Brewing 1 Gallon of Beer
Brewing a one-gallon batch of beer is a great way to start your homebrewing journey. Here are the basic steps you’ll need to follow: *Please read all steps and familiarize yourself with these instructions before starting your first Brew Day! For safety, never leave a boiling pot of liquid unattended.
Page is a Work in Progress. More Pictures to come.
Gather Equipment and Ingredients
You'll Need these on Brew Day
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(Brew Kettle) 2 Gallon Stainless Steel or Aluminum Cooking Pot with Lid. Cleaned and free of odors or soap residue.
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Clean Thermometer to measure liquid temperature
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Stopwatch or Timer
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Clean Sink with water source
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Star San Sanitizer solution
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(Fermenter) 2 Gallon Bucket with Grommeted Lid
You'll Need these on Brew Day
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A Large Clean bowl, New Clean Bucket or New Clean plastic tote
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Clean Scissors
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Airlock
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Good drinking water
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2-3 Hours of Time
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A Recipe Kit
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Steeping Grains, Fermentable, Hops & Yeast.
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We recommend refrigerating the Hops and Yeast until ready for use.
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Optional, New clean Spray Bottle
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Optional, Brew Buddy
You need these on Bottling Day
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4 x 1L Ez-Cap Bottles
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Star San Sanitizer solution
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Mini Auto Siphon, Tubing
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Clean Microwave Safe Glass container, preferably with 1oz markings like a Pyrex measuring cup.
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1oz Priming Sugar
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An assistant, since we all wish we had 3 hands.
Brew Day Steps
Steeping Grains
Heat the Water:
Heat 1 gallon + 5oz of water to 150°F (65.6°C) in your Brew Kettle.
Remove “Steeping Grains” from plastic bag, Place Muslin bag of Steeping Grains into the Kettle, cover and rest for 20 minutes.
Once the water reaches 152°F (65.6°C), turn off heat source,
After 20 minutes, Remove Steeping Grains, drain into kettle until is stops dripping and discard.
The Boil
Add the bag labeled “Fermentables” to the Kettle, stir until clump free as possible(a metal whisk works great!)
Bring the mixture (called “wort”) to a boil. Carefully watching for a large amount of growing foam. You can reduce the heat source once you reach to 205°F . If the foam starts to rapidly get close to the edge of the kettle, quickly remove kettle from heat source. Reduce heat source power and return kettle. We are looking for a steady low rolling boil.
Remove Plastic Bag and Add the “Bittering” hops bag and start a 30 Minute Timer. Watch for another boil over here.
At the 15 Minute mark add the “Whirlfloc”. This is a kettle fining ingredient that will help beer clarity.
At the 0 Minute mark. Add the "0 Minute" Hops (If included in Recipe Kit)
Turn off the heat source. Add lid to kettle and remove from heat source.
Cool the Wort
Plug your sink.
Place the kettle in the sink, add Cold fresh water to the Sink (not the kettle)
Add enough water to the sink so that the kettle does not float but matches or is close to the wort level in the kettle.
With a clean/sanitized Thermometer check the temperature of your wort until it reaches 175°F
Remove Plastic Bag and Add the “Steeping” Hops muslin bag (If included in Recipe Kit), Steep 15 minutes.
Drain Sink and add another fresh cold round of water to the sink and continue to chill kettle.
Aim for a temperature of the wort in the kettle to 65°F (21°C). Once achieved, remove the kettle from sink and set aside in a safe place while the lid is still on.
Sanitize The Fermenter
Remember to sanitize all equipment thoroughly to prevent contamination.
In your 2 Gallon Bucket Fermenter add 1 Gallon of water and ⅕ oz or 1.25 tsp of Star San Sanitizer concentrate.
Add the lid tightly, cover the hole on the lid with a finger and moderately swirl the solution inside to mix. Rock, Roll or Shake for 1 minute to achieve complete coverage on the inside. Do this over the sink in case some of it leaks out.
After 1 minute, empty solution into large bowl or new clean bucket and set aside. A new clean spray bottle can also be filled and handy to have for future sanitizer needs. There may be foam left in the bucket. Shake out as much as you can but don’t worry about it. It will not harm anything.
Place “Airlock” in the bowl of sanitizer, filling and submerging it. We will come back to this later.
Fill, Aerate, and Pitch Yeast
Sanitize your hand or tongs and remove the hop bags from the wort in the boil kettle and discard.
