Beginner kit brewing - Equipment help!

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LavaChild

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Hello!

After a bit of inspiration over the festive break I want to do some home brewing. I'd contemplated it before but got too carried away with the thought of AG and did not want to commit to the outlay. Instead, this time I think I'll give a kit a try and move on from there. Phew!

So: I'm undecided but I'll either go for Woodforde's Wherry or St Peters Ruby Red. I already have approximately 50 empty St Peters beer bottles, otherwise I'm without any equipment.

Can you please help compile what I need to order? Unless there is a compelling reason I'll be getting Wilko stuff as it's convenient and cheaply priced.

Items on my list are:

-Beer kit
-Wilko Fermentation Vessel Screw Top 25L
-Wilko Airlock/Rubber Bung 2pk OR Wilko Handy Airlock Rubber Bung 2pk (Which one?)
-Wilko Bottle Cap Metal Beer 50
-Wilko Capper Boxed
-Wilko Hydrometer Loose Wine and Beer
-Wilko Jar Plastic Trial
-Wilko Long Plastic Spoon
-Wilko Nylon Bottle Brush
-Wilko Siphon Pack
-Wilko Thermometer 12 inch Spirit
-Wilko Beer Finnings 30ml
-Wilko Brewing Sugar 1kg
-Wilko Cleaner/Steriliser 100g

(Please search Wilko for full descriptions of the items listed - The forum is not allowing me to directly link as it thinks the post is too 'spammy'... Hmm!).

Do I require any other enhancers/sterilisers/etc? Will I need any CO2? Will I need a pressure barrel if I'm bottling?

Also, I'm not sure I have a place in my apartment with a constant temperature within the range required. Is there any inexpensive off the shelf and/or homemade kit that can help with this issue? I've read about water baths and/or aquarium heaters but I'm not sure really what I'd require. Something I can plug in to keep the FV at the correct temperature would be ideal.

I'm sorry for such a long post but helping me get started would be really appreciated. And after the first kit I'm hoping I should become more self sufficient with the aim of progressing with the hobby (How to Brew by John Palmer already on order!).

Thank you :)
 
Welcome and Happy New Year :cheers: While you have listed most of the stuff you will need I would go for a starter kit from a home Brew Shop if you have one near you. Something like the Coopers Starter kit is good and has all the stuff to get you going for around £60-70 and that includes a beer kit. Something like THIS from Ballihoo at the top or the Coopers one HERE
 
Welcome to the forum :cheers:

I agree with Bob, the starter kits are great. You will still need the bottle capper, caps and steriliser though. Some bottles don't cap so well, I'm not sure about the St Peters though. I have one I can try tomorrow if you would like?
 
You might be lucky and get one of these if they are still in stock. I'd also suggest you go for a digital thermometer rather than a spirit one, they are much less likely to get damaged IMHO AND at this stage you do not need Beer finnings and brewing sugar.

Kits are good enough now adays that they clear perfectly well without any finnings and ordinary sugar will give you as good results as buying expensive brewing sugar. I've been brewing for many years and have never used finnings and brewing sugar.

Some basic advice......
You will need a lot of patience and you should ignore the instructions on kits as they are usually wrong or misleading, you'll find better guidance on the forum.

Use your thermometer and hydrometer to guide you as to whether your brew is working and at what stage it is at (approx 1.040 for starting gravity and 1.012 for final gravity) to achieve this might take a couple of weeks depending on the temperature you are brewing at.

Best of luck with your new hobby, it covers both craft aspects and the sciences. :thumb:
 
As a fellow newbie on my 5th brew I can vouch for the Wherry and the starter kit format. If you are bottling, get a second fermentation bucket and the little bottler gadget... My son helped me do the bottling - he filled and I crowned, as this takes some grunt, and I was not sure my crowning tool was going to last the 40 bottles we did.
Star San steriliser does not require rinsing, and saved the effort. I also invested in the bottle "Christmas tree" and rinser gadget which helped get the kids involved.. You will be surprised how much space you need! Go for the kit and the barrel for a safer route to your first Wherry!
Good luck and take your time. Be paranoid on the sanitisation!
 
Hello and Welcome :cheers:

I have the coopers kit and it is a great starting point.

You don't need a pressure barrel if you intend to bottle your brews, and as someone else said you don't really need finnings. Beer will clear naturally on its own, the finnings just speed up the process.

The coopers Starter kits come with enough PET screw top bottles for that brew and are really easy to use.

Good luck with the first brew and be prepared for the brewing obsession :thumb:

:cheers:
 
Hello again!

Thank you for the warm welcome and the fantastic advice. Taking on board what you've said - and summarising some of my earlier ramble - could you aid with the following:

1) The kits look good - I'll tally up Wilko prices (due to sale) and see if they still work out cheaper.
2) Can somebody link to a digital thermometer that's suitable? I was thinking one of the IR ones from eBay for around £10 - Recommended?
3) If I go bottling I'll probably invest in a bottle tree, bottle rinser and little bottler. If, however, I go with a pressure barrel what does this require? The barrel and...? CO2 bulbs? Anything else?
4) With regards to temperature I've been browsing to see how others deal with this. It seems like the following set up would do the job - Any advice?
BmEhv7Y.jpg

NB. Possibly put a duvet between the basket and dust bin.
I'm really concerned about not having a location to keep with FV constant temperature (I rarely put the heating on!) so I'm looking for a good solution to this before I begin. Any better ideas?
5) Any other temperature considerations after the FV stage? Is there any stage after removing from the FV and being able to store bottles in a (cold) garage? If so, do I need to maintain a temperature at this point and what can I use for this?

