Concentrated beer wort. Beer at home. Brewing beer from malt extract.

Preparation home beer for a beginner, it may seem like a rather difficult process with its own secrets and secrets that may be beyond the reach of an ordinary layman. But in fact, in order to make delicious and real beer at home, it is enough to start with a fairly simple and proven method - to make beer from extract. Beer extract is called “concentrated beer wort”, from which water is removed, and then the concentrate is poured into hermetically sealed metal cans, which contributes to more long preservation all his high qualities.

Many people have doubts about the idea that beer can be made from “ banks ”, but once having tried brewed beer from high quality concentrate many change your point of view. A wide variety of styles and beers can be prepared from the extract. Therefore, in this article, let's take a look at how to brew homemade beer from the extract.

Equipment and ingredients for making beer from extracts.

To get started, you need the following equipment and ingredients:

• fermentation tank (fermenter) - glass bottle or plastic bucket with a sealed lid. It is better to take at once for 30 liters;
• a water seal for the fermentation tank;
• overflow hose or siphon;
• cooking pot (pan) - for heating water and boiling wort (20 l);
• intermediate draft bucket (pan) for mixing primer with beer - a digester can be used
• bottles and caps
• bottle capper
• stirring paddle or wooden paddle;
• hydrometer and flask;
• thermometer
• can-opener
• disinfectant - chlorine tablets or just iodine;
• a sterilized jar with a lid or foil for fermenting yeast;
• directly beer extract and yeast, which usually come already in the kit;
• dextrose, sugar, or unhopped malt extract.

Disinfection of equipment

One of the main reasons for brewing a bad batch of beer is the inability to disinfect anything that comes in contact with your beer. Therefore, all dishes that will come into contact with beer must be washed and disinfected. This includes spoons, hoses, brushes, bottle caps, fermenter cap, and so on. For this are sold special means in the form of chlorine tablets or you can use an iodine solution with a proportion of 5 ml of iodine per 10 liters. water.

Immerse all clean and washed dishes in a fermentation container filled to the top with a disinfectant solution and soak for 15-20 minutes, then rinse everything with water (preferably boiled and cooled).Get in the habit of doing this twice, once before using the equipment and then after you've finished. If you follow this rule, you will never have problems with beer contamination.

Water preparation

If the water contains a lot of chlorine, then it needs to be boiled. With more high levels Chlorine in beer forms chlorophenols, which give a strong flavor to the patch. Adding 1 Campden / Kempden tablet (available at many wineries) to brewing water will help remove chlorine and chloramines and treat up to 75 liters of brewing water. Using bottled spring water is a good but more expensive option. It is possible to use distilled water for dilution to correct mineral composition your tap water.

In principle, you can use any type of water in extract brewing, as it will not affect the pH. mash or tannin extraction during washingv grain brewing ... But usually the producer of the extract uses water that is full of essential minerals and salts that have been concentrated during the removal of the water during production. Therefore, in extract brewing, it is still better to use water poor in minerals. If your water is high in carbonates, bicarbonates, or any other mineral, you may be at great risk. Therefore, it is better to take your water to a laboratory to get a report so that you will know exactly what minerals your water contains, and then use distilled or deionized water to dilute in the correct proportion.

