homebrew

[SO16_Saint]

Does anyone do homebrew?

 

I'm just starting out with a Youngs American IPA and have bought kit from Wilkos. Have a FV (without airlock but am putting one in). not sure whether to use plastic bottles or glass yet.

 

will probably start the brew over the weekend. Anyone have any tips for a beginner?

Edited 16 September, 2014 by SO16_Saint

[NI Saint]

My other half and I brew beer together, we do all grain as it is quite a bit cheaper than extract here in Germany. For starting out a kit is a good way to go, you can use plastic bottles but make sure you have cleaned them completely with a disinfectant of some kind (make sure it's not the type to leave a residue) as you don't want an infection starting in the bottle. We use glass beer bottles that we have saved up over time or have had friends give us and as long as you rinse them straight after using and then give a sanitising clean before bottling they are great for reusing.

 

For the first time brewing make sure you start at a reasonable time as it might take a bit longer than you think. Make sure you clean everything really well before using it and clean up the same day as things can get a bit smelly if left over night. The only other thing is when you are cooling the wort before adding the yeast, make sure it gets to 20C before adding it as if it is too warm you will either cause weird flavours in the beer or kill the yeast and your batch won't ferment.

 

If you decide you like brewing the best thing to invest in or make yourself is a wort chiller as it saves heaps of time, we made ours out of copper piping and food grade plastic tubing from the DIY shop and connect to the bath tap and instead of taking hours to cool it now takes 15 to 20 minutes. Other than that good luck and don't be worried if your first batch isn't great if you keep making beer you will improve quite quickly.

[Ohio Saint]

Does anyone do homebrew?

 

I'm just starting out with a Youngs American IPA and have bought kit from Wilkos. Have a FV (without airlock but am putting one in). not sure whether to use plastic bottles or glass yet.

 

will probably start the brew over the weekend. Anyone have any tips for a beginner?

 

I'm an all-grain brewer as above. Everyone starts with kits of extract though, so just follow the instructions to the letter. As stated above, the most important aspect is sanitation. You are not sterilising the equipment, but making it sanitary, preferably with a store-bought product.

I use 1 litre brown plastic bottles by preference. They are just easier to fill and screw the cap on. Capping glass bottles soon becomes very tiresome.

 

Best advice? Try not to panic........You will most likely panic at some stage, just try not to.

 

Best forum for tips: homebrewtalk.com

[Huffton]

Tips for a beginner? Only give it to people you don't like

[Alanh]

I started with a Brupak which was a completely self contained kit and very easy to use. I soon progressed to 25 litre kits and that's big enough for me. Tips as above and have patience. I only brew for bottling and the beer tastes better the longer you leave it. If you get sediment in the bottle don't pour it into the glass when you drink it.

[SO16_Saint]

Thanks for the info. can I use just the one container and go straight to bottles? I've read that some suggest transferring to a secondary container before bottling.

 

also, would the under stairs cupboard be okay to store the tub while its working it's magic?

[do i not like fizzy pop]

I started last year and though using kits have tinkered by substituting sugars for spraymalts etc. There's some good kits for all levels, Woodfordes, Brew Buddy, Simply etc.

 

So far after ten or so kits yet to make a bad batch, but the one advice I was given and stuck to is thoroughly sterilize everything! (And make sure it's rinsed after)

 

Best thing was drinking all the beers to recycle the bottles for my brews. I use a mix of glass and plastic bottles and it makes no difference.

[NI Saint]

If you just have one FV you can bottle directly from that, just remember you don't want to let it get into contact with too much oxygen whilst bottling or transferring to another vessel, so ideally not too much pouring it between containers or anything like that. Oxidized beer tastes like cardboard, and that's considered an off-flavour. The only time where you actually want to introduce oxygen is just before pitching the yeast, for example with a whisk. That helps yeast growth, and a higher yeast cell count means a quicker and cleaner fermentation.

 

You can store your FV wherever you want, as long as the temperature is right (ideally not over 20 degrees) and remains relatively stable over the course of the day.

[do i not like fizzy pop]

Thanks for the info. can I use just the one container and go straight to bottles? I've read that some suggest transferring to a secondary container before bottling.

 

also, would the under stairs cupboard be okay to store the tub while its working it's magic?

 

If you are going to bottle, I recommend getting a "Little Bottler" tap (these guys are great and where I get my equipment from; Home-brew-online.com). You'll need to put it on your FV before you start but it means a no mess direct bottling from the FV plus it automatically leaves a gap at the top of the bottles to allow secondary fermentation. Oh, talking of which - as for being your first go when it comes to bottling I recommend carbonation drops over than trying to get brewing sugar into bottles.

