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After more than 4 years in Germany, coming back to the United States was a big shock. I'm just not a crappy, tasteless beer fan. My very close friend, former neighbor, and professional brewer, David Huls, is 80% responsible for me diving into brewing; the other 20% is due to loving good beers. We started brewing together and Big Dave got so into it, he got his brewing certificate from UC-Davis and went pro. For a time, he was Master Brewer for Big Horn Brewing Company, which is owned by Humperdinks Restaurants. Big Dave is a Silver Medal winner in the Great American Brew Fest for his Strong Scotch Ale!!! If you are considering brewing, finding a good friend and beer mentor like Dave is important as well as finding the local brew stores. Up in Dallas?, Kelly and his team at Homebrew Headquarters has been very helpful for bouncing things off of, getting equipment, and fresh hops. I have recently moved down to Austin and found that Austin Homebrew is a great home brew shop. Joining a home-brew club is a good idea as you'll learn a lot from more experienced brewers and may even have the opportunity of helping out newbies. I am currently a member of the Austin Zealots homebrew club.
My brewing is all-grain, which means I buy various forms of malted barley from brew
shops, ("mash") the grain with a malt mill I separate the liquid from the spent grain, boil and add the finest hops money can buy. I then float wonderful little yeasts in the mix, ("called wort at this point"), to produce the best beers known to this corner of Flower Mound...er, Austin now. I can say that because now that Big Dave has gone pro, he doesn't home brew as much...just teasing Dave. Let's take a look at some of the steps and the equipment. The first step is to decide what style of beer that you want to produce, or if the beer you are designing will hit any pre-defined style. There are two main categories of beer commonly recognized: ales and lagers. Ales are fermented with yeast that favor warm temperatures around 65-70 °F and Lagers are fermented with yeast that favor colder temperatures around 48-54 °F. Ales ferment faster and have fruitier notes do to the esters and fusels produced by yeast during the relatively fast fermentation, about 2 weeks, whereas lagers tend to be cleaner in taste and ferment much slower. Whether an Ale or a Lager decision, when designing the next great beer, you also need to take into account season, maltiness, dryness, darkness, lightness, bitterness, aroma, etc...but is hopefully up to your tastes. I love all sorts of different brews and, fortunately enough, have the use of our chest freezer to control fermentation temps. That simply means that I can ferment at higher temps for an Ale or lower temps for a Lager. Here is an example of some of the ingredients: 
For the most part, a base malt (2-row, pilsner, vienna) makes up the largest portion of malt you will use. As an example, for an IPA, I'll use 22 lbs of American 2-row as the base malt. There are many malts that can be used it impart flavor and color to a beer. 2 are shown above, 40 Lovobond Crystal Malt and Chocolate Malt. Brewers use the variety of base and specialty malts to acheive the malt character, color, and head retention characteristics when designing a great beer. Hops are used in the boil to add bitterness, flavor and aroma to your beer, balancing the maltiness and providing a clean finish to your beer. Once you have decided on what you want to brew, then it's time for recipe formulation. I use a program called ProMash to help with calculations and adjustments during the recipe formulation and brewing process. I've included my favorite recipes (see favorite recipe links). 
Once the grain is milled, you heat water to an appropriate temp (range of 146 °F to 162 °F, depending on beer style) to activate enzymes; alpha and beta amylase, which break down starches into sugars. Basically, we are making yeast food. Yeast break down the sugars into alcohol and CO2. Without getting too geeky, brewers use temperature to tune the malt profile within the above range; 148-152 °F yields a more fermentable wort and drier beer (think pale ales and pilsners) whereas 155-160 °F yield a less fermentable wort delivering more complex, maltier beer (think bocks and brown ales). So temperature control is critical, If the temp is too cold, the enzymes will not activate, and if the temp is too hot, you will denature the enzymes and won't be able to recover the process. The ProMash software helps me make these critical temperature calculations. I try to hit a "strike" temp that is about 20°F to 25°F hotter than the target temp in that I know I will loose some temp due to pumping water into a cold keg and introducing cold grain into the hot water. The ProMash software helps me do these calculations. Once the appropriate amount of hot water is pumped across into the mash tun, I mix in the milled grain. Note that the mash tun has a false bottom. The grain settles on the false bottom and acts as a natural filter. Water is heated in the hot liquor tank tank to the right in the picture below, and then transfered to the mash tun (keg in the middle). 
