Homebrewing Basics: Your First Batch

Introduction

Brewing beer at home is easier than you think. With basic equipment and ingredients, you can create beer that tastes fresher than most store-bought options—because you control sanitation, fermentation temperature, and timing.

This guide is designed to get you through your first batch with confidence. It focuses on an extract brew (the most beginner-friendly path), but the principles carry forward as you level up.

Timeline overview (so you can relax)

• Brew day: 3–4 hours
• Fermentation: 1–2 weeks
• Bottling day: ~2 hours
• Carbonation/conditioning: ~2 weeks
• Total: about 4–6 weeks from grain to glass

On paper, brewing is “slow.” In practice, it’s a few short work sessions separated by waiting—waiting is where the beer gets better.

Why homebrew?

The practical reasons are real: savings, creative control, and the joy of drinking something you made. But the deeper reason people stick with it is simple: homebrewing teaches you how beer works. Once you understand yeast, fermentation temperature, and oxygen, you taste commercial beer differently.

It’s also a hobby with a generous culture—most brewers love helping beginners succeed.

Brewing methods: choose your path

There are three common approaches. You can do all three over time, but for batch #1, simplicity wins.

Extract brewing (start here)

Extract replaces the need for a mash by using pre-made concentrated wort (malt extract). You still make hop decisions, manage fermentation, and learn the fundamentals.

• Best for: first 5–10 batches
• Why it works: fewer moving parts, consistent results

Partial mash

Partial mash combines extract with a small mash or steep of grains.

• Best for: when you want more control but don’t want full all-grain complexity yet

All-grain

All-grain is full control: you convert starch to sugar yourself.

• Best for: once you’ve brewed enough to know what you want to control

None of these is “more real.” They’re just different levels of control and complexity.

Essential equipment (the real minimum)

You can brew with surprisingly little. What matters is that your equipment is cleanable, and anything touching cooled beer can be sanitized.

Core items:

• Thermometer (helpful)
• Sanitizer (critical)
• Fermenter (bucket or carboy) with airlock
• Tubing for siphoning
• Hydrometer (or refractometer) to confirm fermentation
• A long spoon/spatula

Bottling items (if bottling):

• Bottles (or swing-tops)
• Caps + capper
• Bottling bucket (nice-to-have but helpful)

Ingredients: the four essentials

Beer is water, malt, hops, and yeast. Everything else is variation.

1) Water

For a 5-gallon batch you’ll typically use 6–7 gallons total across the day.

If your tap water tastes fine, it can make great beer. If it smells like chlorine, use filtered water—chlorine and chloramine can create harsh, plastic-like off-flavors.

For batch #1: filtered tap water is usually the sweet spot.

2) Malt extract (the sugar source)

Extract comes in two forms:

• Liquid malt extract (LME): syrupy, easy, but can darken with age.
• Dry malt extract (DME): powder, longer shelf life, easy to measure.

Even with extract brewing, you can build complexity using specialty grains steeped like tea. Crystal malts add caramel sweetness, while roasted malts add coffee/chocolate notes.

3) Hops

Hops provide bitterness (balance), flavor, and aroma.

Think of hop additions as a timeline:

• Early boil additions: more bitterness
• Mid boil: more flavor
• Late boil: more aroma

Pellets are easiest for beginners and store well when kept cold and sealed.

4) Yeast

Yeast is not just “the thing that makes alcohol.” It’s the main flavor engine in beer.

For your first batch, dry ale yeast is the most forgiving: it’s shelf-stable, reliable, and easy.

The brewing process (the part that feels like magic)

The process looks long, but it’s a handful of simple phases.

Before brew day: set yourself up to win

• Read the recipe once when you’re calm.
• Lay out equipment.
• Make sure you have enough time (3–4 hours).

Step 1: Clean, then sanitize

Cleaning removes grime. Sanitizing reduces microbes to safe levels.

Everything that touches beer after it has cooled must be sanitized: fermenter, lid/stopper, airlock, tubing, spoon, hydrometer jar.

Step 2: Steep specialty grains (optional, but recommended)

If your recipe uses specialty grains, steep them like tea:

1. Heat 2–3 gallons of water.
2. Hold the steep around 150–160°F for 20–30 minutes.
3. Remove the bag and let it drain (don’t squeeze hard).

This is where color and a lot of “real beer” flavor come from, even in extract batches.

Step 3: Boil and hop additions

Bring the wort to a boil. Turn off heat briefly to add extract so it doesn’t scorch on the bottom, then return to a steady boil.

Your job during the boil is simple:

• Watch for boil-overs.
• Add hops on schedule.
• Keep a steady boil (not a volcano).

Step 4: Cool the wort

Cooling quickly reduces infection risk and improves clarity.

• Ice bath: slower, but works.
• Immersion chiller: faster and worth it if you keep brewing.

The goal is to get to pitching temperature for your yeast (for most ale yeasts, the mid-60s °F is a happy place).

Step 5: Transfer, top up, and measure OG

Transfer the cooled wort into the fermenter. Splashing is good here because you’re adding oxygen for yeast.

Top up with water to your final volume, then take an Original Gravity (OG) reading. OG is your starting sugar level and helps you estimate alcohol.

Step 6: Pitch yeast and ferment

Once the wort is at a reasonable temperature, pitch the yeast. Dry yeast can usually be sprinkled directly, though rehydrating can improve performance.

Fermentation is where beer becomes beer.

What you do now:

• Keep the temperature steady.
• Don’t open the fermenter to “check.”
• Wait.

Fermentation is complete when gravity is stable for a couple days. Airlock bubbling is not a reliable indicator.

