How to brew beer at home - FULL process from start to finish
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- čas přidán 7. 05. 2024
- I learnt how to brew beer and mead on a small scale at home, with limited equipment and space, in fact all the fermentation was done in my little bedroom! Check out all the amazing people who helped me with this project.
Cellarhead Brewery - cellarheadbrewing.com/
Beercosm where I bought brewing equipment - beercosm?h...
Hukins Hops - www.hukins-hops.co.uk/
Jere meadery - jere-eu.com/en/welcome/
Black Mountain Honey - www.blackmountainhoney.co.uk/
Another brew shop I bought stuff from - www.the-home-brew-shop.co.uk/
Check out my Instagram - / alex_smith1809
Support the Just Alex Channel on Patreon - / justalexsmith
Business enquiries - alexfordhamsmith@gmail.com
00:00 - Visiting a brewery
03:45 - Buying brewing equipment
05:52 - Making beer from a kit
10:47 - Buying more brew stuff
11:40 - Beer ingredients
18:45 - Brewing a pale ale from scratch
31:50 - Learning about mead
33:08 - Making a batch of mead
41:42 - Tasting my finished beer
its impressive how you keep jumping into new hobbies / projects. very entertaining to watch as always.
😅it's his job lol. But very entertaining
@@jacks__9229 doesn't make it less impressive mate
Loads of people try home brewing youve never lived if you ain’t made your own wine or beer
How does he even fund this?
@@tanky_8677 CZcams 🤷🏻♂️😂
One of the best things about these videos is the hospitality of others. Renews my faith in humanity every time.
Yea right, they know they'll be on CZcams, how else are they going to act?🤔
Oooh ya cynic . Won over by Alex's effervescent personality I'd say @@CB-xr1eg
He shows interest in them and what they are doing. Thats like the no 1 icebreaker in the world.
Just read a few CZcams comments under most videos if you want to lose it again 😂
couldn't have said it better myself. kudos
Alex your ability to explain and make such a process interesting is superb..... I am an avid follower of both yourself and your brother and have already commented on what you both achieved bringing the fabulous pastime of angling to everyone. Now you have diversified I am now fascinated with fungi hunting and the photography of each different one I find..... But you cant claim to have converted me to beer as this was accomplished over many years and is still ongoing :). However the simplistic explanation on how beer is made was brilliant. Thank you 👍👍👍
thanks! :)
Alex's brother?
Carl, his brother, from the carl and alex fishing adventures look him up 😉
@@FallenRobot Fish with Carl
@@tackleviewchannel3620 For a while I genuinly thought this guy was Carl. I saw a bunch of Carls videos, then lost him and never found his channel.
Then I found alex, and thought it was the same guy but he just dropped the fish stuff.
It was only during the first honey harvest that I saw Carl, and he said they were brothers and that's when I realised how dumb I was💀
I've noticed beginners like yourself are much better at informing other beginners. I think it's because you know what you didn't know whereas a pro might take their knowledge for granted.
I have been brewing beer for more than a decade and this video was simply amazing. The way you went through the process of figuring out how to make beer was so nostalgic for me, and reminded me so much of my own journey of figuring out the delicate balance between water, malt, hops and yeast.
One of my goals in life is to brew my own wine from scratch. Homegrown sugar, fruit, and yeast. The optimism in this video and others you have made continues to encourage me. Cheers!
same
nice, you should do it!
You should check out the other Alex, he has a cool series exploring the process of making home made wine: /watch?v=Fzog2-lkOds
Have a blackberry wine going now
Wine is only made from 1 ingridient. Only from Grapes. You need to find grapes with good amount of sugar (20-25grams per 100grams of grape) and ferment it without adding yeast.
I hate beer. I don't even drink anything with alcohol but I sat here for 50 minutes and watched you make beer. I really enjoy how you explain things and it's always very interesting to see what you'll be up to next.
That was a lot of sugar (in the kit brew) so you were lucky not to get bottle bombs! As for the malt, it's worth noting that not all malts are 'diastatic', which means they contain the enzymes which will do the work of chopping up the sugars while in the mash. This is why pale malt, which is diastatic, is the majority of the grist for most beers except lagers. When malt is processed in the kiln for colour and flavour, it typically denatures the enzymes. Hence, if you tried to brew a beer with e.g. all crystal malt (caramelised) the mash would produce no fermentable sugars because no enzymes were present to do that work.
