How Long Does It Take To Brew Beer – (And Why)?

Exact Answer: 6 weeks

Beer has literally been with us for thousands of years. The Ancient Egyptians were the first to document the brewing process; they recorded their ability to make beer on papyrus scrolls that were dated as early as 5,000 B.C.

Those Creative Egyptians

The first Egyptian beers were brewed with items such as pomegranates, dates, and other herbs they collected from among nature. Beer has come a long way since then, starting off in the Middle East, spreading to Europe and Asia, and then making its way with the early settlers to the Americas.

Of course, this all begs the question: how did they come up with the beer-making process in the first place? How long does it take?

How Long Does The Beer Making Process Take?

The beer-making process depends on a number of different factors. First, you have to gather the basic ingredients; the process always starts with barley, hops, yeast, and water. Of course, there are many ways that you can change the taste of beer, and it all depends on what you do with these basic ingredients.

The beer-making process then begins with a procedure called “mashing”. The beer artist will steep the grains in water that is hot, but not boiling. This will be done for at least an hour.

This mashing process will activate enzymes and make them release their sugars. After draining the water from this “mash”, it will create a sweet and sticky substance called wort, which is also known as “unmade beer.”

They will boil the beer for an hour and also add spices to the hops in a separate procedure. After this process is over, they will put this mixture in a fermenting container and store it for a certain amount of time.

Like any other process, the beer making procedure will require the correct amount of time in order for it to come into its own. There are many reasons why this is so. Consider some of the following motivations:

Why Does The Beer Making Process take As Long As It Does?

Of course, mixing up your raw materials is only going to take a few hours at most. After that, the real waiting will begin. The materials will need to be placed in your kit and you will have to wait at least one month before your ingredients can be turned into beer that is ready to drink. Fermentation is the name of the game here. Keep the raw materials in your kit for at least two weeks. After that, you are still not done.

Bottle Conditioning

In order to properly condition your beer bottles, you will need to store them at room temperature for at least two weeks in an extremely dark place. Keep in mind that two weeks is the bare minimum, and there are some types of beer that will do better with up to a month of conditioning.

For example, different lagers of beer could take as long as a month-and-a-half in order to be ready for drinking. However, ales will be ready after the two-week mark. Of course, if you cannot wait, you can get by with the minimum amount of two weeks.

Longer is Better

Even though two weeks have always been the established rule of thumb, many experienced beer makers will tell you that the longer your beer is conditioned, the better it will taste to you and your guests.

References

1. https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=aM2QAwAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PT23&dq=Brew+Beer&ots=al3PrNM8sk&sig=-l9IB0dyUBhD48S2t5DEYNjfzyE
2. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/agr.21511