Also, joe1002 - If you could see if St Peters bottles cap well that would be useful. If they don't then I'll effectively have no bottles ready so it would be great to know.

Thanks!
 
The water bath idea is good, it should give you good constant temps, the next one up would be a dedicated brew fridge with a heater and STC-1000 controller.

Good luck :thumb:
 
An interesting idea, depending on size. Could you link to an off-the-shelf solution or a DIY build so that I can see what is required? I'm not sure I understand how the heater would be implemented. It might be a tidy solution - Cost and difficulty depending I might give it a try!
 
LavaChild said:
An interesting idea, depending on size. Could you link to an off-the-shelf solution or a DIY build so that I can see what is required? I'm not sure I understand how the heater would be implemented. It might be a tidy solution - Cost and difficulty depending I might give it a try!


Have a look in the how to section loads of links about the STC-1000 controllers and people building brew fridges.

Basically the controller has a temp probe and will either turn on the heater or turn on the fridge compressor to alter the temp and keep it at the optimum temp you need.

The heater is normally a low wattage tube heater you use in garages etc

With this you can set the temp for ales, lagers etc (true lagers can be done at lot lower temps) :cheers:
 
I regret buying a pressure barrel as I never use it!
I like bottles as they are easier to transport or give away. Even though it is hassel to clean and fill them!

As for keeping the FV at a constant temp this link may be of interest

viewtopic.php?f=23&t=48150

I have just set my lot up ready for my brew day tomorrow. I like the idea of a brew fridge, but with it not being hot at the moment I figure this was a cheaper and less hassel way of doing it. Also I have 2 fermenters full at a time which wouldn't fit in the fridge..... :party:
 
2) I have one of these (as do a few others) http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B002L0DYC8/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20 I also have a reportedly very accurate
Comark DT400 and they both measure within 0.2c of each other. The Comark is waterproof which is a big plus for me :lol:

3) Whilst I have never used a pressure barrel I think you are right in what you say. Bottles are more mobile but IMO they are a pita to clean, fill etc. Everyone's view differs of course, a lot of this hobby is down to your preference.

4) Your temp control looks fine, I would go with it. I'm sure you will end up building a fermentation fridge at some point but plenty make excellent beer without one. Temp control is most important in the first few days after pitching the yeast.

5) There are things you can do to assist clarity but don't worry yourself with that for your first couple of brews.

I have a St Peter ruby Red bottle and a Cream Stout bottle, I'll try them both.
 
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Haha..for a guy thats looking to save money here and there on bits and bobs, within the space of 3 posts he's already pricing up a dedicated fridge and temp controller haha. Good effort.

I would echo the others and say get a kit first. Here is the Ballihoo kit page for beer

http://www.balliihoo.co.uk/40-pint-beer-sets-c-2_12.html

I've bought stuff from this shop before and they are really good (not affiliated!!!)

Brewing is more about knowledge than kit. You can have all the gear but no idea as they say. I started wine making 2 months ago and got a standard Wilko 6 bottle kit. I am now awaiting my first 30 bottle kit to arrive with all the bangs and whistles that i need to make it work. I MAY have been able to tackle it straight off the bat but by learning the trade first on a small scale (basics of brewing, mistakes to be made etc etc), I know that this 30 bottle kit will go off a dream ( :rofl: )

Good luck with it all and have fun - thats the main thing. Getting too technical or scientific-y too soon will ruin the fun of trial and error !!

:drink:
 
Ok so I have a Wilko twin lever capper.

I put some lemonade in both the bottles and capped the Reuben Red bottle first. It capped fine, I gave it a vigorous shake and opened it after it had settled down. It opened with a pssst so it held the pressure for that short time (5 mins).

I did exactly the same with the stout bottle but I couldn't get it to cap properly. It didn't flatten the cap all the way around and the capper ended up at a funny angle when the handles were fully pulled down. I tried three time and it did the same each time. It did however hold some pressure but I wouldn't be happy using them.

I hope that helps :thumb:
 
Thanks for all of the very very useful replies.

I think my plan for the moment is:

1) How to brew book is on the way - Will get reading (and the forum too!)
2) While reading I might purchase a STC1000 after reading this afternoon and box it up nicely. This is the sort of stuff I'm more comfortable with. I can then use it to control either (a) brew belt, (b) brew mat or (c) aquarium heater depending what the book/website and my budget allows. Meanwhile keep an eye on eBay/Gumtree/Freecycle for a cheap fridge - This can then be hooked up to the STC box 'for free' later if necessary...
3) Once comfortable with the 'basic theory' get brewing.

My guess is initially I'll end up doing a kit without any heater and use a cheap thermometer to see how bad the min/max/cycle temps are in my apartment. I'll progress slowly adding as necessary, hopefully acquiring the knowledge as mentioned here! (Fix problems as I go along rather than trying to solve problems I might not even have before I've even begun!).

I think it's best I start small and basic and work up depending on what part of my experience is lacking (e.g., after giving it a go should I bottle or keg, do I need any temp controller, etc). In the meantime I might do the STC1000 as a side project, given it's in line with my hobbies and it will come in useful in the future one way or another.

This looks to be a great hobby to get into. Lots of potential for experimenting and building up experience (and equipment!) as I go... It's easy to spec a large/complex system to begin with and never get off the ground. I think you guys have given me the answers I need to start small and a few useful pointers as to where to go in the future.

For now I'll get my head in the book and be in touch if I need anything else... Thanks again!
 
I got a tub from ikea for £10 and an aqaurium heater from ebay £6.50. I didn't need an stc1000 for it. This system will work as long as the weather doesn't heat up too much!
 
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