Show a friend how to brew day

November 2, 1:15 PMPortland Craft Beer ExaminerAndrew Souza

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Beer in primary fermentation stage. The work is done. Now the hard part-waiting.
Photo by Andy Souza

Nov 7 marks Teach A Friend How to Brew Day. It is every homebrewers duty to instruct a friend in the fine art of brewing. Homebrewers, afterall, have been at the forefront of a revolution for decades. This cataclysmic shift from mass produced tasteless beers to ones bursting with flavor and aroma was felt at the high reaches of corporate brewing in St. Louis and Milwaukee. It was homebrewers working out of their kitchens and garages that finally forced the suits in those places to take notice that their bland lagers were no longer going to be hoisted upon a populace that was calling for choices beyond mere watery pils. The origins of beer and brewing did not begin in large industrial factories with massive vats and lager tanks. It took place in people's homes and was enjoyed by families and friends for celebrations and camraderie. In the years before prohibition in this country every town had a small brewrey which supplied the population with something to water their throats. We don't have to go back in time to wonder what the beer might have tasted like. If you brew from home, then you know that it is a close approximation of what those small breweries were like. We even have, passed down from posterity, a recipe that George Washington used to make Porter. It was in the taverns drinking fresh ale that the founding fathers and other people organized to rid the colonists of British rule. And the breweries were so small back then that it was like homebrew. So in honor of our founding fathers and the rich history of brewing in this country it is our patriotic duty to teach others how to brew and to spread the gospel of good beer. I will teach you all you need to know right here, so go out and get your equipment and ingrediants and let'er rip. Ok, first get yourself a good pot of about three gallons or more. Then you'll need a five gallon carboy. You can purchase all of it at your local homebrew store or online. You'll also need a funnel and strainer, a hydrometer, a rubber stopper a fermention lock and a hose. You'll also need some bottles, bottle caps and a bottle capper for later when you bottle the beer. Pick up some malt extract, hops and yeast at the homebrew store and you're ready to rock 'n roll. Here's a recipe you can use to make an American Pale Ale. It's simple and easy:

6.5 lbs light malt extract

2.5 oz American hops (Mt hood, Cascade, Wlllamette)

Ale yeast

Add 2 gallons of water to the pot, when it's boiling add the malt extract. Stir so that it doesn't sink to the bottom and burn. After 15 minutes add 1.5 oz hops. Add .5 oz at the 1/2 mark. Then add the rest with 5 minutes left in the boil or right after the boil. You can also add the last .5 oz to the fermenter if you like. Once the boil is finished put the pot in the sink, fill the sink with ice beforehand, and let cool. When the temp goes to 70 or below take a hydrometer reading, then pour through strainer and funnel into the carboy. To take a hydrometer reading you pour some of the liquid in the tube and allow the instrument to float, then read where it measures. For instance our recipe below should have a hydrometer reading of around 1050. The hydrometer reading will tell you the specific gravity of your beer, which indicates the strength. It measures accurately at 60 degrees, so if the liquid is say 70 degrees you will have to adjust it up by about 2 degrees. Fill the rest of the carboy with cold water, then pitch the yeast. Make sure you give the carboy a good shake for about five minutes so you areate the liquid in order to give the yeast plenty of oxygen so it will begin fermenting. Add a rubber stopper and attach a hose leading to a jug or other container. This is called a blowoff hose. The ferementation will blow off residue hops and trub. This will subside in 2-3 days. If fermentation does not commence in that time then the temp is either too cool or the yeast was not vital enough. The temp should be around 70. It's ok if it's higher, but anything above 90 and it will have detrimental affects on the beer. If it's below 60, then the ale yeast may have trouble starting. Simple put it someplace warmer like a heater or a warmer part of the house. After the 2-3 days you can choose to transfer the beer to another carboy or bucket for another week then bottle, or bottle and let sit for 3 weeks to carbonate. To bottle and carbonate transfer the beer to a bucket and add 1 cup of priming sugar, then simply fill the bottles from the bucket.  In three weeks you will have a fully mature and carbonated beer. Congratulations! You just made your first beer. And if you're anything like all the other fanatical homebrewers out there, you'll get sucked in and want to learn more. Oh, by the way, save me a bottle of that first brew. Prost!