Hamilton Creek Brewery

Brew Your Own ("BYO")

LOG IN TO BYO SITE

Do you like beer and want to make your own?

If you are looking to brew your own beer without all the concerns over material, equipment and (some measure of) know-how, then this setup is for you. The HCB BYO Process takes all the guesswork out of homebrewing and replaces it with one hell of a good time.

To get started, follow the link to log into the site

The Hamilton Creek Brewery Brew Your Own ("BYO") Process

Setting it up
  • Before you reserve your spot, give some thought to what kind of beer you want to brew. You can choose from any of the regular beers we brew at HCB, or work with one of us on a specific recipe. If you have no idea, don't sweat it - we can come up with something when you arrive.
  • Make your reservation. You can do this on this BYO site (log in first), or by contacting one of the brew crew. If setting this up from the site (highly encouraged), be sure to indicate the intended style of your beer in the Notes section.
The Brewday
What to Bring: Not much, really. Just wear some comfortable clothes, and be ready to work. We usually get some food, but if there is something specific you want, you should bring it with you.

THE BREW PROCESS
  1. Recipe: When you arrive, we will review the recipe and material required (10-15 min)
  2. Grind: Head up to the grain room where you will weight out your grain and grind it up. (15 min)
  3. Mash In: Mash in your grist with water (20 min)
  4. Mash: Allow the mash to rest according to your mash/recipe schedule. This downtime might be a good time to sample some of the HCB Brews. But not too many -- there is more work to do! (60-90 min)
  5. Sparge: After the rest, collect your wort and sparge the grains (20-30 min)
  6. Boil: Boil the wort in the kettle. This is where you will need to keep an eye on the brew - no boilovers! Additionally, you will be keeping track of your hop schedule. You will weigh out your hops and add them as prescribed. (60 min)
  7. Chill: When the boil is done, you will push the wort through the heat exchanger into the fermentation vessels. (15 min)
  8. Pitch Yeast: After we aerate the wort, you will pitch the yeast. (5 min)
  9. Relax: You are done.
Your beer will begin fermenting within 24 hours. After 7-10 days, fermentation will be complete. We will transfer the beer to a secondary vessel at that point. You will be drinking the fruits of your labors in two short weeks. For now though (as Papazian would say), "Relax, don't worry, enjoy a homebrew".


Picking up your Beer
We will contact you to schedule your bottling session. This process takes about 60-90 minutes and can occur at anytime after fermentation is complete. You are responsible for providing the containers for your beer. Five gallons requires about 53 12-ounce bottles. You have a few options when it comes to bottling/kegging. We will discuss your options in this regard during your brewday