How long does home beer usually ferment? Beer fermentation: first and second, fermentation temperature and terms.

This stage begins after boiling and fermentation. It allows you to bring young beer to the desired state: for this you need to go through the fermentation stage and brew for several days. As a rule, the fermentation temperature should be higher than the post-fermentation temperature: this contributes to the appearance of the substance carbon dioxide (CO2) in the beer.

For fermentation, beer must be poured into sterile bottles using a siphon tube. To remove excessive sediment, a double transfusion is allowed. Moreover, during these procedures, try to "excite" the beer as little as possible - shake, move, etc. This can change the pressure, as a result of which the containers will simply explode.

For fermentation, sugar, glucose or sugar syrup is placed in beer at the rate of 7-9 g / 1 liter. During this exposure time, natural carbonization is carried out - that is, carbonation. It is realized due to the occurrence of carbon dioxide in beer.

In order to groove (carbonate) the beer, sweet ingredients are used. In situations where carbonation has not occurred and the beer has run out, it means that old or low-quality yeast has been used. Correcting the situation is real if you add fresh yeast.

Holding conditions.

In order not to spoil the beer at this stage, observe the following conditions:

• Beer is allowed to infuse both in plastic and glass bottles. The ideal option is something made of dark glass, since beer does not like light. In factories, special tanks are used for this.
• At the final pouring of beer to the neck, leave at least 3 cm.
• Try to maintain a slight overpressure.
• Maintain room temperature. Do not let it rise above 20 degrees.
• In bottles, beer will be ready in 5-6 days, in kegs - in 8-10 days.

Beer maturation is not a fermentation process!

Many confuse this procedure with aging (fermentation) - although in reality these are different processes. Ripening always begins only after fermentation and maturation. Their duration can be up to 1 year, but cannot be less than 7 days.

In addition, at home, the procedure is slower, since professional devices are not used for this. Therefore, the longer the drink is infused, the better.

In kegs, beer matures even longer. Keep the temperature below room temperature! At elevated temperatures, the process will be of poor quality and the risk of ruining all the work increases. You can control the procedure through a test: the first of them is allowed to be carried out on the 10-14th day. At the end, the drink gets its special taste and aroma characteristics and is completely ready for use.

Lightening when ripe!

In fact, it is possible to drink beer after maturation, but the taste will be different from what you get after maturation. It is no coincidence that this stage is considered the final one in the home-brewing of beer, because the final taste, aroma and quality of the drink will depend on it.

What happens during this time?

• The color stabilizes and the taste becomes richer.
• The alcohol content changes.
• Subsequently, the drink is better absorbed by the body.
• Yeast absorbs sugars and other unnecessary substances accumulated in the drink, which spoil the original properties.

After this lengthy procedure is completed, the yeast, along with other unnecessary substances, will settle to the bottom in the form of sediment, which will help the natural clarification of the drink.

How long does the maturation of beer take?

People who are intimately familiar with brewing say that the longer the beer ages, the better. But other than that, the production time is related to what kind of beer you are brewing!

Ripening time:

• For light, a suitable period is at least 14-21 days.
• For dark - 3 months, if desired, longer is allowed.

As a rule, for each individual variety in the recipes, their individual terms are indicated, which will help to prepare the best product in terms of characteristics.

What is the best way to store a ripening product?

In order not to lose the quality of the drink, to form its specific characteristics brighter and richer, special conditions of detention should also be observed.

For storage, it is advisable to select a shaded and clean place, so if you use the basement for this, then take care of the sterility of the space.

The maturation of beer in kegs can take longer, besides, they will need to buy various additional equipment - a refrigerator, a tap, etc.

To track changes in taste, you can create one small test container to sample the drink every two to three weeks.

Video from a homebrewing lover, where he shares his experience and gives good recommendations!

