Top beginner brewer mistakes

Not cleaning enough

We’ve all done it! Eager to get on with making our masterpiece brew we’ve skimped a little on the cleaning process. But those shortcuts will come back to bite you when your beer tastes weird.

Take the time to make sure ALL of your equipment (Yes! every little bit) is clean and sanitised before you start brewing.

Not following the instructions

You’d probably think this one doesn’t need a lot of explanation, but we’re going to say it anyway! If you don’t follow the instructions, you might be in for some unexpected results. Brewing beer is part art and a lot of science, and you’re working with live yeast, so follow those instructions until you’re confident that you understand the process.

Once you’re a little more advanced, you can tweak those recipes by adding different sugars, spices and ingredients at the right point.

Cutting corners

If you read the instructions and you’re tempted to shorten a specified time to speed things up or skip a step that seems unnecessary. DONT! Follow those instructions exactly! It will pay off in the end.

Bad ingredients

Out-of-date kits and ingredients are a fast track to terrible beer. Don’t do it to yourself! You can sometimes swap out the yeast in an extract beer kit so it’s not a total loss – if in doubt, ask! Our team will let you know the best thing to do.

Poor Temperature control

Yeast is a living organism that needs a stable temperature to do its job well. Termperature extremes can lead to your yeast slowing or speeding up and your beer will not ferment properly.

Bad water

It goes without saying that you should make your beer with drinkable water. But tap water that contains chemicals like chlorine and chloramine can also leave a weird aftertaste. You might have heard it called the “homebrew” taste.

Boiling will usually dissipate chlorine from the water, but you’ll need a water treatment like Pure Brew to get rid of the Chloramine. The added bonus of using a treatment like Pure Brew is that it also feeds the yeast for strong fermentation.

If you’re worried about the quality of your water try a test kit to find your water profile.

Too much, too soon

Yes, brewing a great beer is 100% possible in your kitchen. But you need to learn the ropes first.

We recommend starting with an extract beer kit so that you can get to know the intricacies of the process. Extract kits are cheap and easy to make, and brew up in a matter of weeks. And trust us when we say keeping things simple for the first couple of brews will pay off in the long run.

Check out our extract beer kits

Not enough patience

Brewing great beer takes time. The yeast needs to be left to do it’s job and trying to rush this step will result in bad beer.

This is also important during the carbonation stage – if there’s too much sugar left for your yeast, you’re likely to get exploding bottle tops.

Not asking for help

Brewing beer can be a daunting process, and new brewers often get disheartened when things go wrong and they’re not sure why.

Don’t be afraid to reach out and ask for help. Most of us have been in your shoes and most brewers are happy to share their knowledge.

Why not join our Pure Brew Facebook group for friendly advice or just to show off your brews?