Complete novice looking to get started.

[ghm501]

Hi, my name is Garry, I’m from Glasgow. I’ve been thinking about getting into some home brew for a while now and would like some help and advice.

 

[Old Geezer]

Where to start! Ok, I'm sure there will be a lot of members here that will come along and give you tons of advice learned from their many years of experience. I'm new here and have only been making my own beer off and on for well over 50 years.

1. I would say start with the minimum equipment probably buy an equipment kit from a homebrew shop there are many online if you don't have one nearby, then if you don't find it's for you at least you're not out that much, you can always spend a lot more later on if you really get into it though not really necessary.

2. Start with an ale kit don't go for the cheapest there is a reason for the more expensive ones costing more than double the price of the cheapest and they don't actually end up costing all that more in the end.

3. BE PATIENT all good things come to those who wait.

 

[ghm501]

Where to start! Ok, I'm sure there will be a lot of members here that will come along and give you tons of advice learned from their many years of experience. I'm new here and have only been making my own beer off and on for well over 50 years.

1. I would say start with the minimum equipment probably buy an equipment kit from a homebrew shop there are many online if you don't have one nearby, then if you don't find it's for you at least you're not out that much, you can always spend a lot more later on if you really get into it though not really necessary.

2. Start with an ale kit don't go for the cheapest there is a reason for the more expensive ones costing more than double the price of the cheapest and they don't actually end up costing all that more in the end.

3. BE PATIENT all good things come to those who wait.

 

[ghm501]

Thanks, I’m going to visit the home brew shop this week to buy equipment as there seems to be so many different kits online.

 

[terrym]

Welcome to the forum
This should be of help to get you going
http://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=57526Fundamentals of home brewing are
- cleanliness of the all the equipment you use without being paranoid about it
- steady fermentation temperature (and neither too hot or to cold for the yeast to perform)
- and patience; the 2+2+2 rule will help on that with 2 weeks in the fermenting vessel (FV), 2 weeks to carb up, and 2 weeks to condition or mature before you find out if its ready
And my advice is don't be tempted to buy a plastic pressure barrel just yet. Bide your time for a while. There's some on here who have good experience of them but apparently almost as many who don't because of leaks. So you can make your own mind up on that later.
Finally if you tell us what sort of beer you enjoy, members can give you a few pointers on beer kits to buy. My advice is dont buy a cheap 1.5kg kit, they are cheap for a reason i.e not enough malt.

 

[BlackRegent]

As someone who is still near the start of the brewing journey, I endorse what @terrym says. Don't be tempted on a cheap kit. Make sure it is a two can kit. My first home brew was a St Peter's Golden Ale kit (two cans) and it was very drinkable, even without any temp control (which I knew nothing about then). I then followed it up with a cheap Wilko bitter kit which was crap and put me off home brew for a few years until I got back into it during lockdown.

Also - pressure barrels are a pain in the arse! Nothing beats them for convenience, but they are too temperamental. If they fail on you, at best you will have flat beer, at worst you will lose the entire batch due to spoilage. If I were you I would get a cheap fermenting bucket with tap with a bottling wand and bottle your brews. You should be able to get a bucket and wand for £10-£15 and you can beg, borrow and steal bottles off other people.

 

[Dulwich North]

As a novice, 2 months ago I began with a couple of 11L pans and a £30 starter kit from London Brew Lab which consisted of a 10L fermenting bin with airlock, a hydrometer, a grain bag, steriliser, a dozen PET bottles, a siphon. Using one of their 5L all-grain ingredient kits, 3 weeks later I was very happy with my first beer. 3 more have followed.

So nothing fancy or expensive, but this has got me started. It's too easy to put off the day by trying to assess all the stuff about kegs and pressure barrels and Grainfathers etc etc. Once you're started the next steps are much clearer.

 

[user 18729]

Where to start! Ok, I'm sure there will be a lot of members here that will come along and give you tons of advice learned from their many years of experience. I'm new here and have only been making my own beer off and on for well over 50 years.

1. I would say start with the minimum equipment probably buy an equipment kit from a homebrew shop there are many online if you don't have one nearby, then if you don't find it's for you at least you're not out that much, you can always spend a lot more later on if you really get into it though not really necessary.

