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SUCCESSFUL HOME BREWING
Brian Magenis
Pennsylvania Union Brewing
58 West Pike Street
Canonsburg, PA 15317
(724) 416-7122
INSTRUCTIONS FOR SUCCESSFUL HOME BREWING
USING HOME BREWING SUPPLIES FROM PENNSYLVANIA UNION BREWING
Home brewing can provide enjoyment and rewards; however, successful brewing depends on the ingredients, the method of brewing and the handcrafting care used by the brewer. Pennsylvania Union Brewing provides these instructions with the intention to supply new home brewers with the knowledge to produce successful, rewarding beverage creations at the very first attempt at home brewing.
A WORD ABOUT YEAST AND THE TIMING OF THE BREW
It is recommended to use liquid yeast. Solid, powder yeast is not always free of unwanted microorganisms and ideal results cannot be guaranteed. The yeast included in all Pennsylvania Union Brewing Brewkits is White Labs liquid yeast. This liquid yeast should be stored in a refrigerator prior to use.
Prior to brewing, the yeast should be removed from the refrigerator and allowed to reach room temperature prior to pitching the yeast.
PROCEDURE / PRINCIPLES1.0 / Preparation for Brewing
1.1 / Perform the following to sterilize the fermentation and wort cooling equipment. / It is desirable to allow only the yeast to process the sugars produced during the mashing process. Sterilization will remove the unwanted microorganisms
1.1.1 / Pour about ¼ cup of bleach into the carboy and add about 2 gallons of tap water and swirl to ensure all inner surfaces are sterilized with the bleach.
1.1.2 / Siphon about one quart of the bleach solution through the wort chiller. Shut the wort chiller outlet pinch valve so that the coil is filled with bleach water. / See Appendix A for siphoning instructions.
1.13 / Fill a resealable pint bottle (such as EZ cap or Grolsch, Figure 2) with the bleach solution. Submerse the disassembled vapor lock and carboy filling cap in the remaining bleach solution, Figure 1. / The resealable pint bottle will be used for kraeusening the fermented beer. Kraeusening is a priming process where unfermented wort is used to prime the beer prior to bottling.
Figure 1
Carboy Cap and Vapor Lock Submerged /
Figure 2
EZ Cap Bottle
2.0 STERILIZATION – THE FIRST STEP IN BREWING
2.1 / Boil about two gallons of tap water in the boiling vessel for about 10 minutes and perform the following. / To ensure that your selected yeast is the only microorganism processing the wort and that all of the bleach is rinsed from the brewing equipment, all bleached surfaces must be rinsed with water that has been boiled for ten minutes.
2.1.1 / While the water is boiling, siphon tap water through the wort chiller coil and thoroughly flush the disassembled vapor lock and the carboy cap with tap water. Empty the bleach water from the carboy and rinse it three times with about a pint of tap water. Rinse the kraeusening bottle three times with tap water. See Appendix A for siphoning instructions. / This will remove the bleach while minimizing the amount of boiled water rinse needed.
The rinse water should be swirled to ensure all interior surfaces are rinsed.
2.1.2 / Using a pitcher, rinse the carboy three times with about a pint of the boiled water and rinse the kraeusening bottle three times with the boiled water. Swirl the hot water to ensure all interior surfaces are rinsed. Cap the bottle and cover the carboy top with a paper towel held in place with a rubber band, Figure 3. / CAUTION: Gloves must be worn to prevent burns while hot water is used
The process of producing paper towels effectively sterilizes them. Using the inner surface of the paper towels will ensure contaminated areas are not allowed to come into contact with sterilized surfaces.
Figure 3
Sterile Carboy with Paper Towel Attached
2.1.3 / Place the stopper on the vapor lock, fill the pitcher about half full of the boiled water and submerse the carboy cap and vapor lock components for about a minute, Figure 4. Pour the water and components into a colander, assemble the vapor lock, place it in a new plastic bag and seal the bag with a twist tie. Place the carboy cap in a new plastic bag a seal it with a twist tie. / The process of producing plastic bags effectively sterilizes them.
Care should be taken to avoid contaminating the vapor lock components and carboy cap while placing them in the plastic bags.
Figure 4
Carboy Cap and Vapor lock in a Strainer
2.1.4 / Use a pitcher to rinse the outside of the copper wort chiller inlet tube and place the wort chiller inlet tube into the remaining boiled water. Siphon most of the remaining boiled water through the wort chiller and shut the pinch valve such that the coil remains filled with the sterile water. Place a new plastic bag over the copper wort chiller inlet tube and fasten with a rubber band. See Appendix A for wort chiller siphoning instructions. / The sterile water in the coil will be used to start the siphon of the boiled wort into the carboy.
3.0 BREWING – THE FUN BEGINS
3.1 / Ensure that the yeast is primed (if necessary), has reached room temperature and ready to pitch.