In order to brew beer yourself, you do not need any special equipment at all. It is much more important to understand the stages of brewing, to be able to maintain the right conditions during the aging period of beer. In this case, homemade beer will turn out fragrant, tasty and, unlike a purchased drink, natural.

Includes stages, each of which must pass according to the rules. Otherwise, the beer will not have the desired taste. There are no trifles here: the type of yeast used is important, as well as the fermentation tank for beer, and the aging time of the drink. Let's consider the main points.

First: choose the yeast. Types of yeast used in brewing:

• dry (in powder form);
• pills;
• liquid.

Preferably added to a drink dry yeast. The reason: they are easy to transport, and besides, they are stored in almost any conditions. The disadvantage of this type: less interesting taste than liquid yeast.

The choice of yeast also depends on what kind of beer you want to make: ale or lager. So, for camp varieties we take Fementis-Saflager 34/70.

To brew ale (read:), it would be nice to get SafaleS-04. This subspecies is perfect for fermentation in wooden barrels.

What is yeast? This is a product received from malt and hops by fermentation. Without them, the preparation of beer is impossible. Before you “refill” the wort with them, you need to properly prepare them.

Preparation

Liquid yeast does not require special preparation, but dry yeast needs a little work. Actions are as follows:

1. We disinfect the container selected for the process.
2. Pour into it warm water(the temperature of which is from 26 to 28ºС).
3. Sprinkle dry yeast on top.
4. We cover the dishes foil.
5. We leave for 40 minutes.
6. Shake the liquid until a suspension is obtained.
7. We add the resulting suspension to the wort.

At this preparatory stage is completed: now we are waiting for fermentation and the moment when the tasting of the drink begins.

Choosing a container for beer fermentation

Beginning brewers think about the question: what fermentation tank is suitable for making a drink? Most often the choice is stopped on a plastic container.

The task of the brewer: not to make a mistake with the size of the container. It must be capacious, because foam will form, which will overflow over the edges if the volume of the container is insufficient.

You put a container with and pour the wort into it. Do not forget open the lid. This is necessary so that too rapid fermentation stops. A week passes. After that, the future beer is removed from the sediment and left for secondary fermentation.

top fermentation

Initially, there was only a method of top fermentation. Why? It was not always possible to reach temperatures below 14ºС. Riding requires temperature from 15 to 25ºС. Yeast does not separate for a long time during the top fermentation process. They form colonies of gas bubbles.

Top fermentation is gradual formation of higher alcohols and esters. This is how ale or German wheat beer is made. The taste of these alcoholic beverages is somewhat coarser than those obtained by bottom fermentation.

bottom fermentation

In bottom fermentation, yeast settle at the bottom of the container where the whole process takes place. Such beer is brewed in cold rooms, carefully making sure that the temperature regime is not violated. The yeast should settle to the bottom of the container.

Lager varieties formed in this way are more palatable, according to many connoisseurs. Another plus: camp varieties last longer, easier to transport.

Fermentation stages

The whole process is divided at 4 stages, during which the future beer gradually becomes what we are used to.

• The wort was poured into a vat and the yeast was placed there. Carbon dioxide is released. bubbles of gas rise to the surface. We wait from 12 to 20 hours: during this time, white foam appears. At this time, we can assume that the first stage has come to an end.
• At the second stage, take a closer look at the wort: do you see curls on the surface? They resemble roses in appearance. This means that the yeast began to multiply rapidly, which means that fermentation is intensifying. Everything goes according to plan.
• The third stage is characterized by a change in the color of the curls. They turn brown and rise higher.

Attention! At this stage, pay close attention for wort temperature! It grows, so it is necessary to cool the future beer from time to time, bringing it to a temperature of 6 or 7ºС.

• The last stage: the cessation of fermentation. Curls fall off. The yeast "goes" to the bottom, the beer becomes lighter.

Do you think that the process of making a foamy drink is completed? No, there is another stage ahead, but it will take place in a different container.

