Brewing with Confidence: How to Overcome Common Mistakes

Brewing beer can be complex and delicate process that requires precision, patience, and attention to detail.

From selecting the right ingredients to controlling the temperature and timing of each step, there are many factors that can impact the quality and flavor of your beer.

While brewing can be a rewarding and educational experience, it can also be frustrating when things go wrong, especially if you're new to the hobby.

Whether it's a problem with the yeast, the ingredients, the equipment, or the process, there are several common mistakes that brewers make that can affect the outcome of their beer.

This 'brewing mistakes guide' will provide valuable insights into the brewing process and help you to create a better beer with confidence.

From measuring ingredients accurately to using fresh yeast and taking notes, we'll cover a range of topics that can help you to avoid common pitfalls and improve the quality of your beer.

First, a bit like Sheryl Crow, this was our favourite mistake, accidentally bottling, then drinking a beer with a Weta in it...

Unwanted aliens, a common theme.

Improper sanitation is a common mistake among brewers.

It's truly the key to fermenting drinkable beer.

To prevent contamination of your beer, it's important to thoroughly clean and sanitize all of your equipment before and after use. This includes not just your brew kettle, but also your fermenter, airlock, thermometer, and anything else that comes into contact with your beer.

You really need to pay attention to this one - an infected beer tastes disgusting and becomes a waste of your time and money.

Here's some great sanitation ideas to consider.

Over-pitching yeast is another common mistake.

Yeast is the workhorse of the brewing process, but too much of it can lead to off-flavors and a lack of fermentation.

To avoid this, make sure to follow the manufacturer's guidelines when pitching yeast to your wort.

A general rule of thumb is to pitch one packet of yeast per 20 - 25 litres of wort.

I once added two yeast packets to a drum - things fermented fast but the beer profile was definitely not what I had intended.

Miscalculating water volumes is also a common issue for brewers.

Accurate measurements of water volumes are important for obtaining the correct original gravity, which affects the final alcohol content, flavor, and mouthfeel of your beer.

To ensure accurate measurements, it's best to use a calibrated hydrometer and to measure both the volume of water added to the brew kettle and the final volume of the wort before fermentation.

Not controlling temperature during fermentation is a mistake that can affect the final outcome of your beer.

Fermentation temperature can influence the yeast's activity, the production of esters and other flavor compounds, and the speed of fermentation.

It's important to maintain a consistent temperature within the range recommended for your yeast strain, and to avoid temperature swings that can stress the yeast or produce off-flavors.

Using a heat mat can help regulate your beer quite well!

Not monitoring gravity during fermentation is another mistake that can impact the quality of your beer.

Measuring the gravity of your wort before and during fermentation gives you a good indication of the yeast's activity, the progress of fermentation, and the final alcohol content of your beer.

It's best to use a hydrometer and to take gravity readings at regular intervals, especially towards the end of fermentation when you're looking for signs that it's time to transfer your beer to a secondary fermenter or to bottles.

Under-hopping or over-hopping your beer is a mistake that can affect the balance of bitterness, flavor, and aroma in your beer.

Hops provide bitterness to balance the sweetness of the malt, as well as flavor and aroma compounds that contribute to the character of your beer.

It's important to follow a recipe or to use a hop-addition calculator to determine the appropriate amount, timing, and variety of hops for your beer style. Timings (i.e. at what point in the boil to add the hops) are crucial to getting the intended style and flavour of your beer.

Krausen explosions are a mistake that can occur during fermentation and can cause a mess in your brewery.

Krausen refers to the foamy head that forms on top of the wort during fermentation as yeast produces carbon dioxide and alcohol. Sometimes, the krausen can become so vigorous that it can overflow the fermenter, releasing yeast, wort, and beer all over the place. T

o prevent krausen explosions, it's important to choose a fermenter that has enough headspace to accommodate the krausen, and to use an airlock or blow-off tube to allow excess pressure to escape without spilling.

You can also reduce the risk of krausen explosions by starting with a properly aerated wort, using a yeast starter to ensure a strong and healthy yeast population, and avoiding temperature swings that can stress the yeast and cause vigorous fermentation.

Not giving your beer enough time to condition or carbonate is a mistake that can result in a flat or harsh-tasting beer.

Bottle Conditioning refers to the process of aging and maturing your beer after fermentation, during which yeast and bacteria can produce by-products that contribute to the flavor, aroma, and mouthfeel of your beer.

Carbonation refers to the process of dissolving carbon dioxide gas into your beer, which gives it the sparkle and head retention that you expect from a properly carbonated beer.

