Home brewing

[Drago]

Anyone here do it? I got bought a kit for Crimbo, and Mrs D has promised to get me the final bits I need for my Birthday. I've cleaned out one of my sheds to make a brewery.

Chatting about this up the pub this afternoon (its nicer, less busy when the workies aren't in there) and a bloke I know brews his own mead, reckons its easy.

So are there any amateur brewers on here?

 

[Pro Tour Punditry]

Amateur drinker of professionally made ale; I had one attempt at making beer in 1989. It was awful.

 

[wisdom]

Make country wines and have done beer but only a kit one it was really good.
Steralize everything.

 

[sight-pin]

Anyone here do it? I got bought a kit for Crimbo, and Mrs D has promised to get me the final bits I need for my Birthday. I've cleaned out one of my sheds to make a brewery.

Chatting about this up the pub this afternoon (its nicer, less busy when the workies aren't in there) and a bloke I know brews his own mead, reckons its easy.

So are there any amateur brewers on here?

Made a few barrels years back, used the Boots the chemist gear and beer kits, barrels, large buckets, hydrometer, sterilisation tablets etc. Just one bit of advice, Don't move the barrels when it's ready to drink as your probably disturb the sediment at the bottom. Oh! and it can be quite strong lol

 

[Bazzer]

Used a beer kit once IIRC, many years ago which was successful, but haven't bothered with kits since.
I have made fruit and vegetable, (potato, carrot, parsnip), wines in the past, but now usually make fruit wines only. Normally apple and blackcurrant, but Mrs B also likes marrow and had a bumper crop of pears this year.
Probably around 200 bottles of apple and pear wines maturing under the floor and in the garage.
Edit: Thinking a little more about it, the number is higher, as I put about 150 bottles to mature under the floor just before Christmas and there were already north of 100 already under there.

 

[Levo-Lon]

The thing is all kit beer is just bad.

If you want good beer you need to do it properly.
And that is not done via a big tin of gloop and a barrel.

 

[Drago]

So this kit stuff isn't that good?

 

[ozboz]

It can be a very rewarding pastime !
Kits are ok , but you will have to find one that suits you
I never got into it but a couple of mates did when I lived in Australia, One Lad was so into it that he ended up with his own HB shop, nice lagers and stout ,
He made British style beer from scratch , imported hops etc , he listened intently when I informed him of the regional differences in our beer , and an acceptable looking pint , to me good head and pale in colour unlike the southern bitters , no head and darkish , taste , upto the drinker !
no bad beer , just depends if you like it of course , I couldn't be rude and knock back an invite to sample the new batches they made !
As said earlier though , sterilisation is imperative,

 

[stephec]

The thing is all kit beer is just bad.

If you want good beer you need to do it properly.
And that is not done via a big tin of gloop and a barrel.

This.

I used kits years ago and had to put a peg on my nose to force it down.

Although it was amusing watching my sixteen year old B.I.L. getting bladdered and puking up on two pints of barely wine.

 

[Levo-Lon]

So this kit stuff isn't that good?

By all means have a go but its not a good drink.

Go to a brewing shop and have a chat about beer making with real recipes and way up the cost.

My mate made a lot of beer like woodfords wherry for 1 and various other superb ales but he took weeks and spent all day mashing and cooking the ingredients.

The finished 25 pints were very nice but a lot of work was required

 

[Levo-Lon]

Ask @DP

Good shout

 

[deptfordmarmoset]

Did someone mention the importance of sterilisaton...?

I had a period of home brewing, first barrels and then bottles (I had to do a lot of Grolsch drinking because it came in big reusable, resealable bottles). Good fun, though. Results tended to be a little unpredictable but always potent and pretty cheap. I quite fancy trying something a bit more involved than what was basically a kit-based production. There are a lot of USA West coast hops that I enjoy that simply weren't around back in the day.

 

[ozboz]

Try this , Coopers , the Lager is easy to brew and nice

https://www.the-home-brew-shop.co.uk/acatalog/Coopers_Beer_Kits.html

 

[Drago]

What do you use for sterilisation? That baby bottle sterilisation fluid?

 

[Mr Celine]

It must be 30 years since I last made any beer. One particularly fine batch was taken to a party where we were planning to watch live aid on the telly.
I vaguely remember having to watch with one eye shut to prevent double vision, but eventually passed out and missed the last three hours.