More and more suds sippers ire learning that it's possible to make top-quality beer for less with ...

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Within 24 hours the beer should begin to bubble actively, and a cap of solids should form on the surface. When the

cap falls-some two to lour days alter brewingit's time to move to the secondary fermentor. Sterilize both the container and your siphon, and transfer the brew from the first vat to its second resting place. (Be careful to keep the siphon end off the bottom of the primary container . . . to avoid picking up sediments that have fallen to the bottom.) ', Stick a sterilized air lock info the neck of the fermentor, and set the assembly back in the dark corner.

While the beer works, keep an eye on the bubbling in the air lock to monitor the gradually decreasing fermentation activity. Once the bubbles have nearly stoppedbetween 1 and 2 weeks after brewingyou're ready to bottle. (You can confirm the completion of fermentation by measuring the brew's specific gravity. A reading of 1.010 to 1.012 is appropriate for this recipe.)

Siphon the beer back into the resterilized primary fermentor-again being careful to avoid picking up sedimentand boil 314 cup of corn sugar in two cups of water. When the sweetener has dissolved, mix the sugar/water solution into the beer ... it will provide just enough added food for the yeast to produce a nice bubbly brew when uncapped. You'll need between 48 and 54 twelveounce bottles to hold the contents of the fermentor, and you should leave about 1-1f2 inches of air space in each one.

Once you've capped the bottles, slip them back into the dark corner and resist temptation for at least three weeks: The longer the aging, the better the beer will taste. Your homebrew should be consumed from a glass . .. and when it's poured, it should be done in one gradual swing to avoid stirring up the sediments on the bottle's bottom. Other than faking that bit of care, there's nothing left to do but enjoy your masterpiece!

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