First few Beers
- Thread starter Romanez
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Bodleigh Head
The Bodleigh Head Brewery
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What sort of style are you into generally ?
Thick roasty Stouts & porters ?
Mega hoppy IPA's ?
German style lagers ?
Wheat Beers ?
Belgian style things ?
Standard Bitter ?
British Eurofizz lager ?
Babycham ?
... target the style first and then move on from there.
I imagine you are going to be starting with a kit ... go for the more expensive two can kits if you want something half decent. I had acceptable results with the Bulldog kits in the past. The Wherry kit is popular too but people complain of it stalling at 1020.
Darker beers tend to be more forgiving for the novice as they have quite strong flavours that can cover up any bungles.
Standard advice also is to replace the yeast that comes with the kit
dps51
Landlord.
this depends on what equipment you have to do a brew
is it all grain or kit where you just add sugar and water
that you want to try for your first brew
a bit more info of what you have and what you was thinking of doing would help
is it all grain or kit where you just add sugar and water
that you want to try for your first brew
a bit more info of what you have and what you was thinking of doing would help
I can't agree with that statement, what evidence or personal experience do you have for saying that? My experience of doing kits is that all kit yeasts I have used work fine, with the notable exception of Wherry (and Sundew as reported by others) made by Muntons, and the probable reason for that is that there just isn't enough yeast in the packet to do more than 20 odd litres so the fermentation can stick, but if you use it to do half the volume it works fine as well. Coopers yeast especially is usually predictable and reliable.
Try this for a a bit of background reading.
Basic beginners guide to brewing your own beer from a kit - The HomeBrew Forum
My suggestion is you first start with the basics and do a kit. If you find its a success you can then decide your next step, more kits, extract brewing or AG, with the latter two taking more time and more stuff but may give a better quality product
There is a kit review section here to do your own research
http://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=61597
However if you tell us what beer you like to drink as others have suggested forum members can then make recommendations.
Thanks for all of your replies :)
I have just bought
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00JDOEPAK/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20
I do like IPA's and have gotten a pack of this to try as my first batch.
I'm not a huge fan of something over heavy or dark.
I have just bought
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00JDOEPAK/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20
I do like IPA's and have gotten a pack of this to try as my first batch.
I'm not a huge fan of something over heavy or dark.
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Bodleigh Head
The Bodleigh Head Brewery
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To Terrym
Basically, you don't know how the kit has been stored, dried yeast has a shelf life that diminishes quite rapidly when stored too warm ... I have had packets of dried yeast both proprietary and from kits and that have failed to deliver due to poor handling. The first time it was my own fault, I thought it would be okay to leave the yeast packet on a shelf, in the warm. After that I had the same experience with yeasts that I bought over the counter or from kits. And I have spoken to the boys at Fermentis over here about yeast vitality ... due to a batch of yeast that didn't work. I agree that kit yeast CAN be fine ... but if there is a weak link to the chain ... then it is very often the packet of the yeast stored under the plastic cap on the kit. If you are not convinced ... just read the numerous posts about Wherry stalling at 1020.
Poor performing yeast also affects the final flavour of the beer very badly. I have drunk some very horrible home brewed beer, both kit and AG ... the off flavours are generally imputable to poor yeast performance. The worst example was a Geordie Kit I tried for the fun a couple of years ago ... there was a lag time of about 36 hours and even then the fermentation was weak. The brew ended up tasting part way between cider and vinegar.
And your argument about using the yeast to do half the volume just doesn't work ... you are openly admitting that you would be under pitching if doing the full volume ... it's proof in itself that most of the yeast in the packet is dead. 11 gr sachets of yeast are designed to cope with 20 to 25 litres of brew so you shouldn't be having to brew half the volume !
Another common argument for changing up the yeast is that you just don't know what you are getting with the kit.
Admittedly, Cooper's yeast is known to be a beast and will eat its way through most anything ... but that doesn't mean you are getting a quality fermentation. The boys at Coopers undoubtedly chose their yeast because it is bullet proof. And Australia is quite a hot place too ... cause & effect ?
So I stand by what I wrote, "standard advice" is to change up the yeast ... even IF the yeast can work.