End of fermentation stages

To understand that fermentation is complete, inspect the liquid. Assess its uniformity. Check did the yeast sink to the bottom. Pay attention to the color: if it is cloudy, then you need to wait a little more. If the beer has become light, it can be poured into a glass container.

Wort transfusion

Check that the temperature of the wort is from 8 to 10ºС. If so, prepare clean glass containers. Fermentation will be carried out in them.

These can be pretty bottles in which you will then serve beer to the table. Pour carefully so that sediment does not get into the bottles. Use a siphon tube for this.

Fermentation

Here we come to the end of the technological process. But you need not just pour the beer into bottles and put it away for a while in a place inaccessible to children and guests. in bottles add some sugar:

• sugar;
• glucose;
• sugar syrup.

The calculation here is: 9 g of sugar-containing product per 1 liter of wort. During fermentation, carbon dioxide is produced. Beer should be stored in glass containers at a temperature of 18-20ºС. Fermentation is necessary in order for the drink to acquire a pleasant taste and aroma.

Shelf life

Beer of industrial production, if it is "live", stored 3 days. If you followed the production technology, then the homemade drink can stay for three days- Nothing will happen to him.

If the beer is brewed on horseback, the shelf life increases up to 3 months. To extend the shelf life, try to comply with the following conditions:

• put the bottles vertically;
• tightly seal containers;
• do not expose the beer to sunlight;
• protect the drink from both overheating and hypothermia.

If you spend pasteurization of alcohol, then the shelf life will increase to 6 months.

Have you ever brewed beer at home? Tell us about your experience. Share also your opinion: what is the difference between a homemade product and an analogue made in an industrial way. What tastes better?

Try making beer in your own kitchen. Its indisputable advantage: it is used only natural ingredients. In addition, you personally carried out the selection of products and gradually brewed the drink, preventing the interference of “foreign elements”.

Useful videos

Look at the order of home beer fermentation - all stages:

Personal experience of removing from the sediment and transferring to secondary fermentation, see:

About the primary and secondary fermentation of beer in a conventional container, see:

If you are an experienced brewer, you will surely find something to advise beginners. How to ferment so that the taste is beyond praise? Share information with us, and we will post it on our pages. See you soon!

In the process of making beer at home, we may encounter two common problems: the lack of wort fermentation during primary fermentation and the lack of carbonation (beer carbonation). Most often, these problems can be solved.

In the absence of fermentation, only the yeast is to blame, either they have nothing to "eat", or the conditions are not right for them to be able to "eat".

Beer wort does not ferment- causes:

• Low temperature. Read the instructions for the yeast that came with the malt extract, the instructions should include the fermentation temperature limit. Check the temperature of the wort, if it is below the specified range (the yeast has fallen asleep), then it is necessary to move the fermenter to a warmer place. For ale yeast, the fermentation temperature limit is 18-28 degrees. Better stable temperature in 18 gr. To maintain this temperature, you can put the container in a basin and adjust the temperature by adding cold or warm water.
• Poor quality yeast. Very often, many amateur brewers underestimate the yeast rehydration process and add yeast directly to the wort. As a result, some of the yeast just simply die, I recommend rehydration, this will make sure that the yeast is viable.
• Yeast death. It is possible that the yeast could die as a result of the presence of a large amount of disinfectant solution in the container (it happens very rarely). If you have suspicions about this, then you should not immediately drain the wort, try to purchase yeast separately and put it in the fermenter.

• Heat. It is possible that the yeast died as a result of too high a temperature of the wort at the time they were added to the container. The solution to the problem is to add yeast again.
• Siphon fermenter lid or water seal seal. Once I had a situation when I thought that the wort did not ferment, it happened because the lid of the fermenter siphoned and the water seal simply did not gurgle, so check. Maybe the must is fermenting, but you don't see it.
• Little sugar. The situation is worse when the "young" beer does not ferment. This usually happens as a result of too low temperatures or too little sugar. The solution is simple, we move our bottles to a warmer place for 2 weeks. After 2 weeks, we open one bottle, if the beer is non-carbonated or slightly carbonated, then the problem is a small amount of sugar. You can try to open the bottles and add sugar (dextrose), or be content with what you have.
• Mold. Worst case scenario, if you open the fermenter to pitch in the yeast and see mold, then I recommend you just drain the wort, the "wild" yeast got into it. This situation cannot be improved.

