Hi all I'm Dan and thinking of starting home-brewing,any

[danmac]

You can get decent starter kits from home brew shops (try the forum sponsors for a start) which come with all the basic bits to get you going including fermenting vessel, hydrometer, bottles etc... Some you get a choice of beer kit you'd like too. Depending on what you like to drink will obviously depend on what beer kit your want (assuming you drink beer). Look on here for reviews. The Coopers kits are very good for single can kits, there are other very good makes too, plus two can premium kits from other manufacturers are worth a look.

Bottles are the simplest route to take as a beginner, so I would forget barrels for now.

You will need sterilising solutions or tablets to sanitise stuff, but I have used diluted thin bleach for years and years as my path of choice. Don't use thick bleach if you go that route.

You'll possibly need some standard white sugar for carbonating your bottles should your starter kit or beer kit not come with priming sugar or carbonation tablets.

Then all you need is a bit of time a patience.

Is there any difference in using sugar over carbonating tablets

 

[BrewMeHappy]

Simply cost. It does exactly the same job and a 1.5kg bag if sugar will only set you back £1.50 and there will be plenty for several brews. Carbonation drops are convenient, but much more expensive.

On that subject, get yourself a small funnel also as it makes putting sugar in the bottles a breeze.

 

[danmac]

You can get decent starter kits from home brew shops (try the forum sponsors for a start) which come with all the basic bits to get you going including fermenting vessel, hydrometer, bottles etc... Some you get a choice of beer kit you'd like too. Depending on what you like to drink will obviously depend on what beer kit your want (assuming you drink beer). Look on here for reviews. The Coopers kits are very good for single can kits, there are other very good makes too, plus two can premium kits from other manufacturers are worth a look.

Bottles are the simplest route to take as a beginner, so I would forget barrels for now.

You will need sterilising solutions or tablets to sanitise stuff, but I have used diluted thin bleach for years and years as my path of choice. Don't use thick bleach if you go that route.

You'll possibly need some standard white sugar for carbonating your bottles should your starter kit or beer kit not come with priming sugar or carbonation tablets.

Then all you need is a bit of time a patience.

I'll prob start with a pilsner or stout lager needs much cooler fermentation I read

 

[danmac]

Simply cost. It does exactly the same job and a 1.5kg bag if sugar will only set you back £1.50 and there will be plenty for several brews. Carbonation drops are convenient, but much more expensive.

On that subject, get yourself a small funnel also as it makes putting sugar in the bottles a breeze.

Is there a hard and fast rule to how much sugar per 500 ml and do I use standard granulated sugar or brewing sugar I hear different replies

 

[BrewMeHappy]

Standard sugar is what most use. Depending on beer style half to a full teaspoon per bottle.

 

[danmac]

Standard sugar is what most use. Depending on beer style half to a full teaspoon per bottle.

Looking at the ballihoo starter kit with bottles at 51.99 plus I'll need extra bottles

 

[Ezza]

Go to your nearest Wilco and peruse the Homebrew section.

 

[danmac]

Go to your nearest Wilco and peruse the Homebrew section.

I have heard they do a decent selection are they decent quality I hear the beer kits are good

 

[Crappyfish]

Welcome to the world of brewing. Mangrove Jack do some decent kits and they do a partial grain kits which is a good lesson in moving to all grain.

 

[RockTKaz]

Are the Milton sterilising tablets ok to use it says their non rinse

I’ve used Milton from the start (also a dad ) and never had a problem, only concern for me is the amount of water needed, but then I sterilise everything before and after in the same bucket

 

[SmallSpacesBrewing]

Welcome to fantastic hobby. Six things:
1. It's hot under your stairs? How hot? The temp shouldn't be to high. During fermentation the yeast working can up the temperature in the beer by up to 3-4 degrees. Meaning that if you ferment at 22 you could actually be fermenting at 26 degrees which is way to high. Try to use a room that between 18 and 20.

2. Do yourself a favor and get a bottling wand. This little thing just saves time, saves beer and saves you a lot of mess.

