1. Start with your choice of grains depending on the flavor of beer desired. You can try malted barley, wheat, corn or rice.
2. Crack open the husks of the grains in order to expose the sugars. This mixture is called the grist.
3. Cover the grist with hot water in order to change the grain to sugar. Soak the grain for an hour at 160 degrees Fahrenheit until the mixture is the consistency of oatmeal. Stir occasionally.
4. Strain the resulting mixture, the wort, till the sweet liquid is separated from the remaining grains.
5. Bring the liquid to a boil for one or two hours. Add hops at various times in order to increase the bitterness, flavor and aroma of the beer.
6. Separate the wort from the hops and cool the liquid.
7. Add yeast to the cooled liquid. The yeast will convert the sugars to alcohol. Fermentation time and temperature can vary. Ferment ales for five days and lagers for four to eight weeks.
8. At the end of fermentation, carbonate to the desired level, chill and enjoy your beer.
When summer ends, September brings early morning classes, lengthy reading assignments and endless meetings, but with the return of college also comes beer. Whether it is chugged straight from a keg, sipped at a bar or competed over during a Beirut game, beer defines Harvard life just as much as the Core curriculum or Larry Summers. So this week, Drinky Drink challenges you to put your well-rested brain to the test and brew some of your own malt beverage. The process, though a little lengthier than a trip to Louie’s (an ale can be made in a week and a lager in one to two months), is well worth it. Rock Bottom’s senior brewer Scott Hutchinson—who makes 570 gallons at a time in the back room of the Square eatery—says many of the benefits of beer brewing lie in the satisfaction of being an original. “I have my own beers that you could not find in any store or even at any restaurant,” he says. “Have patience,” Hutchinson advises novices. “You are not going nail a style the first time you brew it. You have to do a lot of reading and studying the effects of the raw ingredients. And as fun as it may seem, you should try a lot of beers. It is extremely educational.” You can sample a wide variety of Hutchinson’s own concoctions at Rock Bottom, where his classic Lumpy Dog Light Lager, a crisp, golden-colored beer, and Double Barrel IPA, a bitter brew with a malt flavor, are always on tap along with a rotation of seasonal favorites. Stop by for some advice and maybe even some free raw ingredients, as Hutchinson is willing to help out beginners. All necessary ingredients can also be purchased at Modern Brewery at 2304 Mass. Ave. Settle for Icehouse no longer—it’s time to create your own delicious and original brew.
