wanting to brew my first batch...

[tom_p87]

Hi all,

I am wanting to get into home brewing, but really don’t have a clue where to start. There is a wealth of info out there and some of it seems a bit conflicting…hence my forum post.

I am thinking it would be easy-ish to get started with a starter kit, but don’t want to pay for this to then find I might want to upgrade things quite quickly (for example size of brew kettle, I know a lot of kits don’t come with the kettle though).

I guess my ideal scenario (which I am willing to do some trial & error for obviously) would be to eventually be able to brew my own pale ale…something with a mosaic, simcoe or citra hop (or mix). This is the kind of beer that I tend to enjoy the most. I guess making a reasonable sized batch would also make sense considering the “brewing” time of 4-6weeks ish (that’s what I read online anyway). If somebody was able to answer the following questions it would really help me out a lot.

1. Could anyone recommend a how-to guide for a mosaic pale ale or similar?
2. If I am to buy a starter kit what other equipment should I be looking to get also? E.g. Brew kettle and what size? (I read that 7.5 gallons was a good size)
3. Does anyone have a recommendation for a good starter kit and/or brewing kit? Or should I just buy the ingredients myself?
4. Do the starter kits come with some of the ingredients “ready to go” for want of a better phrase? i.e do they skip some of the steps compared to if you started with just the raw ingredients
5. With a starter kit do you create wort still or does the mix just go straight into a fermenting bucket? As you can see I am clueless!
6. Do I need a wort chiller or can I do this adequately in a sink of very cold water (or similar)?

As you can see I am a complete novice so any help would be greatly appreciated. I have read around a lot on the internet and not just skipped straight to a forum post but I have found so much info out there its tricky to know where is best to start. Looking forward to giving this a go after many years of putting it off (and now have plenty of time to give it a try!)

Cheers

Tom

 

[darkbright]

Welcome!

You have a ton of options to get started at this time. My personal advice would be to start with a kit and some basic equipment, most of which you will need even if you upgrade later. There are loads of decent kits out there for Pale Ales. Doing a kit would get you having a go and you would have something to drink whilst you think about where you want to go.

Kits are variable - some are just malt extract that you add to water and some have grain to steep etc. I'm not an expert on these but I'm sure someone will give you some advice regarding the kits to try. There are a lot of brewers who make good beer from kits. Most kits supply the yeast and all the ingredients, some you need to add sugar to.

A basic starter kit should be available as a bundle from some homebrew shops or online retailers. You can pick them up from Wilko also. A bucket, a paddle, cleaning/sanitising chemicals, Campden tablets, a siphon and a pressure barrel or bottles should be enough to get started.

If you are not doing a mash, then you don't need a wort chiller, just need to use the right temp water to make up your wort.

 

[darkbright]

I like Richard from Love Brewing's videos. He has one for pretty much everything, but there are loads of Youtube videos out there which should take you through everything.

Love Brewing

 

[terrym]

Welcome to the forum.
My advice to anyone starting homebrewing, is do a few kits to get the basics right then you can make an informed personal choice about how you want to proceed in terms which brewing method you want to use, which to some extent will determine how much you will then have to spend if an upgrade is needed. But whatever you do the basic equipment will be used however you brew.
I suggest you read this to get you started......
Basic beginners guide to brewing your own beer from a kit - The HomeBrew Forum

 

[An Ankoù]

I am wanting to get into home brewing, but really don’t have a clue where to start.

Welcome to Valhala
My advice is get a clue before you start. Buy a book and give it a good reading. You need to have an overview of the process, so that at any stage you can orientate yourself within it, and you need to know what options are open to you. You also need to know what equipment you're going to need. Don't get anything too technical and detailed. A good "primer" with some well thought and and tested recipes is what you need. I would recommend "Homebrew Beer" by Greg Hughes or one of the books by Wheeler and Protz. Buy a second hand copy of one of the earlier editions from Amazon- the basics don't change.
Then, I'd recommend brewing a style you already know. In my experience, stouts and porters are the most "forgiving" then bitters and light ales and then "lager" styles can be more difficult and will show up your faults. Avoid exotic bubble-gum beers and anything with bacteria for as long as you can.
Good luck.

 

[BrewMeHappy]

I've never decided to go down the all grain route and have been brewing beer kits for well over 10 years. Sure I have thought of it, but I'm happy with what I make and know I can always upgrade and buy the equipment if I wish to. Time is the biggest factor for me so kits serve me well

There are plenty of very good beer kits out there to get you started and, as the others have said, a lot of home brew shops sell starter kits with all the basic equipment and your first beer kit to set you off.

When I started I bought a Cooper's homebrew kit, for about £60 at the time from memory, and still use 90% of the equipment still now. I have bought other things as I've gone on and that's the beauty of this hobby.

I don't think you can go wrong with a starter kit to dip your toe into the world of brewing.

Let us know what you decide to do.

 

[tom_p87]

Hi all, thanks a lot for all the answers! Think I will try out a starter kit to begin with and see how that goes...

Cheers

Tom