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Howdy folks. Looking for advice from people with more experience/better setups than me :smile: This is my current setup, about as spartan as can be, mash tun knocked together out of 2 wilkos ferm bins, some insulation and a ball valve... and boiler is a standard peco bin with a big element in...

Congrats! Nice looking recipe too, I've just had some extra dark crystal delivered so may have to try something similar... American amber/reds for the win :thumb:

Very helpful! *moves primary vessels into the shed* :grin:

Young's 23l fermentation bins are airtight, I whack all my open bags of malt in a couple of those, one for light malts and one for dark.

Always started with mouth, never had a problem. Swill with mouthwash for safe measure (or vodka! I brew early in the morning though, so tend to opt for mouthwash :()

If you search for gash slugg's youtube video on yeast rinsing, that's a pretty straightforward method. Pretty much what I do. Means I only have to buy a pack of yeast every six brews or so

Recognise the colours... Fuzzy duck Brewery I think? They don't split, the sectioned look is just the outer panels, the inner is one piece. Pry the shieve and keystone out and go at it with a pressure washer I'd say. Then sanitize. (alternatively if you're friendly with a local Brewery you could...

I use a big square of nylon, as is. No stitching, less to go wrong :) bungee cord around boiler to keep the edges in place, tucked in. Gives malt optimum space during mash. Bungee off after mash, gather corners, dunk sparge like a massive tea bag. My original square lasted nearly 18 months! Not...

Welcome to the wonderful world of all grain! It's all downhill from here :) sounds like a very straightforward first brew, certainly less fraught than mine was anyway lol

I use a sterilised wine thief. Can just drop the sample straight back in after taking reading

Smell issues avoided by brewing in the Garden (plus I work shifts, so I just brew in the mornings when she's at work). Most of my brewing equipment fits neatly in the cupboard under the stairs, and my demijohns and bottles (about 100 of each, wine and beer) are stacked up in the attic. So that's...

...yep, £25 for wilko barrel, £19 for s30 cap = £44. KK top tap = £48 on amazon. For roughly the price of a pint.... they are a lot sturdier in construction too, and when you're lugging 5 gallons of liquid about, knocks do occur (they certainly do when I'm doing it anyway :D)

+1 for the KK top tap. The wider cap is very useful for getting your arm in for proper cleaning, and when I got mine (LHBS) I could upgrade to the S30 cap for just a couple of quid (which you'll need, particularly with a top tap. Messing about with little co2 bulbs is a PITA). Budget ones...

I've found this to be the case too.. put it down to lack of excessive additives/preservatives etc in home brew (less for your system to fight through = quicker and easier absorption = more drunk) That said, one does plough through beer made to personal taste (and for practically nothing)...

Not bad going considering we've only just hit April! :grin:

After a bit of a dip in productivity around Christmas I've recently gone part-time at work, so with the added free time (and the fact that I now genuinely can't afford to buy commercial beer lol) I've gone a bit mental, brewing once a week! So far this year, (mostly in the last month or so)...

Drink better, drink less, spend practically nothing, feel smug about your creative genius, lose weight from avoiding dodgy extra sugars and additives, and stay fit from lugging sacks of grain and 5 gallon kegs around all the time. Why WOULDN'T you brew beer? :grin:

Ditto. Except I use those little plastic reseal caps (also Starsanned) so they're literally airtight once sanitised. Bottling day comes; yank the bottle crates out, reseals off, shake out excess, fill with little bottler, cap, back in crates, done. Barely more than half an hour for a 40 pint...

Lid slightly loosened at one side will be fine to stop too much air transit, as aforementioned. I use airlocks full of cheap vodka, but then I'm a) newly converted from winemaking and b) hygienic to the point of insanity

If from wilkos, it'll be an airtight one aye. Little ridges round the rim of the lid for strengthening etc. good sturdy things, use em for grain storage, practically vacuum packs the stuff, which is useful if you're buying 25kg a time:grin: