Homemade beer is a fermented beverage made from malt, hops, yeast and water, which has been prepared, brewed and bottled at home or in a non commercial setting. The federal home brewing law dictates that an adult individual can brew up to 40 cases or 100 gallons of beer and a household may brew 80 cases or 200 gallons annually in compliance with federal, state and local laws concerning consumption and possession of alcohol.http://www.legallibations.com/2009/10/knit-one-pearl-two-or-when-do-i-add.html Although home brewing is federally legal, it is still up to individual states to legalize home brewing in their respective state codes. The vast majority of states have legalized homemade beer, though laws regarding home brewing vary greatly.http://www.leg.state.or.us/ors/471.html
The main ingredients in homemade beer consist of malt, hops, yeast and water. Malt, or malt extract, is made by soaking, sprouting, drying, roasting, mashing, boiling and reducing grains such as wheat or barley. The type of grain which is malted and the degree of roasting determines much of the body and taste of the beer. Malt can also be purchased in a variety of styles. Hops are a type of plant used to bitter beer. Hops can be grown from rhizome cuttings and are seldom started from seed. Once the hops are matured, they can be harvested and used immediately or dried.http://schmidling.com/hops.htm There are many varieties of hops which can be purchased through a home brewing ingredients store. Yeast is the ingredient in beer which causes it to carbonate and it contributes to the complexity and flavor of the finished brew. Yeast can be top fermented, bottom fermented or spontaneously fermented, depending on the brewing environment and ambient temperature.http://beeradvocate.com/beer/101/yeast Water is the main ingredient in beer and while purified water may be favorable for drinking, it is the hard mineral water which is most suitable for brewing beer as it helps control the pH balance in malts, and create a suitable environment for enzyme activity which is vital to beer making.http://www.brew-monkey.com/articles/waterarticle.php
Video: Homemade Beer - Do It Yourself
This is a video featuring the process of making beer at home. According to the video, the first step in making your own beer is to sterilize all the equipment. Sanitation is extremely important in the beer brewing process because without it, beer may spoil or sour. The video suggests that natural spring water be used in the production of the wort.
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Fast Facts
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Fact:
Root beer is a non alcoholic form of homemade beer
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Homemade beer is primarily made from water, malt, yeast and hops
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Wort is the mixture which will become beer once it is fermented
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Sanitation is vital to the quality of homemade beer
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Distilled water should be avoided as it lacks the proper minerals for homemade beer
