Best Home Brew Beginners Kit

[Flying_Fox]

https://www.wilko.com/en-uk/woodfordes-real-ale-starter-beer-brewing-kit-20-pints/p/0453206

I saw this and was wondering what you all thought. I don’t have anywhere in my house that’s REALLY warm so this appeals as it says it brews at Room Temperature.

Also if I’ve put this in the wrong place then I do apologise

 

[user 23602]

A lot of the Wilko kits are pretty idiot proof and a good way to get started I found. Also... I was the same as you with regards to temperature, but found that my airing cupboard was perfect with the boiler in it!

 

[Clint]

Wherry isn't a bad pint either...it was my first homebrew. If you decide to go for it let us know and we can help you along...the kit instructions will be all lies!

 

[Flying_Fox]

Wherry isn't a bad pint either...it was my first homebrew. If you decide to go for it let us know and we can help you along...the kit instructions will be all lies!

I will get it, just waiting for a bit further on in the month

 

[PhilBrew]

Hi Flying_Fox

One of the things you should consider about that kit ... not a reason NOT to buy, but you should go into this "with eyes wide open" ... is that it's designed to brew "only" 20 pints at a time, whereas most beer-kit cans are designed to produce 40 pints per brew

Now, so long as you stick to "two-can" kits like Wherry (and the other Woodeford's kits usually available in Wilko, and other kits available elsewhere), and are happy to brew only half of them at a go, then that should be fine. But if you wanted to brew one of the (much wider) range of "kit and kilo" kits, e.g. the Wilko Dark Velvet Stout (link) then the fermenting bin they provide you with in that starter kit wouldn't be big enough to hold it all

Cheers, PhilB

 

[Flying_Fox]

Hi Flying_Fox

One of the things you should consider about that kit ... not a reason NOT to buy, but you should go into this "with eyes wide open" ... is that it's designed to brew "only" 20 pints at a time, whereas most beer-kit cans are designed to produce 40 pints per brew

Now, so long as you stick to "two-can" kits like Wherry (and the other Woodeford's kits usually available in Wilko, and other kits available elsewhere), and are happy to brew only half of them at a go, then that should be fine. But if you wanted to brew one of the (much wider) range of "kit and kilo" kits, e.g. the Wilko Dark Velvet Stout (link) then the fermenting bin they provide you with in that starter kit wouldn't be big enough to hold it all

Cheers, PhilB

Fair do’s, I didn’t think of that. Well I also grow Veg, and last year with my Potatoes I just threw a regular spud in to see if it would grow. This year I went and got proper seed potatoes and did it all properly. I just want to maybe brew a few bits first and then I can always go on to upgrade my kit as I need to

 

[Rodcx500z]

Hi Foxbat I looked at that when I started, but got this instead https://brew2bottle.co.uk/products/...MIhdu17pPi4wIVQbDtCh1KvAtFEAQYASABEgKBXvD_BwE
was a good pint to, its worth the extra for the pb and bigger fv,

 

[Flying_Fox]

Hi Foxbat I looked at that when I started, but got this instead https://brew2bottle.co.uk/products/youngs-micro-brewery-ultimate-starter-kits?utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=google&utm_campaign=Google Shopping&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIhdu17pPi4wIVQbDtCh1KvAtFEAQYASABEgKBXvD_BwE
was a good pint to, its worth the extra for the pb and bigger fv,

A bit out of my price range at the mo

 

[Rodcx500z]

Don,t worry you will soon be buying more i now have 3 fv's 1 pb lots of bottles and a klarstein fullhorn kettle, I only started in may done 6 kits wilko and now planning my 4th ag brew then it's all stop for awhile

 

[Clint]

Description says full size 25 litre bucket....

 

[terrym]

I will get it, just waiting for a bit further on in the month

It's on offer so the price might go back up before you buy.
But be aware that what you don't get however is a hydrometer, a thermometer and a siphon cane/trap to fit on the end of the tube, and an airlock, all of which are more or less essential except for the airlock.

 

[PhilBrew]

Description says full size 25 litre bucket....

... good spot Clint, you're absolutely right ... they must have changed the spec since I saw one of these instore, presumably based on customer feedback (or when they realised it stopped customers from using any of their own-brand kits, since they no longer sell their "two can" kits)

Hi Flying_Fox, ignore me, sorry to have misled.

Cheers, PhilB

 

[Flying_Fox]

It's on offer so the price might go back up before you buy.
But be aware that what you don't get however is a hydrometer, a thermometer and a siphon cane/trap to fit on the end of the tube, and an airlock, all of which are more or less essential except for the airlock.

They won’t set me back much will they? Like with all of those how much am I looking at?

 

[terrym]

They won’t set me back much will they? Like with all of those how much am I looking at?

