Warning: first timer!

[chuckle-bus-tom]

Hello all!

I have never brewed in my life, so I'm coming to this totally green! My local pub sells some very well kept ale, but being in central London it's fast approaching £4 a pint, and I've to travel to the larger supermarkets for a decent choice of beers and beer offers.

My favourite beer to drink at home is Brewdog Punk IPA or something tasty from the southwest (to take my mind to surfing and being in my camper!); Tribute usually does the trick.

Anyway, I'm currently doing some reading of your guides to decide what equipment I need for some simple starter brews: brew kit vs. cobbling a set-up together.

Anyway, I'm going to the bar. What's everyone drinking?

Tom, 30, Hackney.

 

[Wez]

Welcome to the forum Tom :thumb:

Ask away - helpful bunch here

 

[31bb3]

Hi Tom welcome to the forum :

 

[dennisking]

Hi Tom, £4 a pint thats like swearing on this site, we can certainly save you a lot of money.

 

[Wez]

I went with 3pks dried yeast in my 40L brew today probably could have gone with 2, a quick calc means it's about 24p per pint.

I need to bring this down

 

[Stunned Monkey]

Hi Tom, I'm a relative noob too, but my Coopers fermentwr has been full almost constantly since buying it a couple of months ago.

I recommend checking out "Craig Tube" on YouTube, specifically his demo of a Coopers starter kit. I bought the English Bitter and although I continue to re-use the equipment. I recommend the following

- buy the Coopers starter kit but the beer's crap, get a Brupaks Colne Valley Bitter and add another 250g of amber spray malt. This produced a lovely quaffable strong ale after a week in the fermenter and 10 days in the bottle. If you want a different kit, stick with the all-malt 2-can ones unless making lager.

- buy another kit and box of pet bottles at the same time (I got the 1 litre clear jobbies) and kick it off immediately after bottling the first. If you wait till the first one is drinkeable, you'll finish it before the next one's ready!

I've got 5 litres of my bitter left and my IPA is about to come on line. Meanwhile the fermenter has had a Coopers Canadian blonde in it for a week still farting slowly. That needs to condition for a bit longer as will the Mexican Cerveza that's ready to go in next. As you can tell, I'm thoroughly enjoying my new hobby!

Martin, 34, nr Eastbourne

Edit: almost forgot, buy a pot of sanitiser too

 

[chuckle-bus-tom]

Thanks for the replies!

I have been looking at the various bits Wilkinsons have on offer, as I was pointed in their direction, but in the end it all added up to more than the kit from Art-of-brewing.co.uk.

So I have a pretty comprehensive kit, 24 plastic pint bottles and an Muntons 'connoissures IPA bitter' ready brew in the post.

The wife's face is a picture :lol:

 

[dennisking]

[quote="chuckle-bus-tom

The wife's face is a picture :lol:[/quote]

Don`t worry they get used to it.

 

[dorset brewer]

*faints* £4 a pint ! :sick: get ready to save alot of money and welcome to the site :)