Noob questions on first kit

[druid1966]

I used a light bulb to heat the cupboard when the temperature dipped quite low last winter...worked OK I guess...beer tasted fine.

 

[Sinktipper]

Nice one lads. Also, I’m thinking what kind of heater do I need ? Will probably be outside in shed, so can I Just chuck it in an old fridge, will the exothermic yeast reaction be enough to keep the heat up or better to get a fish tank type immersion heater ?

A heat belt might be better, although I don't know how it would cope with a very cold shed if we get a bad winter. I user to sit the FV in a large tub of water (with a dash of bleach in it) which I warmed up with a fish tank heater - but our hard London water ruined it after a couple of brews. I was never keen on dangling a heater directly into my beer.

 

[Winterbournebrewery]

I will post a picture later today with details.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

Nice one lads. Also, I’m thinking what kind of heater do I need ?

If you are only heating this is probably the easiest way of doing it - https://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/threads/how-to-set-up-a-water-bath-for-your-fv.66407/

 

[terrym]

......and also perhaps read this to give yourself a good idea of what you should be doing when you brew your first beer
https://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/...de-to-brewing-your-own-beer-from-a-kit.57526/
And my personal advice is to back off buying a PB for the time being. Bottles are fine at the beginning. PBs are the Marmite of Homebrewing and many including me don't get on with them whilst others think they are the dog's whatsits

 

[thesteve]

Ah, I wouldn't waste your money on a heater. Stick the FV in an inside cupboard and as long as it stays around the 20c mark you will be fine. You could probably buy all you need plus a good kit for less than £50. It's really not that expensive to get all you need to brew a simple kit.

 

[Wayno15]

There are some cheap 25w l heat belts on ebay for a fiver each. I have 2 of these, one I use on the fv and the second goes into a big wooden box with all my bottles for secondary fermentation. That way I can keep all the fermenting going on in the garage no matter how cold it gets and it keeps the Doris from moaning

Regarding a starter kit, I went with the coopers premium kit that comes with pet bottles, I think it's a great kit for 65 quid including a can of your chioce (I went for European lager which is brewing now)

 

[Burtie]

My house is cooler than most so I use some 'reptile tank' heat mats, 7 usd from AliExpress.

They raise the temperature of a 23l brew by about 6 degrees above room temperature.

In a normal house you probably won't need one, as fermentation takes off the temperature will raise inside the FV.

 

[Cheshire Cat]

Remember airing cupboards without the tank being insulated . I used to ferment in their if it wasn't full of towels.

 

[stinka]

Ok guys, so I’m still doing plenty of reading and I’m getting my list together for my first delve into this wonderful world, which goes like this :


Wilco Campden tablets to treat tap water


Wilco brewing sugar


A starter kit :

https://www.geterbrewed.com/beer-starter-kit-including-craft-series-beer-kit/


Collect glass 500ml bottles to cap with supplied caps


Wilco pressure vessel and cartridges


Reuse mini kegs

So my next point of confusion is whether to get some carbonation drops ?

I’m planing on filling a Wilco PV but also filling and capping g some bottles as well

how do I use the brewing sugar in the PV ? And will it be ok to use brewing sugar in the bottles or better to use carb drops in bottles ?

or can I do away with this and use spray malt in the FV before bottling/filling with wand ??

Cheers in advance

 

[Burtie]

One of the joys of brewing is buying new kit etc.

Have you looked at the Youngs Micro Brewery starter kits? They include PBs and the APA, AIPA and Amber Ales are very good. Brew2Bottle have them for under £58 with a possible 5% discount for 1st order.
I've three of these kits, primarily bought for the beer kit and the PB, the rest is a bonus.
You may want to consider a Bench capper instead of a winged/handheld capper.

As for carbing, I use standard granulated sugar. Either a half or a level teaspoon per 500ml bottle. Also, I use a 500ml PET/Plastic bottle at least once to check carbonation levels.

Don't use dme for carbing.

To use the FV to batch Prime you would obviously need 2 FVs and need to be careful with sanitation and introduction of air whilst transferring.

