Fermentation

What equipment will you need?

Fermenation Bucket (REQUIRED)

This is a plain 25 litre plastic bucket.
An airlock - see the top of the bucket / the lid.

You get various kinds of fermentation vessels. They can be plastic or stainless steel. I've opted for the cost-effective option (plastic). My first attempt saw me use a 25 litre water canister with a screw-on cap. These work well, but you will need a funnel to help add things to it and they have some crevices that are more difficult to clean.

You'll notice I've modified the lid (small hole with a grommet) to support the airlock. You should be able to buy airlock and grommet from your local supplier, BUT I will show you a relatively easy way to make your own. See here.

I've also added a stick-on thermometer. This is a really useful tool that allows you to monitor the fermentation temperature throughout (as you don't want to be opening it during fermentation without good reason).

Hydrometer (OPTIONAL)

Whilst some may claim that this is an absolute necessity I will only admit that it has aided in giving me some confidence - that is, it told me how much sugar was in the wort before fermenting as well as a comparison of the sugar content after fermenting. The two values differed (as they should).

It is, in my opinion, a very useful tool in terms of empirical evidence, but mostly, it serves to lower any anxiety you might have about whether you've done things correctly. :-)

In all my efforts over the last 2 years, I have not yet had this little tool tell me that I've somehow gotten it wrong.

Sanitizer (REQUIRED)

Things need to be really clean and this is really important. You don't want unwanted bacteria from settling in/on your fermentation vessels, bottles or utensils. It will just ruin all the effort you put into it.

The easiest way to do this is probably to buy yourself some sanitizer. It's expensive to some extent but should last you a long time. I did, however, in my early attempts essentially sterilize everything using a small mobile electrical steamer. This worked just as well but was way more effort :-)

Starsan and Demasan are known sanitizers. There are others (I use 10 milliliters of Demasan in 1 liter of water). I usually have some sanitizer ready from the very start (see column to the right). However, the most important time for sanitizing is when the boil is complete and you plan on starting fermentation.

Sanitizing Bucket (REQUIRED), Measuring Jug, Funnel

You may figure out another way of doing this, but in my small world, I have a separate 5-litre plastic bucket that I fill with 2 litres of water and 20ml of sanitizer.

I usually prepare this bucket at the start of the session. Once I have used something I plan on using again (spoon/jug etc), I place them back in here to keep them sanitized.

Then..you'll need that measuring jug from your boiling process (sanitized). You may also need a funnel (sanitized) - depending on the fermentation vessel you are going to use and how accessible it is.

What ingredients will you need?

Wort (the stuff you made in step 1 - boiling process)
(REQUIRED)

You will recall the last few steps of the boiling process - i.e. getting the final liquid cooled down to about room temperature (that is between 25 and 30 degrees) and keeping it away from any other bacteria - by using as little time as possible to cool it down or by clamping the lid down whilst it cools at a slower pace.

This liquid is your foundation and will now be transformed into your final product (your home brew).

Yeast (REQUIRED)

You can buy this from your local supplier. For our recipe, we are looking for a typical ale yeast. You will need 11.5 grams for our 20 liters but usually, this will be written on the packet as displayed in the picture.

These little guys do their best work at around 18-23 degrees celsius.

They will survive in higher temperatures (e.g. I've had a rare occasion of 28 degrees celsius) but they may give off some odd flavours. If, instead, the temperatures drop too low, they may become dormant and do nothing (or perhaps just far less than they should).

Also remember, different strains of yeasts result in different flavours. So once you get yourself settled in the process of making your own beer, you can start playing around with various types/strains of yeasts.

What you need to do

Clean out your fermentation vessel.

Yup, it's required. No compromises here.

Fill your fermentation bucket/vessel with 1 liter of tap water and add 10 milliliters of sanitizer. Put the lid on and make sure it's sealed tight. Now shake it about to make sure the sanitizing liquid mixture covers all areas inside the bucket. You can give it a few more shakes in the interim, but ensure at least 5 minutes (I usually give it between 5 and 15) contact time - usually preparing this whilst my wort is cooling down. Ensure that you also sanitize the airlock.

Once the time has passed (and you are reay for your cooled wort), drain the liquid from the bucket (ignore the foam that remains in the bucket, it's completely safe).

Note: As an alternative method (as I've mentioned before) you could use mobile steaming machine - whereby you sterilize the bucket with heat. I have done this before and it has worked well and without any problems. Just be sure you sterilize comprehensively.

Add wort to the fermentation vessel.

This is one of the more satisfying steps in the whole process.

If you have a boiling kettle with a tap, you can open the tap and drain the liquid from the kettle into your fermentation vessel / bucket. You may want to consider leaving the last 500ml (maybe up to 1 litre) in the kettle All the residue / sediment resides in that last bit of liquid (even moreso if you've used the irish moss) and, ideally, you don't want all of that in your fermentation vessel - you have enough yeast in the overall liquid to do the job. Also, this left over sediment could have some other uses (like making a yeast started for a future brew - something I've not yet tried myself).

