Difference between revisions of "Extract brewing"

Brewing with extract is typically the entry point for most beginning homebrewers into the hobby of making their own beer. The process can be as simple as adding pre-hopped canned extract to boiling water, cooling, and adding yeast or be a bit more complex with the inclusion of specialty grains and hop additions. Enjoyment of the process and beer quality tend to improve as the brewer takes responsibility for more and more of the ingredients.

This article will discuss the three ways to brew with malt extract.

Equipment Needed

In order to brew beer with extract you will need the following pieces of equipment:

• Brew Kettle - Typically a stock pot which can hold at least 20 quarts (required)
• Mixing Spoon (required)
• Thermometer (required)
• Wort chiller (optional)
• Sanitizer (required)
• Fermentation Vessel - Can be a plastic bucket or glass carboy (required)
• Funnel (only required when using a glass carboy for fermentation
• Airlock (required)
• Hydrometer (optional but highly recommended)
• Racking cane (required)
• Siphon tubing (required)
• Secondary fermentation vessel (optional)
• Bottling bucket (optional)
• Brown bottles - Will need at least fifty 12 oz bottles for a 5 gallon batch of beer (required)
• Bottle caps
• Bottle capper (required)

Many beginning homebrewers choose to purchase an equipment kit which should contain most of the equipment needed to brew with extract.

Brewing with Pre-Hopped Extract

Brewing with Extract and Hop Additions

Brewing with Extract, Specialty Grains, and Hop Additions