Homemade & Commercial

Wine, Beer, Spirits, Cider & Mead Guides

Alcoholic beverages; most commonly beer and wines made at home. Brews made from brewing kits purchased at shops specialized in spirits. The Beer Pirate features homebrew recipes, equipment requirements, and commercial productions information; and all the best practices needed to make that perfect batch!

• 1½ lb. dried light malt extract
• 2 lb. caramelized dried malt extract
• 2 lb. demerara or other dark sugar
• 4 tablespoonfuls black treacle
• level teaspoonful salt
• level teaspoonful citric acid
• 3 oz. hops – yeast – nutrient

Boil hops and salt for about fifteen minutes in a quart of water. Take out bag and squeeze when cool enough. Pour hop-water into fermentation vessel and add malts, sugar, treacle and citric acid. Make up to two gallons with boiling water.

Stir well to ensure malts, sugar and treacle are dissolved and then allow to cool to 65°F -70°F. Then add yeast and nutrient and leave to ferment in a warm place for seven-eight days.

If using hydrometer, take readings after six days until 1.005 is recorded and then bottle to produce sparkling beer. If hydrometer is not in use, allow fermentation to go on until beer becomes ‘flat’ and then prime – add sugar to recommence fermentation as already directed (p. 58) – and then bottle. If draught beer of this sort is wanted, merely allow fermentation to go on until beer becomes ‘flat’ and then bottle.