Hello from me

[BennyBB]

Hi, just joined the forum, I'm from south Wales, and a complete newbie.
I've just started my first ever brew of elderflower fizz.
Would love to get into brewing beers, particularly weissbiers like Erdinger.
also looking to give turbo cider a go

 

[Chippy_Tea]

Welcome to the forum

 

[An Ankoù]

Hello bbb. Used to live in South Wales in the 80s. Brains SA was my favourite-delicious in Cardiff, but not so good by the time it had travelled to Swansea.
Weissbiers are a good place to start with AG, especially in the summer, as you don't have to worry overmuch about temperature or (obviously) clarity. The key is to use the right yeast. I'd recommend l'allemand Munich Classic as a starting point.
All the best.

 

[DuncR]

Morning bbb and welcome.
I lived in Cwmbran in the 80 and seem to remember quaffing ridiculous amounts of beer at the time.
Enjoy

 

[BennyBB]

Brains SA was my favourite-delicious in Cardiff

Yep, im from Cardiff, i like a pint or two of SA... I remember as a kid the whole of the town centre smelling of beer on a Saturday morning.

 

[BennyBB]

Weissbiers are a good place to start with AG, especially in the summer, as you don't have to worry overmuch about temperature or (obviously) clarity. The key is to use the right yeast. I'd recommend l'allemand Munich Classic as a starting point.

What sort of equipment will i need to be brewing weissbier?

 

[An Ankoù]

What sort of equipment will i need to be brewing weissbier?

Same as any other other all grainer unless you can get hold of some wheat malt extract (expensive). I'll get back to you on this as I'm busy brewing and bottling. Others may chip in.

You need to have some idea of what you're doing and I would recommend you get Greg Hughes' book Home brew Beer £12. 95 on Amazon and give it a good reading. Lots of great recipes, too.

but to answer your question: what sort of batch volume are you thinking of, to start with, and will you be doing it on the cooker, in the kitchen?

 

[DuncR]

BB what equipment do have?

 

[BennyBB]

BB what equipment do have?

Well, 2 fermenting buckets, a spoon, some air locks, filters, funnels, hydrometer, siphon, sanitizer and a few chemicals. So nothing really lol.
I've been reading about BIAB and the bigger systems "grainfather" etc,
Don't mind investing a bit of money, but seems like there's so much out there and i don't want to waste money on something i don't need... i will defo invest in a good book as mentioned above, I like drinking pretty much anything and i plan to give some of my stuff to family and friends, reckon it'll save on xmas/birthdays/leaving do's, i normally bake and make pickles for people anyway.

 

[DuncR]

Sounds like a good start

 

[BennyBB]

what sort of batch volume are you thinking of, to start with, and will you be doing it on the cooker, in the kitchen?

Looking at grain kits out there, 23L seems to be standard, is there a smaller option? if so would i need two sets of equipment?
Not sure if I could boil that amount of water on the stove, we have low gas pressure on my street and even running the hot tap makes the stove almost go out (we've had it checked apparently its at the very bottom of tolerance), I do have a 30L aluminium pot that I use for brining, so maybe i could test it. I assume there is an electric option?

Sorry for the noobishness, I've ordered a book from amazon too

 

[An Ankoù]

I think 23 litres is too much for the stove. I do batches of 10 or 12 litres which are not too heavy to lift and move about. You need to be able to put the pan of hot liquid into a sink full of cold water, too, to start the cooling process. Alternatives would be to get a calor gas ring or buy an electric all in one system, but that's a big outlay, especially if you decide you dont like the hobby.
You don't need to buy an all grain kit, you can just buy the Ingredients you need.

 

[Brewelder]

Looking at grain kits out there, 23L seems to be standard, is there a smaller option? if so would i need two sets of equipment?
Not sure if I could boil that amount of water on the stove, we have low gas pressure on my street and even running the hot tap makes the stove almost go out (we've had it checked apparently its at the very bottom of tolerance), I do have a 30L aluminium pot that I use for brining, so maybe i could test it. I assume there is an electric option?

Sorry for the noobishness, I've ordered a book from amazon too

The cheapest way into “Electric” boiling in my opinion is to get on eBay and search for Pico Boilers, they’re plastic like an FV bucket but with a heating element and thermostat installed. With that and a regular FV you can make a start with BAIB and get some experience which is exactly what i’m doing right now except i got a good deal on a Klarstein 30ltr Mash Kettle. My back up was the Pico but i got lucky. Oh, and you’ll need a mash bag, Amazon or eBay again.

Good Luck.