To avoid this mistake, make sure to allow your beer enough time to condition and carbonate before serving, and to store it at a consistent temperature to ensure a consistent level of carbonation. Keep it out of the sun, especially if using green bottles.

Also, if you condition in a place that is tool cold (especially during winter) carbonation will not occur and you'll get flat beer.

Not properly measuring ingredients is a mistake that can result in a beer that doesn't taste as expected.

Brewing is as much a science as it is an art, and it's important to be precise and accurate when measuring ingredients like malt extract, hops, yeast, and water.

To avoid this mistake, use a scale to measure ingredients by weight instead of volume, and use a hydrometer or refractometer to measure the gravity of your wort.

Not adjusting for water chemistry is a mistake that can affect the flavor and quality of your beer.

Different water sources have different mineral contents, pH levels, and hardness, which can impact the flavor, aroma, and mouthfeel of your beer.

To avoid this mistake, consider using distilled or reverse osmosis water, or using a water-treatment kit to adjust the pH and mineral content of your brewing water.

The addition of calcium chloride can also assist with water hardness.

Not using fresh ingredients is a mistake that can result in stale or off-flavored beer.

Hops and yeast are especially sensitive to age and exposure to light and heat, and can quickly lose their potency and viability over time.

To avoid this mistake, store hops and yeast in a cool, dark place, and use them before their expiration date.

Check the freshness of your ingredients by smelling them before use, and discard any that have a rancid or musty odour.

Using old yeast is a mistake that can affect the quality and flavor of your beer.

Yeast is a living organism that plays a critical role in the fermentation process, converting sugar into alcohol and carbon dioxide.

As yeast ages, it loses its viability, vitality, and ability to ferment efficiently, leading to sluggish, incomplete, or contaminated fermentations.

To avoid this mistake, make sure to use fresh yeast that is within its expiration date and has been properly stored.

You can also pitch a yeast starter to ensure a strong and healthy yeast population, and to minimize the risk of off-flavors and infections.

It's also important to note that different yeast strains have different requirements and characteristics, such as temperature range, flocculation, and flavor profile, so choosing the right yeast for your beer style is an important part of the brewing process.

To ensure the best results, research different yeast strains, read the manufacturer's instructions, and follow the recommended pitching rate for your wort volume and gravity.

Finally, not taking notes is a mistake that can make it difficult to replicate a successful beer or to identify and fix problems with a beer that didn't turn out as expected.

Keeping detailed records of your brewing process, ingredients, timing, temperature, gravity, and any other relevant information can help you track your progress and make adjustments in the future.

You can use brewing software, a brew log, or a simple notebook to record your brewing experiences, and to reflect on your successes and failures as you grow as a brewer.

Brewing beer is a rewarding and educational experience that can be enjoyed by people of all skill levels.

However, it's important to be mindful of the mistakes that can occur along the way and to take steps to avoid or fix them.

From measuring ingredients accurately to using fresh yeast and taking detailed notes, these tips will help you to improve the quality of your beer and brew with confidence. And while it's important to follow good brewing practices, don't be afraid to experiment and try new things.

The beauty of brewing is that there are countless recipes (have you made cherry or parsnip wine?), ingredients, and techniques to explore, and the possibilities for creating great beer are endless.

So don't be afraid to take risks, try new things, and find your own brewing style.

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Easy beginner's guide to home brewing from a beer kit

Beginner's guide to brewing beer from a kit

Well done you on deciding to brew some home brew.

This guide will help guide through making your first batch of beer using a kit, step by step. It's a 'how to' for using beer kits and not beer from 'scratch'.

There is no boiling of the wort wizardry here, just some brewing 101 tips as if they came from a brewing book!

That fancy 'brewing day' in a pot stuff will come later, probably when you've got a couple of brews under your belt and you're ready to go upgrade your methodology.

If you are genuinely interested in learning how to brew beer, then a beer kit is a great way to start as you can quickly learn the fundamentals of beer making in the comfort of your own kitchen or man shed.

The brewing of beer is actually an act of scientific exploration.

Now get to it!

Getting ready, at which point I assume you are ready to make beer

I'm going to assume you have a brand new beer kit for making beer.

Your loving partner may have given it to you for Christmas (mine did!) or maybe you got there yourself out of curiosity. Either way good on you for giving beer making a go.

You have all the ingredients and supplies:

• A can of malt extract
• Some brewing sugar, dextrose or a brew enhancer (we really recommend the use of an enhancer).
• Yeast - it may have come with the kit, look under the lid...
• You might even have bought some beer hops to add to your wort.

You will have all the equipment.

You'll have a fermenter  - possibly a 30 litre drum or 5 gallon glass carboy.

