Just starting out

[cottlad]

Have just seen pics (not tasted yet) of a mates homebrew stout and I really want to have a go. Got the OK from the missus so just need the kit. Am a complete newbie and am not sure where to start. My mate told me he uses a pressure barrel and doesn't bottle. But what is the best way (is there one?) I want to try and use my man-shed (wood) as a makeshift brewery but guess at this time of year I will need to keep things warm?

Would I be best going for a starter kit at about £60?

Am sure all this will become clear after my 1st batch but right now I'm a tad bewildered.

Any advice greatly received

 

[Joeyriles]

Welcome to the forum!

I can only give my personal experiences so far:

2009-got bought a homebrew starter kit by my Mum and made some awful slop that you would struggle to call beer.

2012-Bought Cooper's starter kit which included English Best Bitter (made it without any 'extra' ingredients and it was a thin imitation of beer.)

2013-Decided to pull my socks up and get a premium kit (festival London Porter) and loved it so much, I got the bug. I've now done 12 different brews in the space of a year and love it.

Starter kits are good but I would say that you can get most of what you need from a combination of Wilkinsons (they have a 20% off sale on homebrew at present) and your local homebrew shop.
You will need:

A fermenting bin
Sanitising solution
bottles or a keg (or a combo of both)
a beer kit (malt extract)
Sugar & or dried malt extract

Keep us abreast of any other questions you might have; the guys on here have been very supportive in my frenzied attempts to make booze. :drink:

 

[Featherhat]

To add to Joeys excellent advice, oh, and welcome to the forum by the way, don't stint on kits or ingredients. Even the most expensive premium kits are going to cost considerably less, per pint, than even supermarket offers. So, if the kit calls for sugar use a beer kit enhancer or spraymalt. Bottle lagers or anything that you need to drink cold 'cause you need a big fridge for a pressure barrel and if you need to keep things warm in the shed invest in a heater of some kind and insulate your fv. I wrap an old sleeping bag round mine. Most Importantly, use this forum. The only stupid question is the one you should have asked and didn't. Good luck and welcome to the world of brewing

 

[cottlad]

Thanks for that. Things are becoming clearer.
Think I'll go with the barrel option for now although not sure about walking 25yds down the garden to the shed every time I want my glass filling. My son is coming up 3 so maybe I can get him trained up :thumb:
I was told to make the same brew my mate's just made, I'd need something to boil 20 litres of liquid. Would this be a recipe specific requirement as all the recipes up to now I've seen don't call for boiling. Think his was a 'Peculier' type brew. He's suggested a book so will stick to a standard kit to start with then maybe move on to more daring stuff once I'm a bit more experienced.

 

[Bubsaxon]

Hi

I started a few months ago - I bought a starter kit from home brew online (York) which had a king keg top tap (sparkler tap) barrel and a premium Festival Razorback IPA kit. It was a good buy as I got all the bits (FV, siphon, steriliser, keg, spoon, etc and a top notch kit - all for around £129 I seem to remember.

Good luck and enjoy

 

[cottlad]

Thanks for the help all. I've ordered a starter kit online including barrel for £50. As I'm going to be using the shed I've also picked up a fridge for a tenner and just ordered temperature controller, heater, and all the parts for another £30 which will hopefully give me a fermentation chamber if I don't frazzle myself wiring it up.
All I need now is a decent stout mix and enough time off work to get the fermentation done. Think i'll maybe do a dozen bottles and put the rest into the barrel..... will it matter if the barrel isn't as full?