I don't make brew myself and have watched a lot of wine making content as it's something I'm interested in getting into. And I was surprised by him putting that sugar in and capping the bottles off. I thought he had just created chaos in bottles. Lol 😂
Some tips for the next brew. Keep taking temp measurments during mashing since the mashtemp will go down over time and the fact that you need to take in calculation the grain temp when mashing in so you dont undershoot the temp. Beta Sacc rest is from 63C so if you undershoot you may not get full convertion of the starches and miss your target OG. If you have access to a chestfreezer or somewhere else cool stick the whole FV in there with the wort for it to cool down, or get a cheap plastic can of 20+ liters put the hot wort in it push as much oxygen out of it by sqeezing it and put on the cap and leave over night to cool down. Then by splashing to add oxygen pour the wort into your FV and add yeast, its an easy trick so you dont have to buy a colling spiral or a platechiller.
And another tip for bottling - just and the bottling wand onto the tap and let gravity do the work no need for the siphon.
From Gardening To Brewing Beer . Very Impressive Alex.
Not seen him do gardening, he does Bee keeping, and he's moved house recently, also saw him mending a gate and strimming grass, maybe that's what you mean by gardening.
@@CB-xr1eg Grew his own veg
@@mattwright3768 That's more like farming than gardening.
You are such a good storyteller. 48 minutes and it felt like it was no more than 15.
You're very skilled
Since I started learning to brew beer you are the first person to really explain everything so clear with no short cuts. U deserve a thumbs up. I will refer my peers to your channel.
This is good enough to be an episode on the discovery channel or something.. A+ .. great job Alex!
thanks!
I've been binging your videos and what I love about them is the fact that you're a regular dude making mistakes and showing them. Keep it up Alex!
You have a great capacity to explain clearly, entertain and engage. It’s a real gift. A TV production company should really snap you up. Thank you.
i never thought I'd sit down for 48 minutes and watch a random guy brew beer and mead, talk about all the technical details of brewing, and actually succeed. really loved the video, i respect your determination and excitement!
What a fabulous video to watch! I’m quite jealous of your confidence to try all these different hobbies/activities, as well as all the good people you meet along the way. You’re living the best kind of life!
It’s a crime that Alex doesn’t have 1 million subscribes.
Gained one today
I love how you incorporate small shop and business owners! It's adds another level of value to your videos. I loved the truffle episode, mountains and painting! I'm not even interested in beer making but I love your videos so much that it is interesting to watch
Great to see your collaboration with Laurence, here's to more.
I tried making Mead and was very dry, but your tip on adding the chemical to help back sweeten will come in handy in future brews.
Everything you post makes it seem so so much less terrifying but is also so commendable. I'm constantly struck by how gun ho you are with all of your interest. I always freak myself out and only start things after years of being too anxious. Seeing you just getting stuck in is really inspiring
One thing that jumped out at me is that you bottled before your gravity reading was 1.000 or less. In that case fermentation might not be complete, which is how you make bottle bombs. So what I normally do if I think it stalled (meaning it's above 1.000 SG and not moving anymore) is take a reading, and then take another 2 or 3 days later to see if it moved again. If it remains the same, it means it is done. Just be careful!
Looking great so far - enjoy your fermentation journey!
Being below 1.000 is not the benchmark persé, but it needs to have lowered compared to the original SG and remain stable for a couple of days
Final gravity does not need to 1.000 or less.... I've never fermented down to 1.000 or less, I'm not saying you can't but it's deff not the benchmark. It depends on what type of beer you are brewing, lower final gravity indicates a dry or crisp flavor, while a higher final gravity indicates a sweet or malty flavor. It also depends on the attenuation rate of the yeast strain you are using. But I do agree that caution is need to avoid bottle bombs and to make sure that fermentation is complete before bottling and as you said the best way to do that is to take gravity readings over 2/3 days and if it hasn't moved you should be good.
