Intermediate Beer - Brewing Process

(Grain Steeping)

  1. Make sure that if you are brewing with liquid yeast that the yeast has been incubated for the proper amount of time or yeast starter has been made and is ready to be pitched.
  2. Bring approx 2-3 gallons of good brewing water (containing no chlorine) to 150- 160 deg. F.. Turn off heat and place steeping grains into a steeping bag. Place bag with grain into water and allow to steep for approx 20 minutes. This allows the color, flavor and aroma of the grains to be extracted. If your intermediate recipe does not call for steeping any grains go to step 3.
  3. Remove any steeping grains and bring water to a boil. Once water is boiling turn down heat source and add any malt extract syrup, dried malt powder, rice syrup or any adjuncts your recipe may call for. Be sure to stir malts in well- do not allow them to stick to bottom of kettle. Add bittering hops. Increase heat and bring this mixture (called wort) back up to a rolling boil. Watch for boil-over. Once boiling commences regulate heat to avoid boil-over and allow wort to boil at a good rolling boil. Stirring is not required. Boil for 45 minutes.
  4. If your recipe calls for any flavor hops, add them 15 minutes before the end of the 45 minute boil.
  5. If your recipe calls for any aroma hops or spices, add them the last 2-5 minutes before the end of the boil.
  6. After 45 minutes turn off heat and use wort chiller to cool beer or place your boiler into a sink of cold water. Keep the lid on the boiler. Circulate cold water around the pot for 10-15 minutes. Try to cool the wort to 120-130 deg F.. After cooling, pour the wort into your sanitized primary fermenter. If your are using a glass primary fermenter, add some cool water to the primary first so that the hot wort doesn't shatter the fermenter. After adding the wort to the fermenter, top up to the 5 gallon mark. Use only cool or cold dechlorinated water (e.g. spring water). All of the water that is used in your beer must be clean and dechlorinated. Do not skimp on water quality.
  7. When the temperature of the wort reaches 60-75 deg F. for ales or 47-58 for lagers, sprinkle in the recommended dried stain of yeast or pour in the specified liquid strain. Aerate the beer by briskly stirring the wort with your racking tube. Place lid on fermenter and fill airlock half with water. Place airlock in grommet on fermenter lid and then place fermenter in an area that will be of the correct ambient temperature (47-58 lagers, 60-75 ales). Allow wort to ferment until the airlock is only bubbling 1 time per minute. It should take 3-5 days for ales and 2 weeks for lagers. Once fermentation is done the beer is ready to be racked (transferred to a secondary fermenter) or bottled. If you do not intend to do a secondary fermentation (highly recommended) go to step 9.
  8. Siphon beer from primary fermenter into 5 gallon glass carboy (secondary) and try to avoid splashing. Add a fining agent if you wish to speed up the clarification process. Put airlock and stopper on carboy. Allow beer to sit 3-14 days or as required until beer is clear and a significant yeast sediment is apparent.
  9. Siphon beer into a bottling bucket. Be sure to leave yeast sediment behind. Dissolve appropriate amount of priming sugar in 1 cup boiling water. Boil 2 minutes. Stir this mixture into the batch of beer in the bottling bucket. Stir well to insure even distribution. Fill sanitized bottles to within 1 inch of the top. Cap bottles and allow them to carbonate and mature (usually 2 weeks at 60-70 deg f).. Chill beer before serving (45-55 deg f) and pour into glass. Be sure to leave any yeast sediment behind in the beer bottle when pouring beer from bottle to glass.