You’ll never be short of friends if you always have your own craft beer in the fridge. Here’s how to make craft beer at home. It’s best to get a starter kit from tradeger.co.za, which comes with everything you’ll need to get brewing,including a plastic bucket with lid and tap, a bubbler air lock, extract (lager, pilsner, ale etc.), a thermometer and a bottle capper. Mix the extract with hot water and ready-made yeast, and leave it for 10 days to two weeks. Add carbonation drops and then it’s time to bottle it.
PROS? Making beer can be very simple. In fact, Donald Coward from Tradeger Brewing Concepts likens it to making instant soup: add water to extract and wait.
CONS? Make sure you keep all equipment clean and sterile after each batch, or you’ll risk infecting the next batch when you get brewing again.
SETTING IT UP: You need a bucket that holds around 25 – 30 litres, which can stay in an area where the temperature is consistent.
INSIDER TIPS? Coward says, “Eventually, try experimenting with different hops and malts.” Get those from beerguevara.com.
GET STARTED: Visit tradeger.co.za for the starter kit (around R995) and check out thebeerkeg.co.za for info.
Imka Webb is a freelance digital marketing expert and the digital editor of Food & Home Entertaining magazine. www.imkawebb.com
