Homebrewing is a great hobby. It's a craft with a great tradition, and with a little care and knowledge, anyone can make great beer the way they want it. Few things are more satisfying than storing away a couple of cases of freshly-bottled beer after the brewing process is complete and enjoying those beers in the weeks to come, knowing that they are the work of your own hands. I've been brewing since about August of 1992. I started out brewing with my two brothers, Jimmy and Brad, when I was living with them. The results were immediately satisfying and we never looked back. Sure, we've brewed a few duds along the way (mostly early in our brewing career when we were a little more experimental), but for the most part the beers have been excellent. We've certainly never felt the need to buy beer at the store, except when we wanted to steal ideas! For the beginning brewer, I recommend reading The New Complete Joy of Homebrewing by Charlie Papazian before doing anything. A lot of people start out brewing just by going into a brew supplies store and asking the proprietor for instructions. While that can work out fine, I think it is always best to arm yourself with as much knowledge as possible. We read the whole book before starting any brewing and I'm glad we did. Below, you will find my standard recipes. After years of brewing, these are the recipes I have settled on as my staples. If you don't find the style you are looking for, go out there and acquire the knowledge you need to build your own style. Happy Brewing!

I have found that no two homebrewers do things exactly alike and if you ask for advice from two different people you may get two different answers. I think it's fine for everyone to have their own brewing style as long as three basic rules are observed: develop good sanitation habits, know your ingredients, and have a true love for beer (this last one is pretty easy!). So when I tell you how I do things, I don't claim that it's the only way. The following is a list of tips to help successfully execute my recipes. These tips assume you already have a working knowledge of brewing methods and terminology. All the recipes given are extract recipes as oppsed to grain recipes (except for the flavor-grain infusion). Given the quality of beer I get from extract brewing, I don't feel the need to take the extra step of mashing. Maybe someday. All the recipes given are for five-gallon batches. Except where noted, I use about 1.5 gallons to make the wort, and fill my glass carboy about halfway with water. When the wort is done, I pour it into the carboy with the cold water. Then, I fill the carboy up to the shoulders with more cold water and let it cool to room temperature overnight. I don't have a strainer for the funnel I use to pour the wort into the carboy, so I use a large mesh bag to add flavoring grains and hops when making the wort. I put flavoring grains (e.g. crystal malt, chocolate malt, black patent malt, and roasted barley) into a mesh bag and into the brew kettle as soon as I start heating the 1.5 gallons of water and leave them in until the water comes to a complete boil. This is a good rule of thumb for creating a nice flavor infusion. After the water is boiling and I have removed the grain bag, I add the malt extract and any other fermentable ingredients (e.g. honey), gypsum, or yeast nutrient that the recipe may call for. Then I add the boiling hops in a mesh bag. Except where noted, I boil the wort for an hour, counting from full boil after adding the extract and other ingredients. In my recipes, three uses for hops may be designated. Boiling hops are added right after the extract and are boiled for a full hour. Flavor hops are added for the last five-to-fifteen minutes of the boil (the exact time is given in each recipe). Finally, aroma hops are added for the last one or two minutes of the boil. (I have not tried dry-hopping yet, though maybe I will someday.) Not all recipes use hops in all three ways, and certainly more complex hopping schemes are possible (my brother Jimmy, for instance, has been known to use quadruple-hopping). The recipes give alpha-acid values for the hops used. However, hops can vary greatly from year to year, so you may need to adjust the quantities to achieve the same number of Homebrew Bitterness Units (HBU -- alpha acid percentage times the number of ounces used) as the recipe. This is important more for the boiling hops than for other hops, since they contribute the most to the bitterness. In three out of the four recipes, I use Wyeast, which is handy because it is self-proofing. For the fourth (the Stout), I proof dry yeast by making a tiny batch of wort (a couple of cups) by boiling a few tablespoons of malt extract in water for a few minutes, pouring it into a small, clean, jar, and cooling it to about 95 degress by surrounding it with ice (but let it cool a little first on its own, or else the jar may crack!). Then, I add the dry yeast, shake well, and wait for it to start foaming before adding it to the full batch (30-60 minutes). Aeration of the yeast is very important in the initial fermentation stage. Always shake the carboy vigorously for a couple of minutes after adding the yeast. When bottling, I siphon the beer into a sanitized plastic bucket, mix in about 3/4 cup of corn sugar for priming (the sugar has been boiled in a little water first), siphon into some bottles, and cap! Here's a tip for siphoning out of the carboy without jamming the hose all the way in to fill it up, thus disturbing the trub at the bottom: Fill the hose with cold water, plug one end to keep the water from escaping, put the other end into the carboy, and then let the siphon flow. Yeah, the cold water is a little unsanitary, but I've never had a problem and it's certainly better than sucking on the hose to start the siphon. DME is dry malt extract; MES is malt extract syrup. In general, I think using quality malt extracts make a difference (though some would disagree), so try to use the exact brands listed in the recipe if possible. If a recipe calls for hopped extract, and the hopped extract is not available, you may need to compensate by adding extra hops. One of the brew store employees can help you figure out how much hops should be enough. Okay, now for the good stuff.