[CB Saint]

Was bought one as a present this year.

 

you need somewhere warm to keep it while it ferments. You will need your dear lady's buy in on that. I would say that is probably the hardest thing about brewing your own beer.

 

my first effort was like a canoe - fecking close to water. But useful for designated drivers.

[LVSaint]

Beer and Loathing brewery just completed our 50th brew last month - a nice black IPA (although the carbonation was a little off). We are starting to keg somestuff now which shortens the conditioning time and eliminates carbonation issues, and the bottling and bottle recycling tedium!

 

Started with a Mr Beer kit using extracts, and whilst it's now a long way off what we're doing now, is a good place to start. The brew isn't going to be up to much at first but it might spark your interest and down the road invest in some proper brewing equipment - burner, brew pot, cooling system, carboy, etc. Using real ingredients like malt, grain and hops really take it to a new level.

 

As others have said, make sure that you keep everything as clean and sanitised as possible. Let the beer condition for as long as the instructions tell you, maybe add an extra week or so too.

Good luck!

[SO16_Saint]

I can't believe it was nearly 3 years ago I started this thread and only started the kit on Saturday.

 

This may explain the funky smell it is giving off, and the fact it is not bubbling in the air lock. Can these kits go off?

[do i not like fizzy pop]

Certainly the yeast can go off/die off which means it won't ferment. Sometimes the fermentation appears a little slow - i've had kits where very little has bubbled through the airlock - but they've been fine. Is it being kept between 20-24 degrees to allow fermentation? Some yeasts do emit a bad smell - German pilsner yeast smells like bad eggs while fermenting. Assuming you have a plastic lid is it raised as if under pressure as this would indicate fermentation is happening?

 

As for the question if the extract goes off - possibly, but if in a sealed tin i would think it lasts for ages.

[SO16_Saint]

Thanks. The yeast was in a vacuum sealed packet in another box.

 

The temp; not sure. It started low but has been in a blanket covered FV since Sat.

 

Stuff is happening, if you press the lid down the airlock bubbles but not by itself.

 

Tempted to open the lid, but not sure if that will be counter productive - or know what I'm looking for

[SO16_Saint]

[Ohio Saint]

These things have shelf life, especially yeast if not kept cool. It may be ok, maybe not. It would not hurt to buy a pack of ale yeast and throw it in there. Be sanitary!

 

On the plus side, when it comes to bottling it, you will get to taste it and decide whether to abort or not.

 

PS. Very hard to tell from a bad pic, but it looks like it may be ok.

Edited 9 August, 2017 by Ohio Saint

[Lord Duckhunter]

My other half and I brew beer together, we do all grain as it is quite a bit cheaper than extract here in Germany. For starting out a kit is a good way to go, you can use plastic bottles but make sure you have cleaned them completely with a disinfectant of some kind (make sure it's not the type to leave a residue) as you don't want an infection starting in the bottle. We use glass beer bottles that we have saved up over time or have had friends give us and as long as you rinse them straight after using and then give a sanitising clean before bottling they are great for reusing.

 

For the first time brewing make sure you start at a reasonable time as it might take a bit longer than you think. Make sure you clean everything really well before using it and clean up the same day as things can get a bit smelly if left over night. The only other thing is when you are cooling the wort before adding the yeast, make sure it gets to 20C before adding it as if it is too warm you will either cause weird flavours in the beer or kill the yeast and your batch won't ferment.

 

If you decide you like brewing the best thing to invest in or make yourself is a wort chiller as it saves heaps of time, we made ours out of copper piping and food grade plastic tubing from the DIY shop and connect to the bath tap and instead of taking hours to cool it now takes 15 to 20 minutes. Other than that good luck and don't be worried if your first batch isn't great if you keep making beer you will improve quite quickly.

 

 

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[do i not like fizzy pop]

Looks like it's fermenting. It's just a slow fermentation. I'd leave it for a full two weeks to ensure primary fermentation has completed rather than the 7-10 days they say on the kits, unless you intend on using a hydrometer to check the og (but I always think that's a bit of a faff)

[SO16_Saint]

Looks like it's fermenting. It's just a slow fermentation. I'd leave it for a full two weeks to ensure primary fermentation has completed rather than the 7-10 days they say on the kits, unless you intend on using a hydrometer to check the og (but I always think that's a bit of a faff)

 

Thanks! Yeah, I'm away next week so will leave it do its thing and check it next Saturday. That will be 14 days.

 

Fingers crossed it does its thing while I'm away