Beer, Ale & Lager Basics

If you’ve never attempted to brew beer then you could be forgiven for thinking that you need to learn a new language and a science before you even begin. At first sight, beer recipes – with their precise timings, temperatures and terminology – can be off-putting to the uninitiated. But while these instructions are important for the professionals and legions of ultra-eager homebrew buffs, for us kitchen brewers who simply want a decent pint, things are much, much simpler.

There are three basic ways of getting hold of the necessary grain-based ingredients required to make beer. The simplest is to use a kit – all the contents are ready prepared and you simply follow the instructions on the pack to brew up the designated beer style. At the other end of the scale is ‘full grain’ brewing, where you start with roasted grains and extract their goodness yourself so that they’re ready to be turned into beer. We use an in-between method known as ‘extract brewing’. Here you’ll have access to a vast range of ingredients, but the hard work of processing has already been done, making brewing much easier, while still allowing for infinite possibilities to craft your own delicious beers.