- Full volume boils - Boiling the full volume of water reduces caramilization (prevents darker beer), improves hop utilization, and decreases the chance of contamination compared to adding water later.
- Use good water - Have your water checked out to be sure it's suitable for brewing. If not, you can always buy 5 gallon jugs of spring water from the grocery store.
- Late addition extract - Adding extract late prevents the sugar from caramilizing which may not be desirable for lighter style beers. Add it late enough to sterilize.. normally 15 minutes from the end of the boil.
- Play with specialty grains - Add color, body, taste and aroma to your beer by steeping specialty grains for 20 minutes while the water is heating up.
- Create your own recipes - We brewed on kits for a very long time and while they're great, it's also fun to create your own recipes as well. Start thinking about combinations of ingredients to try. Use dry malt extract to get used to a "base flavor" and play with different hop and yeast combinations!
