New to brew

[toledo]

Hello from Bath, where the water here is harder than the stone used for the local buildings and it's most definitely cider country. (In fact there are three types of cider: sleeping, singing and fighting... but that's another story as I'm here for the beer.)
Being a blow-in from the Midlands where Banks's beer was available in the old days in a myriad of forms - mild and bitter - I've been fortunate to experience the local delights of Wadsworth, Butcombe, Badger and more. So my interests are primarily in ales but Mission Control likes Belgian rocket fuel and she wants me to at least make a token gesture to get something like that road-mapped.
So here I am with a starter kit (or two), with an initial amber ale in a fermenter, and an intent to make something that isn't going to create hilarity amongst friends and equals. Being more comfortable with tech than brewing artistry I have managed thus far to get a Zigbee temperature sensor on the ferment, with a heater pad controlled by a smart switch through Home Assistant - and this is working remarkably well so far to keep said fermentation in the desired temperature range.
Be gentle with me as I'm greener than the greenest hops, and hello again to all!

 

[Caramel Ox]

Welcome to the forum. I am not too far distant in Amesbury. For what it’s worth my wife still rates the woodford wherry kit (brew 1 of 7 so far) as her favourite so you can’t win them all.

I mix about 50% spotless water to cope with the local water hardness but you should be okay with kits just treat for chlorine.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

Welcome to the forum

 

[Rwilts]

Welcome

 

[starseeker]

Welcome,
Great intro

 

[WillFrites]

Welcome to the forum

 

[The Baron]

Welcome to the forum

 

[NicF]

Hello from someone who was born lived most of his life in Bath and the surrounding areas, I now live in Swindon where the water is even harder!

 

[An Ankoù]

Hello from Bath, where the water here is harder than the stone used for the local buildings and it's most definitely cider country. (In fact there are three types of cider: sleeping, singing and fighting... but that's another story as I'm here for the beer.)
Being a blow-in from the Midlands where Banks's beer was available in the old days in a myriad of forms - mild and bitter - I've been fortunate to experience the local delights of Wadsworth, Butcombe, Badger and more. So my interests are primarily in ales but Mission Control likes Belgian rocket fuel and she wants me to at least make a token gesture to get something like that road-mapped.
So here I am with a starter kit (or two), with an initial amber ale in a fermenter, and an intent to make something that isn't going to create hilarity amongst friends and equals. Being more comfortable with tech than brewing artistry I have managed thus far to get a Zigbee temperature sensor on the ferment, with a heater pad controlled by a smart switch through Home Assistant - and this is working remarkably well so far to keep said fermentation in the desired temperature range.
Be gentle with me as I'm greener than the greenest hops, and hello again to all!

Hello @toledo and welcome. I love west country cider, in fact I possibly like it even more than beer (shock, horror. people fainting all around!) but I love brewing so someone's got to drink it. I gather from your reference to kits you mean malt extract kits? There's no good reason why you can't make Belgian-style beers from malt extract or by adapting a kit. One of the most important things is getting the right yeast. Let us know what Miss Mission Control has in mind and we'll bung you a recipe or two. Both sides are important, but if you want to be a brewer rather than a brewery designer, you'll need to get to grips with brewing, but take it slowly, read some books and enjoy the journey.

What's your favourite cider, then?

 

[toledo]

Hello @toledo and welcome. I love west country cider, in fact I possibly like it even more than beer (shock, horror. people fainting all around!) but I love brewing so someone's got to drink it. I gather from your reference to kits you mean malt extract kits? There's no good reason why you can't make Belgian-style beers from malt extract or by adapting a kit. One of the most important things is getting the right yeast. Let us know what Miss Mission Control has in mind and we'll bung you a recipe or two. Both sides are important, but if you want to be a brewer rather than a brewery designer, you'll need to get to grips with brewing, but take it slowly, read some books and enjoy the journey.

What's your favourite cider, then?

Thank you for your kind words and welcome. I'm definitely padding through slowly and learning as I go along, it's a journey of discovery. My intention is to start with hopefully simple brews from kits which get me into the swing of things, and hopefully I can pick up enough of an approach to take on more of the process. I suspect it will be a leisurely journey as time appears to be fundamental to achieving anything!
As for favourite cider, that's tricky as it's not really my preference. However, the odd cider or pear equivalent is imbibed from time to time in deeper Somerset - the last time was in a village pub where I needed a translator...

 

[Nucbrewer]

Welcome I am fairly new to brewing too and have only made kit brews so far. I’m just enjoying the process and some fine and not so good beers. I always find myself adding extras to brews which work out most of the time. Brewed a Brewferm Belgian tripel which went down very well with my step sons.