hi new to brewing (as in haven't started yet but i do certainly like the idea)
have made wine from a kit before (but i don't like wine really) so i didn't really drink what i'd made lol! (apparantly it was nice though)
basically i've picked up (from other topcs here) that for cider it is better to brew then bottle (and store for a while) as apposed to kegging it.
but what i don't really understand is that when i made wine it had an airlock, and the fermentation buckets for sale in kits don't seem to have any airlocks and i don't fancy drilling a hole in the top of it to put one in (because i know that i'd mess it up!) i have read that people just tend to leave the lid loose so that the CO2 can escape but i was wondering wouldn't this way increase the likelyhood of impuritys and possibly infection which would be annoying especially since you have to take care by sterilising EVERYTHING, but leaving the lid loose and keep removing it to see how things are progressing sounds possibly risky to me.
SO i was wondering if it was a better idea to go for say this:
http://www.homebrew4u.co.uk/homebrew-st ... -cider.asp
or possibly risk spending slightly more money by buying a bucket with an airlock and getting the rest of the ingredients individually too.
another question: does anybody know if this; http://www.wilkinsonplus.com/Home-Brewi ... vt/0075885 allows an airlock to be fitted? (as i can't see the top, and there is no information on wilkinsonplus)
if you recomend buying stuff separatly... could you suggest an easy but nice cider kit (fizzy if possible) to use please?
sorry for all the n00b questions but i want to get it right first time :p
have made wine from a kit before (but i don't like wine really) so i didn't really drink what i'd made lol! (apparantly it was nice though)
basically i've picked up (from other topcs here) that for cider it is better to brew then bottle (and store for a while) as apposed to kegging it.
but what i don't really understand is that when i made wine it had an airlock, and the fermentation buckets for sale in kits don't seem to have any airlocks and i don't fancy drilling a hole in the top of it to put one in (because i know that i'd mess it up!) i have read that people just tend to leave the lid loose so that the CO2 can escape but i was wondering wouldn't this way increase the likelyhood of impuritys and possibly infection which would be annoying especially since you have to take care by sterilising EVERYTHING, but leaving the lid loose and keep removing it to see how things are progressing sounds possibly risky to me.
SO i was wondering if it was a better idea to go for say this:
http://www.homebrew4u.co.uk/homebrew-st ... -cider.asp
or possibly risk spending slightly more money by buying a bucket with an airlock and getting the rest of the ingredients individually too.
another question: does anybody know if this; http://www.wilkinsonplus.com/Home-Brewi ... vt/0075885 allows an airlock to be fitted? (as i can't see the top, and there is no information on wilkinsonplus)
if you recomend buying stuff separatly... could you suggest an easy but nice cider kit (fizzy if possible) to use please?
sorry for all the n00b questions but i want to get it right first time :p