swee'pea99
Legendary Member
D'you need to have an airing cupboard or something, or can you stick it under the stairs?
Home brewing
- Thread starter Drago
- Start date
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OP
OP
Drago
Legendary Member
- Location
- Suburban Poshshire
Apart from Status Quo it was all crap anyway.
No airing cupboard, but shed is warm. Could use an aquarium heater if necessary.
No airing cupboard, but shed is warm. Could use an aquarium heater if necessary.
ozboz
Guru
- Location
- Richmond ,Surrey
A good HB shop will have all yo need ,
Hugh Manatee
Veteran
It helps if you are in a hard water area. Our water is that hard, it carries a knife.
Norfolk Wherry kits always seem to give very good results.
Norfolk Wherry kits always seem to give very good results.
nickyboy
Norven Mankey
- Location
- You want hills? We got hills
lazybloke
Considering a new username
- Location
- Leafy Surrey
Home-made beer can be pretty good but I seem to be especially s**t at it.
I never buy a sweet wine, but have occasionally made a slightly sweet or even a spiced hedgerow "country" wine. Annoyingly they have been my very best.
Got rid of most of my fermenting kit a few years back, but will still make elderflower cordial and sloe gin most years. They're much easier, and make great gifts.
I never buy a sweet wine, but have occasionally made a slightly sweet or even a spiced hedgerow "country" wine. Annoyingly they have been my very best.
Got rid of most of my fermenting kit a few years back, but will still make elderflower cordial and sloe gin most years. They're much easier, and make great gifts.
DanZac
Senior Member
- Location
- Basingstoke
I do a fair bit. Kits are ok to start with but go with the 3KG ones that dont rely on putting in loads of sugar which just makes thin tasteless beer. Once you get the hang of kits all grain is the way to go, needs a bit more kit and takes a fair bit longer (Not a problem for a man of leisure like yourself) but the worlds your oyster.
As others have said make sure everything is well steralised, try and keep the temperature steady and don't put your fermentation bucket on the lounge carpet or you'll be in trouble.
In my opinion darker beers come out best, and larger type beers will definatly dissapoint.
There are also some good wine kits around and and endless supply of things to add to spirits for a tasty treat, I've got a nice shot of rhubarb gin on the go right now.
As others have said make sure everything is well steralised, try and keep the temperature steady and don't put your fermentation bucket on the lounge carpet or you'll be in trouble.
In my opinion darker beers come out best, and larger type beers will definatly dissapoint.
There are also some good wine kits around and and endless supply of things to add to spirits for a tasty treat, I've got a nice shot of rhubarb gin on the go right now.
What a thread.Took me back to my early 20's i made lager,it was easier,made it in the airing cupboard.It was so good my dear old dad drank it with his evening meal.He wasn't even a drinker,thanks for that memory.He worked hard and died aged 62.i neer told him i loved him,we never did those sort of things.
Bazzer
Setting the controls for the heart of the sun.
- Location
- On the edge of reality
I use a powder from the homebrew shop. Personally I would avoid stuff like Milton, unless I knew I wasn't going to be using a piece of kit for a while.
Hugh Manatee
Veteran
We don't like a hot house and have no airing cupboard. I purchased a little heat belt that draws next to no power but keeps things going on the fermentation front.
U
User169
Guest
I do a bit of all grain brewing. If your only experience of Home brewing is 1970s kits from Boots, it’s changed a lot since then. It’s easy to get hold of high quality malts, hops and yeasts these days that didnt used to be available to home brewers.
Kits aren’t a bad way of starting off to see if you like doing it - all grain requires a bit more of an up front investment in equipment.
I clean stuff using a dilute bleach solution - just make sure you give everything a good rinse afterwards to get rid of the smell. Bottles I just run through the dishwasher.
Ferment at a lowish temp - 18 to 20 degrees C for an ale. Commercial brewers brew at higher temps, but they also brew under pressure. Once you’ve bottled, you can move the bottles to a warmer place for a couple of weeks to help the beer carbonate.
If you want to go all grain, the Grainfather and Speidel are fantastic pieces of kit, although Speidel is a major investment.
The two classic beginner brewing books seem to be Charlie Papazian and John Palmer, but there huge amounts of online resources. I get most recipe ideas online and some craft brewers are releasing their recipes, so you can try to recreate a beer you like. BrewDog, for example put all of their recipes on their website a couple of years ago.
I don’t think it’s going to save you a great deal: you’ll never be able to compete with the cost of a slab of tinnies from a supermarket.
Kits aren’t a bad way of starting off to see if you like doing it - all grain requires a bit more of an up front investment in equipment.
I clean stuff using a dilute bleach solution - just make sure you give everything a good rinse afterwards to get rid of the smell. Bottles I just run through the dishwasher.
Ferment at a lowish temp - 18 to 20 degrees C for an ale. Commercial brewers brew at higher temps, but they also brew under pressure. Once you’ve bottled, you can move the bottles to a warmer place for a couple of weeks to help the beer carbonate.
If you want to go all grain, the Grainfather and Speidel are fantastic pieces of kit, although Speidel is a major investment.
The two classic beginner brewing books seem to be Charlie Papazian and John Palmer, but there huge amounts of online resources. I get most recipe ideas online and some craft brewers are releasing their recipes, so you can try to recreate a beer you like. BrewDog, for example put all of their recipes on their website a couple of years ago.
I don’t think it’s going to save you a great deal: you’ll never be able to compete with the cost of a slab of tinnies from a supermarket.
Pale Rider
Legendary Member
If you use a plastic bucket, use a white one.
They are less likely to taint the contents than other colours.
They are less likely to taint the contents than other colours.
OP
OP
Drago
Legendary Member
- Location
- Suburban Poshshire
Fortunately, the water here is so hard even Vladimir Putin is scared of it.