Only time over hit Near 1.0000 was when I was doing whiskey mash. Still hard to do @@jonnyfox14
I love your videos Alex. They are so well made, you are so genuine and naked in your endeavours and it is very inspiring. I make cider myself from my own apples, but never really "dared" to try making beer. But I think you might have nudged me into trying it. Keep the videos coming. You are doing a great thing here.
I love your videos. You have a way of answering questions I never even knew I had. Your extensive bordering on obsessive dives into a subject, makes your videos not just a step by step guide, but a journey. These videos must take forever to edit and put together. Your work hasn't gone unnoticed. Thank you!
I've watched your videos over the past year now and you make me wish I had more folks around me who had similar interests. Brewing beer, keeping bees, just... making things in general as a hobby or lifestyle... It's such a wonderful thing and I'm so glad you share your videos with us because it's the closest I have to sharing the interest in cultivation hobbies I have with another person. Thanks much, Alex. Hope you have a good holiday season and a happy new year as it quickly approaches.
This kind of content is definitely going to grow your channel. Great work Alex.
i love your videos i now have a lot of vegetables and i watch you with my family
I've been watching your videos for years and this is absolutely amazing! Definitely can see the amount of time and effort you put into it
Thanks for the beer journey that you took us on
You have a lucky touch! Your projects always turn out better than expected in the end ❤
Also the pigs would have loved the stout and some of the leftover mash!
Hey Alex! Armature homebrewer here. You've done a fantastic job for your first couple of brews. I usually cool my wort in the bathtub instead of the sink because there's more surface area for the ice to cool it down more quickly!
"Armature"...seriously?🤷♂
The new place looks super cool and I'm glad you're enjoying it! We love all the same homesteading hobbies so I always look forward to your videos and discoveries. Thanks for all you do and Happy brewing!
I love that you included the ready brewing kit in the video. I've always wanted to try brewing, but I've never realized you can start so easily.
Alex is like my Stardew Valley character 😂 i love it
Really happy to see someone else getting into the craft of beer making! Would love to share with you what I've learnt over the years. First up you should treat your tap water with Campden tablets or go buy cheap spring water from aldi. Also that keviek yeast is super hardy and will rip through that sugar no worries
Alex just draws you in with all the random stuff he does…just love it! 😁
What you see is what you get and that’s what we love about you Alex.
Top bloke! 👊
Just wanted to say I love your videos and the way you explain things so clearly even if its small. I usually I use your videos when I'm studying, or drawing, or have nothing to do but I think I've watched them all, all ready. I can't wait till there more.
Now you got me wanting to brew something up Alex. I'm going to try Kombucha! Always love seeing your videos come across my feed. Hope our paths cross.
if you go for making kombucha, please reply n let people know how it goes
I used to brew beer and loved it. Never had a problem with alcohol. However, I watched some videos on how much it ages you (hair loss, dehydration etc.) and quit all together. I haven't really missed it and it seems to making me look 10 years younger.
I've recently got into brewing at home, having done two kit brews so far. Your video inspires me to take the next step into all grain brewing. Thank you for sharing your journey.
Hello Alex! I love seeing your videos pop up on my timeline and binge them every couple of months. Oddly enough your videos give me a sense of nostalgia from when I was a child and watched the food channel. Specifically the shows that would demonstrate the process of how things are made. Your videos remind me of those simple times and provide a sense of comfort. Thank you for making these videos and sharing your experiences.
I'm seeing a milestone where you prepare a full course meal somewhere scenic with all the things that you've grown. Your storytelling has improved! keep it up! :)
Alex, I always watch your videos with such enthusiasm. You are so methodical in everything you do and make. Whenever you post a new video I know it's going to be a great watch. You are so entertaining..... Thank you. 😊
I could seriously watch this time and time again! Salute Alex, you are the Man!
I absolutely love watching you try all these different hobbies and get knowledge for people in the industry! your videos are always so entertaining and interesting! Thanks alex! enjoy your homebrew!
It’s been wonderful watching you grow with your new found passions 😌 I feel like soon we gone be watching you travel around the world just learning as much as you can just to come home and put all to use. Love it!
First vid of his I have seen. I like that he is just kind of even keeled. Not crazy loud or quiet. Just a normal guy doing some normal things. I dig it.
These videos of you disovering new fun hobbies are so enjoyable to watch!! Keep it up!
well done! absolute joy to see all of the complements you recieved from the professionals!
