How to start brewing beer at home?

 

Homebrewing is not only an interesting hobby but also a great way to make beer of your desired style and taste. And – yes, anyone can really do it! Here's how it all happens simply:

Beer is a natural, fermented beverage made from just a few basic ingredients: Water, Malt, Hops, Yeast

These ingredients, through several stages, turn into a home-brewed kvass with "character" made by your own hands.

How is beer made?

 

Briefly about the main steps:

  1. Mashing – We steep crushed malt in water to extract a sweet liquid (called wort).

  2. Boiling – We boil the wort, adding hops, which give the beer bitterness, aroma, and act as a natural preservative.

  3. Cooling and fermentation – We cool the wort and add yeast. They "eat" the sugar and convert it into alcohol and bubbles (CO₂).

  4. Maturation – The beer is matured for a clean, balanced taste.

  5. Bottling – We bottle or keg it, and the beer is ready to taste!


Where to start? Beer production methods: from simple to advanced

 

Homebrewing can be as simple or as complex as you want it to be. Depending on experience, time, and available equipment, there can be countless brewing methods. We will discuss two most popular and basic methods:

1. Brewing from beer extract (extract brewing)

2. Brewing from malt grains (all-grain brewing)


Which method to choose?

Level Method Production time Equipment Control
Beginner From extract 0.25-1 hr. ~ €50 Low
Advanced From malt (BB40) 4–5 hrs. ~ €480 High

 

So,

Brewing from beer extract (extract brewing)

This is the easiest and fastest way to start. It uses ready-made malt extract – liquid or dry – which avoids complex boiling and mashing stages. Perfect for beginners. Advantages of the method: fast, simple, little equipment. Disadvantages: less control, limited flavor

You can see the entire beer-from-extract brewing process in this video:

Required ingredients:

Liquid or dry malt extract

Hops (optional, if choosing a kit)

Brewer's yeast (optional, if choosing a kit)

Water

Dextrose

Sugar for carbonation (for bottling)

Basic equipment:

Fermentation bucket with airlock

Thermometer, hydrometer

Bottling wand

Bottles, caps, capper

 

Main steps and brewing process:

  1. Water heating: boil ~5 L of water.

  2. Dissolving extract: mix malt extract with 1kg dextrose (sugar).

  3. Cooling: Add cold water to the fermentation bucket up to 20-23L (according to the extract instructions) and check that the temperature does not exceed 25°C.

  4. Fermentation: Add yeast to the fermentation bucket. Leave at room temperature for 7–14 days to ferment.

  5. Bottling: bottle, add carbonation sugar for carbonation.

  6. Maturation: keep for 1–2 weeks at room temperature, then 1 week in a cool place. Enjoy!


Want to try the next level?

 

2. Brewing from malt grains (all-grain brewing)

This is a more complex, yet the most versatile method. When brewing with this method, you have complete control over the beer's style, color, body, and taste.

When brewing from malt, all sugar for fermentation is obtained from the malt through a special process – mashing, boiling, and fermentation. This process requires a little more equipment, but it has already been developed. A beer brewing pot like the Brewster Beacon 40 allows you to automate the process and enjoy homebrewing without much hassle. 

Brewing from malt grains with an automatic pot (Brewster Beacon 40) in this video:

Required ingredients:

Malt (grains)

Hops

Brewer's yeast

Water

Equipment:

Brewster Beacon 40, Brewzilla or Dominator

Fermentation kit

Chilling coil or plate chiller

Thermometer, hydrometer

Bottling equipment

For your convenience, we have prepared a beginner's homebrewer kit that includes everything you might need for fermentation and bottling.

Main steps and brewing process:

Mashing:

  • Pour the required amount of water into the Brewster.

  • Heat to mashing temperature (~64°C).

  • Add crushed malt and mash for 60 min, maintaining a stable temperature.

  • After mashing, raise the temperature to ~78°C (mash out).

Filtering and sparging:

  • Lift the malt basket, let the wort drain.

  • Rinse the grain basket with warm water (~75–80°C) until you reach the desired wort volume (usually 23–25 L).

Boiling:

  • Boil the wort (usually 60 min).

  • Add hops according to the recipe (for bitterness – at the beginning, for aroma – at the end).

Cooling:

  • Use a chilling coil or other equipment to quickly cool the wort to 20–22°C.

Fermentation:

  • Pour into the fermenter, add yeast, ferment for 7–14 days.

  • Monitor ambient temperature and fermentation progress.

Bottling and maturation:

  • When fermentation is complete, bottle the beer.

  • Mature for 2–3 weeks in bottles, then store in a cool place.

Enjoy your creation!

 

Want to try?


Visit our beginner kits section and start your brewing journey today.

Join our organized practical brewing workshops.

You can always write or call us if you have any questions.