How to brew craft beer, explained step by step
Beer is a fermented beverage produced from four basic ingredients for making beer: barley malt, hops, yeast and water. Malting is the technique that triggers the germination of barley and then stops it by drying, using different techniques to achieve different colors and degrees of roast. This process creates the enzymes that convert the starch in the grain into fermentable sugars that the yeast will later turn into alcohol. Alongside barley malt, beer can also include other grains such as wheat, rye and oats, or adjuncts like rice, fruit, nuts, spices, etc. From the hop plant, the cones are used, whether in whole cone, pellet or hop oil extract form. Hops are not only responsible for the bitterness of beer, they are also a natural preservative and contribute fruity and herbal flavors and aromas depending on the variety. We explain step by step how to make craft beer, or how the best craft beers are made.
1. MALT SELECTION
Beer production begins with selecting the malts according to the recipe. Other complementary specialty malts can be added to a base malt to achieve certain nuances. Kilning/roasting the malt provides different flavors and colors. For example, very dark roasted malts give coffee flavors and a dark appearance, while lighter roasts bring chocolate and nutty notes and brownish colors.
2. MILLING
Once the malts have been selected, the next step is milling, which consists of crushing the grain, but not so much that it turns into flour—just enough to improve its yield without turning the wort into porridge.
3. THE MASH
Next, the crushed grain is mashed in a vessel with hot water between 65°C and 70°C for an hour to an hour and a half, or you can also use a step mash. Mashing is similar to steeping a tea bag. In this phase the beer wort is obtained, which stands out for its sweetness, as all the sugars that the enzymes have modified are extracted from the grain. Mashing ends with recirculation and lautering of the wort, removing all the spent grain and other solid elements that are no longer useful.
4. THE BOIL
Once separated from the grain, the wort is transferred to a kettle where it is boiled for an hour. It’s advisable to uncover the vessel when the wort begins to bubble vigorously. This allows undesirable compounds to evaporate. During the boil, different hop varieties are added. The hops responsible for bitterness are added at the start of the boil. Those that provide flavor are added fifteen minutes before the end. At the end of the boil, the hops that will give the beer its standout aroma must be added. During the boil, all the protein foam generated by the hops must be skimmed off to remove undesirable flavors from the beer and achieve a clearer beer.
5. CHILLING
The mixture is immediately cooled as quickly as possible to avoid contamination or flavor changes, using metal coils. It is filtered and transferred to a fermenter. Depending on the beer style, lager or ale, the wort must remain at one temperature or another. This is because each yeast strain works under different conditions. In a bottom-fermented beer, called a lager, the temperature will be around 5–10°C, while in a top-fermented beer, called an ale, it will be 18–23°C. When the wort is transferred to the fermenter and the right temperature is reached, the yeast is added and the fermenter is sealed.
6. FERMENTATION AND BOTTLING
When pitching the yeast into the fermenter, it’s a good idea to stir the mixture to oxygenate it; this makes it easier for the yeast to act and reproduce. These microorganisms consume part of the sugars and produce alcohol and carbon dioxide. It depends on the style, but most beers take about a week to complete primary fermentation. Once the time in the first fermenter is up, the beer is transferred to a second fermenter or conditioning tank. After the second fermentation, which lasts between two and three weeks, the beer is bottled or kegged, allowing the third and final fermentation phase to take place, which conditions the beer. You can add some type of sugar to trigger a third fermentation in the bottle or keg so that it contains enough carbonation and the yeast stabilizes.
7. FLAVOR STABILIZATION
Before the beer is consumed, it must cold‑condition for a minimum time depending on the style. This stabilizes the flavors and aromas and causes the suspended yeast sediments to settle out.
This is how craft beer is made, where the ingredients of the beer are key. It should be noted that hygiene is a decisive factor throughout the process; any cleaning failure can cause contamination or off-flavors. It is an artisanal production in which the brewer’s hands, experience and knowledge prevail, as well as the raw materials, which are key to achieving remarkable flavors. This is how countless beer styles are created, as extraordinary as they are appealing, always striving for excellence in craft beer ingredients. There are hundreds of styles and more are added every day thanks to brewers’ creativity and the hybridization of styles.
