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The science of alcohol
The science of alcohol

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3 Homebrew finale

In this final video, Danny Allwood considers the end result of your homebrew experiment.

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DANNY ALLWOOD
So the end of the experiment is in sight. And now is the best part of the experiment, because you get to sample the fruits of your labours. So hopefully you should have something that looks like this-- a nice, bottled finished product. Hopefully there's a fizz if it's carbonated properly in the bottle. And you can pour out a glass of beer that you can honestly say that you created yourself. You have created a fresh glass of beer from start to finish. You've been involved in every aspect of the process. And you've created it cheaper than anywhere else you can buy beer. Home-brew beer is 25 to 50p a pint, something like that. If it doesn't quite taste like you'd want it, hopefully by understanding the process, you can go back and think, what would I change? What would I make different? What would I do differently? What ingredients might I use next time? And that's the wonderful thing about home brew is it is an experimental hobby. It's an experimental science. You can go back. You can try again. You can try something different. So hopefully your experiment has been a success. And hopefully this encourages you to carry on home brewing and studying brewing science.
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  • How could you tell if your homebrew is ready?

  • Your homebrew should yield consistent specific gravity readings from your hydrometer over the period of a couple of days. Consistent specific gravity indicates that the fermentation is complete and your homebrew is ready.

At the end of this video, Danny raises an important point about reflecting on your experiment. If your homebrew does not taste quite how you would expect, hopefully by studying this course you will now understand more of the underlying science, so you can evaluate what might have gone wrong and what you would change should you repeat the experiment.

If you didn’t take part in the homebrew experiment, maybe this will encourage you to try it for yourself in the future – or even to visit your nearest brewery to see the science in practice.