Basic Brewing Kit

[UKSkydiver]

Yeah - that's the bunny....

But you could buy the tap and the wand separately (they do fit together) and fit on to your FV and not bother with the bottling bucket.

But you will prob end up with multiples of stuff anyway....

Point is, as mentioned, you can get away with FV (+tap), spoon, thermometer, hydrometer, wand and capper.

Up to you how much you wan to add to that list

 

[ScrumpyRam]

Thanks for the replies all, I was thinking of actually bottling it anyway, as if it turns out good (fingers crossed) I would like to give my friend a few bottles. I must admit I'm a bit of a hipster when it comes to drinking, so normally NEIPA's, DIPA's, Impy Stouts, but I pretty much enjoy anything other than mainstream produced lager. Been looking at maybe having the Murtons Flagship Hazy IPA as my first brew, but won't be until next year as I'm in Canada for Christmas.

I can definitely recommend the Flagship range and Hazy IPA is probably my favourite. I've got the Milk Stout kit on the go atm ready for Christmas

 

[Stevieboy]

Tap on the FV is a must! Allows for risk free gravity sampling and easy transfer to bottles. And don't buy a cheap kit for your first brew!

 

[AnimatedGIF]

I am a fan of having a tap on the FV also, as I hate siphoning.

 

[DrunkArchaeologist]

Good advice all, I'll ditch a second FV for a Bottling Bucket and bottle straight from the main FV, how easy is it to prime bottles individually? Also does this look ok for my first FV as it has the Bottling bit attached, just thought it might make it easier, and less bits to buy....
https://www.the-home-brew-shop.co.uk/25-litre-fermentation-vessel-with-bottling-system.html

 

[Stevieboy]

Very easy with a dry funnel , a spoon and a bag of sugar..

 

[fgoulding]

This takes me back to my early days of brewing. So I thought to myself, what would I do differently....

Well, I would start with brewing some English Ales and maybe Irish Stouts to get some experience because my initial NEIPA's and Hazy IPA's were a big disappointment. Especially amongst my expectant friends!

And then for bottling, I would try and find some cheap secondhand crates online and then invest in bottle tree to make cleaning easier:

Also, I wouldn't batch prime because of the risk of oxidisation - especially for NEIPA's. You could use a bag of sugar or those carbonation drops but I found that I couldn't get a regular amount into each bottle. So I used to nab a few extra 2.5g sachets of standard white sugar every time I went for a coffee and used them instead (heresy I know but it works).


And bottling is so much easier as a 2 person activity. I told my wife it would help us to bond and improve our relationship. Unfortunately, she wasn't buying any of it. But if you can rope a mate in then all the better.

So....given my time again, would I change anything else?

No, because it's all part of the rich learning process. Sure, you could buy a cheap pressure fermenter (fermzilla or snub nose) and brew, carbonate and serve all from one device. But I think that you would be missing out on a great experience.

And anyway, you'll need some new kit for your partner to buy you the following Christmas ;-)