First time can I start tonight?

[ohemmings]

I believe this is the right location for me to post as I'm pretty much saying what ingredients and equipment I have, what I am hoping to do and if anyone can recommend anything or stear me in the better direction.

So a few Christmases ago my brother got me a tin of homebrew from Wilko, I'm assuming that you guys know about them. It is an IPA, green label 4%.
After reading the instructions I decided that I would mix it with spray malt instead of sugar. So I got 2 500g bags of medium spray malt from Muntons. I read that if you are adding spraymalt you may want to buy another yeast as the kit one isn't amazing. So I got some real ale yeast ( 3 packets of 10 grams each, 2 packs for future brews). I also read that if one goes to all the effort to get spraymalt and better yeast it might be worth getting some more hops to boost the flavours and aromas, so I choose 2 hop varieties that stand out to me, Fuggles and Cascade (100 grams each).
Next I got a Fermenting vessel and lid (24 litres), Bruclens cleaner and steriliser, a syphon, long plastic spoon, a stiff bottle brush and 40 500ml brown bottles and caps (clap tool needed).

I live in a fairly small flat so I'm not really 100% certain where I should do it, obviously I'll have it out of direct sunlight, one problem I think I might have is that my flat often has fruit flies around. I have got traps of fly paper around malt vinegar which are quite effective but there is still the odd one in the air. If a few manage to get into the beer will it completely spoil the beer? How can I avoid this?

I haven't got a beer hydrometer, how essential is it?

Shall I add the whole 200 grams of hops and at what stage?

I want to start brewing tonight, is there anything that I should know?

I appreciate any guidance that you may have.

 

[kelper]

If you fit an airlock to your FV flies will not get into the beer. Just do the kit as per instructions. If you try and "improve" it, you will probably produce something horrible. Don't jump before you can run. It's a brilliant kit as it is.

You don't need a hydrometer, just let it ferment for 14 days. Do not believe the instructions if they say it's ready in seven!

If you haven't got an airlock, snap the lid on tight and lift it in one place to allow CO2 to vent - it will be fine.

Try to keep to the temperature suggested by the yeast packet.

 

[Gerryjo]

With it being an IPA I would just go with the cascade which you could use by boiling up your spray malt for 10 mins, let it cool to 80° and add your hops. Let it sit for 20min then mix with your kit in the fermenter then use tap water to top up to the required level. Make sure its between 18 to 20c and add your yeast.. Cover, fit airlock and try and maintain a stable temp. Then you can sit back and wait 14 days.

 

[dwhite60]

I'm with Kelper, do it by the kit instructions. See what you end up with then decide what adjustments you want and make another batch. Get a baseline and you'll understand better what adding hops, adding spraymalt, etc do to your brew.

If you want to try dry hopping. Stick with one and see what it contributes.

You can split the kit, do two batches with different hops in each.

But, keep it simple at first.

 

[AnimatedGIF]

I've done six kit brews so far (thus am still a novice), but I would second doing as the instructions say and enjoying your first brew. I'm considering begining to experiment a little now, but shall likely defer until I am more confident.
All that said, this is what's so great about home brewing - we can all do things differently and learn whatever way we choose.
I hope whichever way you go you enjoy it thumb

 

[MyQul]

Aha! You haven't put your post in the right section, so I've moved it

Personally I would say, in particular for a new brewer, a hydrometer is an essential piece of kit. For two reasons

1) After pitching the yeast, leave it for 14 days and that almost guarantee's you should be fine. But because your a newbie it's better to get into good habits early on. At day 12,13,14 take a hydrometer reading. If the reading is the same every day you can then bottle. As you get more experienced you can then just take a reading on day 13, 14. Then eventually just one on day 14 as you get to know what FG your looking for and how a brew 'looks' upon completion

2) If your brew sticks, without a hydrometer reading you wont know. If you then bottle it after 14 days but it hasn't completed fermentation, it can complete that fermentation in the bottle and create 'bottle bombs'

 

[Drunkula]

Don't add all that spraymalt to an IPA kit, use 500g of it and 500g of sugar. All spraymalt added to an IPA mutes the hops. The yeast with it should be fine if you rehydrate it properly.

 

[dwhite60]

Don't add all that spraymalt to an IPA kit, use 500g of it and 500g of sugar. All spraymalt added to an IPA mutes the hops. The yeast with it should be fine if you rehydrate it properly.

Two very good points.

 

[kelper]

O Hemmings

why not respond to these suggestions? I see you are online.

 

[ohemmings]

Thanks for all the comments, I’m glad I’ve found this forum.

Got a bit distracted this evening....

I will buy a hydrometer, Makes sense. Although will the bottles explode or rather be a little carbonated? Bottle conditioned? As I plan on brewing a fair bit, its equipment that will be used.

So I guess it’s makes sense to go with the kit guidelines as it’s my first time, but I do like to be different. It does state sugar or spray malt. If I was to do 50% each, how does different sugar affect the final outcome?
I think I may still go ahead with 1kg medium spray malt as I prefer maltier beers and then at least I know what 1kg of spray malt does to the kit.

I like Gerryjo’s idea of mixing hops into the spray malt when it’s hot so will probably do it.

As this was a gift once it’s done I will purchase kits that appeal to my tastes more.

 

[dwhite60]

More malt makes a maltier beer. More sugar will generally make a drier beer. Both will increase alcohol content.

Half and half is probably a good place to start.

 

[ohemmings]

So my beer has been finished since the end of May and so far it has gone down very well and I have received a fair amount of praise.

I did go against the majority of you though. What I did was...I started the kit as the instructions stated using a medium spray malt instead of sugar, of which I brought to the boil in a pan before simmering, took it off the heat and added 60 grams of Cascade hops in pellet form. I then added that to the bucket with the kit mix and topped up with hot/warm water. I then put the yeast in at 25’C.
For the next 2 weeks I measured the temperature twice a day, it tended to stick between 18-20. I then bottled it trying to avoid stirring up sediment on the bottom. I was a bit concerned that it was rather cloudy and rather bitter tasting at this stage.
After 2 weeks bottle conditioning and a few hours in the fridge it was ready and I couldn’t believe how the real bitterness had properly mellowed.

The kit was originally a IPA but after I had my way with it I would call it more of a special bitter.

 

[TheOsprey]

So a few Christmases ago my brother got me a tin of homebrew from Wilko, I'm assuming that you guys know about them. It is an IPA, green label 4%.
After reading the instructions I decided that I would mix it with spray malt instead of sugar. So I got 2 500g bags of medium spray malt from Muntons. I read that if you are adding spraymalt you may want to buy another yeast as the kit one isn't amazing. So I got some real ale yeast ( 3 packets of 10 grams each, 2 packs for future brews). I also read that if one goes to all the effort to get spraymalt and better yeast it might be worth getting some more hops to boost the flavours and aromas, so I choose 2 hop varieties that stand out to me, Fuggles and Cascade (100 grams each).
Next I got a Fermenting vessel and lid (24 litres), Bruclens cleaner and steriliser, a syphon, long plastic spoon, a stiff bottle brush and 40 500ml brown bottles and caps (clap tool needed).

This is the most amusing thing about this hobby for me.

"I had a tin of malt, so I bought some sugar and 48 bottles, and some spray malt, and an FV and a hydrometer and a siphon, and an airlock and a trial jar and some new yeast to brew it. Then I decided to get the best out of the tin, I'd buy a grainfather, two mash tuns, a braumeister and a 300l HLT.
Then I bought 25kg of maris otter, 2kg of various other malts, a kilo of hops, and passed the tin of malt on to a friend. He's just gone out to buy an FV..."