Step 1

 Clean all the equipment to be used for the brewing. Wash the brewpot and fermenter with some automatic dish washing detergent (warning remove all soap residue).Then sanitize the equipment with a clorine solution. 1-2 ounces chlorine bleach to 5 gallons cold water is sufficient. rinse well. 

Step 2

Using your brew pot bring 6 gallons of water to 150°. This is my setup for doing this.

..and with the pot.

Step 3

Now put your steeping grains in and reduce heat. keep at approximately 150° for 30 minutes. 

Steeping grains I generally use is 1 pound of caramel or carapils malt. Steeping grains are a bit like a tea bag.They are there to add some flavor and then are discarded. They add flavor to the brew not found with extract alone. Steeping at 150 allows amylase enzyme to convert any usable starch to sugar. It is also acceptable to put them in the pot until it boils without holding at 150 but I prefer to go to the extra trouble. 

The steeping grains go in a mesh bag to allow easy removal later

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Step 4

Take out grains, bring pot to boil. When boil is rolling add extract and bittering hops. Bittering hops are to provide the bitter counterpoint to the sweet malt and are generally added for the entire boil.

Step 5

boil for 60 minutes. In last 15 minutes add the clean cooling coil. in last 5 to 10 minutes add finishing hops.

The cooling coil is a long coiled length of copper tubing that cold water is circulated through. It cools the wort quickly but doesn't dilute it. It is important to chill the wort quickly to prevent formation of off flavors.

Finishing hops add aroma to the brew. don't cook them to long or you will have only added bittering not aroma.

 

Step 6

turn off heat. turn on garden hose to circulate through cooling coil. 20 minutes later wort will be at 80°

 

Step 7
Once cooled use a strainer and a funnel to pour wort into  a glass carboy. a lot of spent hops and break will be left in strainer.  Hops are bad for dogs to eat. so discard safely.

pictured below is strainer, spent hops and carboy.

Note: it is important not to aerate hot wort but it is good for cold wort.

Step 8

Add yeast and put fermentatiion lock on vessel. Leave to ferment for 1-2 weeks at about 70°F

Next Up: Bottling