Brewing noob

[Paul Roberts]

Hi I am looking at starting to homebrew and confused about what kit I need. I think initially a 5 gallon kit will be too big.
Was thinking about a 1 gallon or 2 gallon kit.

My question is could I ferment 1 gallon in a 2 gallon container or would this cause problems?

Also any pointers on what basic equipment is a must have

Thanks

 

[cushyno]

Hi Paul, what are you looking to brew? I assume you're looking for a small kit to get you started.

Most beer brewing kit tends to be sold for doing 5 gallon batches, though I believe there are 2.5 gallon kits on the shelves of some stores.

5 gallons seems like a lot of beer, but by the time you've tasted a few samples and let it condition, offered a couple of bottles to friends and family, it soon disappears.

1 gallon batches are ok for experimental purposes if you're doing extract or all grain, but it's just as much effort to make 1 gallon as it is to make 5 gallons.

Having said all this, to answery question, it is fine to ferment 1 gal in a 2 gal fermenter (FV), as the co2 created will displace any oxygen in the vessel. I have brewed a 3 gallon batch in a 5 gallon FV just fine.

If you want to start with brewing off the shelf kits (cans or sachets of liquid malt extract and a sachet of yeast) I've only seen 5 gal for sale, but I think some shops do 2.5 gal.

5 gallon is the way to go!

You'll need:

• Fermenting vessel/bin/bucket
• Airlock
• Brewing Hydrometer
• Brewing Thermometer
• Long handled spoon or paddle (plastic or stainless steel)
• A length of tube to Syphon with a sediment trap
• Some bottles or a pressure barrel to store beer in. Start with bottles, which can be glass or brown plastic.
• Bottle capper if you have glass bottles
• Bottle caps

I've probably missed something here, no doubt others will remind me.

Why not buy Greg Hughes "Home Brew Beer" book too. It's a good all round book to start with and has lots of tried and tested recipes.

 

[Banbeer]

I've probably missed something here, no doubt others will remind me.

Cleaning/sanitising equipment is important also
Spare pair of hands
Patience

Also make notes of the brews you make as little differences could make it taste/carb/ferment better

Have fun and happy brewing.

 

[terrym]

Most made up beer kits are for 23litres/5 Imp galls so if you are restricting yourself to 5 or 10 litre brews the number of made up kits are quite restricted as far as I am aware, and litre per litre your beer will work out more expensive than for larger volumes. However if you cut out kits altogether you can buy the basic ingredients and go from there but that involves mashing grain perhaps (unless you use malt extract alone) but certainly boiling wort with hops, however you can then brew small volumes of your own choosing. But compared to kit brewing more equipment is needed.
My suggestion is to research what kits are available at the 5 and 10 litre size and if you dont like what you see you will have to go the complete brewing route if you still want to stay at 5/10 litres. But if you change your mind and go for larger brew volumes there are many 23 litre kits beer kits about and you can always move on to extract or all grain brewing with its many different methods later on.
In the end its your choice of course but in the meantime you might find this useful with some pointers on basic stuff you will need to start brewing
https://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/threads/basic-beginners-guide-to-brewing-your-own-beer-from-a-kit.57526/