Home Brew

[shaun mc]

Made a cider from a kit and it came out really well - and with alcohol of 5.7%

Didn't use the concentrated apple extract that came with the kit (stinks the house out apparently) and used 3 litres of unsweetened apple juice instead

Can't think that I made any other modifications from the standard instructions

[chuffer]

I've added over the years.

If you're starting from scratch you can get a DIY kit for about 60 quid which will do you a brew but this is very easy brewing. Little more effort than making a cup of tea!

This will do you for a move up to extract although you'd probably want some glass bottles (I keep them) which means you need a few bits and bobs like a capper.

Moving to all-grain is a step up cost wise but if you're handy (I'm not) you can keep it down. I prob spent £200 on a lower market set up to do 5 gallon batches. This gives you a mash tun (basically a modified cooling box), a boiler and a wort chiller to rapidly cool the beer after boiling.

When you've got that, a full set of ingredients to make 5 gallons (25ish litres) can cost as little as £15 - £20.

 

If I got a starter kit like the one in the link below could it still be used as part of the kit if I eventually wanted to move up to all grain, or would it be "start from scratch" thing if I went down that route?

 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Home-Brew-Balliihoo-Complete-Equipment/dp/B001RZYJI6/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1458228318&sr=8-7&keywords=brew+kits

[chuffer]

found this online which might be useful if anyone hasn't seen it:

 

http://www.30draugi.lv/meslaine/How_To_Brew_-_By_John_Palmer.pdf

[Maximus Decimus]

If I got a starter kit like the one in the link below could it still be used as part of the kit if I eventually wanted to move up to all grain, or would it be "start from scratch" thing if I went down that route?

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Home-Brew-Balliihoo-Complete-Equipment/dp/B001RZYJI6/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1458228318&sr=8-7&keywords=brew+kits

You could certainly use a lot of that for all grain. I have that fermenter for my primary ferment.

Using a kit is like starting brewing at step 3 with the first bits done for you. With all grain you do step 1 and 2 yourself but still have to carry on with the rest of the steps in the same way.

[chuffer]

You could certainly use a lot of that for all grain. I have that fermenter for my primary ferment.

Using a kit is like starting brewing at step 3 with the first bits done for you. With all grain you do step 1 and 2 yourself but still have to carry on with the rest of the steps in the same way.

Having read in to it I'm thinking of skipping doing a kit and going in with an extract but obvs I'd need to expand the equipment in that link to include a brewing pot and then think about how/where I'm going to cool the wort!! ...id look to source a particular extract, hops and yeast

[chuffer]

. With all grain you do step 1 and 2 yourself

Have seen some threads on forums and blogs where people have done a cruder method of steps 1 and 2- brew in a bag, have you ever tried that?

[Maximus Decimus]

Have seen some threads on forums and blogs where people have done a cruder method of steps 1 and 2- brew in a bag, have you ever tried that?

As I mentioned earlier I half-heartedly tried a few things a couple of years ago. One of them was a go with brewing in a bag, I ended up with nowhere near enough alcohol content so added brewing sugar. Something went badly wrong because I got shed loads of cold break that never disappeared.

I'd start with extract and just add hops. There's enough to be thinking about for your first time without cutting too many steps out!

I bought a 15 litre brewing pot that I still use to boil water for my all-grain. I've cooled past brews in a vat of cold water in the bath.

You can buy specific recipes for extract online. I made a decent tiger beer once using this pack http://www.brewuk.co.uk/tettnang-tiger-recipe-pack.html it comes with a decent recipe as well as all the ingredients.

[chuffer]

Oh yeh I wasn't going to have a go at touching grains just yet, that's one for further down the line. I was just wondering if people who had tried both thr BIAB method and a full mash method reckoned there was much difference/benefit in opting for the more complex latter

[TheDuke]

I have a full mash set up, its a gravity fed system and I find it easy enough to use

 

I have just had a mis hap with beer and co2, I ended up very wet as did my garage

[chuffer]

I have a full mash set up, its a gravity fed system and I find it easy enough to use

 

 

It it anything like this?

 

http://www.thehomebrewcompany.co.uk/all-grain-starter-pack-for-5-gallon-batches-p-1127.html

[Maximus Decimus]

It it anything like this?

 

http://www.thehomebrewcompany.co.uk/all-grain-starter-pack-for-5-gallon-batches-p-1127.html

 

My set up is very similar to this. 

[chuffer]

I'm looking at purchasing this beginner kit:

 

http://www.thehomebrewcompany.co.uk/superior-beer-cider-starter-kit-includes-33lt-fermenters-p-968.html

 

My b'day is in a couple of mths so will prob ask for gift vouchers to put toward kit. In the meantime I've ordered a 33L brew pot and will purchase a gas burner soon too.....this will enable me to start out on extract but the gear is also large enough for me to step up to BIAB.

 

Looking at the forums, if/when I want to do AG properly, it doesn't look too difficult to build your own Mash Tun out of a Thermos Picnic Box so might have a bash at that eventually.

