Discussion
Yes, with kits it’s easy. Something like Woodfordes Wherry is a good start, just make sure you sterilize everything well.
Full grain brews need a bit more kit and take a full day but the outcome is on par with anything you can get commercially (if not better).
You can buy starter kits fairly cheaply so give that a go and see what you think. Lots of resources on the web with how to guides etc.
Full grain brews need a bit more kit and take a full day but the outcome is on par with anything you can get commercially (if not better).
You can buy starter kits fairly cheaply so give that a go and see what you think. Lots of resources on the web with how to guides etc.
I've not brewed beer for years.
The greater the brew volume, the easier it is.
The thermal mass of a 40 pint brew is so large that it takes ages for the ambient temperature to affect the temperature of the brew. When I started, I used five demijohns with airlocks, this was a mistake, a single brew bin is better.
Use a yeast starter. Prepare it 24 to 36 hours before you are ready to pitch the yeast. You can buy one, but you don't need to. This is where you really, really need to be sterile.
Thoroughly clean, sterilise and rinse a 1 pint container. Any trace of the steriliser left will kill the yeast.
Boil 1/2 pint of water and decant to the container. Add three or four teaspoons of sugar and either a dash of lemon juice or orange juice for acidity.
Cover with clingfilm, hold in place with a rubber band and leave to cool.
When the liquid has reached about 25C, you can pitch in the dried yeast (top fermenting).
About 24 yours later, you should see a thick layer of yeast foam, the clingfilm may be bulging with the pressure of the CO2 inside.
Simply add this to your brew at the point that you would have pitched the dried yeast.
At the start of the brew, your wort and yeast are vulnerable to infection. Bacteria could easily establish themselves in the wort and produce an environment that the yeast can't survive. If you pitch dried yeast in a very sugar rich environment (your wort) it will take a long time to establish. But once established it will start producing a protective yeast crust, a protective layer of sterile CO2 and producing alcohol - all of these make it harder to infect the brew.
Using a starter allows you to activate the yeast in a less sugary environment, pitching live yeast dramatically reduces the window during which your wort is most vulnerable.
I tended to use an airlock in the top of a brewbin for the first 12-24 hours after pitching the yeast, then remove it, but leave the lid on until the yeast started to go anerobic. Simply because one demijohn sized airlock couldn't cope with the volume of gas from a 40 pint brewbin, mother would get upset at the yeast overflow onto her carpets.
The greater the brew volume, the easier it is.
The thermal mass of a 40 pint brew is so large that it takes ages for the ambient temperature to affect the temperature of the brew. When I started, I used five demijohns with airlocks, this was a mistake, a single brew bin is better.
Use a yeast starter. Prepare it 24 to 36 hours before you are ready to pitch the yeast. You can buy one, but you don't need to. This is where you really, really need to be sterile.
Thoroughly clean, sterilise and rinse a 1 pint container. Any trace of the steriliser left will kill the yeast.
Boil 1/2 pint of water and decant to the container. Add three or four teaspoons of sugar and either a dash of lemon juice or orange juice for acidity.
Cover with clingfilm, hold in place with a rubber band and leave to cool.
When the liquid has reached about 25C, you can pitch in the dried yeast (top fermenting).
About 24 yours later, you should see a thick layer of yeast foam, the clingfilm may be bulging with the pressure of the CO2 inside.
Simply add this to your brew at the point that you would have pitched the dried yeast.
At the start of the brew, your wort and yeast are vulnerable to infection. Bacteria could easily establish themselves in the wort and produce an environment that the yeast can't survive. If you pitch dried yeast in a very sugar rich environment (your wort) it will take a long time to establish. But once established it will start producing a protective yeast crust, a protective layer of sterile CO2 and producing alcohol - all of these make it harder to infect the brew.
Using a starter allows you to activate the yeast in a less sugary environment, pitching live yeast dramatically reduces the window during which your wort is most vulnerable.
I tended to use an airlock in the top of a brewbin for the first 12-24 hours after pitching the yeast, then remove it, but leave the lid on until the yeast started to go anerobic. Simply because one demijohn sized airlock couldn't cope with the volume of gas from a 40 pint brewbin, mother would get upset at the yeast overflow onto her carpets.
Yep, brew loads of stuff, beer, wine, cider etc.
