Brewing Newbie - Help Needed

[MikeAdz]

Hi all, I hope this is in the right forum! I am just starting out with Home Brewing and would love it if I can explain what I am doing, and the community here can tell me what I am doing right/wrong before I make any big mistakes I have been reading and researching for hours and hours and feel like I am almost set, but thought it would be good to run it past you experts ......

So, I am building a home bar and a Kegerator, I plan to use Cornelius kegs for this and a double faucet (as I want to have one Stout and one Cider). I also want to use Beer Gas (Nitro/CO2 Gas) as I want my stout to be in the Guinness style. I have read that this gas will also be fine for dispensing the cider, so please correct me if that is wrong, otherwise I will have to run a CO2 tank too.

As far as brewing I am thinking of doing my first almost "practice" brew of cider and buying this..
https://brew2bottle.co.uk/products/...rter-kit-vented-barrel?variant=16866833498227
I am a little confused with the brewing process, I know you do it in the fermentation bucket, but do you then transfer it to the barrel and brew more, before then putting it in bottles/cornelius keg?

The cider I want to make is this one..
https://brew2bottle.co.uk/products/youngs-premium-40-pint-cider-kit-raspberry-mango

I guess that's it really? I figure that if I buy the above kit I can also use that to brew my stout when ready?

thanks for reading and thanks in advance for any advice given!

 

[SmallSpacesBrewing]

Hi all, I hope this is in the right forum! I am just starting out with Home Brewing and would love it if I can explain what I am doing, and the community here can tell me what I am doing right/wrong before I make any big mistakes I have been reading and researching for hours and hours and feel like I am almost set, but thought it would be good to run it past you experts ......

So, I am building a home bar and a Kegerator, I plan to use Cornelius kegs for this and a double faucet (as I want to have one Stout and one Cider). I also want to use Beer Gas (Nitro/CO2 Gas) as I want my stout to be in the Guinness style. I have read that this gas will also be fine for dispensing the cider, so please correct me if that is wrong, otherwise I will have to run a CO2 tank too.

As far as brewing I am thinking of doing my first almost "practice" brew of cider and buying this..
https://brew2bottle.co.uk/products/...rter-kit-vented-barrel?variant=16866833498227
I am a little confused with the brewing process, I know you do it in the fermentation bucket, but do you then transfer it to the barrel and brew more, before then putting it in bottles/cornelius keg?

The cider I want to make is this one..
https://brew2bottle.co.uk/products/youngs-premium-40-pint-cider-kit-raspberry-mango

I guess that's it really? I figure that if I buy the above kit I can also use that to brew my stout when ready?

thanks for reading and thanks in advance for any advice given!

Hi. You ferment in the bucket and rack to the barrel. You do this to: 1. get the finished beer of the yeast cake and 2. It's always nice to have two buckets so you can bulk prime before bottling. I think this is a pressure barrel made so you can dispense from it. If you are kegging all you really need is one bucket. You ferment and after ca 14 days you transfer to Cornelius and force carbonate. You can either do this with time and let the beer carbonate for 1-2 weeks at you're desired co2 lvl or you can make it faster by upping the gas and shaking the Cornelius. This is not a good way because you can easily overcarbonate.
Your setup sounds sweet. Good luck to you.

 

[MikeAdz]

thanks for the reply! what does "rack to the barrel" mean and consist of?

 

[SmallSpacesBrewing]

thanks for the reply! what does "rack to the barrel" mean and consist of?

Hi,
Racking just means moving the beer from one bucket to another. We do this to get the beer of the yeast cake. (a bottom layer of spent yeast that falls to the bottom of the bucket after eating up the sugar in the wort) Also to bulk prime the finished beer before bottling ( bulk priming is adding all the sugar for carbonating your beer in a the priming bucket before bottling) you don't need to do this bit in find it easier than adding a spoon of sugar to each bottle. Also it's easier to get the measurements right, same in all the beer. I use about 6g per liter.

 

[MikeAdz]

Ah I see! How do you rack the beer? is there a special tool needed for that, is it like filtering it?

 

[terrym]

If it's beer you intend to brew why not start with a beer kit rather than cider, since they tend to deliver a better product imo? And if you want to brew a stout try a Coopers stout kit, although there are others. But if you buy a one can kit (Coopers, Wilko etc) use 500g spray malt, and 500g brewing sugar, rather than 1 kg brewing sugar if thats what the instructions advise.
And you might also find this useful
Basic beginners guide to brewing your own beer from a kit - The HomeBrew Forum
And no special filter is need to separate the yeasty trub at the bottom of the FV from the beer above it, just time gravity and patience. And to separate the two layers you just siphon off the liquid or run it off via a tap.

 

[MikeAdz]

I am doing cider first as the other half will drink it, hopefully be so impressed that I am then encouraged to go on lol that's my master plan.

Another question, once fermented and transferred to the keg, how long is it good for until it goes bad?

 

[SmallSpacesBrewing]

Ah I see! How do you rack the beer? is there a special tool needed for that, is it like filtering it?

Just use a siphon.


Check out Craig tube on YouTube and other videos. There is a lot of information out there. Brewing is an art after all. You still have a lot to learn. Start with a kit. Something easy like a coopers. Add spray malt, not sugar for better end product.

 

[MikeAdz]

when they say "oxygen is the enemy of beer" does the same apply to cider brews?

 

[terrym]

Another question, once fermented and transferred to the keg, how long is it good for until it goes bad?

If you have transferred beer from the FV to the keg (or bottles) using clean sanitised equipment and you have tried your best- within reason - to avoid splashing and pick up of oxygen which can spoil your beer, the finished product should be good for many weeks, even months. And I have made turbo cider (from supermarket apple juice) and that actually improves with time.
The only other reason beer goes 'bad' is if you pick up an infection, which is unlikely if you have used clean sanitised equipment and kept the fermentation process enclosed.

 

[SmallSpacesBrewing]

when they say "oxygen is the enemy of beer" does the same apply to cider brews?

The funny thing is that its good to shake the wort before fermentation, adding oxigen to it for the yeast to have a healthier start.

 

[Hazelwood Brewery]

I am a little confused with the brewing process, I know you do it in the fermentation bucket, but do you then transfer it to the barrel and brew more, before then putting it in bottles/cornelius keg?

The cider kit comes with instructions, the cider is fermented in the bucket. Follow your instructions to step 7 inclusive.

If you’re bottling, then follow steps 8 and 9.
OR
If you’re kegging and using secondary fermentation to carbonate your cider, skip steps 8 and 9, follow step 10.

If you want to put your cider in a corny keg you can in theory syphon the fermented cider into the corny key (skipping 8, 9 and 10) and carbonate right away using bottled gas. However, you may get a cleaner cider doing the kegging step above, leaving it for a couple of weeks for any sediment to settle out, and then transferring to your corny keg.

PS Remember to add your flavour sachet as you bottle or keg!