Brewing your beer has many benefits. And although it’s a lengthy and relatively challenging process, you can do it. With the right equipment, your quality wort will be ready in a few weeks.

1. Gather your supplies

You cannot start brewing until you’ve purchased the basic supplies like a big brew pot, an outdoor cooking range, one-step cleaner, measuring cup, airlock and bung, fermenter, siphon, hydrometer, no-rinse sanitizer, and thermometer.

Malt, bittering and flavoring hops, and yeast are ingredients you need to brew beer.

2. Sanitize

It’s best to ensure your supplies are in hygienic condition before using them to brew beer. This is to avoid contaminating the batch with debris, harmful bacteria, and even yeast.

A deep cleaning helps limit the number of unwanted microorganisms and therefore gives you more control over fermentation.

Combine no-rinse sanitizer with a one-step cleanser in the brew pot. Clean the fermenting bucket too.

3. Put the grain sock to use

This process is similar to brewing tea. It entails packing the grains into a sock and knotting the end. Use a porous cheesecloth fabric to ensure the wort absorbs enough flavor from the grains.

Fill the kettle with about two and a half gallons of water and heat on a stove. The ideal temperature shouldn’t go above 80 to 110°F; it shouldn’t boil.

Soak the grain sock in some water and drop it in the brew pot. You can allow it to steep for about twenty-five minutes to an hour but make it shorter if you dislike grainy beer. And when you remove the sock, don’t squeeze it; allow the drops to fall out themselves.

Add some malt to activate the beer flavor and keep stirring until there’s a rolling boil. Get to the bottom of the pot to prevent the sediments from burning and ruining the taste.

Finally, keep an eye on the wort. The mess it leaves when it foams is not what you’d enjoy cleaning up.

4. Put the hops

Many types of hops can be used to brew wort, but the most common ones are bittering and flavoring hops. The former adds bitterness to the beer, while the latter adds a sweet flavoring.

However, there’s a tendency to make mistakes if you don’t use a kit. So, ensure the two hops are compatible and add the bittering one first. After allowing it to boil for almost an hour, add the flavoring hops, but don’t allow it to simmer for more than five minutes.

5. Set up an ice bath

When all the ingredients have adequately simmered, consider cooling as quickly as possible. Set up an ice bath and cool the brew until it attains room temperature. However, if you add the yeast without allowing the wort to cool properly, the heat kills the microorganisms. And without yeast, the beer won’t ferment.

Use a stirring stick to stir the brew now and then to ensure it cools evenly. And with your thermometer, you can accurately determine when the desired temperature has been achieved.

6. Put in the carboy

When transferring to a carboy, it’s best to use a funnel to control any mess. Then, add the proportionate amount of water to dilute the wort.

7. Pitch the yeast

Add some yeast to the fermenter and allow it to start fermenting. Some carbon dioxide is required, so use an airlock to allow proper ventilation.