10 Common Homebrewing Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
Homebrewing is a fun and rewarding hobby, but it can feel a bit tricky at the start. Our story at Learning to Homebrew began with a lot of trial and error, like many new brewers experience. Along the way, we noticed a few common mistakes that can affect your final beer—but the good news is that they’re easy to avoid with a little know-how.1. Not Cleaning Properly
One of the biggest mistakes is not cleaning your equipment before brewing. Even a little dirt or residue can mess up your beer. Make it a habit to clean and sanitize everything that touches your brew.
2. Skipping the Sanitizing Step
Cleaning isn’t the same as sanitizing. Cleaning removes gunk, but sanitizing kills unseen germs. If you skip this, you risk infecting your beer. Always sanitize just before use.
3. Wrong Fermentation Temperature
Yeast is picky about temperature. If it’s too hot or too cold, your beer might taste weird. Keep it in the right range—usually between 65–75°F unless your recipe says otherwise.
4. Using Old Ingredients
Hops and malt go stale over time. Old ingredients can lead to flat flavors. Check expiration dates and store ingredients in a cool, dry place.
5. Not Measuring Properly
Guessing how much malt or hops to use is risky. Use a scale and follow your recipe closely, especially if you’re just starting out.
6. Bad Bottling Technique
If you add too much sugar when bottling, your beer can end up too fizzy—or even explode. Too little and it’ll be flat. Use a priming sugar calculator to get it right.
7. Rushing the Process
Everyone wants to taste their beer as soon as possible, but patience really pays off. Give your beer enough time to ferment and condition for better taste.
8. Not Taking Notes
It’s hard to remember what worked and what didn’t if you don’t write it down. Keeping a journal helps you improve with every batch.
9. Ignoring Water Quality
Water makes up most of your beer, so bad tap water can mess it up. Use filtered water if your tap water tastes too strong or has a lot of chlorine.
10. Making Big Changes All at Once
Trying five new ingredients in one batch might sound exciting, but if the beer turns out bad, you won’t know what caused it. Change one thing at a time so you can learn what works.
With a bit of care and attention, homebrewing can be a smooth and enjoyable process. Mistakes happen, but each batch is a chance to learn and get even better beer next time. Cheers!