Moving up a level

[Jack135]

Hello,

I am thinking I would like to progress in my beer brewing...
So I would like to know which direction you would advise I go in.

I have done 5 brews within the last couple of years (yes i know, not many). 2 Mexican style kits, my first, 1 pilsner kit and 2 turbo ciders which was a recipe i got off the homebrew forum.

In my head I would really like to go back to pilsner beer but the next step up from kits. Because of only doing kits and turbo ciders my equipment is very limited, bare minimal, so that too may need improving.

I’m still very new to all this but have really enjoyed trying to learn it.

 

[Gerryjo]

Hello,

I am thinking I would like to progress in my beer brewing...
So I would like to know which direction you would advise I go in.

I have done 5 brews within the last couple of years (yes i know, not many). 2 Mexican style kits, my first, 1 pilsner kit and 2 turbo ciders which was a recipe i got off the homebrew forum.

In my head I would really like to go back to pilsner beer but the next step up from kits. Because of only doing kits and turbo ciders my equipment is very limited, bare minimal, so that too may need improving.

I’m still very new to all this but have really enjoyed trying to learn it.

By the look of it you seem quite happy where you are and if it's kits that keep you happy then stick with them unless you are feeling that you would like to step up as there is no pressure only that applied by yourself.
You could also step up to partial mash or just pimping kits to you're desired taste but either way that decision is down to you.Good luck and your basic equipment will do you justice and if you need anything else jus scavange the kitchen cupboards.

 

[Jack135]

By the look of it you seem quite happy where you are and if it's kits that keep you happy then stick with them unless you are feeling that you would like to step up as there is no pressure only that applied by yourself.
You could also step up to partial mash or just pimping kits to you're desired taste but either way that decision is down to you.Good luck and your basic equipment will do you justice and if you need anything else jus scavange the kitchen cupboards.

Thank you for the reply! I guess i found the turbo cider much more interesting than heating a can and adding water, now that I think about it it’s not all the much different but it felt more personal.
What is partial mash??

 

[dwhite60]

You can make small, four liter batches of all - grain beer just to try out the process. Look for a book entitled "Beer Craft". Everything you need to know.

No shame in doing kits if you're happy with what you make. They sure make a short brew day. Making ten liters of all-grain is at least four hours for me.

 

[phildo79]

Partial mash seems the next logical step. Get yourself a copy of Charlie Papazian's 'The complete joy of home-brewing' (I think it is available as a free pdf online). Very easy to follow instructions and lots of recipes for all styles of brewing. Some of the techniques are a little outdated but still work. The difference between your first partial mash and a kit will be night and day. After I made my first recipe from the book, I never went back to kits.

 

[Sadfield]

Not sure pimping kits or partial mashing would be much use if you want to brew pilsner, as any additions would ruin what is inherently a very simple recipe. Only mashing part of a 100% pale malt recipe would be a bit pointless. It's a very process driven style. Stepping up would involve using good pilsner malt and fresh noble hops, water treatment. Fermentation temperature control and lagering.

 

[Sandimas]

The next step on from kits is usually Extract brewing, where you use dried or liquid unhopped malt extract (kits are hopped malt extract) and do a boil with fresh hops. This video is quite good and explains it.


However, lagers/pilsners are notoriously hard to brew and even some of us experienced brewers still struggle with this style.

 

[Jack135]

Thank you all for the reply! Will be sure to look into all that’s been suggested so far :)

 

[chillipickle]

If you want to try your hand at a part grain kit, dark rock do quite a few ready made kits.Every one i made came out superb.

https://darkrockbrewing.co.uk/beer/part-grain-beer-kits.html

 

[phildo79]

@Sadfield I hear ya on the need for partial with lager. Just flicking through one of Papazian's books and he has loads of different lager recipes. Quite a few of them have rice extract in the recipe. I would avoid these ones unless you can get proper brewers rice extract. He has a very simple Czech pilsner recipe that might be worth a go.

 

[Gerryjo]

Not sure pimping kits or partial mashing would be much use if you want to brew pilsner, as any additions would ruin what is inherently a very simple recipe. Only mashing part of a 100% pale malt recipe would be a bit pointless. It's a very process driven style. Stepping up would involve using good pilsner malt and fresh noble hops, water treatment. Fermentation temperature control and lagering.

You're correct in what you are saying but it's more for a novice to test the variety of techniques available to them and we have all been a novice at some stage and besides he could try swapping this out for a Cali common using the basics which would also lift the focus on pilsners showing the diversity of what changing your yeast,grains out etc.
As @phildo79 has pointed to Charlie's literature there is also a lot to be found on the forum's own how to guides.

 

[Sadfield]

@Jack135 Just came across this.
The Lowdown on Lagering - Brew Your Own

 

[phildo79]

 

[Jack135]

Thank you again everyone. I’ve decided to try a part grain kit after a few mentioned it. I had never realised there were more than one type of kit! I just assumed they call came in a can that you heat, so maybe in my original post that wasn’t clear but now i know! Maybe after a few part grains i will look into the books and recipes suggested!
I have also taken your views on lagers being harder however I don’t really enjoy ale or stout so there isn’t much appeal to me in doing one of them.

 

[phildo79]

Some of the types of malt extract mentioned in Papazian's books will be very hard to come by. The easiest ones to get in the UK are the generic ones and the occasional branded one like munton's, Cooper's or John bull. These sometimes pop up in his recipes but it's important not to get too worried about getting the precise one. The generic ones will do just fine.

I haven't looked at kits for years so I am not sure if it is possible to buy partial mash kits nowadays. But if it is, that would be the easiest way to try your first one.

 

[labrewski]

U could make your own kits
Buy malt liquid or dry
Hops
Yeast
Plenty of options to mess around with

 

[BridgeBrew]

I second the Dark Rock suggestion. I've made a few of these now, and they've all turned out great, but the best has been the Screaming Eagle, and the California Common. Bloody lovely

 

[Gerryjo]

As @labrewski has suggested making your own using partial is easy enough ass the grain to liquid malt ratio is 4/3.
For a kilo of grain substitute with 750g of liquid malt (LNE) or vice versa.
With dry malt extract it's a 5/3 ratio
For a kilo of grain substitute with 600g of dry malt extract (DME) or vice versa.
Here's a handy conversion chart if your interested.
Lazy Chart For Converting - DME - LME -GRAIN -