3. If you have another bucket. Try batch priming. It's fast, gets the beer of the yeastcake before bottling and keeps consistency in all the bottles.

4. Lager kits are normally not lager. Just light ale. It comes with ale yeast. I try to always go for the two can kits since the quality is way better. More malt, better beer.

5. Even if the kit says to use 1kg of sugar, don't. Use spraymalt, liquid or dry. Doesn't matter. At least use like a coopers better beer mix. 50%sugar50%spraymalt.

6. Use a hydrometer to check if the beer is finished, the "bubbler" not making sound is not enough

 

[Spit]

Hi I started brewing last march so a bit of a newbie myself although not a day has gone by since without something bubbling away in my brew fridge. I found the coopers stout bombproof I did the last one with 1k of dried dark malt extract and 500g of brewing sugar batch prime with 100g of soft brown sugar absolutely delicious. The coopers australian lager excellent too. My first brew was youngs American ipa brilliant and all in the box although I did get in a bit of a mess trying to syphon with the hops bunging up before I new about cold crashing. Welcome to a great hobby have fun with it be patient keep everything clean and remember all the answers are on this forum. Happy brewing.

 

[AXW123]

I would say start simple with a kit to get your brewing legs. It helps to get a fairly decent one to give you a fighting chance. buy the basics - fermenter, hydrometer, spoon, thermometer, funnel, bottles and see how you (and The other half!) get on with it. It does take some space and time to brew and it suits some households more than others so don’t spend too much money until you see how you get on with it.

 

[scomet]

Have a read of this, and of course all the above advice, JPs (John Palmers) book is a very good start, you dont need to spend a lot of money to get started making great beer - that will come later!!

Good Luck

http://www.howtobrew.com

 

[DDHIPA]

Hi I'm new to this and looking to buy a homebrew kit,any advice would be gratefully received thanks in advance.
Dan


Threads Merged C_T.

Read books! At least then when you make a mistake, it was an informed mistake rather than a blind mistake! (At least that is what I tell myself...)
I would start with “How to Brew” - John Palmer

 

[Tommo 2]

The only thing you won’t be able to learn from this forum, and is a total necessity in this fantastic hobby of ours is patience , you’ll need it in abundance, good luck and welcome to the forum..

 

[danmac]

The only thing you won’t be able to learn from this forum, and is a total necessity in this fantastic hobby of ours is patience , you’ll need it in abundance, good luck and welcome to the forum..

Married with 4 kids patience is all I have

 

[markjohnl]

I started my first brew a couple of weeks ago and bottled yesterday. I'd definitely recommend starting with a kit and a good one at that. You will want your first beer to be amazing to be sure you will want to go again. I went with a Youngs APA and I think many believe it to be one of the better ones alongside their IPA kit. There are quite a few reviews and walkthroughs on YouTube of others going through the process which helps.

Kit wise, I went a bit mad for a first timer, but the bottling tree and rinser I think were a good investment. As is the 'little bottler' for filling the bottles.

The only other thing Id say is start collecing bottles asap. I wasnt able to get enough in time, so had to buy some swingtops from beer2bottle.

Good luck! Well worth the effort

 

[DDHIPA]

I started my first brew a couple of weeks ago and bottled yesterday. I'd definitely recommend starting with a kit and a good one at that. You will want your first beer to be amazing to be sure you will want to go again. I went with a Youngs APA and I think many believe it to be one of the better ones alongside their IPA kit. There are quite a few reviews and walkthroughs on YouTube of others going through the process which helps.

Kit wise, I went a bit mad for a first timer, but the bottling tree and rinser I think were a good investment. As is the 'little bottler' for filling the bottles.

The only other thing Id say is start collecing bottles asap. I wasnt able to get enough in time, so had to buy some swingtops from beer2bottle.

Good luck! Well worth the effort

I totally agree with collecting bottles. When I was bottling I found my choice of beer purchasing often came down to the bottle type/shape! Shameful I know

 

[danmac]

I totally agree with collecting bottles. When I was bottling I found my choice of beer purchasing often came down to the bottle type/shape! Shameful I know

I normally buy the 660ml bottles so I'll start keeping them from now on