Note: try to decant between 300 and 500 millilitre of the wort into your measuring jug (sterilized). You will need it in the next step. Also, if you have a hydrometer and tube for the liquid, fill the tube with some of the wort and take a measurement. Write it down.

If you use a stainless steel cooking pot, you will manually decant the liquid into you fermentation bucket. It may be more difficult to have the bottom sediment remain in the pot, but you can try.

If your fermentation vessel is NOT a typical bucket (but perhaps something with a smaller opening), you may need to use your funnel (sterilized) to assist in getting it into the fermentation vessel.

Try to keep the process as simple and quick as possible to prevent any unwanted things from getting into your hard-earned wort. Remember to sanitize any utensils before using it. Close the bucket / vessel when it's filled (to make sure unwanted critters stay out).

Prepare your yeast

Recall from the previous step that you kept aside 300 - 500 millilitres of the wort in a measuring jug. It should be at room temperature (+- 25 degrees celcius).

This will be used as a base for "starting up" the yeast - giving them something with some sugars to consume and show their intent. This steps helps to identify expired yeast that does nothing and offers you the chance to fix this problem (by getting another packet of good yeast) before adding it to your wort.

Take your packet of yeast, open it and simply sprinkle it into your measuring jug with the wort. Now, leave it for between 10 and 20 minutes. Somewhere in this time you will see the yeast begin to do it's work.

How will you know? Well you'll see something that looks like foaming or frothing (almost like a very well- prepared filter coffee or the foam on caramelized sugar). Short version, it'll seem like it's "doing stuff" / growing.

Irrespective of your understanding (or disagreement) of my possibly incomprehensibile comparison :-), you should notice that the yeast is no longer the small crumby bits that it was when you added it at first. It would have merged into one big frothy yeast culture.

Pitching the yeast

Another satisfying step.

Take the prepared yeast (i.e. it's started doing something in your measuring jug with the wort), and simply add it to your fermenation vessel. Again, you may need to use a funnel if your fermentation vessel has a small access point.

Once you've added the yeast (i.e. pitched it), close the fermentation vessel properly (i.e. no air or other bacteria should be able to get it) and give it a good, vigurous shake. This oxygenates the mixture and get the yeast off to a good start.

Ensure you fill your airlock (roughly halfway) with some sanitizer or any white spirits you have around. There may be other options here, but as you would have gathered I'm a little paranoid. As such, so I always use sanitizer or white spirits (if I have).

Now put your fermentation vessel somewhere

a) out of direct sunlight and;
b) where you will have temperatures ranging between 18 and 23 degrees celcius.

Sit back, relax and wait for 14 days for the process to finish.

Note: you will hear it start to bubble after about 8-16 hours. It might die down after another 12 hours. Don't be alarmed - just leave it. I've read that an airlock is simply that: "an airlock". Don't read too much into it's activity or non-activity - it's purpose is to release the CO2, and prevent anything else from getting inside the fermentation vessel. It's is NOT an indication of anything else :-)

After your 14 days of anxiety, have a look here on how to bottle your brew.

FAQ

Is the foam left over by the sanitizer safe?

Yes, you can leave the foam that remains in your fermentation bucket after sanitizing. The sanitizers you buy from local suppliers are considered food-grade and safe. The foam will eventually disappear as time goes by during the fermentation process.

Is the airlock necessary?

Yes, the airlock is crucial to ensure that the CO2 (generated by the yeast) can get released (instead of building up pressure in the fermentation bucket). Its second job (thus why it contains sanitizer or alcohol) is to ensure that no other bacteria can get in through the same vulnerable outlet (for the CO2). They are relatively cheap to obtain, BUT I can show you an easy method to make your own. See here.

How do I know the yeast started has "started"?

You will see something that looks like foaming or frothing (almost like a very well-prepared filter coffee or the foam on caramelized sugar).

How much can the temperature vary?

You don't want the temperature to go far below +- 17-18 degrees. This may result in the yeast becoming inactive and requiring another boost. You also don't want the temperature to rise above (let's say) 25 degrees. I've had this happen (close to 28 degrees) and everything was still fine, but you risk the chance of getting some funky flavours.

Do I have to wait the full 14 days?

Probably not. This is my go-to strategy and has always worked out well. In reality, you can take a sanitized measuring jug, scoop some of the wort, and add it to a tube that will support your hydrometer. You can then measure the sugar levels in the wort and decide whether the fermentation process has been completed or not (e.g. sugar content dropped from 1.050 to 1.010)

What do the bubbles say?

So.. the bubbles from your airlock says one thing only: "I'm releasing CO2". It says absolutely nothing with absolute certainty about the progress of the fermentation process (or at least should not be considered a primary source of truth) - it does however give you a feel for consistency in activity over multiple batches. If you want the absolute truth, measure the sugars with your hydrometer. Alternatively, you are guaranteed (well maybe) to have sufficiently completed the fermentation process in 14 days (given the temperatures stay where they should be). Initially, it should start bubbling in roughly 8-16 hours after adding the yeast. It may stop bubbling in another 12 hours (with some unpredictable moments thereafter). Don't be alarmed if it's quiet. Just leave it.