Brewing beer is a true science. In fact, professional brewers often have college degrees in microbiology, biochemistry, or engineering. And believe it or not, to be considered a true “Brew Master” a Ph.D. is required! Fortunately for most beer enthusiasts, the growing interest in the hobby of homebrewing has made the art and science of brewing beer accessible to anyone with a heat source, a water source, and a kettle to boil in!
The science behind putting together a recipe depends on what flavors and style you are going for and how much alcohol you want the beer to have. Kettle to Keg has made this simple by including the precisely measured amounts of grain, extract, hops, and yeast to bring a variety of beer styles to you in an easy to brew kit. As you review each of the kits below, here are some terms you will want to be familiar with when selecting the right kit for your taste.
Grain: The primary ingredient in most beers is the barley grain or malt. The type of flavor , color, and body of your beer is determined primarily by the roast of the barley (kind of like the roast of a coffee bean). The grain ia steeped in water to extract the sugars from the grain resulting in a hot liquor called wort.
Extract: Malt extract comes in liquid form (LME) or powdered form (DME). Essentially, it is a concentrated form of the sugar extracted from the barley during the mash. CAUTION: Sticky when wet!
Hops: Hops come in several forms including pellets, plugs, and leaf. Hops are boiled in the wort to extract hop oils. These oils provide bitterness to beer. The higher the IBU, the more bitter the beer. There are hundreds of hop varieties and each variety is rated using an alpha acid rating. You can also tweak the bitterness of your brew depending on when and for how long you boil the hops.
Yeast: Yeast is a living organism that fuels the fermentation of your beer. The yeast eats the sugars to produce alcohol and some carbon dioxide (CO2). The CO2 will provide some carbonation to your beer. The rule of thumb with successful brewing is to keep your yeast happy. Yeast needs a temperate and sanitary environment in order to produce a good fermentation.
Priming Sugar: Priming sugar is a special kind of fermentable sugar that will allow you to continue to carbonate your beer at the bottling stage.
Gravity: This is a scientific reading indicating how much fermentable sugar is present in your beer. You read the gravity at several points throughout the brewing process using a hydrometer (included in the K3 Equipment Kit). Orginal Gravity (OG) represents the amount of sugar in your beer immediately before fermentation. Final Gravity (FG) is taken when fermentation is complete and represents the amount of unfermentable sugars remaining. Roughly, the difference between OG and FG indicates how much alcohol you have produced. You can calculate your exact measurements at www.beermath.com.