We set up our first beer brew today following the Mentor’s instructions and using the ingredients he bought for us. He has been brewing for years but tends not experiement these days. This is his standard tecnique which is designed for speed, simplicity and ecomony which supposedly gives a pleasant lager with a bit if bite.

Its a really really simply method, takes les sthan three weeks, and is very cheap (less that £9 for 40 pints). Can it really be this easy?

Equipment

• 5 gallon bucket
• Stirrer/paddle
• 11 x 2 litre plastic bottles

Ingredients

• 1kg Muntons Medium Spray Malt
• 3kg Sugar
• 40 drops Isomerised Hop Extract
• 1 sachet yeast
• Water to 5 gallons

Method

• Add yeast and a spoonful of sugar in a bowl of warm water. Stir and cover.
• Add sugar spray malt to clean bucket and dissolve in warm water. Then add more warm water to 5 gallons.
• Add yeast mixture to brew, stir and cover loosely.
• After 3 days add 40 drops of hop extract and stir. Cover again and leave.
• After a week, taste beer to check for sweetness. Leave longer if sweet, otherwise bottle.
• Add a tablespoon of sugar to each bottle.
• Fill bottles with brew using either a jug or siphon tube and replace caps tightly.
• Shake each bottle well and leave in a warm place for second fermentation.
• After this, allow to clear in a cool place.

We’ve called it Olde Badgers Crack, and its probably the simplest and cheapest method you’ll find (outside of buying a beer kit)