Page 1 of Home Brewing

Hi

Just been to a local home brewing shop and had a look aorund. I can get a starter kit with everything I need to brew 40 pints of real ale for 48 quid. I was thinking of trying that out and then maybe having a go at some lager after that too. Not including the kit it works out at about 30p a pint. I think I`ll leave wine to the experts tho ;)

One thing I forgot to ask though is: how long does it take to brew?

Does anyone here home brew? Any opinions or advice greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Nick

No tips or advice here...sorry.

My dad used to make home brew beer...one time it went kinda wrong and started squirting all over the front room from the top of the demijohn...they managed to stop it squirting so to make sure it didn`t happen again, my older brother and his friend dank the lot...and were seriously ill fro three days! hee hee...I think the moral of the story is: don`t let teenage boys near it while your making it!

Takes about 4 days for primary fermentation & a week or three for secondary.

Used to do it years back, all from kits. :¦

The "brewery" was in a cold conservatory, once I wrapped the fermentation bin in a electric blanket on "low - mid", it completed primary in about 12 hours. :o

Brewed both lager (me) & bitter for (dad).

Very nasty\sharp to drink but did the job at the time ie cheap - This was in the days were the price of a pint was still less than 75p.



I quite like the Helpdesk people in a benevolent (as opposed to malevolent) way as they do some valuable work in preventing us being inundated by every halfwit who can work a phone.

This item was edited on Wednesday, 30th November 2005, 14:11

Is home brew stuff always minging? If so I`ll not bother.

Nick

Depends on how far you want to go for it, ie really brew from the ground up or just follow the kit. Loads of people home brew, perhaps its the fact they are getting it right. :/

Kits have probably improved a lot since 1982\3.

You used to be able to get "hang on the back of door kits - Just add water".

Go for it, give it a whirl



I quite like the Helpdesk people in a benevolent (as opposed to malevolent) way as they do some valuable work in preventing us being inundated by every halfwit who can work a phone.

like Rass, i had a go at homebrewing when i was a bit younger.

me and my cousin bought a "boots" homebrew lager kit, the only difference
was he bought one of those heater belts (he got more YTS money than me).

mine took about a month from start to finish, his took two weeks...
mine was fizzy and tasty...his was flat and tasted like watered down
scrumpy.

i then bought all of the gear (40pint barrell + gas injector etc)

i only ever attempted making more brew once more, using the Edme brand (also
from boots) which produced a strong 5.5% lager which made your face glow
after 2 or 3 pints.

i guess the only reason i stopped was due to me having very limited patience
back in my teenage days :/

Quote:
My dad used to make home brew beer...one time it went kinda wrong and started squirting all over the front room from the top of the demijohn
i thought demijohn(sp?) were used by winemakers?

Ste.

........is that gasoline i smell?

This item was edited on Wednesday, 30th November 2005, 15:52

My attic would be ideal for brewing. Well insualted and quite large.

This may sound daft but I forgot I`d need gas injectors for the lager! I may give the kit a go. I am quite patient. I can just buy beer until mine`s ready ;)

Nick

Quote:
This may sound daft but I forgot I`d need gas injectors for the lager
Nick,

you won`t need a gas injector unless you`re buying a proper barrell. if you syphon
off the beer into bottles straight from the fermenting bucket and leave it for a short
while, it`ll automatically become fizzy.

a thing to remember when using the bottle method is that there will always be a small
amount that you won`t be able to drink due to the sediment that settles at the bottom
of the bottle. this also applies to a keg or barrell, but due to the position of the tap it
doesn`t become a problem when pouring a drink. mind you, it does waste a pint or
two!!!

Ste.

........is that gasoline i smell?

follow the guide that comes with the ale that you are brewing. When the fermentation process is over (about 3-4 days) transfer the ale to your keg, fill with pressurised gas and then leave it in a cool place (the cooler it is the faster it clears up, so outside would be great and cover with something to stop from freezing) for a about 3 maybe 4 weeks until cloud has gone. Check the progress every other day, you might even get to drink it sooner than originally planned. Im brewing some Woodfreys Bitter.

I`ve just got back into homebrewing after a 20 year break and I think the kits have moved on a lot. Spending £9.00 or more pounds on a non budget beer kit will yield results as good or better than the pub, start with a budget one and you may be a bit dissapointed. Do a good beer first and then decide whether to try a cheaper one. I`d also start with 1 litre or 2 litre PET fizzy drink type bottles first, if primed with the right amount of sugar you`ll get a good fizzy brew, without the need for gas- as already stated. If sediment becomes too much of a pain you can invest in a barrel later.

Are you a lager or bitter/real ale man? Lager is harder to get right.

Dave