The figure above gives an overall view of my brew rack and brewing equipment. My system comfortably produces 10 gallon batches. My mash/lauter tun is in the middle, with the sparge tun high to the left for gravity-based flow in sparging. I heat water in the hot liquor tank, to the right. 
Once the grain has steeped in the water for about an hour, really whatever time it takes for the starch to sugar conversion and color extraction, it is time for ("mashing out"). In the mash-out process, the grain is rinsed with hot water, usually around 172°F , in a process called sparging. At the same time, the liquid is very slowly pumped into the hot liquor tank for boiling. Slow, deliberate run-off from the lauter tun to the hot liquor tank is one of the most important steps, and helps to ensure the best extraction of sugars from the grain bed. Once in the hot liquor tank, the extraction is called Wort. 
There I am mashing-out. Note the sparge arm from the sparge tank goes into the top of the lauter tun, and out of the bottom of the lauter tun, I am adjusting the flow of the runnoff into the hot liquor tank. This process is aided by the food grade pump. I'll let about 10 gallons of wort come across, stop the process and use a hydrometer to check the amount of sugar in solution. The amount of sugar in solution is important in that it shows how efficient the mashing process was and also is a good indicator of what alcohol content the beer will eventually have. If I have done everything correctly, and the run-off was controlled, I can go ahead and continue the run-off to 12 1/2 gallons for the boil. At that point, I will use a hydrometer to check the wort again. I can expect that I am going to loose 2 gallons of wort to evaporation during the boil. Boiling is done to sterilize the wort. As mentioned earlier, Hops are added during the boil to provide bittering, hop flavor, and aroma. 
Whatever you do, USE FRESH HOPS!!! Bittering additions are done fairly early in the boil to extract and break down certain resins in the hops, flavoring in the middle, whereas aroma hop additions are added late or at the end of the boil. There are as many variety of hops to use as there are malts. The type you use should be typical of the style of beer you are brewing, however, experimentation is the fun part of being a home brewer. 
The hot wort flows through a Counter-Flow Chiller. This is a contraption that I built based on instructions found on the internet with help from Dave. We wind 20' of 1/4" flexible copper tube through a standand garden hose. The hot wort flows through the copper tube while at the same time, cold water flows around the copper allowing heat to be transferred to the cold water. When the wort hits the fermentation vessel, it's temperature is about 1 or 2 degrees above the water temperature. The reason for a chiller is to bring the wort temperature down to a temperature that won't kill the yeast that are about to be pitched into the fermentation vessels. Without a chiller, you would have to wait several hours to a day for the wort to adjust to a non-lethal, usable temperature. 
As can be seen above, I use a chest freezer as a fermenter. My wife is none-to-happy about this, but a chest freezer with a temperature controller is a great fermenter because it is so well insulated. I can ferment ales at 65 °F to 68 °F, ferment lagers at 48 °F to 55 °F, crash beers to freezing, and can force carbonate at 32 degrees. All due to a chest freezer and Johnson temperature control unit.
Yeast consume sugars and produce two things; CO2 and alcohol. A brewer can choose
to vent the CO2 as I do with the blow-off hoses and the bucket of bleach water, or
naturally carbonate by not venting the fermentation vessels. I choose to vent the
CO2 for a variety of reasons:
Nope, I don't bottle (that's a pain in the bass-ale...). For most light colored beers, I will use a brew-plate filter from Williams Brewing (see link) to clarify and polish my beers. For darker beers, it really isn't necessary and I just rack the fermented beer off to another Corny keg for serving. I push the beer with 20 lb. CO2. 
