Your first batch feels intimidating, but extract brewing is mostly about cleanliness, temperature, and patience. If you can boil water and follow a timer, you can make good beer. Here is exactly how a typical brew day unfolds.
Before you start Sanitize everything that touches the wort after the boil: fermenter, lid, airlock, spoon, and thermometer. A no-rinse sanitizer makes this easy. Skipping this step is the single most common reason first batches go wrong.
The boil Bring about 2.5 gallons of water to a near-boil, then remove it from heat and stir in your malt extract so it fully dissolves. Undissolved extract scorches on the bottom of the pot. Return to a boil and add hops on the schedule your kit lists, usually a bittering addition at the start and aroma hops near the end.
Cooling and pitching After a 60-minute boil, cool the wort quickly to around 68 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit. An ice bath in your sink works fine for a small batch. Top up to your target volume with cool, clean water, then take a gravity reading if you have a hydrometer.
- Pitch your yeast only once the wort is below 75 degrees, or you risk killing it
- Seal the fermenter, fit the airlock, and move it somewhere dark and stable