Step 7: Package (bottling)

Bottling is just controlled sugar dosing.

1. Sanitize everything.
2. Make a priming sugar solution (commonly ~5 oz corn sugar for 5 gallons, depending on carbonation target).
3. Gently mix beer with priming solution.
4. Fill and cap.
5. Condition at room temperature for about two weeks.

Step 8: Pour and taste

Chill, pour carefully, leave sediment behind, and take notes. Brewing improves fast when you keep simple notes: fermentation temperature, timing, what you liked, what you’d change.

Your First Recipe: Simple Pale Ale

Perfect beginner beer - forgiving and delicious

Ingredients (5-gallon batch)

Fermentables:

• 6 lbs Light Liquid Malt Extract (LME)
• 1 lb Crystal 40L malt (specialty grain, crushed)

Hops:

• 1 oz Cascade hops (bittering, 60 min)
• 1 oz Cascade hops (flavor, 15 min)
• 1 oz Cascade hops (aroma, 5 min)

Yeast:

• 1 packet Safale US-05 (American Ale, dry)

Other:

• 5 oz corn sugar (priming for bottling)

Vital Statistics

• Original Gravity (OG): 1.048-1.052
• Final Gravity (FG): 1.010-1.014
• ABV: ~5%
• IBU: ~35
• Color: Gold to amber

Brew Day Instructions

1. Steep Crystal malt in 2.5 gal water at 150-160°F for 30 min
2. Remove grain bag, bring to boil
3. Remove from heat, add LME, stir well
4. Return to boil, start 60-min timer:
   • 60 min: Add 1 oz Cascade
   • 15 min: Add 1 oz Cascade
   • 5 min: Add 1 oz Cascade
5. Cool wort to 65-70°F
6. Transfer to fermenter, top to 5 gallons
7. Take OG reading
8. Pitch yeast when 65-70°F
9. Ferment 1-2 weeks at 65-68°F
10. Bottle with priming sugar
11. Condition 2 weeks
12. Enjoy!

Common Problems & Solutions

Problem: Airlock Not Bubbling

Causes:

• Loose lid/stopper (most common)
• Very vigorous fermentation (blew off)
• Fermentation already done

Solution:

• Check seal, reseat lid
• Look for krausen - if present, it’s working
• Take gravity reading after 1 week to confirm

Problem: Off-Flavors

Buttery/Butterscotch (Diacetyl):

• Cause: Fermentation too cold or rushed
• Solution: Warmer fermentation, wait longer

Cidery/Solvent:

• Cause: Too hot fermentation, infection
• Solution: Control temperature (65-70°F)

Sour/Vinegar:

• Cause: Infection (acetobacter)
• Solution: Better sanitation, avoid oxygen post-fermentation

Skunky:

• Cause: Light exposure
• Solution: Store in dark, use brown bottles

Metallic:

• Cause: Old ingredients, poor water
• Solution: Fresh ingredients, filter water

Cardboard/Stale:

• Cause: Oxidation
• Solution: Minimize splashing post-boil, drink fresh

Problem: Stuck Fermentation

Gravity stops too high.

Causes:

• Temperature too low
• Not enough yeast
• Not enough oxygen at pitching

Solutions:

• Warm to 70°F
• Rouse yeast (swirl gently)
• Wait - patience usually works

Problem: Exploding Bottles

Cause: Too much priming sugar OR bottled before fermentation complete

Prevention:

• Measure priming sugar exactly (5 oz for 5 gal)
• Confirm fermentation done before bottling
• Check FG is stable for 2-3 days

Problem: Flat Beer

Cause: Not enough priming sugar OR too cold storage

Solutions:

• Use correct amount sugar
• Store at 65-70°F for 2 weeks
• Wait longer (up to 4 weeks)

Homebrewing Tips for Success

Do:

• Sanitize obsessively - can’t overstate this
• Take notes - record everything
• Control temperature - fermentation temp is critical
• Be patient - rushing ruins beer
• Start simple - master extract before all-grain
• Join a club - local homebrewers are incredibly helpful

Don’t:

• Skip sanitizing - infection ruins months of work
• Open fermenter during fermentation (until gravity check)
• Bottle before fermentation completes - bottle bombs
• Worry about perfection - your first batch will be drinkable!
• Ferment too warm - off-flavors galore
• Give up - even flawed beer teaches you

Next Steps

After Your First Batch

1. Brew again immediately - repetition builds skill
2. Try different styles - IPA, Stout, Wheat beer
3. Experiment - add fruit, spices, oak
4. Join a club - competitions and feedback accelerate learning
5. Read more - “How to Brew” by John Palmer (free online)

Upgrade Path

After 5-10 batches, consider:

• Kegging system - skip bottling forever
• Temperature control - fermentation chamber
• Partial mash - more flavor control
• All-grain brewing - full control, lower cost

Recommended Resources

Books:

• “How to Brew” by John Palmer (essential, free online)
• “The Complete Joy of Homebrewing” by Charlie Papazian
• “Brewing Classic Styles” by Jamil Zainasheff

Websites:

• HomeBrewTalk.com (forums)
• Brewer’s Friend (calculators, recipes)
• AHA (American Homebrewers Association)

YouTube Channels:

• Homebrew Challenge
• Northern Brewer
• BrewDog

Podcasts:

• Experimental Brewing
• Brew Files
• The Brewing Network

Practice & Play

Ready to test your knowledge?

• Take our Brewing Process Quiz
• Play the Ingredient Matching Game
• Read Advanced Brewing Techniques
• Explore Understanding Hops