Muntons lager kit

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Davy

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Hi Davy from N.Ireland here, Just attempted to brew from a muntons lager kit, I did everything as per instructions, however it tastes horrible.

The instructions told me to leave the brew in the bucket for 5 days, but i have read it can take up to 10 days, the bottled beer has been stored for 4 weeks, in a cool area. im thinking of dumping the lot and having another go with a coopers lager kit

I forgot to steralise the bottletops, so mabye thats the problem

the beer is very dark, and should be a lot lighter.

Any and all advice gratefully received

Thanks
 
Four weeks is very soon for a kit brew. I would leave it a while before making a final judgement, For instance, 3 months is not a long time for this sort of a brew.

I did a lot of Coopers Lager kits to 25L with 500g DME and 1kg table sugar. They all cam out fine, but best after 2 weeks in the FV and 3 months in the bottle.

Sorry, but that is my experience with kits - the instructions on the can are there to encourage impulse buying, rather than to be particularly helpful. Caveat Emptor and all that...

Muntons make a lot of the beer kits for sale in the UK. I am not saying that they are all the same, of course, but you may care to browse both Muntons ranges and the other brands:

http://www.muntonshomebrew.com/home-beer-kits/
 
Thanks for the replies, Please clarify the appreviations DME and FV

I am going to leave the batch for up to three months as advised.

Can you advise firstly on the best no rinse steriliser, and secondly on the best beer kit for lager, something i can get drinking a bit quicker than 3 months.

Thanks
Davy
 
Thanks for the reply, got a kit for my 41st birthday, new to all this, but its my ambition never to have to enter an off-licence again
 
Starsan is a really good no rinse steriliser, and unfortunately most beers are better after being left for a while. However if you are looking for a quick turnaround I'd go for a hoppy Pale ale or IPA. Festival razorback was the best one I made when I was still doing kits. You could be drinking this in six weeks. 2 weeks fermenting, 2 weeks carbonating, 2 weeks conditioning.
 
Thanks for the reply, got a kit for my 41st birthday, new to all this, but its my ambition never to have to enter an off-licence again

I have seriously reduced my off license bill but still buy the occasional beer. Quite often single hop ales because I want to get a taste for different hops, and I will always buy a style of beer that I haven't had before. In case I find something worth trying to clone. I have been brewing about 18 months now and it is only recently that I have managed to get to the stage where I have enough brewed to keep a steady supply of beer that has been properly aged.
 
I will probably get more into brewing with separate ingredients etc, im just starting off with kits.

Im a lager man, and i just glad to know it takes 3 months in the bottle, as i thought all my hard work had gone to waste.

Can i ask about bottling, I used a siphon but it was messy

Can you use a steralised jug to transfer the beer to bottles?
 
Transferring from a jug will introduce unwanted oxygen to the brew. A brew bucket with a tap and bottling wand is ideal, but you should be able to attach a bottling wand to the end of the syphon tube.
As for lager, I believe the German word means literally to store. This style of beer is therefore traditionally stored for a period before drinking so not ideal for a quick turnaround.
 
Well if lager takes that long then I'm happy to wait, the labels are completely misleading1! Il get a bottling wand as advised.

Thanks
 
As for lager, I believe the German word means literally to store. This style of beer is therefore traditionally stored for a period before drinking so not ideal for a quick turnaround.

+1

3 months is the usual recommended minimum time. And it's true, I've made a few and sampled throughout conditioning, they seem to miraculously transform some way in. Others beers such as ales and stouts condition quicker, strong beer such a Belgians condition slower 4-6 months.

And the only time I've bought beer for drinking at home in the last 6 years was in a holiday cottage via Tesco home delivery (I did take a crate of homebrew one year, but it took up too much space).
 

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