2. Start with an ale kit don't go for the cheapest there is a reason for the more expensive ones costing more than double the price of the cheapest and they don't actually end up costing all that more in the end.

3. BE PATIENT all good things come to those who wait.

Top advice that

Just make sure you read through plenty of posts on here before you have a go

 

[ghm501]

As someone who is still near the start of the brewing journey, I endorse what @terrym says. Don't be tempted on a cheap kit. Make sure it is a two can kit. My first home brew was a St Peter's Golden Ale kit (two cans) and it was very drinkable, even without any temp control (which I knew nothing about then). I then followed it up with a cheap Wilko bitter kit which was crap and put me off home brew for a few years until I got back into it during lockdown.

Also - pressure barrels are a pain in the a**e! Nothing beats them for convenience, but they are too temperamental. If they fail on you, at best you will have flat beer, at worst you will lose the entire batch due to spoilage. If I were you I would get a cheap fermenting bucket with tap with a bottling wand and bottle your brews. You should be able to get a bucket and wand for £10-£15 and you can beg, borrow and steal bottles off other people.

 

[ghm501]

I’ve got people saving they’re old for me bottles already so having enough bottles hopefully won’t be an issue.

 

[Gerryjo]

All good advice as usual from those above and may I add that you check out YouTube as there is loads on there which will help you to get an insight of how easy it is.
The hardest part is keeping everything clean and sanitised and beware this if you like it is not just a hobby, it's an addiction. Enjoy your journey..

 

[PaisleyExport]

Hi Garry, fair warning I’m a virtual novice, I’m only on my third batch so most will be better placed to advise but I really got a lot from Papazian Link. This might not be for everyone, but I got a decent amount of the basics in fairly easy style and some extract recipes to get me started. I’ve used it as a go to ref in my first few batches. Sure it’s a bit dated but I actually enjoyed the retro style. Like others say start small, keep everything clean, follow a recipe and use quality ingredients and you won’t go far wrong. Good luck mate !

 

[Horners]

If you are OK with a decent pint of bitter many of us have started with a Woodfordes Wherry kit (which is 2 can) - can normally buy as part of starter equipment kit and should get a decent enough pint first time round so as not to dissuade you.

 

[Old Geezer]

All good advice as usual from those above and may I add that you check out YouTube as there is loads on there which will help you to get an insight of how easy it is.
The hardest part is keeping everything clean and sanitised and beware this if you like it is not just a hobby, it's an addiction. Enjoy your journey..

Nah the hardest part is waiting

 

[GerritT]

Welcome to the best hobby in the world!

It sounds to me that you gonna use your stovetop for this, am I right? How much space do you have available for bottle storage, do you have a cellar, a shed, a pet (if so, photos are obligatory), little children running around, an SO, a nearby homebrew store, an extra fridge?

All little things that might be taken into consideration in the sort and amount of equipment that can be acquired :)
If necessary, because you'd be amazed how little extra you need for homebrewing if you have a properly stocked kitchen!

 

[Old_P]

Hi Garry, all the best for your first brew.
As you have already seen the forum has many great members with a wide range of experience and all very happy to help. So remember, the only dumb question on here is the one you don’t ask.
Have fun brewing and enjoy the fruits of you labour

P.S. My wife is from Glasgow and I still married her We will have been married 34 years at the end of this month. Not sure where the time has gone, but they have been fantastic fun both through the highs and lows.

 

[ghm501]

Welcome to the best hobby in the world!

It sounds to me that you gonna use your stovetop for this, am I right? How much space do you have available for bottle storage, do you have a cellar, a shed, a pet (if so, photos are obligatory), little children running around, an SO, a nearby homebrew store, an extra fridge?

All little things that might be taken into consideration in the sort and amount of equipment that can be acquired :)
If necessary, because you'd be amazed how little extra you need for homebrewing if you have a properly stocked kitchen!

 

[ghm501]

Hi Gerrit, yeah I’m gonna start of small have a large cupboard in the hall for storage. No kids in the house apart from visiting grandkids luckily the cupboard has a lock n key.

 

[thesteve]

Garry, take a look at some kit brewing on youtube. I started by watching a guy called Brewmaster Ben who is pretty good at explaining the basics.

 

[DavidDetroit]

Good points.
I would read John Palmer's How to Brew which is on the internet and free.
Buy some equipment based on that and then buy a kit.