Home brewing kits ....

Only problem with plastic bottles as far as I know is being clear they let too much light through. Brown and green glass prevents light breaking done the beer. So if you use plastic store it in the dark.
 
PlacidCasual said:
Only problem with plastic bottles as far as I know is being clear they let too much light through. Brown and green glass prevents light breaking done the beer. So if you use plastic store it in the dark.
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I'm planning on brewing my own after christmas and in preparation I've been buying Grolsh in the 440ml bottles from asda for £5 for 3 on a weekly basis.

I've built up a collection of bottles now and if you look on ebay for how much 12 swing top grolsh bottles empty sell for I'm amazed more people don't drink it because selling the bottles makes the beer incredibly cheap :D

You can easily get £1 back per bottle.

I've got those and I've been keeping just about every bottle I've drunk in the last 6 months and will buy a capping kit.
 
had a bit of a spurt in brewing over the last few months
2 gallons of apple and elderberry wine, all done and bottled, tastes better the longer its left - not too much left though...
1 gallon of cranberry and raspberry wine, all done and bottled, like this one very refreshing though quite strong
1 gallon of red grape juice wine (italian grape juice from sainsbury) all done and bottled, tastes pretty good tbh
2 gallons of cherry wine going to turn one into a sparkling wine, still fermenting for what seems like forever...
2 gallons of blackcurrant and blueberry, still fermenting
1 gallon of blackcurrant and apple, still fermenting
1 gallon of turbo cider, primed and bottled not tried as yet
40 pints of coopers wheat beer, easy kit to do, primed and bottled, very pleased with it, reminds me of erdinger :) will get another one or two of these going in the new year!
 
moogie said:
had a bit of a spurt in brewing over the last few months
2 gallons of apple and elderberry wine, all done and bottled, tastes better the longer its left - not too much left though...
1 gallon of cranberry and raspberry wine, all done and bottled, like this one very refreshing though quite strong
1 gallon of red grape juice wine (italian grape juice from sainsbury) all done and bottled, tastes pretty good tbh
2 gallons of cherry wine going to turn one into a sparkling wine, still fermenting for what seems like forever...
2 gallons of blackcurrant and blueberry, still fermenting
1 gallon of blackcurrant and apple, still fermenting
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Got any rough recipes for the above?

If it's your first turbo cider (@Skeeter: cider made from shop-bought carton apple juice) you might need to sweeten it up a bit. I also add a mug of strong stewed black tea to mine to add some tannin :)

I'm interested in your red grape juice wine. I made a rosé as an experiment with a litre of white grape, a litre of red grape and topped up with boiled water and 850g of sugar. The alcohol content is about right, but it needs more flavour. I'm going to try 2 litres of white and one litre of red and see how it comes out. I've heard that using just juice can be a bit overpowering with shop-bought juice, hence the proportion of water.
 
Jonny69 said:
Got any rough recipes for the above?

If it's your first turbo cider (@Skeeter: cider made from shop-bought carton apple juice) you might need to sweeten it up a bit. I also add a mug of strong stewed black tea to mine to add some tannin :)

I'm interested in your red grape juice wine. I made a rosé as an experiment with a litre of white grape, a litre of red grape and topped up with boiled water and 850g of sugar. The alcohol content is about right, but it needs more flavour. I'm going to try 2 litres of white and one litre of red and see how it comes out. I've heard that using just juice can be a bit overpowering with shop-bought juice, hence the proportion of water.
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yeah first turbo cider, still not got round to trying it, but will remember to add sugar if it needs it, good tip with the tea also, wil try it next time cheers

the red grape juice was just 4ltrs of sainsbury italian grape juice, think its about 90p a ltr, 900g sugar dissolved into 1ltr of juice before adding to the demijohn and the usual citric/pectolase and yeast, tried the juice on its own and it wasnt too strong a taste so didnt dilute bar topping up the demijohn.

the other wines are all also from fruit juice (will be until its berry picking time)
the blackcurrant and blueberry is "crackers" branded, was on offer so thought id give it a try, again they are 4ltrs of juice topped up with just under 1/2 ltr water

they should all be ready in a few weeks so will let you know how they turn out
 
Been shopping today for my brewday on 31st, going to try an IPA this time with a large quantity of hops. Mmmmmm. Using extract, as not got enough space for all grain in my flat!

Roll on New Beer's Eve!!
 
Greetings, home brewers!

Got my own kit at Christmas and have just finished brewing a simple pale ale with a twist. Didn't want the usual IPA, so added in a cup of clear honey (added into the boiler, then into the wort) and plan to add some dried, condensed (boiled) apricots and cherries in seven days.

This is my first brew ever so I'm hoping all goes well. I plan to cold condition the whole thing in the 1L plastic PETs that came with the kit. Going to hit up the student union for Grolsch swing-top bottles next week.

I'm keen on trying one of the Coopers kits next - any suggestions on which? I'm a fan of their lager, but I don't own a shed or have access to colder temperature storage facilities. Am very interested in wheat beers, but am conscious of the complexity of the ingredients and am worried it might be too much for a second batch rookie.

Forgot to ask - I pitched the yeast when the wort was at approximately 20-25C - I know it won't kill the yeast but I'm not sure what effect (if any) this will have on my end result. Should I check the fermentation process in, say, 72 hours? How will I know everything's okay - smell, sound, bubbles?

Thanks!
 
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Todays batch :)
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My dad had actually almost finished by the time i got out of bed so missed out today :( All i know is one is based on timothy taylors landlord, not sure about the other.

Currently drinking
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silent said:
great thread, just starting myself and my first wherry brew kit is arriving soon. 120 pints and all the equipment for £60. seemed a good deal.

will dip in for some advice. anyone brewed a st austall tribute receipe?
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120? Are you sure?

You'd be pushed to get 3 kits of wherry (3x40 pints) for that let alone the equipment as well..
 
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