Alex, thank you dude for being so versatile in your interest and true to yourself, My wife & I love watching your videos. I appreciate you always giving accurate information on how to do these things instead of just showing it after everything's done.
We have been inspired to grow our own shiitake, lions mane and oyster mushrooms, growing our own micro-greens and we started brewing a blueberry honey ale last week. Looking into brewing my own kombucha next. We'll be recycling/reusing my local breweries empty beer growlers for both the beer and the kombucha too.
Thinking of contracting a bee re-homing specialist to take the bees living on the side vinyl / eves of my house and give them a proper hive and home in the backyard with what I've learned form your bee-keeping content.
We were feeling down in life based on what's going on in the world and your content is a beacon of light man, thank you for all that you are and all that you do. I'm glad your content found it's way to me and keep making accurate entertaining and down to earth videos.
I just watch your videos, your adventures and I just want to do them too. You kinda make me obsessed about these things and I have no idea how you do it. You entertain and educate us here with nothing but you pure enthusiasm and kindness
Heck yeah man glad you found this amazing hobby and gave it a go!
Fascinating video, love how despite not being an expert in your endeavors; you find a way to easily explain and successfully accomplish what you set out to do. Love all your videos, thank you Alex! 😁
This is so interesting to watch! It's also always fun to see that you pick up new projects to try out!
I used to brew beer both commercially and on a homebrew scale, Now I am a professional winemaker so if you ever get into winemaking I can help you out with telling you what you need and how to get it right. I produce 200 gallons of wine at home outside of work for experimentation purposes and for friends and family.
Alex, I really enjoyed this vid, you present things really well on screen.
No matter what you throw yourself into, you do it with gusto.
Well done you.
fantastic video Alex. me and the wife always look forward to your video's. has given me inspiration to get my home brew kit out and give it another go. please keep doing these "learning a new craft" type of video's around food and drinks.
The best Chanel on CZcams. You are going very far mate! - can’t get enough of your videos. Blessings on blessings your way ❤️
Very well done Alex, I love this video. You we're having such a good time and it showed. What wonderful information - it made me want to try out making beer. You're so detail oriented thank you so much. I also liked how you got feedback from the places you went to. And nicely promoted them in a very clear, honest and upright way. Thank you again for all your wonderful work.
Thank you for the time and effort you put into these videos Alex !
Dude this was like a professional documentary, love this style of filming
I love your videos they are all being explained and shown perfectly please keep going! Its always fun to see you starting so much things
Been home brewing for a few years now, its a great hobby that you can upscale and improve upon continuously, I do cider, wine and beer, the beer making is definitely the most enjoyable, also keeps your mates very happy and lubricated.
One of my favourite videos you've ever done. You keep sending me down new hobby rabbit-holes, carry on creating lad 👏
I like how you are so passionate about discovering and learning new things. It's very inspiring, keep the good job !
Great work Alex. I remember going through a homebrewing phase a decade ago. I ended up converting an old fridge in my garage to a kegerator with taps and had a great time setting up this whole automated pump system thing. Thanks for the memories!
Alex I can stress enough how I love your videos and all the projects you are doing they are just so informative and a joy to watch 🔥🙌🏿
This is incredible. To be able to talk this well about brewing while learning is wild!
What a fun video!! I love your curiosity and how you research things. Well done Alex!
This video is fantastic for someone that's just starting out, you cover so many topics and thoughts I had.
Good grief. I remember watching you in the early days as you camped out in the car and then bought the van. So seeing how many subscribers you have now Alex is amazing. Well done to you.
Such a wonderful video as usual. Always a joy to watch you go through all your projects. Cant wait till the next one! Cheers🍻
Your content is absolutely amazing! Always looking forward to your uploads
I cannot believe that a couple weeks ago I started getting into beer and craft beer and considering home brewing and lo and behold one of my favourite CZcamsrs gets into it at the exact same time. You're just so awesome Alex!
You are so clear and engaging. Definitely feeling confident to try either beer or mead!
❤ well done!
I like that, "its ready when IT'S ready" no rushing the process and making sure the beverage is as authentic and as naturally processed as possible even on a commercial scale.