3.1.1 / Pour the cracked grain into the mash/lautertun. / The grain may be a mixture of several types of processed grain.
3.1.2 / Pour about 4 gallons of tap water into the boiling vessel and raise the temperature to 175 ± 50 F. / Periodically check the temperature of the water.
3.1.3 / Ensure that the mash/lautertun discharge valve is shut and transfer 4 gallons of the water to the mash/lautertun using a pitcher to measure the volume. Place a lid on the mash/lautertun to maintain a constant temperature. Place the thermometer in the mash and record the temperature at the beginning and end of the mash process. (Recording the temperature will allow the flavor of the beer to be reproduced.) / This process uses a single step infusion for simplicity where the barley carbohydrates are converted into varying lengths of sugar chains.
Lower temperatures,126 to 144 o F, will produce shorter sugar chains and result is a dryer beer. Higher temperatures, 149 to 153 o F, will result in longer sugar chains and a more full bodied beer.
After some experience, this process can be varied for personal taste. This single step infusion method will produce a flavor, nose and consistency that surpasses most imported beers.
3.1.4 / After 30 minutes, place the bright vessel under the mash/lautertun discharge valve and open the valve, Figure 5. / This liquid, called the sweet liquor, is the precursor to the wort that will be boiled with hops.
Figure 5
Lautering the Mash into the Bright Vessel
3.1.5 / Pour three gallons of tap water into the boiling vessel and raise the temperature to 200o F. Pour this sparge water into the mash/lautertun using a pitcher to measure the volume and allow it to sparge the mash into the bright vessel. / This effectively rinses the mash to recover most of the sugars that result from the mash.
3.1.6 / Once the mash has been sparged and the sweet liquor has been drained from the mash, pour the sweet liquor from the bright vessel into the empty boiling vessel. / It may be necessary to shut the mash/lautertun discharge valve and transfer the sweet liquor insteps to prevent overflowing the bright vessel.
3.1.7 / Place the hops in the hopsock and tie the hopsock to prevent the hops from leaving the hopsock, Figure 6. Boil the wort as follows. / The hops will steep in the boiling wort.
Figure 6
Hops in a Hop Sock
3.1.7.1 / Raise the temperature of the wort to boiling with the lid slightly ajar. / Completely covering the boiling vessel may cause boil over.
3.1.7.2 / Place the hopsock in the wort and achieve a rolling boil. / Once a rolling boil is achieved, the temperature setting of the stove should be reduced to prevent boil over.
3.1.8 / After 90 minutes of boiling, turn off the heat and transfer the wort to the carboy as follows. / Once the wort is cooled and transferred to the carboy, care must be taken to prevent contamination of the wort.
3.1.8.1 / Place the wort chiller coil into the rinsed bright vessel. Set the bright vessel on a chair or stool below the boiling vessel such that the inlet to the wort chiller extends to the bottom of the boiling vessel. / It may be necessary to use books to adjust the relative height of the wort chiller and the boiling vessel to allow the wort chiller coil to rest in the bottom of the bright vessel with the inlet tube at the bottom of the boiling vessel.
3.1.8.2 / Add 2, 7lb bags of ice and one gallon of water to the bright vessel. / The process of rapidly chilling the wort is necessary to ensure the wort in the carboy is at a temperature below room temperature.
3.1.8.3 / Place the pitcher below the outlet of the wort chiller and open the pinch valve. Allow the sterile water and about a pint of the wort to flow into the pitcher and shut the pinch valve. / This will ensure the carboy receives only fresh wort.
3.1.8.4 / Remove the paper towel from the carboy, place the carboy cap on the carboy and extent the wort chiller coil outlet plastic tubing into the carboy cap. Open the wort chiller pinch valve and fill the carboy to about 4 inches from the top of the carboy, Figure 7. Shut the wort chiller pinch valve and immediately replace the carboy cap with the vapor lock. / The cooled wort must be below room temperature. If it is above room temperature it will cool and contract bringing in unwanted contamination. If it is below room temperature it will expand and prevent contaminants from entering the carboy. A carboy level too close to the top will result in fermentation carry over through the vapor lock.
Figure 7
Chilling the Wort into the Carboy
3.1.8.5 / Place the krauesening bottle under the wort chiller outlet plastic tubing and fill the bottle.
3.1.8.6 / Shake the yeast to mix. Remove the vapor lock, pitch the yeast into the carboy and quickly replace the vapor lock. Place duct tape around the carboy top/stopper to hold the vapor lock in place. Initially, no liquid should be placed in the vapor lock and the eyedropper bulb should be in place under the bubble cap until fermentation starts, Figure 8. / The eyedropper bulb will prevent any ingress of contaminants due to temperature fluctuations until fermentation begins. The period between pitching the yeast and fermentation commencement is the most critical for contamination prevention. Once fermentation has begun, carbon dioxide production produces a blanket over the wort and positive pressure within the carboy. The carboy should be kept at a constant temperature during fermentation
Figure 8
Vapor lock with Eyedropper Plug Installed
3.1.8.7 / Dispose of the spent grain and hops and clean mash/lautertun, the boiling vessel, the carboy cap and the wort chiller with tap water. / Cleanup is easiest directly after the brew.
