How to brew 101: The Basics

Despite what people think, getting started with brewing isn't difficult. Think of brewing beer the same way as cooking meat on a barbecue, all it takes is some preparation and keeping an eye on it and you'll end up with great tasting beer. In this article we run through the basics of brewing using extract. When it comes to brewing there are 3 main steps.

1. Prepare
You'll need some equipment and ingredients to brew your first beer. If you're brewing your first batch grab one of our 30L starter kit bundles and you'll have everything you need to get brewing!
Chose a recipe kit you want to brew; these kits include all the ingredients you need to make a batch of beer. Each recipe kit on our site has information in the flavour, aroma, alcohol percentage and style of beer it produces so you can select the beer that suits you best. 

2. Brew
Included in your recipe kit will be instructions. Basic recipe kits may have you simply dissolving extracts in water and adding yeast while others may have you extracting flavour from grains in a similar process to slow cooking. The whole process is centered around the idea of dissolving extracts (sugars) then adding yeast to ferment your wort.

3. Ferment
Put your away in your house until the yeast has finished fermenting your beer. During this time extra hops, fruit or spices can be added to add more character to your beer too.

4. Conditioning
Bottle or keg your batch and set aside for 1 week. Your beer will begin to clarify and mature in the keg or bottle and improve its flavours.

5. Enjoy
Taste your brew! Look at the notes from your brew - see if you can pinpoint what adds what flavour and which ingredients you like!