Beer
Making beer is not that difficult, at least not making homemade rotgut brew. Of course, like anything, the more time you spend doing it the better you become. But after the collapse, there will likely be such a shortage of beer and so many hardcore beer drinkers that even if the stuff you make turns out tasting like weasel spit, someone is going to want it.
Here is what you need.
- Large kitchen Brew pot
- Kitchen strainer
- Kitchen thermometer
- Large funnel
- Rolling pin
- Clean water
- Air locking cap and 3 gallon brewing bottle
- Bottles
- 3 lbs light dried malt extract
- 8 oz crushed malt
- 1 oz pellet hops
- 1 pkg brewers yeast
- 3/8 cup sugar
Start by crushing the malt with the rolling pin into course flour.
Pour the water into the large pot. Add the grain, cover, and boil to around 150 degrees. Turn off the heat and let it stand for 30 minutes. Then remove most of the grain from the batch using the strainer (just dip it and you don’t have to get it all, just most).
Now get it boiling and add the malt. Keep it boiling and add half of the hops. Continue boiling without letting it boil over for one hour. Stop the heat and add the rest of the hops. Let it steep about ten minutes. Then cool the batch. It is best if cooled quickly like placing it into a freezer or tub of ice water, but if this is not possible, then do your best.
Once cooled, pout into a clean, sanitized brewing bottle (the big one) with the air lock cap so that CO2 can escape while preventing O2 to get in. Be sure that you have at least two and a half gallons of this brew. If too much boiled off, you can add some fresh water before pouring into the bottles. Of course, the only thing this will do is weaken the brew somewhat so if you are going for volume, add the water. If you are going for alcohol content, leave it be.
If the side of the bottle is cool to room temperature, add the yeast and cover with the air lock cap. Let it sit for about ten days in a cool, dark place. Keep it out of direct sunlight.
Now you are ready for bottling but before you do, boil the sugar in about a cup of water for five minutes and let cool. Add the sugar water to the mix, bottle it up, and the beer is ready for trading.
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