Pour all the cooled 65ºF wort into the sanitized fermenter bucket. Then back into the kettle. Repeat this 4 times. This should be enough to aerate the wort for this size batch. Aerate(Oxygen) is needed for yeast health. Cover bucket with lid but do not fasten it.
Dip the Red yeast packet labeled “SafAle US-05” in the Star San sanitizer solution, shake off the excess Star San.
Dip your clean scissors in the Star San and shake off the excess Star San.
Cut open the yeast packet, Open the lid to your fermenter bucket.
Sprinkle up to Half the contents over the surface of the wort. Replace the Lid and secure it in place.
Give yourself a pat on the back. You just made beer! (once you add yeast to a wort it is now officially beer)
Fermentation
Retrieve the “Airlock” from the Star San,, shake excess solution off. Keeping enough liquid in the chamber for the Fill line. Push the stem of the airlock into the grommet hole of the fermenter bucket lid.
Place bucket fermenter in a dark closet or safe stable temperature place away from light.
Let it ferment for 10 Days at a consistent temperature (65-68°F or 20°C).
Pick a day to bottle your first batch. 3 Days before this you need to Dry Hop the beer.
Dry Hop
Retrieve the vacuum packed bag labeled “Dry Hop” from the fridge.
Carefully crack the lid on the fermenter leaving it loose on top.
With clean and preferably sanitized scissors. Cut open plastic bag , careful not to cut the muslin cloth bag. Place muslin bag of hops into the ferment and re attach the lid.
Wait 3 days before bottling.
Bottling Day Steps
Remember to sanitize all equipment thoroughly to prevent contamination.
Move the fermenter to the kitchen counter about an hour before starting these next steps.
Prepare Priming Sugar Solution.
Collect 4oz of water into a glass microwavable glass container
Retrieve and empty contents of the bag labeled “Priming Sugar” into the glass container, stir and dissolve sugar water mixture.
Cover with a paper towel and microwave for 1-2 minutes or until briefly boiling.
Sanitize 1L Ez Cap Bottle and Mini Auto Siphon
Prepare a Star San Solution. With ⅕ oz or 1.25tsp oz of Star San Concentrate with 1 Gallon of fresh cool water in a new clean bucket or large clean bowl Or if you saved a spray bottle of star san have this ready.
Submerge,soak or spray down Mini Siphon and Tubing in Star San for 1-2 minutes and drain. Shake any excess star san off before using in bottling.
Submerge,soak or spray down your 1L Ez Cap Bottles and swing top closures. Soaking inside and outside for 1-2 minutes. Drain upside down in a dish rack for 5 minutes.
Add equal parts of Priming Solution to the sanitized bottles (2 tbsp or 1oz each to the bottles )
Stage bottles on a chair or upside down tote or other cleanable surface 2-3ft below the kitchen counter and fermenter.
Using the sanitized and drained Mini Siphon and Tubing
With sanitized hands Place the open end of tubing all the way into the bottom of the bottle. Always fill from the bottom up.
Another person can then place the Mini Siphon Racking Cane inside the Mini Siphon Housing
Gently Submerge the Mini Siphon into Fermenter about half way into the beer. Being careful to not let it rest completely or stir up the bottom of the bucket. We want to avoid sucking up the settled yeast and protein (called trub).
In one motion, Raise the racking cane up to draw beer into the housing. Then push down the raking cane smoothly and swiftly to start the siphon. Beer will quickly drain into the bottle. You can control the flow of beer into the bottle by pinching or kinking the tubing. Do your best not to overflow out the bottle as you will lose priming sugar.
When the bottle is full. Kink the hose to stop the flow and move onto the next bottle. It's OK to have a little head space in the bottle. It's needed for proper carbonation.
As you siphon beer from the fermenter make sure to keep the end of the mini siphon housing submerged so you keep the siphon going without interruption.
Cap the bottles and let them condition at room temp in a dark place for 3 weeks.
Enjoy!:
Chill the bottles for at least 8 hours, pour yourself a glass, and savor your homemade beer! Aging these beers in the fridge for another 2 weeks can improve clarity and flavor. It is normal for there to be sediment at the bottom. You will want to leave a little beer and that sediment behind when pouring.
Remember to sanitize all equipment thoroughly to prevent contamination. Happy brewing! 🍻