We have considered the most common causes of the lack of fermentation, most often they can be corrected. However, there are still cases when you have to drain the wort. I hope you find this short guide useful and don't have to do it!

Home-brewed beer compares favorably with cheap store-bought counterparts with a richer taste, thick foam and the absence of preservatives. It turns out a drink that does not contain anything superfluous. I will show you how to brew beer according to the classic recipe using only traditional ingredients: hops, malt, water and yeast. To preserve the original taste, we will not resort to filtration and pasteurization.

It is believed that to make real beer you need to buy a mini brewery or other expensive equipment. This myth is imposed by manufacturers of such products. Together with the brewery, such offices will gladly sell a ready-made concentrate, which only needs to be diluted in water and fermented. As a result, a novice brewer pays exorbitant prices for beer, the quality of which, at best, is slightly higher than cheap store brands.

In fact, you can make homemade beer without special equipment, using improvised means: a large brewing pan, a plastic or glass fermentation vessel, any bottles and other available devices, the full list of which is published below.

You will have to buy only hops, malt and brewer's yeast. I do not insist on choosing a particular company or brand. The range is wide enough, buy any product you like.

Theoretically, malt and hops can be grown at home. But these processes are beyond the scope of the article. Further, we will assume that all the necessary ingredients are available: homemade or purchased. The only thing is that I do not advise you to experiment with brewer's yeast, but immediately choose the best strains in the store, since beer differs from grain mash precisely in special yeast.

Ingredients:

• water - 27 liters;
• hops (alpha acidity 4.5%) - 45 grams;
• barley malt - 4 kg;
• brewer's yeast - 25 grams;
• sugar - 8 grams per liter of beer (needed for natural saturation with carbon dioxide).

Necessary equipment:

• 30-liter enamel pot - for boiling the wort;
• fermentation tank - for fermentation;
• thermometer (required) - if moonshine from sugar or wine can be made only by approximately controlling the temperature, then with beer this is an initially failed undertaking;
• bottles for pouring finished beer (plastic or glass);
• silicone hose of small diameter - for removing beer from the sediment;
• ice water bath or wort cooler;
• gauze (3-5 meters) or a bag of fabric;
• iodine and a white plate (optional);
• hydrometer (optional) - a device for determining the sugar content of the wort.

Brewing home beer

1. Preparation. The first stage, during which the brewer checks the availability of the right ingredients and the readiness of the equipment for work. I also advise you to pay attention to the following points.

Sterilization. Wash all used containers and accessories well with hot water and dry. Before working with the ingredients, the brewer thoroughly washes with soap and dries his hands dry. It is very important not to infect beer wort with wild yeasts and pathogens, otherwise you will get mash instead of beer. Neglect of sterilization eliminates all further efforts.

Water. It is better to use spring or bottled water. In extreme cases, ordinary tap water is also suitable. Before brewing beer, tap water is defended for a day in open containers. This time is enough for the chlorine to evaporate, and heavy metals and salts to settle at the bottom. Subsequently, the settled water is carefully drained from the sediment into another container through a thin tube.

Yeast. For normal fermentation, 15-30 minutes before adding to the wort, brewer's yeast is activated with a small amount of warm water (temperature not higher than 28 degrees). There is no universal method that allows you to properly dilute any brewer's yeast. Therefore, you must follow the instructions on the package.

2. Mashing the wort. This term refers to the mixing of crushed malt with hot water to break down the starch in the grains into sugar (maltose) and solubles (dextrins). Sometimes the malt is sold ready for brewing, crushed, which makes things a little easier. If not, the dried sprouted grain must be ground on its own using a grain crusher or a mechanical meat grinder.

