Hello from Germany

[Jamesman]

First welcome to the forum.

With regards to fermentors most are in reality the same thing a big bucket you can ferment in I like my stainless steel fermentor but a plastic one would do the same job at a fraction of the price. Of course their are pressure fermentors which I am yet to try so cannot comment on those.

If your just starting out with All Grain have you considered doing a small batch on the stove, the outlay is minimal and you can produce some pretty decent beer this way most recipes can be easily scaled down.

https://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/threads/have-a-go-at-simple-ag.51779/
This thread was what inspired me to give all grain a go, you may also want to consider BIAB brewing which makes it even easier. I don’t doubt that more complicated techniques or all in one machines produce excellent beer but when you get right down to it you can produce decent beer with nothing more than a big pot, a net bag, a heat source, a thermometer plus a bucket to ferment in (plus your grain, hops, yeast and a sanitiser).

Hi, thanks for the info about the fermenters and the link to the Simple AG. Im gonna give that a go. I've got the big pan. I just need to order the rest and I'll have to drink my way through 10 bottles of beer to empty them. That'll keep my busy over Easter

 

[Skello]

Willkommen im forum, lad

All you need is a 25-30 ltr plastic bucket to ferment in, nothing fancy, I still use them and have never had a problem. Before you invest in an all in one system give a simple brew in a bag a go on the stove. It is very simple (watch a YouTube video as when you see it done, it is way easier than reading how to do it, which is still fairly easy) and you will be brewing beer in line with the reinheitsgebot in no time. As it will only be a small batch of it doesn’t go to plan then you’re not wasting much beer.
Don’t fear extract kits to give you a flavour of the process either if all grain seems a bit daunting, that’s how I got into it.

 

[BartonMillBrewer]

Hi, thanks for the advice. I have looked at the all in one systems. Brew monk, Hopcat, robobrew etc. As far as I can tell most of them are the same product with a different name. I've watched quite a few YouTube videos of people brewing with them.I do fancy buying one but I'm just wary at the moment because I don't really know enough. It's interesting about the fermenters. Are certain ones better than others? Don't they all do the same job? I presume the more expensive ones are better quality? Cheers.

A large plastic bucket is all you need to ferment in. I have a stainless fermenter, all nice and shiny but way more expensive and does the same job.
I think your assessment of the all in one brewers is correct. I'm sure they all come out of the same factory and get branded, so go for the least expensive.
Don't worry about the process being complicated, it isn't. You can get bogged down in the detail but the process in essence is simple. Get some grain 5kg of Maris Otter would do cheap and plentiful, add it to water around 65c for an hour. Remove the grain, raise the wort to boiling, add hops for an hour, good old Fuggles works well. Remove hops, cool the wort as quickly as you can. When cooled to around 20c add yeast, any English Ale yeast will do; Munton's Gold is cheap and reliable. Leave to ferment in an airing cupboard at around 19c for a couple of weeks. Decant into a second 25l fermenter with 7g of sugar per litre of beer and bottle. The sugar will create a second fermentation and create a slight fizz of CO2 and stop bacteria forming. Leave for a couple of weeks then drink.
There's a lot of other detail to focus on along the way but for a first brew its a starting point. Your beer won't be award winning and likely to be cloudy but you'll be well pleased and want to improve.
Then buy a decent brewers book 'Home Brew Beer' by Greg Hughes ISBN 978 0 243925 7 7 explains all the processes in detail and includes lots of recipes. I would also recommend 'The Craft Brewers' Companion' by Ted Brunning ISBN 978 1 903872 35 2. It lists all the malts, hops, yeasts and adjuncts with detail on their characteristics. The perfect place to start making your own recipes.

 

[Jamesman]

Willkommen im forum, lad

All you need is a 25-30 ltr plastic bucket to ferment in, nothing fancy, I still use them and have never had a problem. Before you invest in an all in one system give a simple brew in a bag a go on the stove. It is very simple (watch a YouTube video as when you see it done, it is way easier than reading how to do it, which is still fairly easy) and you will be brewing beer in line with the reinheitsgebot in no time. As it will only be a small batch of it doesn’t go to plan then you’re not wasting much beer.
Don’t fear extract kits to give you a flavour of the process either if all grain seems a bit daunting, that’s how I got into it.

Dankeschön la. .

Yes I think starting simple is the way to go. I'll order a few bits and hopefully have a go next weekend. I'm looking forward to it. I did do a few extract kids a couple of years ago. A Nelsons revenge and I think a porter. They were nice but I thought this time I want to take it to the next level. So I'll give AG a go.