 

Initially I'll prob try my hand at IPAs but further on down the line I wouldn't mind getting my hands on some recipes that come close to some of my fave beers such as Kernel's Brick Red or Sharp's Wolf Rock Red IPA

[chuffer]

I've got a brewbelt (20 quid) which wraps around the beer and keeps it above a certain temperature.

I've bought one of these brew belts to go with the starter kit...do you use any sort of controller to go with it to avoid overheating?

[Maximus Decimus]

I've bought one of these brew belts to go with the starter kit...do you use any sort of controller to go with it to avoid overheating?

Just regularly check the temp. You control it by moving it up and down the fermenter.

[TheDuke]

Nearing completion with my kegerator unit I am making, P.m me if you want any info  

[chuffer]

Thanks to the Duke for this thread, it's inspired me to get involved and get brewing. I got a Youngs APA kit fermented and bottled some of it for conditioing in the house, the rest is in a pressure barrel in the garage keeping warm using a brew belt. Another couple of weeks and I'll stick the lot in the cold for another fortnight.

 

Already got my next planned - going to do an Ruby Ale extract brew and give it some extra citrus hoppy punch.

[TheDuke]

That's great, if you need any advice just pm me and I will try to assist 

[Maximus Decimus]

I actually brewed last night but it was a bit of a disaster.

I decided to do a recipe from the Brewdog 101 book which only has a very basic outline of ingredients and temperatures so I used an old recipe with amounts of water and times as a guideline.

For some reason I only half read it and forgot to add 9 litres to the mash! I heated some water as quick as I could and placed it in the mash tun but the timings were all over the place.

Part of my problem might have been my rule of drinking home brew while making a brew. Not only did the wort chiller spray water all over the kitchen as I was setting it up but as I was transferring the wort from the boiler to the fermenter the wort sprayed everywhere too. My heavily pregnant wife now claims you can smell it all round the house and isn't best pleased.

On the plus side I have a nice looking and tasting wort at the correct gravity.

[TheDuke]

That part of the joy of it, my system is gravity fed and I do it in the garage so rarely get covered in wort, are you and chuffer the inaugural members of the Widnes Vikings home brew club ?

[Maximus Decimus]

That part of the joy of it, my system is gravity fed and I do it in the garage so rarely get covered in wort, are you and chuffer the inaugural members of the Widnes Vikings home brew club ?

 

 

I'm not familiar with a gravity fed system. I was trying to avoid getting too much cold break in my wort so used a pump to transfer it over to the fermenter. The only problem was the tube slipped out and it went all over the place.

 

My brews can be compared to Widnes, they show such promise before something always goes wrong. At the moment it doesn't appear to be fermenting and I have no idea why as the temperature has been consistently well within the recommended temperature since I pitched the yeast.

 

Are you familiar with yeast starters? I've never got round to doing one I must admit.

[chuffer]

 

Are you familiar with yeast starters? I've never got round to doing one I must admit.

 

I did one for my first kit brew as I'd read you can sometimes get dud packets with kits and a starter's a good way to check if it's ok

 

I just sanitized a pyrex measuring jug, added boiling water and stirred in some sugar, let it cool down to room temp and then added the packet of yeast, covered with cling film and after 30mins it was foaming and churning like a trooper. Just tipped that into the wort and bobs a jobbie....

 

I've also read that (if you're doing extracts or AG) it's better to use DME than sugar as a starter as otherwise the yeast get used to the refined sugar initially and then will be slower to switch to the different sugars in the wort so it's better to get them started off on something they'll be having later on.....dunno if it's true or not though...

[Maximus Decimus]

I did one for my first kit brew as I'd read you can sometimes get dud packets with kits and a starter's a good way to check if it's ok

I just sanitized a pyrex measuring jug, added boiling water and stirred in some sugar, let it cool down to room temp and then added the packet of yeast, covered with cling film and after 30mins it was foaming and churning like a trooper. Just tipped that into the wort and bobs a jobbie....

I've also read that (if you're doing extracts or AG) it's better to use DME than sugar as a starter as otherwise the yeast get used to the refined sugar initially and then will be slower to switch to the different sugars in the wort so it's better to get them started off on something they'll be having later on.....dunno if it's true or not though...

I think because I started with packets I've always seen it as an afterthought. Every time I start brewing I kick myself for not looking into doing it.

[TheDuke]

TBH I have never really looked into the yeast side of things,

 

its an interesting hobbie that you never stop learning at

[Bob8]

I posted about this elsewhere, but a Danish lady friend of mine would actually really appreciate the chance to talk to some of you (if aged between 35-50) about your beer preferences.  It is surprisingly difficult to find people.  Please, drop me a PM and it would be very much appreciated.

[chuffer]

its an interesting hobbie that you never stop learning at

There's so much to get your teeth stuck into from a learning perspective - water chemistry, mash chemistry, grain recipe, all the different hops, the yeast variations, the different brewing techniques ...its like a cross between cooking and a big chemistry set...I have a thirst for knowledge and have even ordered a hop plant to grow in the garden