Attention! Grinding does not mean grinding into flour, you just need to grind the grains into small pieces, be sure to save particles of the grain peel, which will then be required to filter the wort. The correct grinding option is shown in the photo.

Correct grinding

25 liters of water are poured into an enamel pan and heated on the stove to 80°C. Next, the ground malt is poured into a fabric or home-made bag measuring 1 by 1 meter, made from 3-4 layers of gauze. A bag of malt is immersed in water, the pot is covered with a lid and boiled for 90 minutes, maintaining a stable temperature of 61-72°C.

Grouting malt at 61-63 degrees promotes a better yield of sugars, increasing the strength of home-brewed beer. At 68-72°C, the density of the wort increases, although the alcohol content in the drink will be slightly lower, but the taste will be richer. I recommend sticking to the temperature range of 65-72°C, which results in a tasty dense beer with a strength of 4%.

Brewing malt in a bag

After 90 minutes of boiling, an iodine test is done to make sure that there is no starch left in the wort. To do this, 5-10 milligrams of the wort is poured onto a clean white plate and mixed with a few drops of iodine. If the solution has turned dark blue, you need to cook the contents of the pan for another 15 minutes. If the iodine has not changed the color of the wort, it is ready. You can not do an iodine test, but simply increase the mashing (brewing) time by 15 minutes, the quality of the drink will not suffer from this.

Then the temperature is raised sharply to 78-80°C and the wort is boiled for 5 minutes to completely stop the work of the enzymes. Next, the bag with malt residues is removed from the container and washed with 2 liters of boiled water at a temperature of 78 degrees. So the residues of extractive substances are washed out. Wash water is added to the wort.

This method of mashing is called "in the bag" and allows you to do without filtration - the separation of grains (undissolved malt particles) from the main wort. In turn, filtration requires specific equipment (cleaning systems) and reusable transfusion of wort from one container to another. Mashing in a bag does not affect the quality of the brewed beer in any way, but takes much less time.

3. Boiling the wort. The contents of the pan are brought to a boil and the first portion of hops is added, in our case it is 15 grams. After 30 minutes of intense boiling, the next 15 grams are added, and after 40 minutes the remaining 15 grams of hops are boiled for another 20 minutes.

Depending on the chosen beer recipe, the time intervals and the amount of hops may vary. But, adhering to the indicated sequence and proportions, you are guaranteed to get a normal result.

Boiling takes an hour and a half, during all this time it is important to maintain intense heating so that the wort gurgles.

Adding Hops

4. Cooling. Beer wort needs to be cooled quickly (in 15-30 minutes) to 24-26°C. The sooner this is done, the less risk there is of contaminating the drink with fermentation-damaging bacteria and wild yeasts.

You can cool the wort with a special immersion cooler (one of the possible designs in the photo) or carefully transfer the container to a bath of ice water. Most beginner brewers use the second method. The main thing is not to accidentally turn over a hot pan, scalding yourself with boiling water.

Cooler design

The cooled wort is poured through cheesecloth into a fermentation tank.

5. Fermentation. Diluted brewer's yeast is added to the wort and mixed well. In this case, it is very important to observe the temperature and proportions indicated in the instructions on the sachet label.

There are top-fermenting yeasts, which are fermented at a temperature of 18-22°C, and bottom-fermenting, working at 5-16°C. These two types make different beers.

The filled fermentation tank is transferred to a dark place with a temperature recommended by the yeast manufacturer. In our case it is 24-25°C. Then a water seal is installed and left alone for 7-10 days.

Example of a fermentation tank

After 6-12 hours, active fermentation will begin, which usually lasts 2-3 days. At this time, the airlock actively bubbles, then the frequency of carbon dioxide release slowly decreases. At the end of fermentation, young homemade beer becomes light. Readiness is determined by two methods: a saccharometer (hydrometer) and a water seal.

