponge (with no soap), microwave for 30 seconds. Mix batch of sanitizing solution. Boil tea-kettle full of water. Always follow good brewing habits.
3. Mash: Preheat Igloo cooler. Bring water to mash temp (1 quart of water preheated to ~170F degrees for every pound of grain being mashed). Put crushed grains into bag, place in bottom of Igloo cooler. Pour over grains, take temperature, adjust to ~154F. Close lid and wait one (1) hour. Drain (via hose) to kettle, recirculating first two quarts or so.
4. Bring water to sparge temp (>170F). Pour slowly through strainer over grains in Igloo cooler. Drain via hose to kettle. Remove grains from cooler and let drain over kettle.
5. Place kettle on stove. Top-off to boil volume. Add first wort hop (if applicable), bring to boil, remove from heat, add malt extract. Put kettle back on heat to reach boil temp.
6. The Boil. Add hops on schedule. Stir in circular motion (do not splash). Add Whirlfloc tablet last 10 minutes.
7. Sanitize primary fermenting bucket, lid and airlock parts. Rinse clean, keep covered.
8. When boil has completed, remove from heat and cover kettle and place into ice bath (cold water and 22lb bag of ice). Stir in circular motion (do not splash). Let cool (this generally takes about 20 minutes).
9. When wort reaches <80F, add to primary fermenter using strainer, which already contains 1 gal chilled water. Avoid trub. Top-off to 5 gal. Take O.G reading with hydrometer. Shake/stir bucket to oxygenate.
10. Pitch yeast into primary fermenter bucket and stir to mix. Close lid then carry it to quiet place to ferment (63-70F). Put on airlock.
11. Fermentation starts within 24 hours, lasts day or two. Transfer to sanitized secondary carboy after 7 days. Rack carefully, avoid splashing, avoid trub. Put on airlock. Wait at least 3-4 weeks. Check F.G. with hydrometer.
12. Clean bottles. Rinse immediately after serving home brew and place into sanitizing solution, soak, dry. Morning before bottling, gather bottles and soak all again in sanitizer, rinse using jet rinser. Hang on bottling tree to let dry. Soak caps in sanitizer solution, rinse before using.
13. Bottling. Boil 5oz priming sugar in 2 cups of water, put in bottle bucket to cool. SLOWLY transfer beer from secondary to bottling bucket with the tubing below the liquid line.
14. QUIETLY bottle beer, minimize bubbles as much as possible. Use short line, clamp, slow flow out of spigot, and have lots of patience. Cap and store (~60-70F) for at least two weeks. Then place in fridge overnight.
15. Enjoy home brew!
2. New sponge (with no soap), microwave for 30 seconds. Mix batch of sanitizing solution. Boil tea-kettle full of water. Always follow good brewing habits.
3. Mash: Preheat Igloo cooler. Bring water to mash temp (1 quart of water preheated to ~170F degrees for every pound of grain being mashed). Put crushed grains into bag, place in bottom of Igloo cooler. Pour over grains, take temperature, adjust to ~154F. Close lid and wait one (1) hour. Drain (via hose) to kettle, recirculating first two quarts or so.
4. Bring water to sparge temp (>170F). Pour slowly through strainer over grains in Igloo cooler. Drain via hose to kettle. Remove grains from cooler and let drain over kettle.
5. Place kettle on stove. Top-off to boil volume. Add first wort hop (if applicable), bring to boil, remove from heat, add malt extract. Put kettle back on heat to reach boil temp.
6. The Boil. Add hops on schedule. Stir in circular motion (do not splash). Add Whirlfloc tablet last 10 minutes.
7. Sanitize primary fermenting bucket, lid and airlock parts. Rinse clean, keep covered.
8. When boil has completed, remove from heat and cover kettle and place into ice bath (cold water and 22lb bag of ice). Stir in circular motion (do not splash). Let cool (this generally takes about 20 minutes).
9. When wort reaches <80F, add to primary fermenter using strainer, which already contains 1 gal chilled water. Avoid trub. Top-off to 5 gal. Take O.G reading with hydrometer. Shake/stir bucket to oxygenate.
10. Pitch yeast into primary fermenter bucket and stir to mix. Close lid then carry it to quiet place to ferment (63-70F). Put on airlock.
11. Fermentation starts within 24 hours, lasts day or two. Transfer to sanitized secondary carboy after 7 days. Rack carefully, avoid splashing, avoid trub. Put on airlock. Wait at least 3-4 weeks. Check F.G. with hydrometer.
12. Clean bottles. Rinse immediately after serving home brew and place into sanitizing solution, soak, dry. Morning before bottling, gather bottles and soak all again in sanitizer, rinse using jet rinser. Hang on bottling tree to let dry. Soak caps in sanitizer solution, rinse before using.
13. Bottling. Boil 5oz priming sugar in 2 cups of water, put in bottle bucket to cool. SLOWLY transfer beer from secondary to bottling bucket with the tubing below the liquid line.
14. QUIETLY bottle beer, minimize bubbles as much as possible. Use short line, clamp, slow flow out of spigot, and have lots of patience. Cap and store (~60-70F) for at least two weeks. Then place in fridge overnight.
15. Enjoy home brew!