Craft beer is growing in popularity, and New Zealand has some of the best beer hops. Local breweries are making wine-like Nelson Sauvin and citrusy Mouteka, but you can do the same thing in the comfort of your own home.
Brewing Equipment in Your Home
Try your hand at brewing by starting with small batches. Use a notebook for recipes and personal notes. It’s easier to write on, and a physical recipe makes your brewery feel more real. Just fine-tune your methods as you get more experience. Brewing is not a precise science, but precision will help you achieve your desired outcomes. You’ll need a digital kitchen scale, a probe reader or instant-read thermometer, a digital timer, and a plastic measuring jug or two. If your wife or someone else in the house bakes, your home will probably have some of them. Since you’re starting small, start with a 2-3 gallon stockpot and a wooden spoon that’s long enough to reach the bottom to stir it with. You’ll also need a 10-inch fine mesh strainer or a colander of about the same size. You’ll also need a grain-steeping bag, which is a teabag for grains.
Making Your Fermenter
Fermenting is an exacting process that requires a bit of focus and attention to detail. You’ll need fermenting kits that you can buy as a set, but you can buy them piecemeal to save a few bucks. You’ll need a 6-gallon plastic bucket. It has to be unused and of food-grade quality and make. You’ll also need a bubbler and a siphon. Just make an opening on the top of your bucket and place the bubbler to keep contaminants out but let gasses escape. If beer in a bucket isn’t your thing, you can use a large glass jug with a topper in place of a bucket. You’ll also want a hydrometer to check on the amount of alcohol in your brews.
Brewing Your First Brew
For your first batch, start with 2.5 kg of Extra Pale malt, 50 grams of Crystal 150, 100 grams of Caramalt, 15 grams of Nelson Sauvin for bittering, another 20 grams of Nelson Sauvin for flavoring, and 10 grams of brewing yeast. Heat 2 gallons of water in your stockpot until temperatures reach 80°C. Place the Extra Pale malt into the steeping bag and add it to the stockpot. Let it steep for 20-30 minutes before pulling it out of the water. Bring the pot to a simmer or a low boil and add the remaining malt extracts (Crystal and Caramalt) as well as the bittering hops. Maintain the temperature for an hour. Just make sure to stir your brew continually. After an hour of boiling, drop your flavoring hops into the mix for another 5 minutes. Lower the temperature down to 70°C and then pour it into your bucket or glass jug. Add another 2 gallons of filtered (preferably purified) water into your brew and add the yeast. Wait for two weeks for your beer to ferment.
Brewing your beer is a great experience. You can make your custom brews and create your flavors. Brewing is a learning experience, and you’ll get better the more brews you make.