You have access to boiling water and also to cold water.

You'll have a clean working space such as a kitchen bench and you'll have enough time to not be interrupted.

When I brew from home brew kits I do it after dinner when the kids are in bed and the dishes are done. It's just easier that way.

I might even have a couple of beers while I do the job, because it seems a natural enough thing to do right?

It's time to clean and sanitize your equipment

In case you hadn't heard, your beer wort needs a warm and clean environment in which to ferment.

That means all that nasty bacteria that are on your stirring spoon and on the inside of your fermenter drum or bottle need to be thoroughly cleaned and then sanitized.

Your homebrew starter kit should have provided you with a sachet of a cleanser and also a sanitiser (people often refer to this process as sterilization, just go with it).

Leave your drum to soak for as long as possible (even though it's new, it's likely had all the equipment stored inside it if it's a drum, so heaps of opportunity for nasties to find a home in there).

If you plan on continuing to brew beers, this is the start of your habit of cleaning and sanitizing all your equipment every single time you make beer.

Every.

Single.

Time.

So once you are sure everything has had a good soak, carry on my wayward son to making a top-rated beer.

The rest is easy...

There are plenty of beer making methods.

We can do it in four steps.

Step 1 - Malt Up

If you're smart, you may have already put your opened tin of extract malt into a pot of boiling water so that it's warmed up and can be easily poured into your fermenter.

Sometimes I leave it sitting on the top of my closed fireplace, this works well too.

At this point, I like to put on some fancy surgical gloves so as to avoid the mess that's probably about to happen all over your kitchen bench.

Add your extract malt and about 3 liters of boiling water to your fermenter.

Stir with a sterilized stirring device until it's all dissolved.

Don't accidentally leave the spoon in your kit...

Your brew kit probably came with a beer enhancer, now is the time to add it and dissolve as well.

If your kit did not have an enhancer, you really should think about adding some and you will get a better mouth feel and enjoy your beer that much better.

Otherwise, you're probably going to add 1kg of dextrose or ordinary sugar (we do not recommend that as it will affect how your beer tastes).

Step 2 - Water is the essence of aqua...

It's time to add the water.

I like to use the garden hose so I carry the fermenter to the kitchen back door and go for gold.

The water in NZ where I'm from is pretty good. If the water is of poor quality where you come from, you may wish to find a better source of water, at the least boil it maybe.

I guess the basic rule is if you can handle drinking a glass of water from it, that's your source. Expert brewers like to test the pH level to ensure it will suit the beer. There are some amazing pH tester options on the market for testing home brew beer.

Fill your fermenter to 5 gallons of water or to the 23 liter mark. Stick with that, your malt kit has been designed with exactly this amount of water in mind. If you add to much water, your wort will be diluted and your beer's 'mouthfeel' will be unappealing. If you add to little, you will actually raise the 'alcohol by volume' content of your beer.

Which is fine if you like things like that but remember, in doing so you are changing the profile of your beer.

Yeast

Step 3 - Yeastie Boys

It's time to add the yeast. This is called 'pitching'.

Seasoned pros will tell you to never use the yeast that comes in your starter kit or with your can of malt as it may be old or damaged or whatever.

I'm thinking you just want to make some bloody beer so throw what came with your kit into to your fermenter and worry about that kind of issue when it actually occurs.

But wait!

Make sure the temperature of the water is close to in line with the instructions on the tin of malt - you want to give the yeast a chance to activate so don't put it in or 'pitch' it if you're out of whack. That said in my experience just pitch it in when you're ready.

There are plenty of good brewing thermometers out there but your fermenter may have a heat sensitive sticker on the side that tells the temperature.

But be warned, only pitch your yeast when you've added the extra water and chilled the wort - if you pitch your yeast into the boiled wort, you will kill the yeast which means you'll have no fermentation happening and you'll have a malty drink on your hands.

You're not making Panhead Supercharger here, you're making your first batch of home brew.

Protip - aerate your wort with a pump prior to pitching yeast to give the yeast a performance boost (but when bottling, try to avoid aeration as much as possible).

Step 4 - Hop to it

If your kit came with some hops or you were smart enough to procure some, chuck them in now, maybe half the packet. This is called dry hopping.

Some might recommend adding the hops 5 days into the fermentation process but we say just get on with it.

Close up the fermenter, make sure the drum or cap is on firmly.

Add your airlock with water inside. You'll use this to keep track of fermentation by observing the CO2 bubbles as they are released during fermentation.

A failure to see bubbles does not mean fermentation has failed!

Take a hydrometer reading

Once you've got the basics down, you might want to think about boiling the malt extract. 

