That's the typical reaction when people find out Cal State Fullerton student Roy Angle brews his own beer. He's not talking about making Budweiser or Miller, or making moonshine in the bathtub. Angle's brews are authentic handcrafted ales and stouts made from scratch using barley malts, hops, water, and yeast. It's an unusual hobby, but more people are getting involved now that microbrews are becoming more popular, and it's not too difficult.
Water is boiled, and then malts and hops are added.
After about an hour, the brew, now called wort, is chilled and put in the fermentation container before yeast is added and the fermentation container is sealed. After two weeks of fermentation, the mixture is then transferred to a sanitized bottling bucket and bottled. The bottles will condition and carbonate for two more weeks before being ready to drink. Fermentation occurs when the yeast eats the sugars that are extracted from the grains during the boiling process, producing carbon dioxide and alcohol. The hops and malt give the beer its flavor.