Basically, you don't know how the kit has been stored, dried yeast has a shelf life that diminishes quite rapidly when stored too warm ... I have had packets of dried yeast both proprietary and from kits and that have failed to deliver due to poor handling. The first time it was my own fault, I thought it would be okay to leave the yeast packet on a shelf, in the warm. After that I had the same experience with yeasts that I bought over the counter or from kits. And I have spoken to the boys at Fermentis over here about yeast vitality ... due to a batch of yeast that didn't work. I agree that kit yeast CAN be fine ... but if there is a weak link to the chain ... then it is very often the packet of the yeast stored under the plastic cap on the kit. If you are not convinced ... just read the numerous posts about Wherry stalling at 1020.
Poor performing yeast also affects the final flavour of the beer very badly. I have drunk some very horrible home brewed beer, both kit and AG ... the off flavours are generally imputable to poor yeast performance. The worst example was a Geordie Kit I tried for the fun a couple of years ago ... there was a lag time of about 36 hours and even then the fermentation was weak. The brew ended up tasting part way between cider and vinegar.
And your argument about using the yeast to do half the volume just doesn't work ... you are openly admitting that you would be under pitching if doing the full volume ... it's proof in itself that most of the yeast in the packet is dead. 11 gr sachets of yeast are designed to cope with 20 to 25 litres of brew so you shouldn't be having to brew half the volume !
Another common argument for changing up the yeast is that you just don't know what you are getting with the kit.
Admittedly, Cooper's yeast is known to be a beast and will eat its way through most anything ... but that doesn't mean you are getting a quality fermentation. The boys at Coopers undoubtedly chose their yeast because it is bullet proof. And Australia is quite a hot place too ... cause & effect ?
So I stand by what I wrote, "standard advice" is to change up the yeast ... even IF the yeast can work.
That's a good start, then!
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Bodleigh Head
The Bodleigh Head Brewery
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Let us know how nice your first ever brew is when it's ready ... :thumb:
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It might be your advice and recommendation to always change the kit yeast based on your experience, and you are obviously fully entitled to present that view. But to present it as 'standard advice' as not the case. I have been on this forum for two years now and I have to say that from literally hundreds of posts, the suggestion that a kit yeast should always be changed from the outset has probably been made no more than a dozen times (with the notable exception of the Wherry and Sundew yeast). So I do not class changing every kit yeast as 'standard advice' by any stretch of the imagination.
And to clarify. I used a spare Wherry kit yeast to ferment out a 12 litre brew and it worked fine.
Bodleigh Head
The Bodleigh Head Brewery
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We could really troll this one up couldn't we but rather than that I'll leave you with your forum
Goodbye:thumb:
Aphid
Regular.
The Youngs kits are a great choice. I have brewed two of their kits, now. My own view is that you tend to get what you pay for. Youngs kits are not the cheapest but the results justify the investment. Same for other kits out there. Just my opinion! :whistle:
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Good choice.
I suggest you have a look through the kit review, since there are some good tips in there.
You will have to be patient, it can take anywhere between 3 to 4 weeks to ferment out. And don't add the hops too early, wait until it achieves the recommended gravity, and still better if its clearing/cleared as well.
And the up side is in my experience it can be drunk young after about two weeks conditioning provided its clear.
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Admirable restraint, so thank-you!
The issue of whether the Wherry comes with enough yeast is a complex one and the manufacturers, Muntons, are adamant that the 6g or so suffices. My deep suspicion is that the kit yeast Wherry comes with is the same Gervin (Nottingham) yeast sold in Wilko stores in 11 or 12g sachets.
And thereby lies the practical answer. There is nothing wrong with the yeast that comes with Muntons kits - good news, since most kits sold in the UK, other than Coopers, are made by Muntons.
Wherry is a popular starter kit and is hence prone to serious abuse.
Doubling up the Muntons kit yeasts would almost certainly have avoided many of the numerous "stuck Wherrys". But, alas, by then, it's a bit late.
Only the other day I cleared out the fridge of unused yeasts. Lots of Muntons and even a number of Coopers yeast sachets made up during 2013 or 2014 (the numbering convention is dddyy on the sachet). Quite a lot there were, too, including all but one of the non-flocculating third generation US 05 yeast that I used instead.
Shame, in the sense that there is very little "wrong" with either yeast supplied by Muntons or Coopers.
