new starter need advice

[trist077]

hi all
going to have a first go at brewing

i am going to start with magnum strawberry cider and plus need sugar to complete the kit
also how long will it keep in a barral and what sort of conditions should i store it in

is there any videos or guides you can link me to of the hole prodcure and barral gasing etc


is everything below all i need and whats the airlock for and when do i need to presureise the barral
i am getting a kit that includes

1x 30 Litre Food grade Clear Fermenting Bucket with lid Airlock and Grommet
1x 25 Litre Bottom Tap Pressure Barrel Complete with 50ml Cap “O” Ring and Pressure Valve System
1x Hydrometer (for telling when the beer has finished fermenting)
1x Thermometer (for making sure we have the right temperature for brewing)
1x Steriliser (everything that comes into contact with the beer needs to be spotless)
1x Siphon & U Tube for 25 Litre (for transferring the beer from the bucket to the barrel)
1x 10 Pack of 8g CO2 bulbs
1x Bulb Holder (for adding extra pressure to the barrel)
1x Mixing Spoon or Paddle

 

[battwave]

You've chosen a good kit. I've not tried the strawberry but the pear and the elderberry and both very good.

Your airlock is for use with the fermenting bucket during the fermentation phase to allow the carbon dioxide produced by the yeast (by-product of alcohol production) to escape from the fermenter without air, insects etc getting in.

Use your thermometer to make sure the liquid in the fermenter isn't too hot when you add the yeast. Ideally you want to be about 20 - 22 centigrade, but make sure it's not any hotter than about 25 or 26 degrees, or you'll kill your yeast.

Your primary fermentation will probably take about a week at normal room temperature (18 - 20 centigrade), at which point (fermentation activity will reduce and not many bubbles will rise to the surface in your fermenter) you'll be able to syphon into your pressure barrel (leaving most of the yeast behind). If you put 2 or 3 teaspoons of sugar into the barrel when you're filling, this will allow the remaining yeast to eat any dissolved oxygen and will give you a starter of pressure in your barrel.

Look to keep your barrel at room temp for about a week after this and move to somewhere slightly cooler once you start to drink your cider, you'll need to start to pressurise your barrel as the liquid level falls to stop air glugging back into the tap, lifting the sediment and spoiling your cider.

 

[spitfire184]

Just thought I add:

Use vodka in your airlock to stop anything nasty breeding in their and spoiling your brew; plain water can get infected by dead vinegar flies.

If you are force carbonating your cider using the CO2 bulbs, you might not want to prime your keg. I.e. you don't have to put sugar into your keg because you don't need any CO2 from the yeast as you are injecting it yourself. This should avoid extra sediment being created in the barrel.

Also, be sure that the lid on your barrel does have a valve in it that allows for CO2 injection if that's what you're going for.

Someone correct me if I'm wrong. :P