Monday, August 29, 2016

Choosing Home Brew Ingredients For A Superb Taste

By Virginia Cooper


Everyone has a unique taste that might not be met through commercial beers. This forms part of the motivation behind domestic brewing. To achieve this taste you need unique home brew ingredients and understanding of the brewing process. It can be very frustrating when you do not hit the mark. What should you do to avoid this pitfall?

Use fresh ingredients. The ultimate taste of your beer will be determined by the age of yeast used and that of the other extracts. For instance, liquid yeast offers a different taste experience from dried yeast. Brewing using fresh extracts also results in a different taste compared to canned extracts. The quality of taste will also be determined by how these components are stored. The shelf life of such elements as liquid malt, crushed grains, yeast, dry malt, etc matters. Processes like oxidation affect the ultimate taste.

Stick to brewing rules without ignoring creativity. Brewing at home allows you to exercise creativity in order to achieve a distinct texture or taste. The provision for creativity does not offer a license to go all the way. Brewing is both artistic and scientific. To avoid a disaster, study the formulas and techniques that guarantee quality. This helps you avoid costly mistakes arising from ignored procedures.

Sterility plays a major role in determining the quality of your beer. The taste will largely depend on what it comes into contact with especially in the process of cooling. This process exposes your beer to the possibility of contamination by bacteria and other infections. Such contamination affects fermentation. The most common sterilizing agent is iodophor though ordinary bleach can also be used.

Your wort should be cooled quickly. The speed of cooling affects fallout of tannins and proteins which are bad for your beer. The idea is to avoid contamination with bacteria and infections. Invest in an immersion wort chiller which improves the quality and clarity of your beer. This process is especially significant for full batch boils.

The boiling of your wort should be timed. Boiling is more than bubbling. It facilitates vaporization of undesired elements beyond sterilizing the ingredients. It is through boiling that proteins and tannins are coagulated. Boiling also assists in getting rid of bitterness in hops. Depending on desired lightness, boiling should take 60-90 minutes. The components used may also affect the duration of boiling.

Go for stainless or glass fermenters. Brewing requires the highest levels of sterility and monitoring. Typical plastics present a challenge on this front. However, stainless steel and glass apparatus are known to present an incredible oxygen barrier and higher levels of sterility. Plastics are vulnerable when heated leading to leakage which affects the quality of fermentation. Glass and stainless steel apparatus are very affordable and come in different sizes.

Do not expect excellent results when brewing for the first time. It takes experience to achieve excellent results by mastering the best combinations and timing different operations. Do not be quick to give up and feel free to try out different methods. The quality of your ingredients is very important. The reputation of the store from which you buy your components is telling of their quality.




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