Complete Newbie after advice

[Hightower]

Hi,
As the title suggests I am a complete novice at brewing and I am thinking of buying a starter kit from get er brewed allong with a mangrove jack pink grapefruit IPA kit as it is described as similar to elvis juice. What constant temperature do you need to ferment at? Are there anymore citrus Ipa kits that you can recommend? And just any advice would be much appreciated

 

[rank_frank]

Hi and welcome to brewing :-)

The instructions for that kit say to ferment between 20 and 25C so it doesn't seem particularly critical. It really depends on how you can control your fermentation temperature. As you're just starting out I'm assuming that you'll just be putting it in the corner of a room. That should be fine, just nowhere that's really cold or really hot. It's more about a constant temperature than a particular one in that range so not near a radiator or doorway.

My only piece of advice is to try not to overthink things. There's a lot of 'advice' on the Internet, a lot of it can be a little confusing and some of it is contradictory. Quite a lot of things you'll read are just opinion not fact. It's actually quite simple to make beer and quite hard to mess it up. Just make sure that you sanitise everything and you'll make decent beer. Keep it simple to start with and introduce variation as you become more confident.

 

[Hightower]

Thanks for the tips, I only have a small space under the stairs but I think it may be a little cool so I did start looking at a heat belt or heat pad, would these be OK to use?
Thanks

 

[-Bezza-]

I started with a heat belt, which is fine to be getting on with. If the house (or specifically the space under the stairs) is generally cold but not too cold, it'll be fine. A mat would achieve the same sort of thing. Get into this and you'll be wanting a fermentation fridge before too long - if you can get that under the stairs then ideal.

Consistent temperature is probably more helpful when brewing. Again, if you really get the bug, there are ways you can improve on this, e.g. insulating the cupboard. So I wouldn't start off by thinking that the space you have isn't up to it - it probably is.

Also to note that different styles will ferment at different temperatures - lagers ferment at colder temps (around 12*C), your usual ales will be in the middle (around 18-22*C) and then things like saisons will be hotter (I did a saison recently at 30*C). So the ale, IPA, APA, sort of thing will generally be possible in the winter, possibly moving to a saison or hotter-fermenting ale yeast in the summer.

 

[Hightower]

Is there anything I need to do with the water or can normal tap water be used?

 

[-Bezza-]

Is there anything I need to do with the water or can normal tap water be used?

Tap water is all you need for extract kits, i.e. the stuff in cans.

If you move on to all grain, there's a bit more science about the water and so you can get a bit more excited about it if you want to. Some swear by it; some just swear at it.

 

[GhostShip]

Is there anything I need to do with the water or can normal tap water be used?

I always use bottled water (Tesco's Ashbeck 5L bottles), but I've also used tap water and I honestly don't think it makes much difference (depending on where you live and the quality of your water, of course). You could always use tap water and add a campden tablet if you're unsure about it.

As others have said, make sure everything is sanitised (and rinse REALLY well unless you're using a no-rinse solution), and don't pay too much attention to the timings in the kit instructions. Patience is a virtue and certainly one you need to be a home brewer!

I haven't done the MJ Grapefruit IPA kit, but I have done the Youngs American IPA and that's fantastic. The Festival Razorback IPA is also highly rated and will probably be my next brew.

Good luck with it all and post back if you have any queries or issues (which you will on your first attempt!!).

 

[cushyno]

Just making my way through a Festival Razorback IPA which I can recommend. Grapefruit is THE prominent flavour and it doesn't disappoint (even got the stamp of approval from my better half).

This was the second Festival kit I have done, the first was 'Landlord' which was ok, but the Razorback has a more rounded taste and mouthfeel. Even with my hard water the IPA tastes rather good. Deceptively easy drinking for its 5.6%ABV.

 

[Bulldog.]

Hi and welcome to brewing :-)

The instructions for that kit say to ferment between 20 and 25C so it doesn't seem particularly critical. It really depends on how you can control your fermentation temperature. As you're just starting out I'm assuming that you'll just be putting it in the corner of a room. That should be fine, just nowhere that's really cold or really hot. It's more about a constant temperature than a particular one in that range so not near a radiator or doorway.

My only piece of advice is to try not to overthink things. There's a lot of 'advice' on the Internet, a lot of it can be a little confusing and some of it is contradictory. Quite a lot of things you'll read are just opinion not fact. It's actually quite simple to make beer and quite hard to mess it up. Just make sure that you sanitise everything and you'll make decent beer. Keep it simple to start with and introduce variation as you become more confident.

I'm a reborn newbie things have changed so much. I'm over thinking things with all advice and new ideas since last I brewed