Top 10 Common Homebrewing Mistakes

Imagine you’re in the middle of a zombie apocalypse. The area where you’re hiding is on total lockdown. You’re out of beer... To prepare yourself for this survival situation, you must learn how to make home-brewed beer. It’s a fairly simple process, but it requires some brain power. Here we provide you with the 10 most common home brew mistakes, which you must avoid. Let’s begin.

1. UNSANITARY

Whenever making exquisite beer, one needs to ensure that all equipment being used is thoroughly sanitised. Beer is quite susceptible to bacteria; whenever a minuscule plastic particle enters the brew, undesirable bacteria can form around it, making the beer taste wack. Therefore, the entire process from beginning to end needs to be super-clean.

It’s best to avoid powdered sanitisers and go for products such as Chemipro OXI, which is ideal for cleaning beer-brewing and wine-making equipment. Remember to keep everything clean and sanitary, otherwise your beer will taste like dirt.

2. FLAT BEER

Flat beer sucks. If you’re making home-brewed beer, you probably spent weeks, if not months perfecting the final product. Suddenly, the flatness of the beer destroys all your hopes and dreams. It’s a depressing moment, which your flat beer won’t ameliorate. Carbon dioxide is produced after the yeast converts the sugar into alcohol.

Sometimes, this process does not go as expected, making flat beer a harsh reality. To solve this issue, one could add some priming sugar during the bottling stage. A great product is Glucose Vinoferm, which is the ideal fermentable sugar to make that beer fizzy.

3. PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT

You need to practice. Blood, sweat, and beers need to be shed to discover that ultimate recipe that will blow everyone’s mind. Expectations are probably not going to be met during the first operation. If you succumb to the failure and give up, that's the biggest mistake. Remember, don’t stop; keep persevering.

Experiment with different ingredients, temperatures, equipment - it’s all in the details. The best system to follow is to start basic; don’t go super fancy during your first batch. Learn the fundamentals and build your way up to that pinnacle point, in which beer angels will descend to congratulate you on fulfilling your life’s mission and restoring balance to the universe.

4. TASTES WATERY

Beer needs time to develop all the necessary flavours in order to provide the ultimate beer experience. If you rush the process and drink the beer when it “looks” ready, it might taste quite watery and cheap. You know those bars that add water to their beer to save on business expenses? You don’t want your brew to taste like that. Once capped, your beer needs to chill for about three weeks for the essential proteins to develop.

5. TASTES SOAPY

Now, if you wait too long, the beer may develop an oily or soapy taste. When your home-brewed beer is kept in its primary fermentation vessel for too long, it can begin to taste like soap due to the fatty acids breaking down. The best remedy is simply to transfer the beer from the fermentor to a second container, in due course. Also, whenever drinking beer from a glass, make sure to clean and rinse the glass before use, otherwise the detergent might make your beer taste like soap.

6. NEGLECTING TEMP CONTROL

Controlling temperature is essential to ensure the fine quality of your fine beer. One needs to control the temperature of the wort; if it’s over-boiled, it can create a big mess. The fermentation process by itself slightly raises the temperature of the brew, so this needs to be accounted for.

The room temperature is often neglected, which can randomly cool or heat the brew if not controlled. The yeast requires ideal temps to thrive. A solid thermometer such as this Thermometer Red Alcohol will ensure that your beer will brew in a comfy environment. Don’t be a noob, get a thermometer.

7. NOT READING INSTRUCTIONS OF THE KIT CAREFULLY

Making home-brewed beer is relatively simple, but it’s not a self-assembly kit from IKEA. One needs to read the instructions carefully. Brewing beer is chemistry; you need the appropriate measurements of ingredients to produce good brews. It’s always recommended to have a mate who knows how to set up a home brew station.

If not, make sure to read everything in detail. That little knob inside that little bag might be the most important piece of the puzzle. The Brewferm Starter Kit Basic, as the name suggests, is perfect for novice home brewers.

8. DOCUMENT EVERYTHING!

Consistency is the key to success. Your practices must be well-documented and followed if progress is to be made. When making wort, make sure that the temperatures are recorded. Always remember to sanitise, like, everything. All the ratios of barley, hops, and wheat need to be documented - you get the point.

When your home-brewed beer turns out absolutely delicious and awe-inspiring, you’ll want to replicate that heavenly recipe. Experimenting with different ratios, techniques, and ingredients is an exciting endeavor. And one that requires solid documentation at that. Remember to put that pen to paper and record, record, record.

9. USING BAD WATER

A common mistake is using tap water to brew your beer. In most places, the tap water will be filled with chlorine, which is used to kill off any harmful bacteria. Chlorine can make your beer taste really bad. Hence, tap water should be avoided. Also, there are other particles which can completely destroy the results you're trying to achieve.

Using bottled water is usually the way to go. Or, one can boil tap water to remove any undesirables. When you boil the water, make sure to cool it down with a cover so no bacteria can enter. You can also use a charcoal filter or metabisulfite.

10. BREWING WHILE DRUNK

Unless you're Rick from Rick & Morty, you probably shouldn’t be pursuing beer brewing endeavors while plastered. Yes, ideas can flow and you may have the golden recipe in your head, but the details, documentation, and temperature levels all need to be strictly followed, which is hard to do while hammered.

Things spilling over, taking a bath in the wort, and tripping on equipment all might occur. If you can handle your drink, that’s fine, but don’t have one too many. Brewing delicious beer requires a lot of math. Math requires brains, and alcohol can inhibit brain activity. Ergo, getting drunk should be avoided.

HOME-BREWED BEER

Remember the aforementioned mistakes, and don't make them! Experiment, practice, be smart, and you're on the right path to home brewing success. And watch out for those zombies...

Steven Voser

Steven Voser is an independent cannabis journalist with over 6 years of experience writing about all things weed; how to grow it, how best to enjoy it, and the booming industry and murky legal landscape surrounding it.

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