Online Archive  
Issue 5 - May 1972
 
Brew Yer Own
If you get sick of paying high prices for electrically pumped beer in plastic surroundings you can always brew your own at a fifth of the price of commercial beer. Here's how to go about basic beer brewing as recommended by a local supplier of beer brewing equipment and ingredients:

1) Ingredients for 5 gallons of brown ale.
2½lbs malt extract
4oz dried hops
3lbs granulated sugar
1 Unipak (or ½oz dried yeast)

2) Method
Sterilise 5 gallon plastic bin with boiling water, pour into it the malt extract and sugar. Place hops in a muslin bag and bring to the boil in a pan containing 6 to 8 pints of water - allow to simmer for 40 minutes.

3) Stir & Sprinkle
Remove pan from heat and pour hot liquid over the malt and sugar, squeeze all liquid out of the hop bag with a wooden spoon. Stir contents of plastic bin until they dissolve.

Make up to five gallons with cold tap water. Sprinkle yeast or Unipak over surface of liquid and stir well in. Cover with bin lid or plastic sheet, tie down and remove to a warm place approx 65 to 75 degrees C.

4) Fermentation
Fermentation should begin within two to six hours and should be complete in approximately four to eight days, depending on temperature.

The surface of the beer should show no signs of activity bar small particles of yeast rising to surface and then falling. A hydrometer placed in the beer should read 1,000 at 60 degrees F. Prepare for bottling.

5) Bottles
Clean all bottles with sodium metabisulphite or Silane PF solution. Rinse out with warm water and add one level teaspoonful of sugar to each quart bottle. Fill bottles up to 1½" off stopper with beer, screw on stoppers and shake to dissolve sugar.

Store bottles in warm place for two or three days. Remove to cool place and allow beer to clear. This takes between 10 to 21 days.

6) Drink
When beer is clear it is ready to drink. Pour carefully leaving sediment in bottle.