Step-by-step instructions for making beer from extract

1. Collect all of your beer extracts and ingredients. If you purchased a beer kit, then it should consist of a can of hopped malt extract and a bag of dry yeast. This set is combined with other fermentable sugars such as dextrose or plain unhopped malt extract. These extract kits do not usually require boiling. Another type of extract set contains unhopped malt extract, which must be boiled with the hops to obtain the desired bitterness and hop flavor.
2. Before opening the jar, heat the water and place the jar in it to make the extract less viscous and easier to drain out of the jar.
3. Boil required amount water in your cooking pot (saucepan). This is usually around 7-8 liters. You add the extract to this water to get the beer wort in your kettle. If your kit contains crushed grains for soaking, heat the water until the right temperature(no more than 77 C, so as not to draw out the astringents from the husk) and soak these grains before adding the extract.
4. While the water is brought to a boil, you can begin to rehydrate (moisten) the yeast. To do this, pour a bag of dry yeast (10-11 grams) into your disinfected jar with warm water(30-35 C) and stir the yeast. Then cover the jar with foil or plastic wrap to keep germs out. Wait about 20 minutes before adding yeast to the wort.
5. When the water starts to boil, turn off the heat and add the extract. You must stir continuously until it is completely dissolved. If using dry malt extract (DME), use a whisk and stir well until lumps are formed (be patient, this may take a while). In any case, make sure that there is no extract sticking to the bottom of the kettle bottom.
6. If the brewing kit contains unhopped extract and you are not going to add more hops, you do not need to boil it (skip step 7). But, if you are using un-hopped extract and need to add hops for bitterness and / or flavor, you need to boil the wort for at least an hour.
7. Add the bittering hops and set the timer for 60 minutes. Hopefully you have some free space in your cooking pot (so at least a 20 liter pot is needed), because this stage the wort can boil over. You have to watch this carefully and adjust the heat, stir, blow on the foam, do whatever it takes to settle the foam while boiling continues. This usually continues at the beginning of the boil, until protein coagulation has yet occurred in the wort. Beware of frothing if you need to add more hops. Watch the boil and be ready to adjust the heat, stir, blow on the foam again.
8. After boiling, cool the wort as quickly as possible to the temperature for adding the yeast. Place your cauldron in an ice water bath and stir gently around the outer circumference of the cauldron. Add more ice, if necessary, to obtain a wort temperature of about 18-24 C.
9. Transfer the chilled wort to the fermenter as vigorously as you can. Aerating the wort gives the yeast the oxygen it needs. Transfer the wort back to the cooking pot and continue pouring the wort back and forth into the fermenter for better aeration. This is the only time you can aerate your wort or beer. After this point, you should stir gently and try not to expose the beer to air, which will oxidize it and make it taste like cardboard. You can also remove hops from the wort at this stage by passing the wort through a sanitized sieve.
10. Add clean enough cold water into the fermenter to obtain 18 liters of beer. Aerate the wort again by pouring back and forth into the digester or simply stir vigorously while adding air. If you bought a hydrometer, now is the time to use it. Take a sample of the finished wort into the cylinder and lower the hydrometer there. Measure the gravity and write it down in your brewing journal (always have a brew journal with you when brewing).
11. Add yeast to the wort. From that moment on, it is already called beer.
12. Move the beer fermenter to a cool, dark place where it will not be disturbed. The temperature should be between 18-22 C. If you can control the fermentation temperature, you will make the beer even better.
13. Now just ignore it for 2 weeks. I know this is difficult to do. Resist the temptation to open the lid and take a look. The odor trap (filled with alcohol) will begin to bubble and continue to bubble until the yeast has consumed most of the sugar present in the beer, which means fermentation continues. Although the bubbling may slow down or stop, the beer has not fermented yet. Try to be patient and wait a full 2 ​​weeks for the beer to clear better.
14. Wash all brewing equipment and store it until the next batch (unless, of course, your wife allows you to use the kitchen again). Disinfect everything again, and also again on the day of cooking.

You can brew many styles in extract brewing. Try adding soaked grains for body enlargement. taste sensations and aromas that you cannot get from the available malt extracts. They come in many kits, or you can experiment with adding small amounts to match the style.

Cooking various alcoholic beverages at home - the process is fascinating, but unpredictable. We bring to your attention a recipe for homemade beer from concentrate with a guaranteed successful result!

Sometimes I really want to try myself in the role of a winemaker or brewer, especially if there is a disposition for these drinks, and store-bought ones do not inspire. Nowadays, it is really difficult to find good alcohol on sale at more or less adequate prices. Many wines are diluted from powder, and beer only remotely resembles natural and high quality. Of course, not everyone will dare to take up homemade beer or wine with their own hands - this requires special equipment, time, and certainly a good and proven recipe that will not "misfire". And if the issue of inventory and time is decided on an individual basis, then with recipes the situation is a little easier.

Especially for everyone who wants to try themselves as a brewer, we have prepared this recipe for homemade beer from concentrate.

Concentrate or malt extract is a ready-made raw material for brewing beer. You can make this drink in two ways: with the preparation of the wort or on the basis of a concentrate, when it has already been prepared for you. Typically, the wort extract is matched to a particular type of beer, such as stout or wheat. Choosing the one that you like more to taste, it remains only to dilute the concentrate with water and let it ferment. Brewing beer based on concentrate is much easier, because, unlike the grain method, it does not require making wort from malt, yeast and hops.

