Beer and Brewer Magazine

Whether you're a beginner or an experienced brewer with years of experience and hundreds of homebrews behind you, the fundamentals always remain the same. Here they are, as defined by Coopers Brewery's home brew expert, Paul Burge.

1 Thou shalt

thoroughly clean and sanitise all equipment. Generally, it is nigh-on impossible for homebrewers to create a perfectly sterile environment for their brew, but the amount of bad bugs can be reduced to a minimum. A regime of disassembly, cleaning of all components, soaking with a sanitiser such as sodium percarbonate (active ingredient in Coopers Sanitiser) or sodium hypochlorite (active ingredient in bleach or baby bottle solution), then a good rinse should keep the bugs under control and minimise the risk of spoilage.

2 Thou shalt

use good quality, fresh ingredients. Many, but not all, homebrewing ingredients are at their best when they're fresh. If fresh is not available, select ingredients that the retailer keeps in a cool dry place or cool store.

3 Thou shalt

pitch healthy yeast. Brewers' yeast is a live organism with an important mission - it creates beer! Yeast will benefit from storage in the fridge. A healthy population of yeast cells introduced to the brew in the first instance will promote a robust fermentation, and greatly reduce the risk of spoilage.

4 Thou shalt

ferment at a temperature that suits the yeast and beer style. Yeast will survive and ferment the brew at very high temperatures (up to 37.5C for lager and over 40C for ale). However, the beer produced from high temperature fermentations can display a variety of funky flavours and aromas that detract from the overall quality of the brew. The best results are achieved by fermenting the brew at the lower end of the recommended temperature range.

5 Thou shalt

ensure final gravity (FG) is reached before bottling. It is important to ensure that the yeast has depleted all the available fermentable sugars prior to bottling. A measured dose of sugar (normally 8g/l) is added to the brew when bottled to give the correct amount of CO² (fizz). Fermentable sugars, remaining in the brew when bottled, will add to the level of CO² resulting in a shemozzle of gassy beer, gushing bottles and messy explosions.

6 Thou shalt

smell and taste the brew before bottling. If it smells like beer and tastes like beer it must be beer! Home brewing is a tactile art which appeals to the senses so it's important to smell and taste the brew at every opportunity. This practice saves time and effort because, on the off chance the brew smells like vinegar/sour, medicinal or almond essence, it is probably spoiled and can be aborted.

7 Thou shalt

use sturdy (refillable) bottles designed for home brewed beer. These days, there are many types of commercial beer bottles but very few are designed for re-filling. Coopers supply a sturdy 750ml glass bottle for their commercial brews (Original Pale Ale, Sparkling Ale and Best Extra Stout) which is specifically designed for re-fill. Also, home brew specialist stores supply various sized bottles for homebrew. In the interests of safe handling, Coopers also supply reusable 740ml PET bottles designed specifically for homebrew.

8 Thou shalt

not keep messy records . There are many variables in making beer and a reasonable time lag (at least a few weeks) between making a beer and finally tasting it. Imagine the anguish of tasting one of the best beers ever made aand realising there is little chance of reproducing the brew because no records were kept!

9 Thou shalt

be patient. Home brewed beer, like wine, develops in the bottle. Sure, the brew may be consumed as soon as the secondary fermentation has produced enough fizz, but the bubbles will be quite coarse. Leaving the brew to mature in the bottle allows the bubbles to become finer (producing a more creamy and persistent head) and the aroma and flavour to clear and improve as the sediment compacts.

10 Thou shalt

serve in clean (chilled if you prefer) glassware. A clean glass for each pour will help the brew look its best, forming a good head of foam that lasts. It never hurts to have a few chilled glasses in the fridge/freezer during warmer weather.

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