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SO16_Saint

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Hi all.

Ive been reading the forum for a while, and am about to take the leap and buy my first kit.

Im a little (very) confused by all the terminology used, but guess that will come with time and practice.

Im looking at an American IPA, youngs I think it is.

Will let you know how it goes...what advice would you give, apart from reading the instructions!

Edit: i've just been bought a kit for my (belated) birthday from work colleagues... they know me well!

It is the Youngs American IPA as I stated above. The kit is just the ingredients... what else would I need to get going? Am thinking:

http://www.wilko.com/homebrew-accessories+equipment/wilko-pressure-barrel-23l40-pints/invt/0022554

but what else, as a minimum?
 
As a fellow newbie, I'd say;

- Clean everything well
- Sterilise everything well (Videne, StarSan)
- Measure everything well
- Make notes of each brew to refer to later when tasting or repeating

Equipment I've found invaluable so far (I'm a barrel and bottler);

Fermentation bucket
Long plastic spoon
Pressure Barrel
Vaseline for the barrel cap
Hydrometer
Thermometer (cheap alcohol one)
Syphon tube with tap
Large flexi tub (massive bucket) for sterilising kit in
Kids medicine spoon to measure sterilising fluid etc

Then for bottling I have;

Bottling wand
Cooks teaspoon measures
Funnel
Bottle brush
Stand Capper
Nappy boxes to stand/store/stack bottles in!!
 
Just seams to have nailed it. In addition I have a brew belt to keep constant temperature. And a couple of milk crates for all the bottles as well as 3 kegs plus tap and cap spares and an extra fermenter and 3 X 5 litre bag in box for doing wine and cider.
 
My top tips:-

Patience - allow longer for each stage than instructions probably suggest to enjoy your beer at its best.

Control fermentation temp - avoid off flavours by keeping the fermentation temp from getting too high, especially at this time of year.

More patience - all too often the last few pints of a batch are the best and I wish I had a bit more self control!
 
Finally getting round to doing this.

Ive bought the bucket etc from wilkos but nit an air lock. The instructions state the need for an airlock. Is it necessary?
 
Yes an airlock is very necessary well that is if you like clean beer :) The airlock allows for co2 to escape and oxygen/bacteria from getting in.

These are some great tips, one I would add is your not going to make perfect beer and there will be mistakes. Take each one as a learning lesson and always continue expand your knowledge of the process. Focus on good flavor first (sanitization, basic process, fermentation control) Once you have that down then focus on hitting your numbers s (Starting Gravity, Final Gravity, ABV, bitterness, mouthfeel )then focus on making clear beer and custom recipes.
 
I wouldn't worry too much about an airlock. Just seems to give you an idea of progress whilst keeping the air out. Just as effective is leaving the lid on loosely for 2 weeks before even thinking about touching it. No peeking! Lol

The co2 will drive the air out through the loose lid and as long as nothing can fall into it, it'll be fine. I've done a few kits now with the coopers fv ie no airlock, and they've all come out very drinkable.
 
Thanks for the advice. think I'll be good and get an airlock and drill a hole in the top of the lid.

The house is pretty full with wife, kids and all the cràp that they come with so space is at a premium. would doing all the brewing steps be ok in the under stairs cupboard?
 
have to say I have a fermenting vessel with a lid but no airlock, the CO2 is heavier than air so it will push all the air out and form a barrier stopping it from spoiling the wort

so far so good no issues here !

patience is the main thing, if you have kept an eye on tempurature and plan to bottle leave it for 6 weeks minimum, however in the intervening 6 weeks make up another batch and plan to spend at least 8 weeks drinking your beer so you will have another batch ready to drink, get on a roll and its beer beer beer all the way lol
 
have to say I have a fermenting vessel with a lid but no airlock, the CO2 is heavier than air so it will push all the air out and form a barrier stopping it from spoiling the wort

so far so good no issues here !

patience is the main thing, if you have kept an eye on tempurature and plan to bottle leave it for 6 weeks minimum, however in the intervening 6 weeks make up another batch and plan to spend at least 8 weeks drinking your beer so you will have another batch ready to drink, get on a roll and its beer beer beer all the way lol
like the plan.... best buy another tub and bottles from wilkos! assume the beer will last a while and has no real use by... within reason (a few months...Xmas? ).

oh, it's okay to go straight from the original tub to bottles, right? without filtering into a secondary tub in between?
 
no I have 2 big fementing vessels to syphon it off into, I dry hop for a week or so then scoop all the hops out and bottle. Typically I wait a week before transferring into the second tub, then another week to ten days dry hopping then bottling.

while i have one dry hopping I can make up a second batch should I choose to make it straight away. more often I wait until the hassle of bottling is done before I make more
 
The whole 1 fv or two fv debate is ongoing. I used to do all my beers in just one fv and bottle from there. The result: beer with (usually) more sediment in it.
Racking off to a secondary is usually a good way to stop there being too much gunk in your vessel when you finally come to bottle/keg your beer.
Having said all this, it's a broad church. I have done a couple of great beers when I only had a primary fv (and a few mediocre ones, too.)
 
agree with joey its your choice really, i prefer to rack mine off into a second bucket then bottle. I do find mine isnt very cloudy at all, just a slight protein haze
 
oh, it's okay to go straight from the original tub to bottles, right? without filtering into a secondary tub in between?

I wouldn't advise it personally.

If for any reason you disturb the trub (the sediment at the bottom of the FV), you're going to have a lot of sediment in your bottles, which isn't good.

If you rack to a second vessel first, even if you disturb the trub, you can let it sit and settle out again before bottling. Also, by racking to a second vessel, you can batch prime, thus ensuring each bottle contains the same amount of sugar and no fiddly messing about putting a teaspoon of sugar into each bottle.

The extra step is worth the effort and will undoubtedly result in a better end product.

Hope that helps

FatCol
 
This is all good advice. I should also say re batch priming that I still tediously put a small teaspoon of sugar in each bottle rather than batch prime. I just prefer to do it this way, especially as there's a small amount of trub left at the bottom of my secondary and I don't want to accidentally incorporate this into the bottles when I mix in the dissolved sugar.

Note to newbie: this is just personal preference, not a 'my method is better' post.

Some other newbie tips for bottling: be seated if possible and put the bottle between your feet before squeezing on the crown cap. I learned the hard way about bottling at chest height on a slippery kitchen countertop (broken glass everywhere).

Try to use brown bottles as they are more resistant to sunlight which can make your beer smell funny (skunk). I usually do one or two clear ones as testers for clarity but I always cover them in brown paper.

Finally (the most frequently uttered advice) is: leave the bottles as long as you can bear. The amount of beers I've had which started a bit sharp or tangy have usually mellowed into something wonderful by month three or four. It's a long game, but worth it. Once this batch is done, get another on the go (and then another...)

Cheers, and good luck!
 
Thanks for all the advice and info... very helpful.

It seems that I will need a lot more room than first anticipated and a lot more FV's (at least 4?), bottles and PATIENCE! :)
 
I personally make do with two FVs.

One is a wilko bin with airlock for primary. My secondary is a Cooper's fv with a tap (from a starter kit I got way back when).

I rack once the yeast looks like it's done its job and then move the secondary somewhere with a lower temperature to help clear it. This can be anywhere between two to three weeks. It results in a clearer, better conditioned beer.

These guy on here helped me get started so never feel like you're asking stupid questions; I'll have likely asked them all, already!



:hat:
 

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