5 Common Mistakes To Avoid When Home Brewing Beer

Brewing your own beer is a fun and rewarding experience that gives you the freedom to create a truly unique one-of-a-kind beverage. By modifying the ingredients and changing the brewing techniques, you can come up with your very own beer. This is one of the most alluring features of the hobby which draws thousands of people to it. But home brewing is also a somewhat ‘technical’ hobby, and you must avoid making the following mistakes if you want to brew a delicious batch of beer.

Mistake #1 – Using Tap Water

An all-too-common rookie beer brewing mistake is using tap water. Sure, tap water may look just like filtered bottle water, but there’s a good chance it contains harsh chemicals that are invisible to the naked eye. One of these chemicals, for instance, is chlorine, and adding it into your beer will take away from the smooth and rich hop flavor. Rather than using tap water, use distilled water in your home beer brewing projects.

Mistake #2 – Not Cleaning Equipment

The first step in brewing beer is thoroughly cleaning all of your equipment. I know some people may try to skip out on this step simply to brew beer in less time, but you must clean and sanitize your equipment in order to brew quality beer. Some beer brewing kits come with sanitation packets that work well, so take advantage of these if you have them.

Mistake #3 – Wrong Temperature

Of course, the temperature plays a key role in the quality of home brewed beer. If the temperature is too low, the ingredients won’t mix properly, resulting in a black, lackluster flavor that’s hard to drink. On the other hand, if the temperature is too hot, it will literally cook your ingredients. Constantly check your brew with a thermometer to determine its exact temperature. If necessary, adjust the heat so your brew temp is right.

Mistake #4 – Too Much Sugar

Sugar is a primary ingredient that’s necessary for beer to ferment; however, using too much will cause the beer to over carbonate. In turn, this will affect both the flavor and texture of your beer. Measure out your sugar beforehand to avoid using an abundance of sugar.

Mistake #5 – Incorrect Timing

Brewing beer is all about timing. You’ll need to monitor the time spent fermenting, brewing, mixing, etc. It’s not a bad idea to invest in a small timer or stopwatch to help you keep track of time. You can also keep a pen and notepad nearby to record how much time each step of the brewing process has taken.