This article is from the rec.food.drink.beer FAQ, by John Lock with numerous contributions by others.
Making your own can range from quite easy to very complicated
depending on how much of the science you want to absorb. At its most
basic, you can make beer following these steps:
1. Mix together malted barley extract, hops, and water and boil to
produce what is called the wort.
2. The wort is cooled, placed in a fermenter and yeast is added.
Fermentation will take place converting the sugars in the wort to
carbon dioxide (which is vented out) and alcohol.
3. When fermentation is complete, the new beer is mixed with a small
amount of primer (made from malt extract or corn sugar) and
placed in sealed bottles or kegs. The primer will provide just
enough additional fermentation to carbonate the beer.
4. Wait until the beer has properly aged and drink! The aging time
depends on beer style and can range anywhere from 2 weeks to 1
year.
For further details, subscribe to rec.crafts.brewing and lurk for a
while.
 
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