Advice Needed for a 1st Time Brew

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qwerty

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Hello,

I'm hoping I can get some advise on what home brew kit would be best for a first timer like me. In about 6 weeks I'll be meeting up with a group of friends for a home brew beer fest where each of us will bring something we have brewed ourselves.

I'm hoping that I can get some help in choosing a simple home brew kit which is compact enough that it can easily be kept in a small space, doesn't smell and produces a decent ale.

I've been looking at the Brubox London Ale http://www.the-home-brew-shop.co.uk..._London_Bitter_10_Litres.html#a100031#a100031. It looks like the sort of thing I am after but I thought I would put a question out to those that know. Is there something better?

Any thoughts are welcome, thanks for your time.
 
Hi and welcome, not a kit brewer myself but there are plenty on here who are that and will be able to help. Interested to see your having your own homebrew fest. Please let us know how it goes and your findings. :thumb:
 
Welcome. Not made one of those but they look okay. The only thing I would say is that it will be hard to transport without disturbing the sludge. You could use a normal starter kit and bottle, which would be ready if you get going soon. Making kits don't make much smell. Also a regular starter kit will give you all the bits and pieces you will need to make more in the future.
 
I'm not a kit brewer but aim for something fairly low in alcohol to make sure it is ready and has conditioned in time.
Maybe 4% max. As a rule of thumb, the higher the alcohol content, the longer it takes before it is drinkable.

Also you can upgrade the yeast in the kit you get and maybe buy a bag of hops to really amp up your beer.

Let us know on here what kit you go for and there will be tons of great advice to make a great beer to knock the socks off your mates.
 
Hi and welcome from one newbie to another!!
:cheers:

Would have to agree with the above. Unless you have all the equipment, get one of the ale starter kits. You will get a pretty decent ale in no time :thumb:
 
I'd seriously recommend just getting a "normal" basic set of stuff and aim to bottle your beer.

I wrote this while brewing in a new build flat with a titchy kitchen.

You might also find this useful, I've tried to cover all the pitfalls and stuff that I had to read up on.

Most local homebrew shops will do you everything you need for not a lot of money and really you don't need a lot.

In terms of kits, if you want to win this thing, you can't go wrong with Woodfordes, Better Brew and Muntons Gold range...

...for something that will be ready quite quickly, I'd go with Better Brew but don't use sugar as per the instructions, buy a 1.5kg can of liquid malt extract and use that instead. You'll need two weeks in FV then that remaining month in the bottle but you'll have seriously decent beer!
 
I wouldnt go for the brubox, a simple fv and bottling setup gives you alot more options
 
Hello and welcome to the forum. :cheers:

Good luch with your brew and event :thumb:
 
Honestly go for a fermentation bucket and a Fixby gold it is wonderful.
That gives you 10 days to find bottles (2 litre pop are fine)
I asked my local for their cider bottles and got a lever bottler and some caps

There are other beer kits but if you are at a fest, show off.

You would normally. Need a week a % as a rule of thumb to mature so should. Come in nicely.

Enjoy it whatever
 
Just had a look at that brewbox thing...

10 litres for £27. And if you want to take it anywhere sensibly you'll still have to bottle it. So add a little bottler (I'm assuming it'll fit the tap), reasonable two lever capper, caps and bottles (just for arguement's sake - you should be able to drink and scavenge enough in a couple of weeks in truth).

little bottler: 7.15
emily capper: 13.50
20 caps: 0.50
20 bottles: 13.6

total: £61.75 or £3.08 per 500ml bottle (assuming you get 20).

brew the same thing again and you are looking at £1.43 a bottle if you buy them or 75p if you scavenge them.


Or you could do this: http://www.hopsandvineshomebrew.co.uk/s ... asp?id=834

kit: £30
little bottler: 7.15
emily capper: 13.50
20 caps: 0.50
20 bottles: 13.6

total £78.85 or £1.79 per bottle assuming you get 44 which is pretty much what I get on average.

And if you did exactly the same kit again it would be down to 94p a bottle - if you still buy the bottles!!! Scavenge them and you are down to 32p...

The buckets are only 40cm in diameter and take up very little room, all the rest of the kit is small - I still have nothing more than my buckets and one of those underbed boxes for all my gear (and a substantial stash of bottles, full and empty!).

You know it makes sense and quite apart from the financial aspect there is a MASSIVE range of kits designed mostly for 36 or 40 pint (20 or 23 litre) brewlengths. Not so with the 10l...
 
The Coopers starter kit costs £60-£65 and includes over 40 bottles and everything else you need plus your choice of beer.

It makes me cringe when I read about folks bottling their well made beer into 2 litre " pop " bottles. Treat your brew with respect and treat it properly by putting it into 500ml or 1 litre plastic or glass beer bottles.
 
Sounds like some good advice given and welcome to the forum! Me being a cheap student tend to side with the guys saying get a cheap fv (fermenting vessel of gd size, wilkos do a good one that lasts), some method of bottling (fishtank airline tubing is slow but easy and u can put a bent hairclip or wire in to stay above the sediment) also (i liked my 2l pop bottles cos it was quick, cheap,18p ea and didnt have to sterilise them first time-did look like a loon in the supermarket though) and a proper 20l all extract kit-all extract may be less abv but tastes far superior, faster. Also picking a style that copes well with speed is gd, i just did a stout (AG) in less than a week using a packet of muntons permium gold yeast and easy beats orkney brewerys dark isle-even though its murkier than mud lol, not that u can really tell cos its a stout. A even quicker style would be a wheat or a pale ale-wouldnt recommend a larger a at room temps r a bit fragrant a need need longer to mature with the bonus that wheats r meant to be cloudy.
If worried about smell, use an airlock/bubbler and ferment at sensible temps.

Oh for a price breakdown, bottles 10*2l £2, kit like milestone( i really liked their stout and comes with a proper yeast) £21 and airline tubing £3 and fermentor plus airlocks £15, clean with bleach, rinse well and brew, can easy be done in 3wks if dont mind a bit of sediment in the bottle. total £41
 
All,

Thanks for your thoughts. A bucket of Woodforde's is now set up in my cupboard and will hopefully produce some good results in the coming weeks. I'm expecting to leave it a week or so before anything gets bottled and I have some brewers sugar for priming it.

I have high hopes for this... Thanks again,
 

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