Favorite Recipes Okay, so I'm an Italian brewer that likes to name beers, but this American Style Pale Ale Hop Monster packs one heck of a hops punch. For special fun, try dry-hopping this powerful beer with either Amarillo or Cascade hops. Use a single-step, infusion mash and hit a strike temp of 152 °F and you'll be on the money for a clean-tasting beer meant for your favorite hop-head. Note the use of a small amount of Carapils Dextrin Malt. I use 1/2 pound for body, mouthfeel and head retention. I have to tell you, this is one of my wife's favorite beers.
It never fails that when I am brewing this beer, no matter the season, a few bees come out to take a wiff of the boil. I grab my trusty brewing spoon and bat the little bastards into the boiling wort (I better watch out for those crazed PETA whacko's...). Thus the name for this wonderful American-style brown ale. You want to accentuate the malt character on this beer, so your strike temp should be about 156 °F degrees.
Petden, in Satellite Beach Florida, is where I cut my surfing teeth. Petden was the hotest spot in town for surf and for some strange reason (fantasizing about my mis-spent youth maybe...) I think of Petden when I drink this brew. Petden Porter shows off a roasty chocolate and nutty 90-Lovibond Crystal malt, which is just rippin hot. A-Framers and Mark Reality beach folks were bud drinking gremmies. This Porter is much like a day at Petden; the first beer is a smooth paddle out on a fall to winter day and what follows are toasty waves to the end. An interesting twist to this beer is to pour in a pot of coffee or steep coffee grounds in the secondary (Chris Colby - thanks for the tip) to create a Coffee-Porter. You want to accentuate the malt character on this beer, so your strike temp should be about 156 °F degrees.
I said Dude...he said, Dude...we said Dude!!! This is just a fun, easy going, summer beer. The fun part is mixing a decidely German malt bill with hops similar to an American Pale Ale...and San Francisco Lager yeast...what a mix...A little bit of something for everyone, beach sitter, long-boarder, short-boarder, republican, democrat, or middle of the fencer..except I don't think a dem would never brew... they'd just come by and consume... Anyway, whatever your board or politics, use a single-step infusion mash with a target of 152°F
This beer is brewed in honor of my Son-in-law, Bobby Skeen and also Stevey-Ray Vaughn. It's a long story, but suffice it to say, the first time we met Bobby, he locked horns with the Dubbel and the Dubbel won!!! This Belgian is a strong beer, with a bubble-gum nose that really warms a cold Dallas January. Okay, so it's not that cold in Dallas, so what, drink up!!!
I have to tell you, this is one of my favorite beers. I try to brew this in early January and wait till May before tapping this hefty brew...never made it past Feb 15. Maibock should be a strong and malty beer with an amber tone and balanced noble hops. As you can tell from the recipe, my interpretation has an uncharacteristically high IBU - more hops than the style calls for. Well, that's the fun of homebrewing. I like hops!!! This beer packs a bit of alcohol, with an OG of 1.072 and a usual FG of 1.016. Careful now...
Audrey (my wife) and I spent 4 1/2 years in Germany serving our country. What an absolute kick in the pants that was. We just had a ball, and the German pilsner beers were one of the reasons. Bitte ein Bit (please give me a Bitburger Pils) was one of our favorites. Audrey also loves pigs, so there you have it. Again note a high IBU...well, she LOVES hops, too. This is the only beer that I use a two-step mash process. For ales and most lagers, this is a total waste of time. However, a pilsner needs to be super clean, so I bring it to 145°F for 30 minutes with a thick mash for the beta-amylase rest, and then pump more hot water in to bring the mash to 158°F for the alpha-amylase rest. If you've got the equipment and can do it, okay, otherwise hit a strike temp of 152°F and you'll be okay. Well, the lady wants a pils, I better get brewing!!!