My main thing is beer and I brew from kits. I'd love to do all grain (i.e. using the raw ingredients) but simply don't have the time with two young kids. The kits are easy, empty contents into fermenting bucket, rinse out any remaining from the pouches/tins with hot water, bit more hot water in the fermenter and give it all a good stir to dissolve. Fill to whatever the kit volume is (usually 23L) with cold water, when it's getting close to full check the temperature, you want about 20°C, if it's too cold add a bit of hot water or if too hot keep adding cold. Once full sprinkle the yeast on the top, put the lid on, leave it ever so slightly cracked open to let the gas escape, and put it somewhere at a constant temperature (ideally 20°C). Leave for 2 weeks, check the gravity with a hydrometer if you have one, provided it's stable you can now bottle or keg with the sugar that will make it fizzy (priming). Leave for another 2 weeks in the warm to prime and then ideally another 2 weeks somewhere cooler to condition but you can start trying it sooner
What I'd advise is to spend decent money on beer kits, an all malt kit (i.e. not requiring extra sugar) will cost about £20-£25 for 40 pints. The single can kits where you do add extra sugar cost about £10 but really don't come close to the more premium ones in terms of quality.
Loads more info and helpful people here: https://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/
My main thing is beer and I brew from kits. I'd love to do all grain (i.e. using the raw ingredients) but simply don't have the time with two young kids. The kits are easy, empty contents into fermenting bucket, rinse out any remaining from the pouches/tins with hot water, bit more hot water in the fermenter and give it all a good stir to dissolve. Fill to whatever the kit volume is (usually 23L) with cold water, when it's getting close to full check the temperature, you want about 20°C, if it's too cold add a bit of hot water or if too hot keep adding cold. Once full sprinkle the yeast on the top, put the lid on, leave it ever so slightly cracked open to let the gas escape, and put it somewhere at a constant temperature (ideally 20°C). Leave for 2 weeks, check the gravity with a hydrometer if you have one, provided it's stable you can now bottle or keg with the sugar that will make it fizzy (priming). Leave for another 2 weeks in the warm to prime and then ideally another 2 weeks somewhere cooler to condition but you can start trying it sooner
What I'd advise is to spend decent money on beer kits, an all malt kit (i.e. not requiring extra sugar) will cost about £20-£25 for 40 pints. The single can kits where you do add extra sugar cost about £10 but really don't come close to the more premium ones in terms of quality.
Loads more info and helpful people here: https://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/
C0ffin D0dger said:
Yep, brew loads of stuff, beer, wine, cider etc.
My main thing is beer and I brew from kits. I'd love to do all grain (i.e. using the raw ingredients) but simply don't have the time with two young kids. The kits are easy, empty contents into fermenting bucket, rinse out any remaining from the pouches/tins with hot water, bit more hot water in the fermenter and give it all a good stir to dissolve. Fill to whatever the kit volume is (usually 23L) with cold water, when it's getting close to full check the temperature, you want about 20°C, if it's too cold add a bit of hot water or if too hot keep adding cold. Once full sprinkle the yeast on the top, put the lid on, leave it ever so slightly cracked open to let the gas escape, and put it somewhere at a constant temperature (ideally 20°C). Leave for 2 weeks, check the gravity with a hydrometer if you have one, provided it's stable you can now bottle or keg with the sugar that will make it fizzy (priming). Leave for another 2 weeks in the warm to prime and then ideally another 2 weeks somewhere cooler to condition but you can start trying it sooner
What I'd advise is to spend decent money on beer kits, an all malt kit (i.e. not requiring extra sugar) will cost about £20-£25 for 40 pints. The single can kits where you do add extra sugar cost about £10 but really don't come close to the more premium ones in terms of quality.
Loads more info and helpful people here: https://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/
The basic kits are fine, you don't need to use the expensive ones.My main thing is beer and I brew from kits. I'd love to do all grain (i.e. using the raw ingredients) but simply don't have the time with two young kids. The kits are easy, empty contents into fermenting bucket, rinse out any remaining from the pouches/tins with hot water, bit more hot water in the fermenter and give it all a good stir to dissolve. Fill to whatever the kit volume is (usually 23L) with cold water, when it's getting close to full check the temperature, you want about 20°C, if it's too cold add a bit of hot water or if too hot keep adding cold. Once full sprinkle the yeast on the top, put the lid on, leave it ever so slightly cracked open to let the gas escape, and put it somewhere at a constant temperature (ideally 20°C). Leave for 2 weeks, check the gravity with a hydrometer if you have one, provided it's stable you can now bottle or keg with the sugar that will make it fizzy (priming). Leave for another 2 weeks in the warm to prime and then ideally another 2 weeks somewhere cooler to condition but you can start trying it sooner
What I'd advise is to spend decent money on beer kits, an all malt kit (i.e. not requiring extra sugar) will cost about £20-£25 for 40 pints. The single can kits where you do add extra sugar cost about £10 but really don't come close to the more premium ones in terms of quality.
Loads more info and helpful people here: https://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/
Don't use granulated sugar, a 50% dextrose, 25% maltodextrin and 25% Dried malt extract with a tablespoon of homey is much better. Also use a decent yeast and add hops.
Keep the temp as stable as possible, around 18c. Don't rush.
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