Highly important point in the preparation of homemade beer - the availability of the necessary utensils, which in mandatory must be sterilized, as beer "does not like" any bacteria other than its own. For sterilization, you can use an iodine solution, soda, or just boil the dishes and all the equipment, as with home canning.

Beer concentrate is produced by different companies under different brands. They are easy to find on sale in specialized online stores and shops for winemakers. One of famous brands, which can be most often seen on sale, offers brewers a high-quality concentrate with special yeast under a lid. To prepare 23 liters of beer from one can of such a concentrate (weight 1.7 kg), you will need a large 32 liter container, a silicone tube (to bottle beer), a water seal, a thermometer (to monitor the fermentation temperature), a sugar meter (a hydrometer - to determine the density and control fermentation process), the required number of plastic or glass bottles for filling them with 23 liters of beer, which will be the result.

In the presence of concentrate and all necessary inventory you can start brewing beer. By the way, a home brewery will help to simplify the task, but if you don't have one, you can still make home brew.

Ingredients:

• beer, (beer concentrate) - 1 can weighing 1.7 kg with yeast under the lid
• sugar, 1 kg (better - glucose, or honey) + additional sugar for carbonation

How to make homemade beer from concentrate:

It is widely believed among brewers that sugar results in an unpleasant mash flavor that can only be removed by aging. To avoid this aftertaste, it is better to use glucose (dextrose) or light honey. You can also use unhopped beer wort instead of sugar (you will need 1.25kg of unhopped malt extract instead of 1kg of sugar).

Friends, if you have ever tried making homemade beer from concentrate - share your experience in the comments! Tell us about the secrets of making a successful home-brewed beer!

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Novice winemakers who have already mastered the recipe for making strong alcoholic liqueurs definitely want to try making more complex drinks. For example, homemade beer from concentrate. Prepare the mash shrouded in centuries-old history, independently for everyone. The main thing is to purchase high-quality raw materials for the drink, stock up on the necessary equipment and patience. We invite you to familiarize yourself with step by step instructions for making beer with your own hands, as well useful tips that will help you avoid mistakes in the process of creating alcohol.

Note for beginners

Before making beer from concentrate at home, you need to consider the following nuances:

For those who want to further develop in this direction, it is advisable to keep a journal. It indicates the date of preparation and bottling of the drink, the amount of ingredients from which the beer was made at home, and other useful information.

How to make a hoppy drink?

Today on the Internet you can find a wide variety of recipes for making beer in

home conditions. Both the ingredients themselves and the equipment used may vary. In order for the first experience to be crowned with success, we advise you to use a detailed and proven method that even beginners can easily master.

Before you start preparing a drink, take care of the following ingredients and inventory items:

• fermentation tank - at least 30 liters;
• siphon and hose for fluid transfer;
• enameled pots - 2 pcs.;
• long wooden spatula;
• flask and hydrometer;
• a water seal for a container where fermentation will take place;
• means for disinfecting utensils (as mentioned above, an iodine solution is also suitable);
• syringe;
• glass jar;
• beer extract;
• unhopped malt extract or sugar, dextrose.

You can purchase the extract in order to make beer at home from official suppliers via the Internet or in specialized stores... The cost of raw materials varies from 1 to 3 thousand rubles per package, depending on the variety. It turns out about 20-25 liters of the finished product.

First stage

First, it is necessary to treat with a disinfectant solution all containers in which

Beer concentrate

homemade beer will be prepared from the concentrate. You can use both an iodine solution diluted in water, and special chlorine tablets. After the procedure (it should last at least 10 and no more than 20 minutes), the work surfaces and utensils are thoroughly rinsed.

Before opening the package with the extract, it should be held for 10 minutes in hot water - so, active substance will acquire a comfortable consistency, it will be easier to flow out. Pour about 3 liters of water into one pan, bring the liquid to a boil and remove from the stove. Two liters are immediately poured into a container where fermentation will take place. The contents of the can with the concentrate are also sent there. After that, 0.4–0.5 liters are poured into it. water, rinse the jar thoroughly and pour the residues into the fermentation barrel.