This beer is named after the first peak break at Sebastian Inlet on the east coast of sunny Florida. Did I tell you I surf... Anyway, First Peak, like this beer, starts fast and big. It's a big malty bottom turn with a clean roasty-toasty off the lip, that delivers all the way through, then a cut-back for another. Totally tubular!!! This beer boasts an alcohol by volume around 8%, which makes it a classic winter warmer. Strong Scotch Ale's, aka Wee Heavy's, are known for having a hint of smoky flavor delivered mostly through the yeast. I also use a Scottish Peated Malt, but only a very small amount as it is easy to overdue and will overwhelm your beer. A First Peak, thinking about good surf to come and a Green Bay game...well, it doesn't get much better...Give Favre some blocking, dammit!!!
Festbier is another favorite...alright, you've guessed that they are all favorites...I love beer, and so do you if you've read this far. This wonderful meal in a glass is brewed to the Santiago Graf interpretation of strong Vienna style festival beers. Think Negro-Modello. Simply put, I throw a handful of chocolate malt in. This is a great fall brew warmer that puts a crooked smile on the Halloween pumpkin.
Winter Steamer is my attempt at going after Anchor's 1996 Christmas Ale...oh what a beer that was. I think that you'll find this to be pretty close. With an 8% alcohol by volume, this brew will cure the flew, colds and warm you to the core. Winter Steamer is a spice beer, which shows off orange zest, cinnamon, ginger, correander, nutmeg and a hint of clove. The orange zest/rinds (whatever) go in a steeping bag at 10 minutes into a 70 minute boil. My experience has shown that it takes a long time for the orange oil flavor to assimilate into the boil. I add the spices with 5 minutes left so that the spices provide aroma without overwhelming the flavoring of the beer. Initially, this brew tastes like pumpkin pie in a glass, but within a month mellows enjoyably. As with most high alcohol content beers, especially spice beers, a couple of months of aging are required.
Two glasses of this hefty brew will have you singing that grand old Christmas tune just as bad and as loud as me (believe me, I am a much better brewer than singer). My wife gets a big kick out of this every year by hosting a Christmas Holiday party and having me lead in singing Christmas carols. I'll put it this way, my good friends come for the beer, not the singing... This beer is modeled after Chimay Grande Reserve and boasts a 9 or so percent alcohol by volume. You may already be onto me here, Maibock, Festbier, Winter Steamer, and then this wonder in a glass, seems a trend toward higher alcohol content brews...you'd think I lived in freakin' Minnesota. Okay, one of the joys of home brewing is being able to target a certain seasonal or specialty brew and then going after it. Due to the amount of grain required for this beer, I just brew a 5 gallon batch (it's hard to fit 43 lbs of grain into a 15 gal keg 1/2 full of hot water)...
This is my Christmas Ale for 2004 and 2006. Originally brewed it turned out better than I could have imagined, so this year I threw in 2 lbs more frozen rasberries in. I will definitely brew this again as it is crisp, full of alcohol for sipping during frigid Austin Texas winters. The wife likes it, Big Dave has given it his blessings, and neighbors from all around have become new friends after quaffing this puppy. The base for this fruit beer is an Imperial Pale ale. I threw in about 8 lbs of frozen rasberries directly into the fermenters for a 10 gallon total batch. To ensure that the rasberries would not infect the beer, I steamed them for roughly 5 minutes; not long enough to loose any flavor, but long enough to hopefully rupture cell walls of wild yeast or bacteria. Then I pitched fresh yeast (White labs 051) on top and let 'er rip. Note to self: the rasberries contain fermentable sugars (fructose), which will add to the original gravity. Man, there is some alcohol in this flavorful brew!!! From a recipe formulation perspective, I made the assumption that sugar represents 8 percent of the weight of the rasberries. So when you see rasberries and only about 1 lb of sugar, understand that represents 8-10 lbs of rasberries.
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pouring
the mashed up barley into hot water to kick off a chemical reaction whereas starches
in the grain are broken down into sugar by naturally occuring enzymes in the barley.