First Timer

[The Cat]

Started thinking ahead now to what is next. I am a bit short of space and ideally want to skip the mashing process for now and move to using malt extract, speciality grains and hops - have seen this termed extract brewing.

I've had my eye on a Brewzilla really in case I want to go all-grain later on - is the Brewzilla also suitable for the "extract" brewing I plan to move on to next?

Thanks again.

 

[aw72]

I am in a very similar situation. I started my first beer kit last month, also an Admirals Reserve which is bottled and conditioning now. I also tried a wheat beer kit which will be bottled this weekend. I use inkbirds and heat mats to control the temperature when fermenting and conditioning. Would also like to step up to extract brewing and all grain but worry about the extra outlay and space and the wife's patience.

 

[The Cat]

Am quite happy as I am until next year buying the Woodfords et all kits but if I am going to step it up a bit I was thinking if I can Extract Brew in a Brewzilla then I can cut the cost if I go all grain afterwards.

Heat pads (and fridges) were definately worth the money though so far.

 

[The Cat]

Also I am trying to do all this in the garage so I am out of the way and any spills will not be done in the kitchen. We've got a new cooker coming so I thought great I'll put the old one in the garage but it's not as easy as that I didn't realise until now they need specific circuits and can't just be plugged in to any old socket - but it looks like a Brewzilla is fine to run off a 240v plug so I think that's where I am headed. I will likely get into all grain at some point so sounds the best way forward all in all. Got a bonus from work coming in December which just about covers the cost so I think it is fated.

 

[aw72]

Sounds like a plan...Good luck!

 

[Leon103]

If you are buying an all in one system you may as well go all grain.

 

[Cheyne_brewer]

Am quite happy as I am until next year buying the Woodfords et all kits but if I am going to step it up a bit I was thinking if I can Extract Brew in a Brewzilla then I can cut the cost if I go all grain afterwards.

the BZ is just a fermenter, it doesn’t matter what goes in it. It make separation of the finished beer from the trub or yeast layer very easy. Note that unless you fit a tap to the collection vessel or transfer under pressure from the top you’ll still need to syphon the beer off.

 

[The Cat]

Got a Festival Pride of London Porter kit starting today. Have done a lot of reading later and am tempted to perhaps add a tincture halfway through the fermentation - maybe cinnamon, chocolate or toffee something like that - am I being too ambitious for a noob or should I just go for it?

 

[The Cat]

Think I have decided to make a couple of tinctures and at them to a couple of secondaries for a few days at the end of fermentation so I have a few bottles of both of them with most of it being untouched to see how that goes.

One more question I have probably has an obvious answer but if I want to brew half of the size of the Greg Hughes recipe is it as simple as halving everything? The water, the extact, the hops etc? Thanks again.

 

[The Cat]

Right then. My Porter is fermenting away - have decided to do 50% of it as it is then do 2 different tinctures to add to the bottles when I bottle the other 2 quarters of it.

A) Cinnamon and Cocoa and B) Cocoa and Orange. Got some Dr Oetker cake flavouring bottles from Tesco so gonna add them to the vodka while it's fermenting then attempt to get a reasonable taste to it and bang them in those bottles. If it doesn't work that's fine I'll still have half of it left but thought I would give it a try this way for starters before I go all grain and use different malts for taste.