How Does Extract Brewing Work?
The process of extract brewing allows brewers to bypass the time-consuming and technical stages of the brewing process, starting with a malt extract or fruit concentrate that is ready to mix and ferment. Instead of having to go through the process of preparing and pressing fruit, or making a wort through mashing and boiling grains, the concentrated wort or fruit juice is already at your fingertips, leaving you more time and freedom for experimenting and, of course, more time for tasting.
At the heart of brewing is the process of converting the sugars found in malt and fruit extracts into alcohol through fermentation. Extract brewing streamlines this process and makes brewing even more fun and convenient with endless possibilities.
Extract brewing can be simplified into five easy steps:![]()
1. Sanitising
This is the most important part of the brewing process as it gives the beer or cider the best possible chance from the get-go. All equipment used during the brewing process should be properly sanitised before and after use to avoid contamination and spoiling the brew.
2. Mix Beer or Cider Extract, Additional Fermentable & Water
Beer or cider extract, additional fermentables (liquid malt extract [LME], enhancers, or dextrose), and boiling water are added to a fermenter and mixed until dissolved. Cold water is then added to create a less concentrated mixture and help bring down the temperature for the yeast that will be added to the brew.
Complementing the beer or cider extract, the additional fermentables help develop the flavour of the beer or cider being brewed. Along with being an additional fermentable sugar source, enhancers take brews to the next level by improving the body and mouthful of the beer. In some cases, they can even increase the level of alcohol to produce stronger brews.
3. Add yeast
To begin the fermentation process, yeast is added to the fermenter. Yeast does the job of converting the sugars in the brew into alcohol and CO2, along with imparting important flavour compounds unique to the yeast strain.
4. Fermentation
Now the hard part: waiting. Over the next several days, the yeast will work to convert the sugars in the brew into alcohol. While the brew is left to ferment, it is important to monitor the temperature, keeping the temperature consistent for the length of fermentation time noted in the recipe. Depending on the style of beer or cider brewed and the temperature during fermentation, this whole process usually takes around one week. To check that the fermentation process is complete, a tool called a hydrometer is used to confirm that the brew is ready to move to the next step. Additions like dry hops may also be added at this stage.
5. Bottle and Carbonate
Once fermentation is finished, the beer or cider either be bottled or kegged. Bottling is generally simpler, less expensive, and a good place to start out, whereas kegging tends to provide more consistent results and takes less time. When bottling, additional sugar or carbonation drops are added to each bottle before sealing. Over the next 14 days or so, the bottles will undergo the ‘conditioning’ process where any remaining yeast in your brew will consume the added sugar, resulting in carbonation in the bottle. After that it’s time to chill, serve, and enjoy!
