The Complete Timeline

Gather all your ingredients and equipment:

• Grains (or a pre-made kit)
• Hops
• Yeast (store in fridge)
• Spices for your tincture
• Vodka for tincture
• Any equipment you don't have
• Star San or other sanitizer

Online homebrew shops often have 1-gallon ingredient kits that make this even easier.

The tincture needs time to extract the spice flavors:

1. Prep spices (break cinnamon, grate nutmeg, crush allspice)
2. Add to small jar
3. Pour 4 oz vodka over spices
4. Seal tightly
5. Store in cool, dark place
6. Shake once daily

Minimum 3 days, but 5-7 is better for fuller extraction.

• Clean all your equipment
• Take yeast out of fridge (let it warm to room temp)
• Measure and weigh ingredients if not pre-measured
• Make sure you have ice for the ice bath
• Clear your schedule for tomorrow

The main event. About 3-4 hours of active work:

1. Setup: 15 min — Gather equipment, heat water
2. Mash: 60 min — Grains steep in hot water
3. Drain & Sparge: 15 min — Remove grain bag
4. Boil: 60 min — Add hops, sterilize wort
5. Chill: 30 min — Cool to yeast-pitching temp
6. Pitch: 10 min — Transfer to fermenter, add yeast
7. Cleanup: 20 min — Wash everything

Watch for signs of life:

• Bubbles in the airlock (usually starts within 24-48 hours)
• Foam forming on top of the beer (called "krausen")
• Possible gurgling or hissing sounds

The yeast is working hard:

• Lots of airlock activity (bubbling every few seconds)
• Thick foam layer on top
• Beer looks cloudy and active
• Might smell a bit funky (sulfur, bread dough) — this is normal

Your job: Leave it alone. Keep it at a stable temperature. Resist the urge to open it.

Fermentation is mostly done, but conditioning continues:

• Airlock activity slows significantly
• Krausen (foam) falls back into the beer
• Beer starts to clear slightly
• Yeast settles to the bottom

This "conditioning" phase lets the yeast clean up off-flavors. Don't rush it.

If you want to confirm fermentation is complete:

1. Sanitize your hydrometer and test jar
2. Pull a small sample (use a sanitized wine thief or turkey baster)
3. Take a gravity reading
4. Wait 2 days, take another reading
5. If both readings are the same, fermentation is done

Expected Final Gravity: 1.010-1.016

Another hands-on day (about 1-2 hours):

1. Strain your tincture through coffee filter
2. Taste the base beer — pull a 4 oz sample
3. Add tincture drop by drop until it tastes right
4. Scale up — calculate how much for the full batch
5. Add tincture to fermenter and gently stir
6. Prepare priming sugar — boil in small amount of water
7. Bottle the beer — siphon into sanitized bottles
8. Cap the bottles

The yeast eats the priming sugar and creates CO2:

• Store bottles at room temperature (65-75°F / 18-24°C)
• Keep them somewhere dark
• Don't chill yet — cold yeast won't carbonate
• You might see slight sediment forming at the bottom

Resist the urge to open one. Patience pays off.

Can't wait? Test one bottle:

1. Chill a single bottle for 24 hours
2. Open carefully over a sink
3. Listen for that satisfying "psssht"
4. Pour gently, leaving sediment behind
5. Taste and assess carbonation level

Under-carbonated? Give the rest more time. Flat? Check that your bottles are sealing properly.

Your beer is ready! Here's how to enjoy it:

1. Chill: Refrigerate for at least 24 hours
2. Pour carefully: Leave the sediment in the bottle
3. Serve around 50°F: Slightly warmer than fridge temp lets flavors shine
4. Use a proper glass: Tulip, goblet, or pint glass work great