Get your yeast going!

To maximize the potential of your dried yeast, re-hydrate it at the start of your brewing process. Place 200ml of tepid water ( 20°C - 25°C ) into a sterilized jar. Add 1 teaspoon of sugar or malt extract and 1/4 teaspoon of Brew Wizard yeast nutrient to the water, stir and add the yeast. Stir vigorously and put aside until required. The yeast should start to work after about 20 minutes. Giving the yeast a head start by re-hydrating will reduce the lag-time between pitching the yeast and the start of fermentation. This reduces the risk of bacterial infection.

Treat your fermenter with care.

Do not use abrasive cleaners or scourers on ANY of your plastic equipment. Scratches will harbour bacteria that will infect future brews. To stop bacteria forming in your fermenter between brews is quite simple. Just add a teaspoon of Brew Wizard sodium metabisulphate and about half a litre of water to your fermenter. Airlock and shake. Simple, and your fermenter will be serviceable much longer too.

Beer with more body.

Have you ever tasted a home brewed beer and thought it was watery and had some not-so-nice cidery flavours? I bet the brewer used normal processed white sugar. White sugar is 100% fermentable and therefore only makes alcohol and gives cidery off-flavours. The Brew Wizard range of malt extracts, premium mixes and dextrose are not 100% fermentable. They give alcohol plus complexity and more body to your beer. Tastes much better. If you are looking to explore better flavours, try our Wizard Brews recipes. Complimentary copies are available.

Cleanliness is next to Godliness.

Here is something to remember when taking hydrometer readings. Have a spray bottle of Brew Wizard sodium metabisulphate solution on hand to squirt into the fermenter tap after you have filled the hydrometer. Bacteria can easily form inside the tap and be transferred to your bottles if care is not taken at this stage. After you have bottled your beer, completely dismantle your fermenter and use Brew Wizard Sanitizer to thoroughly clean all your equipment.

Oxidation in your bottles?

Try this. Line up your bottles and put the required amount of priming sugar in each one. Fill each bottle and leave in rows until all the bottles are filled. Go back to the first one bottled and start capping in order from first, through to the last one filled. Doing this will allow the yeast to start working on the priming sugar, forming a layer of carbon dioxide which is heavier than air. This will form a barrier between your beer and the cap, preventing the absorption of any oxygen in the neck.

Storing your beer.

Light is beers' worst enemy. When beer is exposed to direct light a chemical reaction occurs which results in a "skunky" smell. Light strike will ruin your beer so make sure you allow your bottled beer to mature in a dark and cool environment where the temperature remains fairly constant. Under the house is ideal.

When to bottle.

A hydrometer is an essential tool for homebrewers. It gives a measure of Specific Gravity of your beer. As sugars are converted to alcohol, the density drops and so the hydrometer floats lower in your sample. Bottle your beer when the S.G. reading is 1012 or less. The closer to 1000 S.G. at bottling, the "drier" your beer will be. Gauging the end of fermentation by airlock activity alone is not 100% accurate as a rise in temperature can restart bubbling. Therefore, it is best to take your hydrometer reading early in the morning.

Time to brew.

With all the right equipment on hand, a brew can be put down in less than an hour. Fermentation takes anywhere between two and ten days. Once bottled, a typical lager should be stored for around four weeks to allow flavours and carbonation to develop. Bottled beer, correctly stored should last many years, that is if you can resist drinking it. Stouts and higher alcohol beers should be brewed well ahead of drinking time, around six months. These will only get better with time.