College Brewing Newbie

[duncumb.fc]

Well the title suggests most of it!
I'm a student going off to college (for all intents and purposes, think University there), and I've been an avid beer drinker for the past 3 or so years. Mainly through supermarket beers, and through the local pub which tends to have nice beers from (mainly) the local area. I like a good malty beer, with my favourites being Theakston's Old Peculiar and Wychwood's Hobgoblin (and King goblin etc). However I also like Fuller's Honey Dew, which is very tasty in the summer months!
Since I'm a student going off to college, the idea of 30p a pint sounds perfect, so I set off to Wilko's this morning and bought myself a Young's Brewbuddy Bitter, with extra free refill thingy! So I have 80 pints and a fermentation bucket. I'm also on the lookout for a cheap pressure keg. (Having 40 bottles seems a little excessive, though maybe there's something I'm missing!)

So, that's my spiel over, in short... I'm poor, love beer, and am setting off on this journey, hopefully with the help of you beer making gurus!

Fraser :

 

[StrangeBrew]

Welcome to the forum...

Plenty of basic 5 gallon barrels with a Co2 cap online around 30 quid...

Wilkinson's do a barrel without pressure cap for £21 but their separately sold pressure cap is really dear ... online a Co2 cap is under a tenner...

:

 

[Moley]

(Having 40 bottles seems a little excessive, though maybe there's something I'm missing!)

I would be seriously worried if I was down to my last 40 bottles.

A capper will cost you a tenner, a bag of crown caps for around £1.50, but bottles are free and bottle is best. You can also re-use screw-topped plastic pop bottles, but store them in a cardboard box or somewhere dark.
Welcome to the forum :

Where are you going and what are you studying?

 

[graysalchemy]

Welcome to the forum :thumb: :thumb: I wish I had brewed when I was at uni but there again I would have ended up in my room drinking beer instead of going out :hmm: :hmm:

 

[HLA91]

Welcome to the forum.

 

[duncumb.fc]

I'm going to West Dean College to do Stringed Instrument Making, I.E. I rub pieces of wood until they become violins and viols, and make a nasty sound! (In the case of the viol at least!)

Maybe bottles are the way to go, I'm trying to do this on as low a budget as possible for now... I'm thinking if I found myself say 60 bottles, then when I got to 20 left I could rebrew, and thus have more on it's way while there was still some left... Though that means 20 bottles has to last at least 3 weeks :wha:

Unfortunately, my accommodation is such that I'm not sure I have the room to keep supplies 100 bottles! (I'm even thinking that 60 might be too much)

Lastly, Moley, you said bottles were free... As a student, I like "free"! Where can I get them from? Preferably without having to pay the £2 each for the beer inside them!

The other thing that I read, and further to your screw top plastic bottle comment, someone suggested that you could buy say 12, 2 litre plastic bottles... Even buying Tesco value lemonade at 27p a bottle would bring that to less than a fiver... (Of course pouring the water+chemicals that they call lemonade down the sink!) This might be worth trying?

Fraser

 

[markp]

Have a word with the local pubs and ask them to save Magniers or Bulmers bottles for you. They will be glad to have them taken away.

It is also worth posting a message on Freecycle for anyone with old brewing equipment that is looking for a new home. I know a few people here have come up trumps that way and I got 4 nice demijohns :)

Good look with your course and the brewing.

 

[HLA91]

Don't use value lemonade use value sparkling water its 16p for 2l bottle.

 

[duncumb.fc]

Don't use value lemonade use value sparkling water its 16p for 2l bottle.

Well, even better!

Thank you :

Fraser

 

[Moley]

Lastly, Moley, you said bottles were free... As a student, I like "free"! Where can I get them from?

Bottle banks and pubs' recycling bins. Ask their permission while buying a pint, I've only yet been refused once, and that was by some underling who was scared I might cut myself on broken glass and sue the pub.

I understand what you said about limited storage space, my own son is starting Uni. next week. There are always odd corners where you can stash a few bottles though, with a bit of ingenuity.

I'm going to West Dean College to do Stringed Instrument Making

Now that impresses me enormously, what an unusual and fascinating course /career choice. I believe that music is essential to life, and I am aware of the price that hand crafted instruments can command, if you're good, but that's one helluva big “if”.

 

[duncumb.fc]

Well there in lies the question! This place is "supposedly" one of the best places in the world, so it should at least give me a head start.
I've been building guitars for 2 years now, and really enjoy it. Sold my first one to a friend just a few weeks ago!

I'm currently thinking that the 2 litre bottle method is the best for me, considering space, cost, efficiency etc. But I shall definitely move on to glass bottles when I have more room!

Oh, and I totally agree about music, I'm also a singer, guitarist and pianist (along with other instruments that I can play but wouldn't consider my "main" instruments)
I write my own songs and am just in the process of recording an EP of 5 tracks. Maybe I'll demo one on here one day! (Obviously in the correct forum section :mrgreen:
So maybe my career choice will end up being singing folk to the masses! Hey, it's fun to dream! :

Fraser

 

[equiliser]

Welcome to the forum

 

[Moley]

Oh, and I totally agree about music, I'm also a singer, guitarist and pianist (along with other instruments that I can play but wouldn't consider my "main" instruments)
I write my own songs and am just in the process of recording an EP of 5 tracks. Maybe I'll demo one on here one day!

So maybe my career choice will end up being singing folk to the masses! Hey, it's fun to dream!

I play piano, guitar and a bit of mando but only when there's no-one around to hear me, and I know I can't sing but that's never stopped me from trying. If you can talk you can sing, if you can walk you can dance (African proverb borrowed by John Richards).

I don't think “folk” and “masses” often go together in the same sentence, but hey, if that's your dream it's not my place to say you can't have it.

You can post whatever you like (within reason) in The Snug, so I'm sure many of us would love to hear your demo.

 

[markp]

I don't think “folk” and “masses” often go together in the same sentence

Mumford & Son seem to be doing okay. I'd certainly put it in the folk category and they are very popular at the moment....young audience in the main too.

 

[duncumb.fc]

Yeah, I agree, folk and masses don't (usually) mix!
To rephrase, I'd like to have enough fans to make a comfortable living, I definitely don't want to be A list celebrity, I just love singing!
To give you an idea of a band I'd like to be, anyone heard of The National?

Fraser

 

[Moley]

I said “don't often” and not “don't ever”.

Although we seem to be very much living in an era of vocalists backed by session musicians or computer programmers, with relatively few actual bands, it is good to see some folk and a smattering of jazz crossing over into the mainstream.

 

[duncumb.fc]

Folk and Jazz are the two things I love!
At the moment I'm recording with session musicians, but upon my move down to Chichester I shall be aiming to put together a band again :mrgreen:

Fraser

 

[jonny 5]

Hi mate this is my first post,ever.I've been brewing for a good few years now,why don't you try making cider from any apple concentrate juice its very easy.