Newbie looking for a good lager starter kit

[1stTimer]

Hi everyone,

I’m brand new to the hobby and I’m looking for a full lager kit with everything in to brew some light crisp lager about 3.5 abv (usually only have a few bud lights on a weekend)

i would prefer a kit which comes with glass bottles if possible so I can enjoy them straight out of the glass instead of having to pour out a plastic one

my friend has recommended coopers European? Is this good or is there something better?

any help is much appreciated

 

[MickDundee]

i would prefer a kit which comes with glass bottles if possible so I can enjoy them straight out of the glass instead of having to pour out a plastic one

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but you won’t be able to drink out of the bottle with Homebrew unless you are using corny kegs with a bottling gun. If you are bottle conditioning you will always have sediment in the bottom of the bottle and will need to pour into a glass.

 

[1stTimer]

Well that’s a shame! So is there any benefit to a glass bottle for conditioning? Thanks for the reply

 

[The-Engineer-That-Brews]

I hear you when you say you'd like a lager, but just to say that you might have more luck with a bitter the first time round :-) Lagers are harder to get right - but equally, fortune favours the brave

 

[MickDundee]

I hear you when you say you'd like a lager, but just to say that you might have more luck with a bitter the first time round :-) Lagers are harder to get right - but equally, fortune favours the brave

Most lager kits are really pseudo lagers though. They come with an ale or hybrid yeast for fermenting at ale temps.

 

[MickDundee]

Well that’s a shame! So is there any benefit to a glass bottle for conditioning? Thanks for the reply

I reckon it tastes better conditioned in glass but that’s probably just psychological.

 

[Binkei Huckaback]

To answer your question about bottle conditioning, in order to have carbonated beer, you need C02 which you get in two ways.

1. Artificial carbonation with C02 from a cylinder. You can do this with bottles, but it requires a lot of equipment and financial outlay.

2. Bottle conditioning. When you bottle your beer, there is still some yeast in suspension. Adding sugar or a sugary solution give the yeast something to eat and when they do, they produce carbon dioxide. The benefits of glass over plastic? Plastic is unlikely to break with disastrous consequences, I think I've only had one glass bottle break with beer in it (a combination of being a very thin bottle and over primed beer being knocked over). Glass is generally easier to clean as plastic bottles are generally moulded at the bottom. If I was going to use plastic, I'd either buy the brown ones designed for homebrewers and use new caps every time, or the ones sparkling water come in. I've tasted water from a Coke bottle and it was horrible.

However you drink your beer is up to you. After all, it's your beer, but it's best drunk from a glass as you'll get the aromas and therefore more flavour as we also 'taste' with our noses.

Make sure you've got enough bottles for when your beer is ready to bottle. Try to avoid the non-returnable lager bottle as they're very thin. If you do use them, you need to know exactly how much priming sugar to add so you don't end up with exploding bottles.

As far as Coopers kits go, I don't think I've ever made one, but they certainky seem to be well regarded.

Finally, make sure everything in not just clean, but sanitised. Oh, and have fun.