Step 5 - Let fermenting beer lie

This has now become a waiting game.

Once you've put your beer in a suitable place where the temperature will be fairly consistently warm, leave her alone.

Set and forget...

Well not quite - if you have a hydrometer, take a reading and write it down. You will need it to be able to work out when fermentation is complete and also the alcohol content of your beer.

A loose guide is when the bubbles are finished, fermentation is usually complete. Once you are sure this is the case, you can think about bottling your beer.

This is an occasion where you should consider completely ignoring the instructions on the can and leave your brew in the fermenter for about 2 weeks.

While at face value fermentation is complete, the yeast will still be interacting with everything and this extra time will greatly improve the quality of your beer.

Be patient!

Let me know when you are ready to bottle!

So the short summary on how to make your home made beer:

1. Add your malt from the can to 3 litres of hot water
2. Add any brew enhancer or dextrose, as well as any hops. Stir it all up.
3. Fill fermenter to 23 litres or 6 gallons with cold.
4. Check the temperature is OK and then pitch in your yeast.
5. Add the bubble airlock, firmly seal the drum and place in a cool position.
6. Ensure fermentation is complete. You may want to use a hydrometer during this stage.
7. Bottle when ready but it's best to let your brew sit for 2 to 3 weeks.

So that's the rough guide to brewing beer from a kit.

As you can read, it's a pretty straight forward exercise and you don't need a Bachelor of Food Technology to get it right.

It's about good old home economics and it's a little bit about applying some common sense.

You might want to bear these easy to make mistakes in mind.

The absolute key things to bear in mind are having properly sanitized equipment, following this guide and its hopefully helpful beer making instructions more or less and don't stress.

Beer can be a tough mistress, but it can be pretty forgiving...

When you've become an expert on making a good beer mash, you might want to start thinking about the pH levels of your beer and testing your water quality or even try brewing with two kits at once.boiling the malt extract

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Tips on how to easily grow your own hops

How to cheaply use hops for brewing

Have you ever thought, gosh, "I'm sick of paying so much for hops!  I wish there was a cheaper way?"

There is.

And it so so very easy.

You can grow your own hops!

Even if your green thumb is decidedly lacking in green, you can cultivate your own hops in your own garden.

Using fresh hops in your homebrewing efforts is an awesome feeling and adds to that sense of 'master of your own beer brewing destiny' that many beer makers seek.

It's also fairly organic if that's what you're into.

Here's our guide to growing hops:

Where can I get hops plants from?

Hops grow best from root-like cuttings which are known as rhizomes. Rhizomes can be purchased online but home brewers that grow their own share with each other, or sell them cheaply. A great way to source these contacts is on social media groups such as Facebook and beer forums.

There's plenty available to purchase on Amazon too.

You can always try growing hops from seed, though this is not considered as easy as using a rhizome.

What is the best season to plant hops in?

Hops may be grown in any moderate climate if given proper maintenance and care but the best to plant the rhizome is during spring to allow for the plant to take advantage of the summer growing period.

Where should I plant my hops rhizome?

Hops plants are best served by being planted in a sunny location. A site exposed to many hours of sun in the day is ideal. 

The hop vines (known as bines) grow upright at quite a rate so they will need something like a trellis to climb up.

Tall poles can be used together with strong string or twine are often used to support the growing bines.

Hops grow at a fast rate and really take advantage of the soil's properties - being nitrogen, phosphate, and potassium.

Home growers can choose to use commercial products that add these elements or by making manure compost.

If you can convince some Lady Bugs to hang around your hops plants.

How to harvest hops from the bine

So if you've planted in spring, you'll be harvesting in summer. While it depends on where you live, autumn will likely be too late.  So hops can take 4 - 6 months in the growing cycle to be ready for harvesting. 

Lupulin powder in the hop

A hop that is ready to be picked will feel dry to the touch, be somewhat 'stringy' and have a strong hop smell. The lupulin powder will be left on the fingers. 

If you open the hop cone up, it should release the powder if it is matured properly.  It will be a warm yellow - goldish colour. 

I heard hops plants have male and female versions?

Yes, it's true.

Just like kiwifruit.

Male and female flowers of the hop plant usually develop on separate plants.

Because viable seeds are unwanted for brewing beer, only female plants are grown in hop commercial fields, thus preventing pollination.

It's not time to light up

Light is the natural enemy of hops. Hop cones are susceptible to breaking down due to the effects of the sun and light from the first moment they are harvested. You should do your best to avoid light exposure as much as possible so store hops in a dark place.