Add 1.25 kg to the components. sugar and dextrose (alternatively, you can use unhopped malt extract), top up clean water with the same calculation as indicated on the concentrate packaging, mix the solution well. At this time, you need to pour a small amount of beer wort into a volumetric flask to measure the density of the liquid.

Yeast, which comes with a jar of extract, is carefully poured into the resulting raw material. It is enough just to distribute them evenly over the surface of the wort. After that, the fermentation tank is tightly closed, and a water seal is installed on top.

Instead of water, it is more advisable to use purified alcohol, since any impurities in the liquid can disrupt the ripening process of the drink.

Carbonation and bottle distribution

After 1.5-2 weeks, the extract will turn into an intoxicating sparkling drink, which will
go through a couple more stages - bottle distribution and carbonation. Before pouring beer from the concentrate at home, take care of the sterility of the storage containers - they also need to be treated with a disinfectant and rinsed. In each bottle, where we will pour out the mash, you need to add sugar (7 grams per 1 liter), and then, using a siphon, fill the containers to the top and close the lids. It is important that the siphon tube almost touches the bottom of the bottles, otherwise the drink will foam heavily, oversaturated with oxygen.

Bottled beer made from beer concentrate will mature at room temperature for about 2–4 weeks. It is best to put the home brew bottles in a cool place. Over time, you can start enjoying a tart and aromatic drink made with your own hands, the taste of which is likely to surpass store counterparts.

In the process of preparing alcohol, try not to dilute the concentrate with a large amount of water - this may disturb the gamut and fullness of the taste.

Making homemade beer for a beginner, it seems a very difficult matter, which is full of secrets and myths. To begin with, so as not to spoil the raw materials and not to buy expensive equipment for brewing, you can start with a simple and proven method - prepare from concentrate. Most people think that beer can be “made from a can”, doubts and skepticism arise, I also treated the same people, but having tried beer made from high-quality concentrate, I changed my point of view. Beer concentrate is essentially “condensed beer wort”, which is packaged in hermetically sealed metal cans. There are many different types and types of beer that can be made from the "can". In this article, I will share with you my experience and knowledge of making homemade beer from extract.

Homemade beer from extract

To start home brewing you will need the following equipment and ingredients:

• fermentation tank - it is better to immediately take a 32-liter PVC barrel for food;
• overflow hose or siphon;
• saucepan - 2 pcs., one for heating water, and the second for the extract;
• stirring paddle or wooden paddle;
• hydrometer and flask;
• water seal for the fermentation tank;
• disinfectant - chlorine tablets or just iodine;
• syringe - to pull up fluid;
• sterilized yeast starter jar;
• directly the beer extract itself and yeast, which usually come already in the kit;
• dextrose, sugar - 1.1-1.2 kg. or unhopped malt extract.

Making beer at home

Disinfection of dishes

It is necessary to take it as a rigid rule that making homemade beer is a process that is directly related to cleanliness and order, your success depends on it. All dishes that will come into contact with beer must be disinfected and rinsed well. To do this, you can use special means in the form of chlorine tablets or use an iodine solution with a proportion of 5 ml of iodine per 10 liters. water. Immerse all dishes in a disinfectant solution and soak according to the instructions, for an iodine solution - 15-20 minutes, then rinse everything well.

Making beer wort

Before you open a can of beer concentrate, you need to immerse it in hot water for 15 minutes. for the extract to become thinner and easier to flow out of the can. Boil 3-4 liters of water.

Pour 2 liters of hot water into the fermentation tank, open the jar with the extract and pour it there, mix well. Pour about 0.5 liters into the jar from the extract. hot water, rinse well and pour the contents into a fermentation container. Add sugar, dextrose or unhopped malt extract as indicated in the instructions. Add clean water, according to the instructions for the beer extract, mix. Pour some beer wort into a volumetric flask and measure the density with a hydrometer.

We introduce yeast, there are two ways: just sprinkle it evenly from the bag onto the surface of the wort; pour them into a jar in advance, pour clean warm water (30-35 C), close the jar with a clean napkin or foil, give them 15-20 minutes of time to rehydrate and then pour into the wort. Personally, I do it in the first way.