£10-15 according to what you get and where you get it from. For example I use a digital thermometer off ebay which cost me about £2 and suits me fine, whereas one on-line howebrew shop will sell you something a tad more sophisticated for nearer £20. On so it goes on.

 

[Rodcx500z]

Terry is right you don't need fancy stuff to do a brew, hydrometer, I used the stick on temp gauges on my fv when I started, bottles any pet bottles that have had fizz in them clean em and sanitize them if they are clear one's keep them away from sunlight, wilko fv 10 quid, or I have one of these https://www.wilko.com/en-uk/wilko-wide-neck-fermentation-vessel-25l/p/0075885 which I love, and these 3 quid,all told I would say for 40 quid including a beer kit you could do a brew, 2 of these https://www.wilko.com/en-uk/wilko-airlock-rubber-bung-set-2pk/p/0240201, you can use the kit over and over again

 

[Flying_Fox]

“Full size bucket (25 litre) style fermenter, 20 pint Woodfordes beer mix can (1.5kg e), 23 x 500ml plastic beer bottles, Syphon tube, Stirrer, 50g steriliser powder and Yeast sachet”

So I’d just need a thermometer really don’t I for my first time?

 

[terrym]

“Full size bucket (25 litre) style fermenter, 20 pint Woodfordes beer mix can (1.5kg e), 23 x 500ml plastic beer bottles, Syphon tube, Stirrer, 50g steriliser powder and Yeast sachet”

So I’d just need a thermometer really don’t I for my first time?

No. You really need a hydrometer as well imo, and a siphon cane to make siphoning much easier.
The bottom line to all this is that the package you are looking at will enable you to produce beer. But it has been cut to the barest minimum to keep the cost down and get the punters in. By adding a few relatively inexpensive extras like a hydrometer and a thermometer you take some control over the brewing process which is really necessary if you are serious about pursuing the hobby from the outset.
So you can still make decent beer without spending a small fortune, as do I, but there really is a minimum outlay of cost and kit to get you going. The package and the extras mentioned above are really that minimum.

 

[PhilBrew]

Hi FF

Siphon with racking cane and trap to fit on the end of the tube, and tap at the other end - £3.20 (link)
Thermometer - £2.50 (link)
Hydrometer - £3.50 (link)
and if/when you decide you don't want to drop your hydrometer into your FV and get on your knees to read it ... Trial Jar - £2.75 (link)

... but then if you're basically giving us the Mick Hucknall speech (money's too tight to mention ) ... then I'll disagree with Terry (for now) and remind us all that brewers have been brewing for thousands of years before the thermometer and (much later) hydrometer were invented ... and there's no reason why you couldn't get by with just that basic kit.

Without the thermometer, you'll need to find somehewhere in your house that maintains a consistent comfortable temperature for your yeast, basically somewhere you'd be comfortable sitting in t-shirt and shorts for a few hours ... not toasty warm like in a hospital/care-home, not so cool as you'd be reaching for a jumper after half an hour ... then the other time you'd use your theremometer would be checking you won't cook your yeast when you pitch them into your brew, and to make sure you won't do that you need to make sure you don't put any more than 2 lts of hot water into that FV when mixing up the can contents, with all the rest being as cold as you can get it from your tap.

Without a hydrometer ... like Clint says ...

If you decide to go for it let us know and we can help you along...the kit instructions will be all lies!

... and especially DON'T follow any instruction that say anything like "after four days siphon into bottles" ... you're going to leave that beer fermenting for at least two weeks.

And without the racking cane, and the siphon with the tap ... be prepared to spill a LOT of beer

Cheers, PhilB

 

[Flying_Fox]

... but then if you're basically giving us the Mick Hucknall speech (money's too tight to mention ) ... then I'll disagree with Terry (for now) and remind us all that brewers have been brewing for thousands of years before the thermometer and (much later) hydrometer were invented ... and there's no reason why you couldn't get by with just that basic kit.

Well I’ve not long lost my job. I have some money but not for a lot of expensive kit etc. I shouldn’t really be looking at all of this but my
mate took me down to the Sadlers brewery and it’s reignited my want to brew my own stuff

Siphon with racking cane and trap to fit on the end of the tube, and tap at the other end - £3.20 (link)
Thermometer - £2.50 (link)
Hydrometer - £3.50 (link)
and if/when you decide you don't want to drop your hydrometer into your FV and get on your knees to read it ... Trial Jar - £2.75 (link)

I can probably pick up these too. It’s just for now I want to start with the basics and work my way up

 

[terrym]

It’s just for now I want to start with the basics and work my way up

When you do decide to get going, or even before, this may help....
https://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/...de-to-brewing-your-own-beer-from-a-kit.57526/

And you don't need a trial jar. Dunk the sanitised hydrometer into the beer in the FV and take a reading. It's good enough, I've been doing it that way for 50 years.