First kit

[Petefin]

Hi Guys,
Just about to start my first kit after many years away from brewing.
Could I possibly tap into your hard earned knowledge?
My kit is a Muntons IPA bitter kit, 40 pint.
I believe malt extract is better than the brewing sugar I have, but how much malt/brewing sugar should I use to give me a pint around 4%, don't want it any stronger.
The yeast packet with the kit is best before 07/21, is this the best yeast to use?
If not, what would be better and where would I get it?
I have bought a hydrometer and I know that's the best bit of kit for calculating the strength, but adding in various amounts of malt and sugar at the same time trying to figure out the SG/alcohol level is a bit daunting!

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Cheers, Pete

 

[Clint]

Hiya
What weight kit have you got? Some come as a single "can" where you can add extra fermentables,some come as a "two can" where you don't need to.
Single can kits are sometimes called kit and a kilo...so you can add a kilo of sugar/dextrose....but like you say malt extract or a beer enhancer product will be better.
You will have some instructions but they are optimistic at best. A good starting point is 2+2+2....that's weeks each of fermentation, carbonation, condition.

 

[Petefin]

Hi Clint,
It's a single can, 1.8kg. Instructions say add 1kg. of brewing sugar.
Also says OG 1040 to 1044.

Cheers, Pete

 

[Rodcx500z]

Hi Pete you can download gravity calculaters online I use this one https://www.brewersfriend.com/abv-calculator/

 

[Clint]

Approx..your kit at 1.8kg plus 1kg of dry malt extract will give 3.8% abv.

 

[Petefin]

Hi Clint,

That's great, thanks for this information.
Good to go with the yeast packet supplied?

Cheers, Pete

 

[Clint]

The yeast supplied can sometimes be insufficient. I have used kit yeasts and fortunately they've been ok. A good sub is a Gervin ale yeast from Wilko.

 

[Petefin]

Hi Clint,

Thanks for all the info, greatly appreciated.
Is the wet malt extract you can buy from the likes of Holland and Barrett the same weight for weight as the dried malt extract?

Cheers, Pete

 

[terrym]

Is the wet malt extract you can buy from the likes of Holland and Barrett the same weight for weight as the dried malt extract?

No LME (liquid) contains water, whereas DME (dry) doesn't. I work with 650g DME is equivalent to 750g LME.
And Muntons are known to be mean with yeast supplied in some, but not all, of their kits. So if your kit comes with 6g of yeast you may struggle with it if you are brewing 23 litres. In my experience 7g is about the minimum you need.

 

[Dutto]

In order to produce a lower ABV brew, an alternative to adding less fermentables (i.e. sugar or malt) is to us more water. The problem with this is that the brew can taste "thin" if you drop the ABV too far.

Wilko do a great "Click and Collect" service and their Ale Yeast (a Gervin-12) is top of my list for a "go to" yeast. I usually order five or six sachets of the yeast at a time and use them to bolster the kit yeasts.

Alternatively, you can always make a "yeast starter" from the kit yeast. This will ensure that you have enough live yeast cells to give you a decent brew. Check out the following video for "How To".



The Malt Extract from Holland and Barrett is fine to use in a brew, though I normally use it to produce Yeast Starters.

Enjoy.

 

[Petefin]

Thanks for all the great advice, I now have all the information I need to get started.
Just need to get my King keg holding pressure, but that's another story

Cheers, Pete

 

[Dutto]

Pete,

After using a fine diamond “file” (from Lidl) to take off the tiny imperfections on the top, I coated the threads and “O” ring with a bit of Vaseline and “Bingo!” no leaks.

Enjoy.

 

[Petefin]

Hi Dutto,

A happy New Year to you.
Done a bit of work with my King keg, it's on a post in equipment; King keg leak.
How do you post photos, I could show you my modifications?

Cheers, Pete

 

[Pirate_Pete]

Hi Dutto,

A happy New Year to you.
Done a bit of work with my King keg, it's on a post in equipment; King keg leak.
How do you post photos, I could show you my modifications?

Cheers, Pete

https://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/threads/how-to-add-a-picture-to-a-post.81522/

 

[Petefin]

Thanks for that Pirate_Pete, photos and an explanation of my King keg mod on my post; King keg leak in General Home Brew Equipment Discussion.

Cheers, Pete