The 3 different methods of making home brewed beer are: malt extract kit brewing, ingredient kit brewing and all-grain brewing. You can employ any one of them to make exceptional, quality beer at home. The main features of each one are outlined below:
Malt Extract Kit Brewing: In this method, you can buy malt extract and that already has the hop oils in the syrup, itself. The malt is pre-blended to produce a particular style of beer. Brewing with a malt extract kit has its own distinct advantages:
- It’s very easy to do. The steps required are few and leave little room for you to make an error.
- Saves time: The amount of time involved to make these beers is minimal.
- Low investment when it comes to purchasing equipment.
Ingredient Kit Brewing: You can use these partial-mash, beer ingredient kits that are readily available on the market. These are especially designed for people who want to make a tasty beer with only a moderate effort. The kits contain malt extract syrup, specialty grains, hops and a packet of beer yeast. The benefits of using a beer ingredient kit are:
- The need for special equipment is minimal.
- It is a quicker and easier method of making beer than all-grain brewing.
- These kits have the specific ingredients needed to produce a particular style of beer — pre-measured and ready to go.
All-grain brewing: In this method you need to extract the sugars from brewing grains instead of purchasing the malt extract. This is called a full-mash. This type of brewing is ideal for people who are on a quest to make the ultimate beer. The beer is made completely from-scratch, so to speak. But you need some time and patience. All-grain brewing also requires more brewing equipment than the other two methods. You can find more information on this type of brewingn at our blog post: “The Basics Of All-Grain Brewing“. Home brewers like this type of brewing because:
- It is a personally satisfying and challenging way to brew beer.
- Quality of the brew is exceptional and fresh.
There you have it, the 3 different levels of home brewing beer. Without question you do not want to start out brewing an all-grain beer, but by all means take the adventure and dive in with a kit brew of some kind.