3.1.8.8 / Once fermentation has begun (usually 24 to 48 hours), remove the bubble cap and the eyedropper, replace the bubble cap and fill the vapor lock with about 1 inch of a sterile fluid. Cap the vapor lock, Figure 9. / An alcoholic beverage with about 40 % alcohol (such as vodka or whiskey) works as a sterile liquid. Fermentation will be evident by a layer of foam on the surface of the wort. If fermentation carry over occurs, the vapor lock should be replaced with a sterile vapor lock.
Figure 9
Vapor lock Filled with Sterile Liquid
4.0 RACKING THE PRODUCT
4.1 / After 3 to 7 days the wort has become beer and is ready to rack. The foam on the liquid surface will rise during fermentation and then fall to about 1 cm when ready to rack. Prior to racking, place 40, 16 oz or 48, 12 oz bottles in the dishwasher and wash them without dishwasher soap on high heat using the drying cycle to sterilize. Immediately cap if Grolsh or EZ cap bottles are used. If 12 oz bottles are used, cover the bottles with paper towels. Allow the bottles to cool prior to racking. / If the fermentation activity has ceased, rack the beer immediately. The objective is to rack the beer before the yeast has eaten all of the sugars so that some fermentation will continue in the sealed bottles to infuse the beer with CO2. The still active yeast will process the wort from the krauesening bottle, naturally priming the beer and achieving a full carbonation and head. If 12 oz bottles are used, soak the crown caps in tap water that has been boiled for 10 minutes then drain them through a colander and place them in a new plastic bag. Do not boil the bottle caps.
4.2 / Carefully pour the kraeusening bottle contents into the carboy and perform the following to rack the beer. / Care should be taken not to disturb the sediment prior to siphoning the beer into the bottles.
4.2.1 / Siphon about ½ of a solution of 1/8 cup bleach in one gallon of tap water through the racking cane and then shut the discharge pinch valve. Hold the bleach water in the racking cane for about 10 minutes. Pour bleach water over the exterior of the copper part that will be placed into the carboy. / See Appendix A for siphoning instructions.
4.2.2 / While the racking cane is soaking, bring to a boil about one gallon of tap water and boil for 10 minutes. / Boiling for 10 minutes will ensure the water is sterile.
4.2.3 / Rinse the outside of the racking cane with tap water to remove the bleach then pour some of the boiled water over the copper tubing that will be inserted into the carboy. Siphon the remaining boiled water through the racking cane to sterilize and remove the bleach from the inside of the racking cane. Shut the pinch valve while the last portion of boiled water is siphoning so the racking cane remains full. / Care must be taken not to contaminate the racking cane prior to insertion into the carboy.
The remaining water in the racking cane is used to start the carboy siphon.
4.2.4 / Place the carboy on a counter and the bottles on the floor. Remove the vapor lock and immediately place the racking cane in the carboy. Place a plastic bag over the carboy neck to prevent any contamination from settling into the carboy. / Care must be taken not to contaminate the racking cane while placing it into the carboy.
4.2.5 / Place the pitcher under the racking can out let and open the pinch valve to flush out the water in the racking cane. Allow about a pint of liquid to flush through and shut the pinch valve.
4.2.6 / Open the lids to the Grolsh or EZ cap bottles, if used, or remove the paper towels from the 12 oz bottles and fill each bottle, using the pinch valve between each bottle, Figure 10. / If the flow rate is too high, the bottles may need to be raised to prevent excessive foaming over.
Figure 10
Racking the Beer into Bottles
4.2.7 / Immediately cap each bottle, Figure 11, and, if necessary, rinse the exterior of the bottles.
Figure 11
Capping the Bottles
4.2.7 / Rinse the carboy with tap water and brush the inside of the carboy to prepare the carboy for the next batch. Once all fermentation products are scrubbed from the carboy, pour a little bleach into the carboy, add about a quart of tap water and brush the interior again. Rinse the vapor lock. Rinse the carboy with tap water three times and cover the carboy mouth with a paper towel held in place with a rubber band. / This will prepare the carboy and vapor for the next brew and leave the carboy brush clean.
4.2.8 / After about 4 days, the beer should be ready to taste. If the beer is not optimum flavor and carbonation, wait a few more days and taste again. Once the beer is optimum flavor, refrigerate the bottles to stop the fermentation process and lock in the optimum flavor. / Fermentation will continue in the bottles as long as the bottles are not refrigerated. If the bottles are removed from the refrigerator, fermentation may continue.