I really enjoyed watching your brewing journey, seeing all the lovely people you've met on your way and how rewarding the results appeared to be. You can be proud of yourself! ❤
Glad you enjoyed it
Wonderful video showing so many elements of the brewing/homebrewing process and hobby. Cheers, Just Alex!
Great video Alex! You recently inspired me with the camper van and i ended up purchasing a Caddy Maxi this week and now you've inspired me to make some alcoholic beverages! Have a great christmas! Legend.
I absolutely love your videos! you are so down to earth and I enjoy watching with my daughter. Very calming and a great brain food too!
Loving the variety in your videos and projects, we never know what we’re gonna see week on week and it keeps things really interesting. Would love to see more farm to table videos like the restaurant you visited I think it was in Switzerland but I could be wrong.
Great journey video. Try batch priming your beer prior to bottling. Take some of your beer, heat it slightly and add the sugar then reintroduce it to the beer. Give it a stir and let it settle for an hour. I find it gives me less oxidization. You can use an online 'priming sugar calculator'. Yeasts produce individual flavors. Please tell everyone what type of yeasts you are using.... it's important! Invest in some temperature controls. Maybe a heat pad and a thermostat.... Tape the thermostat to the top of your fermenter for top fermenting yeasts and to the bottom of your fermenter for bottom fermenting yeasts. A fermentation chamber would help too. Yeast doesn't like light! It could be just a box or you can make an insulated chamber of your own design. Good luck in your future journeys!
I love people like you that love learning about everything.
You are hands down awesome, from all the different things you dabble in, to the explanations and you also don’t just dip you’re feet in and do it half-arsed, very thorough - you’ve gained a sub, sending you all the best from a very cold Dorset 👍💕
Great watch 👏🏻 perfect amount of information for someone starting out brewing either kit or all grain
Incredibly heart warming and and a great Boxing Day watch. Really great work Alex!
I absolutely love both your videos and your enthusiasm to try new things and just give it a go! I want to try the mead brewing myself. I found your video very interesting to watch and really informative. Thanks! I’m inspired to really give it a go! 😱
Alex!! You should do a hydroponic plant growing project.. It will be really fun!! and iam sure,everyone will love it😊
Man this channel is great, I learn so much through his experience I absolutely love it
You are the best man, your content is just so fun to watch, very entertaining and very educational. Thanks bud.
Always a pleasure watching your creative adventures, Alex. Once again, well done! Cheers!
thanks!
Thanks Alex, you always make any topic interesting & informative 😊 cheers 🍻
Hello i just found your channel! My mate is a home brewer and he is also a master distiller at a really old Whisky distillery here in Scotland and I have really been wanting to brew my own beer! I think you have finally clicked that inspiration I needed watching this video! Thanks for making it and I wish you all the best in your endeavours! 🤗👍🏼
Love this Alex. You made a comment that "yey I've done something good". Mate seriously every new thing you have a go at turns out great. Really have noticed grow with confidence over the last year. Love what you're doing, keep it up and have fun mate. Big respect too 👍🏻
The Kveik you used is a hard and fast fermenter, some people use it to make sure they can go start to stop in as little as 48 hours if done under pressure. I will say, I don’t chill my wort - I actually don’t own a chiller nor is my sink big enough to hold my fermenter, what I do is either seal my boil kettle, or rack to the sanitized fermentation vessel, and let it come down in temp overnight. Living in Western NY though, there’s about 4 months of the year where I can just throw my container outside for an hour or two and use nature’s chiller. Nice video!
Never thought I could learn so much from one video , I normally go to the pub ask for a pint and that’s far as it gets , thank you for that.
You are not wasting any time 😀Love it! Keep on going!
Thank you so much alex! U always surprises me with different content, which is different from previous one always. So happy for u, such a simple life ur ❤✨
Nice one Alex. Great video. Clearly skilled but endlessly humble.
Thank-you Alex, wonderful and inspirational video. I had the same thought after my first stout attempt, it went down the drain. Second attempt, same outcome but I persisted and bottled it as other brew's. After 1 month it was brilliant!
I brew many Aussie pale ale's but after watching you I'm gonna have a crack at Mead. Thanks.
The hop farm looks like a great bee spot. Great job on the brewing. A pleasure to watch as well