We close the fermentation tank tightly and tightly, install a water seal. One feature: water is usually poured into the water seal, but since beer loves cleanliness, I advise you to pour alcohol. Conditions fermentation of beer at home according to the instructions for the concentrate, but usually it is a dark place with constant temperature 18-23 С. At first, the fermentation of the beer wort is quite vigorous, then after 2-4 days it subsides and is ready in about 10-12 days.

Beer carbonation and bottling

At this stage, cleanliness is also important, bottles for bottling need to be disinfected and rinsed, like all other items. Pour sugar or dextrose into each bottle at the rate of 7 g per 1 liter. With the help of a siphon we pour beer, when pouring the pipe must be lowered to the very bottom, so the beer will not be saturated with oxygen and does not foam. Close the bottle tightly and leave at room temperature for carbonation. At this point, brewing your homemade beer is complete.

Maturation and storage of homemade beer

The ripening time is from 2 weeks, from this moment you can already taste the beer, but I recommend to be patient and wait at least 4 weeks, the taste will pleasantly surprise you with its maturity and fullness. Conditions for beer storage- this is a dark place with a low temperature, I store it in a cellar.

Depending on the extract and the fulfillment of the cooking conditions, you will get a tasty one that will not be inferior to industrial designs, and often even surpass them.

Below is a series of videos on home brewing using beer concentrates. Each video is a detailed recipe for beer.

Beer brewing from the extract is very attractive for beginners, as it allows you to make real homemade beer without malt (grain) and special equipment(pots and a fermentation vessel are enough). Subject to all the rules, the drink comes out better than most store varieties.

The expediency of the method. In fact, working with beer extract is a simplified classic brewing technology, which gives you the opportunity to try your hand, gain experience and understand how interesting it will be to do this business in the future. That is, whether you need to spend money (big enough) on malt, hops, yeast, various gadgets and mini-breweries.

For most people, it is easier to buy ready-made beer in the store, unfortunately, this fact comes only after buying equipment under the influence of advertising for home breweries, where they promise simplicity and "golden mountains". In fact, there are enough difficulties in brewing, and the process itself is time-consuming.

Theory. Beer concentrate (extract) - hopped or non-hopped beer wort, usually dark in color and thick (like gel or condensed milk), prepared at a factory according to classical technology brewing, from which a maximum of liquid was subsequently removed by evaporation for better storage and convenient transportation.

This concentrate is made from barley and wheat malt (or a mixture) by boiling and saccharifying the grain, observing all the rules and temperature breaks. If hops were added during preparation, the extract is considered hopped.

In appearance, all extracts are approximately the same.

Often, along with the concentrate, the manufacturer supplies the entire set required for brewing: hops (for non-hopped wort), brewer's yeast, as well as instructions for correct brewing, which indicates the correct technology. temperature regime and the amount of water. For beginner brewers, this is very convenient because you don't need to select top-fermented or bottom-fermented yeast, alpha acidity, and hop types for a specific malt, and then calculate the proportions.

The versatile beer extract recipe

Ingredients:

• beer concentrate - 1.7-1.8 kg (pack);
• water - 22 liters;
• sugar (dextrose or fructose) - 1 kg;
• hops and yeast - from the set for the extract.

Of the mandatory equipment you will need: a 32 liter fermentation tank, two pots of at least 3 and 5 liters, a water seal, a 1 liter jar with a metal lid, a beer drain tube and bottles (plastic or glass).

Attention! The proposed instruction is approximate and simply clarifies some points that are poorly described for most brands of concentrates. Much depends on the specific extract and beer style. Observe the proportions of ingredients and recommendations provided by the manufacturer.

Use the purest water (filtered or at least settled), the taste of the beer depends on it. The best option- bottled water in eggplants.

Experienced brewers do not use beet sugar, as nasty kvass notes can appear in the finished drink. It is best to add dextrose - glucose in powder. The second option is to add fructose. Regardless of the sweetener used, the optimal gravity of the beer wort is 15% (can be measured with a hydrometer).

Cooking technology

1. Disinfection. Prevents pathogenic microorganisms from contamination of beer, which can spoil the taste or lead to sourness. For disinfection, you can use iodine solutions (10 ml of iodine in 25 liters of water) or conventional dishwashing detergents without aromatic additives. Pour the solution into a fermentation vessel and shake every 2-3 minutes to moisten all sides and lid.