 

[Jamesman]

A large plastic bucket is all you need to ferment in. I have a stainless fermenter, all nice and shiny but way more expensive and does the same job.
I think your assessment of the all in one brewers is correct. I'm sure they all come out of the same factory and get branded, so go for the least expensive.
Don't worry about the process being complicated, it isn't. You can get bogged down in the detail but the process in essence is simple. Get some grain 5kg of Maris Otter would do cheap and plentiful, add it to water around 65c for an hour. Remove the grain, raise the wort to boiling, add hops for an hour, good old Fuggles works well. Remove hops, cool the wort as quickly as you can. When cooled to around 20c add yeast, any English Ale yeast will do; Munton's Gold is cheap and reliable. Leave to ferment in an airing cupboard at around 19c for a couple of weeks. Decant into a second 25l fermenter with 7g of sugar per litre of beer and bottle. The sugar will create a second fermentation and create a slight fizz of CO2 and stop bacteria forming. Leave for a couple of weeks then drink.
There's a lot of other detail to focus on along the way but for a first brew its a starting point. Your beer won't be award winning and likely to be cloudy but you'll be well pleased and want to improve.
Then buy a decent brewers book 'Home Brew Beer' by Greg Hughes ISBN 978 0 243925 7 7 explains all the processes in detail and includes lots of recipes. I would also recommend 'The Craft Brewers' Companion' by Ted Brunning ISBN 978 1 903872 35 2. It lists all the malts, hops, yeasts and adjuncts with detail on their characteristics. The perfect place to start making your own recipes.

Cheers for the explanation.

The whole process seems simple when it's broken down. It's easy to get obsessed with home brewing though. I think I should cancel my Netflix subscription now cause I spend most nights on YouTube watching brewing videos or reading about it on here. I'll Google those books aswell. Thanks.

 

[BartonMillBrewer]

Cheers for the explanation.

The whole process seems simple when it's broken down. It's easy to get obsessed with home brewing though. I think I should cancel my Netflix subscription now cause I spend most nights on YouTube watching brewing videos or reading about it on here. I'll Google those books aswell. Thanks.

As you say it does become a bit of an obsession. The books are a great way in to brewing without complicated jargon.
The important thing is to enjoy the process of brewing as much as sharing the results with friends. This forum is full of advice, of varying quality!
Search the threads for a specific topic and read as much as you can. Somewhere there is an answer to every aspect of brewing.

 

[Jamesman]

Welcome Jamesman. Where in Germany are you? I'm in Austria and happy to help with any info regarding "local" homebrew supplies shops. Just send me a message on here. Good luck with the adventure.

Hi Phillc, I've tried sending you a private message regarding homebrew supply shops you use but it doesn't seem to work. Can you message me with the info? Cheers.

 

[Jamesman]

As you say it does become a bit of an obsession. The books are a great way in to brewing without complicated jargon.
The important thing is to enjoy the process of brewing as much as sharing the results with friends. This forum is full of advice, of varying quality!
Search the threads for a specific topic and read as much as you can. Somewhere there is an answer to every aspect of brewing.

Yes it's a great forum. Everyone is really helpful. I hope I can contribute a bit soon aswell. Have a good Friday night.

 

[Fr_Marc]

Cheers Jamesman and hello from Germany. I am from Germany myself - born and raised here - and guess what? I am going to start home brewing next week, because I cannot get a decent English Pint here (at least not at a good price). I fell in love with British bitters, ales, porters, stouts etc. during my frequent travels to the UK, but the covid bug has put an end to these ventures (for the moment).

So I got myself a Grainfather 30, the book by Graham Wheeler (printed in 1998), some pounds of Golden Promise and a little bit of hops and hope to jump into action these days. I am trying to brew a Timothy Taylor's Landlord clone. Instead of the West Yorkshire Yeast I will be using a London ESB strain. Don't crucify me. This is my first all grain brew and I read everywhere that the Yorkshire yeast is not easy to handle...

Anyway, cheers to Jamesman and all members of this forum who have been a great inspiration so far!

Marc

 

[Jamesman]

Cheers Jamesman and hello from Germany. I am from Germany myself - born and raised here - and guess what? I am going to start home brewing next week, because I cannot get a decent English Pint here (at least not at a good price). I fell in love with British bitters, ales, porters, stouts etc. during my frequent travels to the UK, but the covid bug has put an end to these ventures (for the moment).

So I got myself a Grainfather 30, the book by Graham Wheeler (printed in 1998), some pounds of Golden Promise and a little bit of hops and hope to jump into action these days. I am trying to brew a Timothy Taylor's Landlord clone. Instead of the West Yorkshire Yeast I will be using a London ESB strain. Don't crucify me. This is my first all grain brew and I read everywhere that the Yorkshire yeast is not easy to handle...

Anyway, cheers to Jamesman and all members of this forum who have been a great inspiration so far!

Marc

Hi Marc,
Goodluck with your first brew. I don't know much about different yeasts or hops yet but I'm going through the forum and picking bits up. I ordered Home brew beer by Greg Hughes which got recommended on here aswell. Keep us updated with your Landlord clone. Have a nice weekend. Cheers.

 

[F00b4r]

Welcome! Dont forget to fill in the forms. Germany’s a bit different when it comes to homebrew.

Old thread here :German homebrewing regulations

That information is out of date and also ignores the flip side in that there are upsides of the Germany system for the homebrewer.