Hi guys,
My first brew - a Coopers Wheat kit - has been in FV for the last 6 days. Me and the friends I'm brewing with are planning to wait another 6 or 7 days before bottling it, and starting our second and third brews. I have a few questions however, and was hoping some of you may be able to answer.
1) Carbonation drops vs sugar cubes vs standard table sugar. We're brewing partially to save money, so spending three times as much money on carbonation drops seems daft. Are sugar cubes good enough? I assume they are more consistent than spoons of sugar, but is this consistency really necessary? I've collected 50 or so bottles from friendly pubs and I'd rather they didn't explode! Any downsides to using normal sugar in terms of taste?
2) Our plan for kit number 2 is a Coopers European Lager. Problem is we don't have a temperature regulator, so our brew temp fluctuates a little. How vital is the lower fermenting temp for a lager? I was planning to stick the FV in a tray of water and draping an old towel or blanket over it to cool it down if we need to cool it (Our first brew started off at 25c, and gradually dropped to 15c as Britain decided it wasn't time for summer yet, so it might be cold enough anyway). Also, we are planning on putting the lager into my Dad's old pressure barrel (suitably sanitized), but that leaves us with nowhere to put it at 2c or so to condition, as it won't fit in the fridge with stuff like, say, food. What would happen if we conditioned it warmer than that, say 8 - 10c in the garage? How long will it keep in a barrel? I believe there are issues with moving barrels and stirring up all the sediment - the idea is to use the barrel at a summer barbecue, so I assume I'd have to move it to it's spot a few days before to let it settle again?
3) The third brew - if Idiot the Third starts answering his phone and decides exactly which one he wants - is likely to be a Belgian beer. Is there anything special to know about brewing Belgians? It'll be a kit again, as we don't have the time/equipment/skills/knowledge to do anything not already reasonably idiot-proofed. Are any particularly good/bad? We're using the Bigger Jugs website to source kit, as my mate lives 10 minutes away and we can save on delivery.
I know it's a whole load of questions, sorry if it's too many. I don't really have one to ask about this but my Dad, and he hasn't brewed in 20 years, and even then all he brewed was the Boots bitter kit (Which he thought was brilliant). I'd rather not waste 5 kits to experiment while trying to brew beer to save money!!
Thanks all.
My first brew - a Coopers Wheat kit - has been in FV for the last 6 days. Me and the friends I'm brewing with are planning to wait another 6 or 7 days before bottling it, and starting our second and third brews. I have a few questions however, and was hoping some of you may be able to answer.
1) Carbonation drops vs sugar cubes vs standard table sugar. We're brewing partially to save money, so spending three times as much money on carbonation drops seems daft. Are sugar cubes good enough? I assume they are more consistent than spoons of sugar, but is this consistency really necessary? I've collected 50 or so bottles from friendly pubs and I'd rather they didn't explode! Any downsides to using normal sugar in terms of taste?
2) Our plan for kit number 2 is a Coopers European Lager. Problem is we don't have a temperature regulator, so our brew temp fluctuates a little. How vital is the lower fermenting temp for a lager? I was planning to stick the FV in a tray of water and draping an old towel or blanket over it to cool it down if we need to cool it (Our first brew started off at 25c, and gradually dropped to 15c as Britain decided it wasn't time for summer yet, so it might be cold enough anyway). Also, we are planning on putting the lager into my Dad's old pressure barrel (suitably sanitized), but that leaves us with nowhere to put it at 2c or so to condition, as it won't fit in the fridge with stuff like, say, food. What would happen if we conditioned it warmer than that, say 8 - 10c in the garage? How long will it keep in a barrel? I believe there are issues with moving barrels and stirring up all the sediment - the idea is to use the barrel at a summer barbecue, so I assume I'd have to move it to it's spot a few days before to let it settle again?
3) The third brew - if Idiot the Third starts answering his phone and decides exactly which one he wants - is likely to be a Belgian beer. Is there anything special to know about brewing Belgians? It'll be a kit again, as we don't have the time/equipment/skills/knowledge to do anything not already reasonably idiot-proofed. Are any particularly good/bad? We're using the Bigger Jugs website to source kit, as my mate lives 10 minutes away and we can save on delivery.
I know it's a whole load of questions, sorry if it's too many. I don't really have one to ask about this but my Dad, and he hasn't brewed in 20 years, and even then all he brewed was the Boots bitter kit (Which he thought was brilliant). I'd rather not waste 5 kits to experiment while trying to brew beer to save money!!
Thanks all.
)
