hi

[LiamGo]

hi all im Liam from Stoke on Trent, west midlands.

ive wanted to start my own home brew as a hobby for a while so last Friday i bit the bullet and visited a local home brew shop (the jollybrewer, Kidsgrove) and got myself kitted out for £80.

now as im a complete newbie to this im hoping my first brew will turn out ok, its a coopers lager thats been brewing in a sealed vessel since friday evening, its sitting at a constant 24 degrees Celsius, bubbling nicely from the valve on top and has gone from a muddy brown to light brown/orangey colour so far.

excuse me if i dont use the correct terminology at this point, i will pick it up sooner or later lol

any hints or tips will be greatly appreciated aswell as me looking though the forum for help as the instructions i got from the shop were a tad vague and differ from the instructions on a leaflet i was given.

thanks. :

 

[Tony]

Nice to meet you Liam!
Good move and welcome aboard! Plenty of people around here who can help.. and don't worry about the terminology
:

 

[BigYin]

Welcome to the forum :drink:

First tip that I've picked up - the kits may say 4 to 6 days for fermenting, but most advice on here points towards more like 12 to 14 days :hmm:

 

[Cussword]

: Welcome Liam :drink:

 

[Dieseljockey]

Hi Liam...I'll second all that's been said :thumb:

just sit back now and watch your beloved bucket as it bubble's away...if at any time you are not sure of what to do and just want to check up on any thing......all you do is ask the Q....
Now's the time to be thinking about how your going to store you first baby brew.. :pray:

 

[abeyptfc]

I've bottled my 3rd coopers kit there last tuesday and started a coopers canadian blonde yesterday, the 3 kits I've bottled so far (draught, mexican cerveza and lager) have all been in the FV for 15 days or thereabouts, then I syphon into a clean sterilised fv to bottle. had a try of the draught and mexican cerveza and they are both nice anlthough they have only been bottled for 4 and 3 weeks respectively.had a try of the lager kit yesterday (after 5 days) and it wasn't great, carbonation wasn't the best and it tasted a bit watery but I'll be leaving it for a while to improve methinks.
I bought the coopers starter kit with the bottles and have used 1 carbonation drop per bottle to prime. I've only just started this brewing in july and have learned a barrel load on here, if you need help with the coopers kits send us a pm, cos I've probably asked the question already!

give the draught kit a go, its really nice and easy to drink.

 

[LiamGo]

thanks for the welcomes and advice so far!!

Welcome to the forum :drink:

First tip that I've picked up - the kits may say 4 to 6 days for fermenting, but most advice on here points towards more like 12 to 14 days :hmm:

thanks il leave it that bit longer then.

Hi Liam...I'll second all that's been said :thumb:

just sit back now and watch your beloved bucket as it bubble's away...if at any time you are not sure of what to do and just want to check up on any thing......all you do is ask the Q....
Now's the time to be thinking about how your going to store you first baby brew.. :pray:

thanks for that, as for bottling and storing i have a big box full of plastic one litre bottles, am i right to add a teaspoon of sugar to each bottle then fill up with the brew leaving 4/5 inches from the top of the bottle neck empty then gently shake the bottle? then for storing use somewhere cool with a cold floor?

TIA

I've bottled my 3rd coopers kit there last tuesday and started a coopers canadian blonde yesterday, the 3 kits I've bottled so far (draught, mexican cerveza and lager) have all been in the FV for 15 days or thereabouts, then I syphon into a clean sterilised fv to bottle. had a try of the draught and mexican cerveza and they are both nice anlthough they have only been bottled for 4 and 3 weeks respectively.had a try of the lager kit yesterday (after 5 days) and it wasn't great, carbonation wasn't the best and it tasted a bit watery but I'll be leaving it for a while to improve methinks.
I bought the coopers starter kit with the bottles and have used 1 carbonation drop per bottle to prime. I've only just started this brewing in july and have learned a barrel load on here, if you need help with the coopers kits send us a pm, cos I've probably asked the question already!

give the draught kit a go, its really nice and easy to drink.

hi, what does `fv` stand for? also carbonation drop?

ive got a tin of coopers stout and coopers bitter on the way also to give a try too. :)


thanks all

 

[abeyptfc]

sorry forgot you werent up to scratch on the techinical parts, the fv is 'fermenting vessel', basically a 23ltr bucket! FV is quicker to type and sounds better lol!
the carbonation drops are usually supplied with the coopers starters kits,otherwise you can buy a pack separately, its basically a measured amount of sugar, like a small sweet that u put in the bottle prior to filling up, its alot easier than individually putting a measured amount of sugar into each bottle, no mess but ordinary tate and lyle sugar is fine.

 

[LiamGo]

sorry forgot you werent up to scratch on the techinical parts, the fv is 'fermenting vessel', basically a 23ltr bucket! FV is quicker to type and sounds better lol!
the carbonation drops are usually supplied with the coopers starters kits,otherwise you can buy a pack separately, its basically a measured amount of sugar, like a small sweet that u put in the bottle prior to filling up, its alot easier than individually putting a measured amount of sugar into each bottle, no mess but ordinary tate and lyle sugar is fine.

thanks for that mate, hmm i dont think i bought a coopers starter kit as such, i basically just went in the shop and had a chat about what id need etc and was sold

25 litre fv with a a tap and thermometer sticker
mixing spoon
measuring tube
hydrometer
1 way valve for the gases in the fv
24 litre plastics bottles
tub of disinfectant powder.
2 x coopers tins of lager ingredient

it had crossed my mind about adding the sugar to the bottle, ive only read this briefly in the mini instructions that came with the ingredient, the fella at the shop didnt mention anything about this however. i think il invest in these carbonation drops though!

thanks

 

[abeyptfc]

heres a link for them - http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Coopers-Carbo...rewing-250g-60-NEW-/320351973224?pt=Home_Brew

I always use that shop hom-brew-online, its decent if your getting another fv and want a kit without having to pay a wad on postage, its capped at £5.95 no matter how much you buy, delivery usually within 2 days of ordering, the customer service is superb.
my coopers draught has been bottled for around 4 and a half week of the planned 5, stuck 2 bottles in the fridge earlier and just poure my first one, its so impressive being my first ever brew, absolute perfection, i took a few photos on my phone, i'll upload after the man city game.

 

[LiamGo]

heres a link for them - http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Coopers-Carbo...rewing-250g-60-NEW-/320351973224?pt=Home_Brew

I always use that shop hom-brew-online, its decent if your getting another fv and want a kit without having to pay a wad on postage, its capped at £5.95 no matter how much you buy, delivery usually within 2 days of ordering, the customer service is superb.
my coopers draught has been bottled for around 4 and a half week of the planned 5, stuck 2 bottles in the fridge earlier and just poure my first one, its so impressive being my first ever brew, absolute perfection, i took a few photos on my phone, i'll upload after the man city game.

brilliant, thanks for the link, its actually the same place i got the bitter and stout ingredient from.

ive been thinking about a 2nd fv aswell so will look into that aswell, pics would be great!

 

excuse me if i dont use the correct terminology at this point, i will pick it up sooner or later lol

Welcome to the Forum LG.
The short forms for the brewing equipment you'll soon pick up, it's the "shorthand" that still gives me trouble.
Always ask when in doubt.