So far in my homebrewing journey, I have explored the three simplest levels of homebrewing. All have used malt extracts rather than mashed grains (mashing is the process of converting the starch in the grains to sugars). "Malt extract" is wort (unfermented beer) from grain that has already been mashed by a brewery and then condensed into either a syrup or a powder. Extract brewing is very suitable for stovetop homebrewing, generally using only one kettle and burner, and a relatively small volume of water to boil.
Extract Brewing Kit
The simplest extract brewing method uses pre-hopped extracts. That's what Mr. Beer is. There's no boil and no hop additions. Just heat water, dissolve the extract, cool, and stick in the fermenter. The amount in the kettle is usually smaller than the desired batch size so makeup water is added. This is planned for in the recipe so the result isn't diluted. In the fermenter, yeast consumes the sugars in the wort and produces carbon dioxide and alcohol. The CO2 produced during primary fermentation isn't used and is vented. After fermentation is complete, CO2 is added for carbonation during bottle conditioning. The alcohol is the point of the exercise.
A slightly more complicated method of using extract is usually simply referred to as "extract brewing". In producing the extract used for this method, the malt manufacturer doesn't add hops before condensing the wort. To use this extract, you heat water, dissolve the powdered and/or syrup extract, and then bring to a boil, usually for one hour. During the boil, hops are added at various intervals to balance out the sweetness that is a characteristic of wort, and to add flavor and aroma. Then it goes into the fermenter, along with any needed makeup water that is added.
Partial extract brewing is similar, but before dissolving the extract, one steeps "specialty grains" in the heated water, usually for twenty minutes or so. These grains don't add any fermentables to the wort and thus don't change the quantity of extract required, but they do add color and more complexity to the taste. From that point, the process is the same as extract brewing. I've used all of these methods so far, and have found that increased effort brings rewards. The partial extracts have been my best beers.
The next level of complexity is called "partial mash" (or sometimes "mini-mash"). A pet peeve of mine is that the terms "partial extract" and "partial mash" are sometimes misused by incorrectly referring to one system with the name of the other. They are distinct. In a partial mash, some (usually about half) of the extract is replaced by malted grains. These are "mashed" (soaked at a controlled temperature for an hour or so) and do contribute fermentable sugars to the wort. Then the extract is added to make up the remaining required sugars. The result is then boiled and hops added as required. After the boil, makeup water is added (if needed), and it goes into the fermenter.
All Grain Brewing Kit
The next level is "all-grain" brewing. In this, extract is generally not used and, when used, provides only a small portion of the fermentable sugars. Usually all of the fermentable sugars in the wort come from conversion of starch in the grains. All of the wort volume for the entire batch is present in the boil; no makeup water is added. These characteristics require a more complex setup and the greater (full batch) boil volumes generally dictate a larger heat source than a stovetop. Propane and natural gas are the most common fuels, though a number of electric brew systems are in use as well. I'll write about all grain brewing after I gain some experience at it.
There's a simplified variant of all-grain known as "Brew in a Bag" which requires only a single pot and a mesh bag, but most all-grain brewers use two or three vessels, often on a brewstand with multiple burners, or even multiple levels so that gravity can be used to transfer liquids from one container to another. I am currently working on a three-tier multi-burner brew rig for myself. The modern trend is toward single level brewstands, incorporating one or more pumps to manage liquid transfers. A number of more advanced setups also include temperature-controlled burners (either gas or electric), for varying degrees of automation.
Three Tier Brewing Stand
I've been pushing "production" because there's a gathering of local astronomers coming up at my place, and I want to be able to offer some variety of homebrew samples. I'll have samples of four of my first batches on hand to share. Batches six and seven are in the fermenters and won't be ready for this session but there'll be another soon enough. I figure I'm sufficiently ahead to relax a bit and work on infrastructure for my first all-grain batch (an American Pale Ale recipe that I picked up today). It's been a learning experience for sure. Fortunately, none of the lessons have been particularly expensive or disastrous. This is fun.
Extract Brewing Kit
The simplest extract brewing method uses pre-hopped extracts. That's what Mr. Beer is. There's no boil and no hop additions. Just heat water, dissolve the extract, cool, and stick in the fermenter. The amount in the kettle is usually smaller than the desired batch size so makeup water is added. This is planned for in the recipe so the result isn't diluted. In the fermenter, yeast consumes the sugars in the wort and produces carbon dioxide and alcohol. The CO2 produced during primary fermentation isn't used and is vented. After fermentation is complete, CO2 is added for carbonation during bottle conditioning. The alcohol is the point of the exercise.
A slightly more complicated method of using extract is usually simply referred to as "extract brewing". In producing the extract used for this method, the malt manufacturer doesn't add hops before condensing the wort. To use this extract, you heat water, dissolve the powdered and/or syrup extract, and then bring to a boil, usually for one hour. During the boil, hops are added at various intervals to balance out the sweetness that is a characteristic of wort, and to add flavor and aroma. Then it goes into the fermenter, along with any needed makeup water that is added.
Partial extract brewing is similar, but before dissolving the extract, one steeps "specialty grains" in the heated water, usually for twenty minutes or so. These grains don't add any fermentables to the wort and thus don't change the quantity of extract required, but they do add color and more complexity to the taste. From that point, the process is the same as extract brewing. I've used all of these methods so far, and have found that increased effort brings rewards. The partial extracts have been my best beers.
The next level of complexity is called "partial mash" (or sometimes "mini-mash"). A pet peeve of mine is that the terms "partial extract" and "partial mash" are sometimes misused by incorrectly referring to one system with the name of the other. They are distinct. In a partial mash, some (usually about half) of the extract is replaced by malted grains. These are "mashed" (soaked at a controlled temperature for an hour or so) and do contribute fermentable sugars to the wort. Then the extract is added to make up the remaining required sugars. The result is then boiled and hops added as required. After the boil, makeup water is added (if needed), and it goes into the fermenter.
All Grain Brewing Kit
The next level is "all-grain" brewing. In this, extract is generally not used and, when used, provides only a small portion of the fermentable sugars. Usually all of the fermentable sugars in the wort come from conversion of starch in the grains. All of the wort volume for the entire batch is present in the boil; no makeup water is added. These characteristics require a more complex setup and the greater (full batch) boil volumes generally dictate a larger heat source than a stovetop. Propane and natural gas are the most common fuels, though a number of electric brew systems are in use as well. I'll write about all grain brewing after I gain some experience at it.
There's a simplified variant of all-grain known as "Brew in a Bag" which requires only a single pot and a mesh bag, but most all-grain brewers use two or three vessels, often on a brewstand with multiple burners, or even multiple levels so that gravity can be used to transfer liquids from one container to another. I am currently working on a three-tier multi-burner brew rig for myself. The modern trend is toward single level brewstands, incorporating one or more pumps to manage liquid transfers. A number of more advanced setups also include temperature-controlled burners (either gas or electric), for varying degrees of automation.
Three Tier Brewing Stand
I've been pushing "production" because there's a gathering of local astronomers coming up at my place, and I want to be able to offer some variety of homebrew samples. I'll have samples of four of my first batches on hand to share. Batches six and seven are in the fermenters and won't be ready for this session but there'll be another soon enough. I figure I'm sufficiently ahead to relax a bit and work on infrastructure for my first all-grain batch (an American Pale Ale recipe that I picked up today). It's been a learning experience for sure. Fortunately, none of the lessons have been particularly expensive or disastrous. This is fun.