 

[stinka]

One of the joys of brewing is buying new kit etc.

Have you looked at the Youngs Micro Brewery starter kits? They include PBs and the APA, AIPA and Amber Ales are very good. Brew2Bottle have them for under £58 with a possible 5% discount for 1st order.
I've three of these kits, primarily bought for the beer kit and the PB, the rest is a bonus.
You may want to consider a Bench capper instead of a winged/handheld capper.

As for carbing, I use standard granulated sugar. Either a half or a level teaspoon per 500ml bottle. Also, I use a 500ml PET/Plastic bottle at least once to check carbonation levels.

Don't use dme for carbing.

To use the FV to batch Prime you would obviously need 2 FVs and need to be careful with sanitation and introduction of air whilst transferring.

this ?
https://brew2bottle.co.uk/collectio...ts/youngs-micro-brewery-ultimate-starter-kits

That’s bloody great tbf

only need the campden tablets really then I think

 

[dad_of_jon]

The capper with the get er brewed kits you linked to isn't the long lasting type. Better to have a metal one with red handles. You'll always need a fermenter/bucket regardless of if you use kits ag or extract. I can vouch for the brewfferm kits they are great although they do generally require a few months in bottle to reach their best. If drinking quickly a plastic pressure barrel could suit you, but if keeping your beer for extended periods better to keep it in glass or a cornie keg than plastic.

 

[Burtie]

Yes, that's the kit I've got...

You may want to add another FV with a tap to the order. Let's you brew something for the PB and something to bottle all at the same time :)

 

[stinka]

Yes, that's the kit I've got...

You may want to add another FV with a tap to the order. Let's you brew something for the PB and something to bottle all at the same time :)

Ah so you can’t fill some bottles and the pressure vessel from the same FV ?

 

[stinka]

The capper with the get er brewed kits you linked to isn't the long lasting type. Better to have a metal one with red handles. You'll always need a fermenter/bucket regardless of if you use kits ag or extract. I can vouch for the brewfferm kits they are great although they do generally require a few months in bottle to reach their best. If drinking quickly a plastic pressure barrel could suit you, but if keeping your beer for extended periods better to keep it in glass or a cornie keg than plastic.

As for drinking quickly I generally dont drink Monday to Wednesday, but I’ll have 4-6 pints on a Thursday night, 8-10 on a Friday, 12-15 on a Saturday and 6-10 on a Sunday :) I think I’ll probably see off a full batch in 2-3 weeks, will it keep in a PV for 3 weeks ish ?

 

[Burtie]

Ah so you can’t fill some bottles and the pressure vessel from the same FV ?

The FV in the kit doesn't have a tap but an FV with a tap is better for bottling.

With an additional FV you can
A) use it to batch prime a brew in the other FV.
B) Brew two kits at the same time.
C) use it to clean all your equipment by making up your sterilisation solution in it.

FVs are very versatile

 

[stinka]

The FV in the kit doesn't have a tap but an FV with a tap is better for bottling.

With an additional FV you can
A) use it to batch prime a brew in the other FV.
B) Brew two kits at the same time.
C) use it to clean all your equipment by making up your sterilisation solution in it.

FVs are very versatile

short term can I just drill this bucket and fit a tap ?

 

[Burtie]

short term can I just drill this bucket and fit a tap ?

You can but you don't need/want to use a tap if you're transferring to the PB. Just syphon it out using the large tube provided, takes a couple of minutes..if you want it in a bottle also, carefully use the tap on the PB..

And of course you'd need to buy a tap and run risk of creating a leaky FV . A new FV with a tap is about £10..

 

[stinka]

You can but you don't need/want to use a tap if you're transferring to the PB. Just syphon it out using the large tube provided, takes a couple of minutes..if you want it in a bottle also, carefully use the tap on the PB..

And of course you'd need to buy a tap and run risk of creating a leaky FV . A new FV with a tap is about £10..

ah ok, great advice cheers ! It’s bloody common sense I guess, like most things.

so would you fill the PV, then leave the lid open whilst filling half a dozen bottles etc from the tap. Then top up PV if anything left in FV before finally putting cap on PV ?