Hops that has broken down due to light exposure can impart off flavours into the beer.

Experience has shown that hop makers have about 24 hours to begin to process hops before it begins to break down like a vegetable naturally wood. The keenest brewers get their hops into a kiln and dried asap. 

Homebrewers can actually dry their hops in an ordinary fruit dehydrator.

You can also leave them to dry on a mesh screen in an airy location (with little light). I've read that some people have been known to dry their hops in the oven using a low heat.

Tips on storing fresh hops

It turns out that turns out freezing hops is actually a popular trick with beer brewers!

Quite simply:

• take your dried beer hops and place them in a zip-lock bag. 
• remove the excess air and then seal. 
• grab a Sharpie pen and write on the name of the hops on the bag so you don't forget and then place in the freezer until required.

If you want to go all 'professional' you could use a vacuum sealer to remove all the air.

In such cases, you might not need to freeze the hops if the sealing has been done properly, but it wouldn't hurt.

How to use fresh hops with your beer

You've probably heard of dry hopping right?

That's when you add hops in pellet form to the wort. So if you ever wondered what wet hopping is, it's adding fresh hops to your beer.

And in this case, it's fresh hops you've grown yourself.

Wet hops can be used anywhere in the brewing process, including as a boil addition, whirlpool addition or for dry hopping.

What are some good varieties of hops to grow?

There are all kinds of hop varieties that one can choose from. We recommend these two for simplicities' sake:

Cascade is a very popular choice of hops. This is an extremely popular American hop. Known for it's floral hop trait, it is often likened to a grapefruit. Cascade is known as a versatile hop variety that is popular for bittering, finishing and dry hopping of pale ale and American style beers. It produces a good yield and is considered fairly resistant to diseases.

The rhizomes can be ordered from Amazon.

Fuggle is another popular hop. It has a classic English aroma and provides a well balanced bitterness which makes it a great choice for English and American-Style Ales. It's described as being mild and pleasant, spicy, soft, woody, with some fruit tones.

Basically, it will depend on where you live, what's popular and how easy it is to obtain. Many specialty hoops delivery websites have popped up as the demand for hops plants has grown. Kiwis could try Wild About Hops while many rhizomes can be found on Amazon.

Some hops are protected by intellectual property rights so cannot be grown by those who do not have permission to do so. For this reason, hop plants that are in the public domain are fairly popular with hops growers.

How much wet hops to use with a brew?

This can be a bit of a tricky measurement because fresh hops are called wet hops for a reason - they are made mostly of water - and that can mean all the tables and measurements go out the window if you are trying to work out the exact alpha acid rating for your hops.

That said a general rule has been established - use anywhere between 6 - 10 times the amount of dry hops you would normally use.

Generally speaking, you are using fresh hops to promote aroma and flavor additions to your brew. If you are trying to add bitterness, store brought hops where you can identify their bittering qualities could be the way to go.

Beware the creeping vine of hops!

Hops have a tendency to grow quite rampantly when placed in good growing conditions. They tend to spread and take up every inch of soil that's open to them. That's why many growers recommend that after the final harvest of the hops cones, the plant should be cut back to about three feet and then left to grow back. A good time to do this is at the beginning of winter.

A further trick is to plant your hops 'above ground' that is to say in a container of some kind such as a tub or old kitchen sink so as to help contain the plant's movements across your garden.

Extra hops tips for Experts:

• How to dry hop your beer
• How to add hops to the beer kit's wort
• Where to buy beer hops online
• Using beer hops for home brewing

And so, armed with the comprehensive knowledge of hop cultivation, you stand on the cusp of a new era in your homebrewing adventures. From sourcing the ideal rhizomes to understanding the subtle art of wet hopping, your garden is not just a space for flora—it’s a brewing laboratory awaiting its first experiment. 

While the act of planting and nurturing may appear humble, each step is a critical addition to a tapestry that culminates in a personalized, homegrown flavor profile. As you contemplate the sun dipping below the horizon, you might find yourself envisioning those verdant bines ascending skyward, their cones ripening in a dance of nature and craft. Don't forget, however, that the humble hop plant, so often overshadowed by its more vocal counterparts—yeast, malt, and water—is now offering its fragrant bounty solely to you. 

These hops are yours in every sense: an embodiment of your soil, your care, and your vision for that perfect brew. And as you take that first sip of your own homegrown, freshly brewed beer, you'll realize that hops aren't just a purchased ingredient; they're a manifestation of your brewing ethos. Here, in this garden of aromatic delight, you're not just a brewer. You are a cultivator of experiences, a farmer of flavor, and indeed, the true master of your beer-brewing destiny.

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