In the first case, the readings of two hydrometer samples for the last 12 hours are compared. If the values ​​differ slightly (by hundredths), then you can proceed to the next step. Not everyone has a sugar meter, so at home they often just look at the water seal. The absence of bubbles within 18-24 hours indicates the end of fermentation.

6. Plugging and carbonation. Carbonization of beer is the saturation of the drink with carbon dioxide, which contributes to the improvement of taste and the appearance of thick foam. Despite the complicated name, the process itself is very simple.

Sugar is added to beer storage bottles (preferably dark ones) at the rate of 8 grams per 1 liter. The sugar will cause a slight secondary fermentation, which will saturate the beer with carbon dioxide. Then the beer is drained from the sediment through a silicone tube, filling the prepared bottles.

The spill is completed

One end of the tube is lowered to the middle of the container with beer, the other - to the very bottom of the bottle, this minimizes the contact of the drink with air. It is important not to touch the yeast, which, depending on the type, can settle to the bottom or accumulate on the surface, otherwise the beer will turn cloudy. The bottles are not topped up 2 cm to the neck and tightly corked.

The easiest way is to use a plastic container, since the lids for it can be twisted by hand. For glass bottles, you need yoke corks or a special device for corking ordinary beer corks (pictured).

Bottle with yoke stopper
Closing device for regular corks

The bottles filled with beer are transferred to a dark place with a temperature of 20-24°C and left for 15-20 days. Once every 7 days, the containers must be shaken well. After that, the drink is placed in the refrigerator.

7. Ripening. Homemade beer is ready. But if you let the drink stand for another 30 days, the taste will improve significantly.
Beer can be stored in the refrigerator for 6-8 months, an open bottle - 2-3 days.

Another method of brewing beer without special equipment is shown in the video.

Now we will move on to the second stage - fermentation.

Fermentation or fermentation at first glance, a rather easy stage, but I hasten to upset you - this is not so. Since the fermentation of beer also involves the performance of certain actions.

Firstly, it is worth noting that fermentation should occur without interference from outside. Therefore, in no way should you open the fermenter and look at the process.

Secondly, fermentation occurs at certain temperatures, and it is desirable that the temperature range be as stable as possible. Serious fluctuations in any direction can affect the beer fermentation process and, as a result, its taste. The fermentation temperature should be in the range of 18-26 degrees (preferably closer to the lower limit).

Third, daily registration of fermentation indicators, namely fermentation activity and temperature, is necessary. It is necessary to register the values ​​for the following preparations in order to note how the taste of the beer changes depending on the indicators.

It is also worth noting that in some cases the fermenter still has to be opened. This happens in the case of setting the wort for fermentation, but more on that later.

Looking ahead, I’ll say that the lower the fermentation temperature, the longer the process itself will take and, as a rule, the taste of beer improves due to its better saturation.

beer fermentation

Usually the process of beer fermentation starts 6-24 hours after the preparation of the wort. It all depends on the temperature, the type of beer, the preparation of the yeast.

You can easily track the beginning of the process by the gurgling of the water seal. Fermentation will continue for a week (approximately 5-7 days). Do not be alarmed if it drags on or accelerates. As the hour "X" approaches, the fermentation will subside. Gurgling will occur less often and less actively, and then come to naught. However, do not rush to pour the beer into bottles. Pay attention to the water seal, it is likely that the fermentation is not over, this can be seen from the liquid level in the chambers (this is a plus of two-chamber water seals). The process will be completed when the liquid level in the hydraulic seal chambers is almost equal.

And even then, it's worth pouring some "young" beer into a flask or volumetric test tube and tasting it. If the taste is sweet, then you should wait a couple more days. If the taste is like that of a stale beer, then it is necessary to measure the density with a hydrometer. The metering will let us know if our beer is ready for bottling, as well as determine its strength.

Videos beer fermentation