Originally, this recipe came straight out of The New Complete Joy of Homebrewing , but it has probably evolved slightly over time. It produces a nice, medium-bodied amber ale with a strong hop character, somewhat along the lines of Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. This is a very drinkable beer and is probably what we drink most often.

	4.4	lbs	John Bull hopped light MES
	2	lbs	Geordie light DME
	1	lb	Crystal malt -- 20 degrees Lovibond
	1/2	cup	Roasted barley
	2	oz	Cascade hops (boiling hops) -- 5.7 percent alpha acid
	1	oz	Northen Brewer hops (boiling hops) -- 8.8 percent alpha acid
	1	oz	Kent Goldings hops (flavor hops) -- 5.1 percent alpha acid
	1	oz	Hallertauer hops (aroma hops) -- 3.2 percent alpha acid
	1	pkg	Wyeast American Ale yeast

Flavoring hops should be added for the last ten minutes of the boil. Aroma hops should be added for the last minute of the boil.

The Stout isn't just a beer, it's an experience. Better than any stout you will ever buy in a store, this stout has everything you could ask for in a beer. From the rich, almost chewy texture with a hint of sweetness, to the nutty, coffee-like flavors of the various roasted barleys to the undeniable bitter strength of the hops, this beer is a riotous explosion for the senses.

	5.5	lbs	John Bull unhopped dark MES
	2	lbs	Dark DME
	1	lb	Crystal Malt -- 80 degress Lovibond
	1/2	lb	Chocolate Malt
	1	lb	Black patent malt
	6	tsp	Gypsum
	2	oz	Nugget hops (boiling hops) -- 14.4 percent alpha acid
	2	oz	Fuggles hops (boiling hops) -- 6.1 percent alpha acid
	1-1/2	oz	Northern Brewer hops (boiling hops) -- 6.9 percent alpha acid
	1	oz	Hallertauer hops (flavor hops) -- 3.4 percent alpha acid
	1	pkg	Danstar Windsor ale yeast

Flavoring hops should be added for the last ten minutes of the boil.

The Honey Wheat Ale is a somewhat complex beer, with the wheat, barley, and honey making for an interesting flavor combination. Since it has a lot a fermentable ingrediants, it is a pretty potent beer as well. The touch of black patent malt takes a little edge off. And I love them Northen Brewer hops!

	3.3	lbs	John Bull hopped light MES
	3	lbs	Alexanders 60/40 wheat/barley MES
	2	lbs	Grade A clover honey
	1/4	cup	Black patent malt
	1/2	lb	Crystal malt -- 10 degrees Lovibond
	2	oz	Northern Brewer hops (boiling hops) -- 8.8 percent alpha acid
	1	oz	Hallertauer hops (flavor hops) -- 3.2 percent alpha acid
	1	pkg	Wyeast Bavarian wheat yeast

Flavoring hops should be added for the last five minutes of the boil. For a lighter beer (as is, it is medium-bodied), you might try taking the flavoring grains out a little early (i.e. a little before the infusion reaches full boil). I tried this the last time I brewed it, and it was an interesting variation.

The Apple Cider is popular with beer-lovers and non-beer-lovers alike. I concocted this as an experiment in alternative fermented beverages, and it proved so successful, it quickly became a staple. Unlike many of the sickly-sweet commercial apple ciders out there, this cider is frothy, refreshing, and tantalizingly tangy.

	13	cans	Frozen concentrated apple juice (but not the cheapo stuff!)
	1	lb	Grade A clover honey
	1-1/2	lbs	Geordie light DME
	2	tsp	Yeast nutrient (Diammonium phosphate)
	1	pkg	Wyeast American ale yeast

Since 13 cans of apple juice is a lot of liquid, you should only start with about 1/2 gallon of water in the brewing kettle. There are no hops or flavoring grains in the cider, so it only needs to be boiled for about 15 minutes. I have considered adding some 10-degrees-Lovibond crystal malt to this recipe to add just a little bit of sweetness to support the apple flavor, but I haven't tried this yet. You may want to do so. I figure about 1/2 pound should do it. For best results, the apple cider should be fermented for six to eight weeks and aged for at least two months.