Extract brewing could be considered as the next step from using beer kits. The most simple extract brewing uses malt extract (liquid or dried) disolved in hot water before bringing to the boil and adding hops. More character can be given by the addition of some grains, such as caramel malts, like crystal malt, or roasted malts, like black malt. These can be steeped in the brewing liquor at around 70 degrees C for about half an hour before boiling with the hops. The speciality grains can be sieved out before boiling or, more easily, lifted out if you have held them in a grain bag, which is a bit like a large spice bag, easy made from a square of muslin.

Hops are added to the boiling sugary liquid that we call wort (pronounced: wert) and boiled for an hour to an hour and a half. To help the clarity of the beer, copper finings are added about 15 minutes before the end of the boil. These help coagulate proteins. Copper finings include: Irish moss and Protafloc