When brewing concentrate for the first time, beginners usually use detergents... The main thing is to subsequently thoroughly rinse the container with running water to get rid of the remaining foam.

2. Preparation (rehydration) of yeast. During this stage, dry brewer's yeast is transferred to a liquid working state. As a result, fermentation starts 8-24 hours earlier than if you just sprinkle dry yeast on the surface of the wort.

Technology: boil separately 300-500 ml of water (not taken into account in the total volume of the recipe), put a metal lid from a liter can in boiling water. Sterilize the jar itself with steam for 5-10 minutes. Cover the hot jar with a boiled lid, leave for 5-6 minutes to cool. Then open, pour 200 ml of unboiled water room temperature, sprinkle brewer's yeast over the surface and close the jar back with a lid. Leave on for 10 minutes, do not stir.

3. Wort boiling. Returning the concentrate to its original liquid state.

Simultaneously with preparing the yeast, boil 3 liters of water in a large saucepan (at least 5 liters). In another small saucepan with a minimum volume of 3 liters, bring 2 liters of water to a boil.

Add malt extract to a large saucepan. Stir until smooth. Add hops if necessary. Cook for 10-15 minutes over medium heat.

To soften the substance, a jar of very thick malt extract can be preset for 5-10 minutes in hot water(without opening), then it will be easier to pour the concentrate into boiling water. For an initially liquid wort, no reheating procedure is required.

Add sugar (fructose or dextrose) to a small saucepan. Stir, bring to a boil, then simmer for 5-6 minutes over low heat. If white foam appears, remove with a sterilized or disinfected slotted spoon.

Attention! Some producers of extracts do not recommend boiling the wort, but immediately add yeast and ferment it. But in this case, the risk of infecting the beer with third-party bacteria is very high (especially if poorly purified water is used), so it is still better to at least bring it to a boil, then cool to the temperature recommended by the manufacturer.

4. Preparation for fermentation. Correct introduction of brewer's yeast into the wort.

Pour 5 liters of water into the fermentation tank in a small stream from a height of about 1 m. This is necessary to saturate the water with oxygen (aerate). As a result, fermentation will be more active. Add diluted beer extract (preferably also from a height) and sweet syrup from a small saucepan. Mix. Shake the jar with yeast for 2-3 minutes to speed up rehydration.

Pour 12 liters of cold water into the fermentation tank from a height of 1 meter. If possible, check the density with a hydrometer, optimal value- about 15%. Cool the wort to the temperature for adding yeast (indicated in the instructions, but not higher than 30 ° C). Shake the yeast again in a jar and add a thin stream, evenly over the entire surface, to the wort. Install a water seal on the container.

5. Fermentation. Yeast converts sugars into alcohol.

Transfer the beer wort to fermentation in dark room and leave at the temperature recommended by the malt concentrate manufacturer. If done correctly, fermentation will begin in 4-12 hours.

Standard fermentation vessel with water seal

On average, beer fermentation from the concentrate lasts 10-12 days, after which the airlock stops emitting gas, and the sweetness becomes minimal (less than 1% according to the hydrometer or the readings have not changed for the last 12 hours).

6. Carbonation and aging. At this stage, the beer is saturated with carbon dioxide (carbonated) and put on maturation to improve the taste.

Steam sterilize or disinfect well-washed bottles. Add 1 heaping teaspoon of dextrose (fructose or sugar), which will cause a slight re-fermentation, resulting in carbon dioxide.

Pour the fermented beer through a tube into the bottles, without touching the sediment at the bottom. Leave 2-3 cm of free space up to the neck. Seal tightly with plugs.

Transfer the filled bottles to a dark place with the temperature recommended in the instructions (usually 20-24 ° C). Leave for 7-60 days of gas saturation and maturation (the period depends on the type of beer, wheat varieties ripen the fastest). Manufacturers of beer concentrates indicate the aging period.

Wheat extract beer

The last step is to chill the finished beer in the refrigerator. The shelf life is 6-8 months. Fortress - 4.5-5%.

The video shows about the same cooking technique.