Ingredients for homemade beer: malt, hop, yeast and water
You can brew beer at home from four main components - malt, hops, yeast and water. Modern industry produces various types of these raw materials. You can buy them in online stores. They are represented ??wide range of ingredients. Brewers make their choice of raw materials depending on that, what kind of drink they suggest to cook. That is also very important, on what equipment he will prepare. All beer ingredients have quality certificates and are designed for use in certain temperature ranges.
malt
Complete malt refers to the ingredients, which determines the taste, color and aroma of the finished drink. Its cost for cooking 100 liters of homemade beer is from 18 to 25 kg. Malt is fermented during the wort cooking process. The starch which is a part of grain raw materials in the course of preparation of must is saccharified. It is an ideal nutrient medium for brewer's yeast.
There are different qualifications for malt. One of them divides all types of malt into basic and special. In the preparation of the drink, they can be used in different proportions. The dosage of the main varieties of malt for the preparation of intoxicating drink can be from 80 to 95%, and special from 5 to 25%.
Only barley malt can be used to prepare an intoxicating drink without sorting.
Four main types of malt are most often used to make homemade beer:
- Light. Raw materials are made from sprouted barley that is special
drying stage. The essence of the process is to consistently increase the temperature during 16 hours. This is the most common variety. It is used for the production of light beverages.
- Dark. Drying of raw materials is carried out at high temperatures. The grain undergoes an additional stage of roasting. Finished raw materials can range in color from yellow to brown.
- Caramel. Drying of raw materials takes place at a temperature of 1700C. Grain with high sugar content is used in cooking.
- Baking. Made from green raw materials, which is exposed to high temperatures. They can reach values from 210 up to 2500C. This raw material smells like coffee and is great for brewing fruit beers.
The most common in the production of the drink is barley malt.
hop
The king of beer ingredients is hops. In brewing beer at home he has a special role. Like malt, hops have a serious effect on the taste of the drink. It gives it a spicy bitterness and regulates the strength of the finished product. This raw material contains tannins, as well as essential oils, which form the aroma of the product. Hops also affect the shelf life of the drink. It is an excellent natural preservative.
Hop cones for bitter beer are added at the beginning of brewing, to taste for 15 minutes to the end and to add flavor for 5 minutes to complete the process.
Existing hop varieties may contain different amounts of alpha acids. Hops added to beer kill microorganisms, but does not have a detrimental effect on brewer's yeast.
yeast
When buying ingredients for home brewing, special attention should be paid to yeast. They should be beer. It is best to use dry yeast. They can be bottom and top fermentation.
Drinks, prepared using horse yeast, belong to the group of fir trees, and the lower classes to the camp.
The range of activity of brewer's yeast is different. Horse fermentation can take place actively at room temperature, grassroots - at a temperature not exceeding 100C. Most homemade beers are ale. This is due to the fact, that many brewers do not have special refrigeration equipment at home, necessary for the preparation of the camp drink.
water
A lot in the preparation of the drink depends on the quality of drinking water. She should have a high degree of purification. At home, this is achieved by additional filtration of tap water. You can do without additional purification when using bottled or spring water.
The degree of hardness of the liquid has a negative effect on all the ingredients used for beer. An example is hops. At the increased hardness of water it gives to drink additional rough bitterness. Affects the hardness and color of the drink. It turns out darker. You can not brew light drinks in this water.
Water, having high alkalinity, unsuitable for brewing.
The liquid used for cooking must be slightly acidic or neutral.
What is a beer mix?
Manufacturers of home breweries create different designs, some of which are intended for the preparation of intoxicating drink on the basis of mixtures. Their use greatly simplifies the production process and is well suited for novice brewers. Mixtures on different grades and types of malt are prepared, to which other ingredients are added. Among them are hops, brewer's yeast, honey, fruit powders, etc.. P.
For, to brew on such raw beer, necessary:
- choose a mixture, corresponding to a certain type of beer;
- download it to the brewery;
- run the appropriate cooking program.
When using such raw materials you do not need to think about the calculation and selection recipes. The dosage of ingredients in the mixture is already selected by the manufacturer. On the packaging of raw materials you can always find information about the composition of the mixture and the modes of preparation of the product.
You need to choose the mixture of that brand, which corresponds to the home brewery.
It is better to begin experimental brewing of beer on mixes from familiar and favorite grades of drink. This approach will accurately determine the difference between the quality of the prepared drink and the standard. Usually, the mixtures are part of a set of breweries. Manufacturers lay samples, designed for cooking 10-15 liters of finished drink.
How to choose a mixture?
Among the proposals, existing in the Russian market, you can find beer mixes for home mini-breweries of the Beer brand. Including:
- Beer Mix, Beer Machine. Package weight, proposed mixtures, designed for cooking 10 liters of finished drink.
- Mr.Beer. Packages are designed for cooking 8 liters of beer.
- Home Brew. WITH 1 packaging can be prepared 23 liters.
The name of the mixtures corresponds to the models of breweries, for which they are intended.
Used in brewers and malt extracts of the famous English brand Muntos. These mixtures can also be used in Beer Machine mini-breweries. Most mixtures, presented on the market, is a development of Canadian technologists. They were pioneers in this area in the production of raw materials for brewing.
Where to buy ingredients for moonshine and brewing ?:
