Boots Homebrew

[raymondo]

Looking through a load of old photos and came across this - taken around 1980 I think!

 

[Headlands]

All of my original homebrew equipment came from Boots, probably 1988. I still use the glass sample jar and 2 lever capper.

 

[Tanglefoot]

Look at the size of the FV lurking on the right !




( still using my pair of old brown barrels )

 

[Pavros]

I'm still using my Boots 2 lever capper too. Probably bought it in about 1990.

 

[MmmBeer]

I found my old Boots homebrew kit (also about 1988 vintage) in my parents' attic, when I restarted home brewing a few years back. Didn't want to reuse the FV, but many of the 568 ml bottles were still full of beer, which must have been pretty rank if I chose no to drink it back in my student days.

Have reused the bottles many times, not only are they slightly larger, but also much stronger than normal bottles.

 

[Pavros]

That reminds me that I still have a box of the Boots bottles which I haven't used in years - they were full 1 pint size, none of this 500ml rubbish!

 

[micklupulo]

I too still have a Boots twin lever capper and a thermometer though that is not as accurate as another one I have from the defunct Ansells brewery. In the early 80s Boots introduced a deluxe range of kits with liquid yeast of which the London Bitter and Stout were pretty good or at least an improvement on their other kits!

 

[jof]

I'm still using a big fermenting bin & 2 * 5 gallon wine fermentors circa late '80s
Also like some others, I still have a few of their brown beer bottles in circulation.
I gave the brown pressure barrel away about a year ago, as I prefer to bottle my beer & hadn't used it in 25 years

 

[Jon1964]

Found my old brewing notebook recently, boots budget bitter!!!

God I feel old now

 

[Jon1964]

Just found this
£17.64!!!!!
Just put a Brew into it last week

 

[Jon1964]

Last one I promise, sorry for hijacking thread.

 

[raymondo]

I can remember buying EDME DMS - for partial mash. The other I think was EDME SFX?? Can't remember the difference.
I imagine all the replies to this thread have come from brewers over the age of 60!

 

[Jon1964]

I can remember buying EDME DMS - for partial mash. The other I think was EDME SFX?? Can't remember the difference.
I imagine all the replies to this thread have come from brewers over the age of 60!

I`m 56 !!!!
Started young me !!

 

[An Ankoù]

Look at the size of the FV lurking on the right !




( still using my pair of old brown barrels )

Me too, I've got 5 of them although two are white. They're still going strong.

 

[An Ankoù]

I can remember buying EDME DMS - for partial mash. The other I think was EDME SFX?? Can't remember the difference.
I imagine all the replies to this thread have come from brewers over the age of 60!

DMS was diastatic malt syrup and the other one, I think, was Super Flavex, which was richer and darker. I don't recall whether it was diastatic.

 

[Sandimas]

I`m 56 !!!!
Started young me !!

I'm 55.

A couple of us bought Boots kits when we were at school and did them in my mates mum's airing cupboard around 1980. The school cross country route went near to his house so we'd take a short cut, pop in for a beer, then run back. Happy days, after that didn't return to home brewing until 2011.

 

[Rodcx500z]

I remember doing a few boots brews late 70s early 80s, binned everyone, glad i came back though

 

[Clint]

My first Hb was Boots...bitter and continental lager,along with some John Bull cider. That was made at a mates house and was when we were about 15,I'm 52 now. The beer actually turned out very good. I remember the lager being crystal clear and fizzy! We didn't half get pissed up on it! Used to take it fishing and have a great time.

 

[VW911]

Got loads of old Boots gear - mostly passed down from my late father.
Got a really weird hydrometer-like contraption at work that a customer brought in. Looks like a huge turkey baster, with a (sadly missing) hydrometer inside. I'll try and get a picture tomorrow...

 

[raymondo]

Got loads of old Boots gear - mostly passed down from my late father.
Got a really weird hydrometer-like contraption at work that a customer brought in. Looks like a huge turkey baster, with a (sadly missing) hydrometer inside. I'll try and get a picture tomorrow...

Sounds like a Loxford Wine and Beer tester - I've got 2 - use them all the time - in a long orange box.