you're wanting around 20 degrees during primary fermentation ideally. I have no idea what temperature my flat is, but it's not hot that's for sure. Seeing your breath is quite common in the winter months and I've always been able to brew. I stick mine in my boiler cupboard, which is the hottest place I guess.
Home brewing kits ....
- Thread starter Aliboy
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I forgot to mention my kit came with a paddle for stirring the brew, the two main differences are that it doesn't come with a keg (which is why I bought 20 2L bottles of fizzy water from morrisons to empty and fill with brew) and the kit you get will be lower quality. Oh and it costs less than half the price. (Might be £28 now, I got my kit last september ish).
Temps need to be higher than 18-19 degrees.
Temps need to be higher than 18-19 degrees.
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Wonder if you can get different strains of yeast suitable for lager/beer that still operate at low temperatures. According to a quick google it seems to be the case for certain ones used for wines, but not sure about lager/beer... I guess it'd change what the "end product" was if you start changing around the yeast?
Some (probably) silly questions ...
Primary fermentation is the 1-3 weeks in the air tight container? After that it sits in the barrel at room temp for 4-6 weeks? (Or less time if you're impatient
) Does it need to be at 20'c after fermentation?The one from brewstore will be lower quality? Or the internet one? Any reason (other than the cost) as to why you got the bottles rather than a keg? My initial thinking is that a bottle goes in the fridge easier, I guess?
The kit from the brewmart requires you to add sugar (dextrose) rather than being an 'all hop mixture'. The all hop mixtures are generally considered as being higher quality. They all hop mixtures are usually £15-20 by themselves, that's why the brewmart kit includes a lower quality mix, otherwise they would be making a major loss.
The primary fermantation takes about 4-6 days if the wort is kept at the right temperature.
The bottles are for secondary fermentation (which gives the beer its fizz) and storage. Kegs are usually £10+, 20 bottles from morrisons come in at £2.40, much cheaper. Although now I save glass bottles of beer now and have bought a bottle caper.
The primary fermantation takes about 4-6 days if the wort is kept at the right temperature.
The bottles are for secondary fermentation (which gives the beer its fizz) and storage. Kegs are usually £10+, 20 bottles from morrisons come in at £2.40, much cheaper. Although now I save glass bottles of beer now and have bought a bottle caper.
Soldato
What's a bottle caper? ^
Right now I have no equipment but once I get hold of a few decent 5 gallon containers then I'm hoping to give the cider recipe a go. According to the link you posted (http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f81/edworts-apfelwein-33986/) Red Star Montrachet is the yeast to use, but am I right in assuming that it won't make a massive difference if I use another type? What yeast did you use for your cider and what did it taste like in the end?
Thanks, I'm sure I'll be able to get hold of champagne yeast though, there is quite a good homebrew shop not far from me.
Right now I have no equipment but once I get hold of a few decent 5 gallon containers then I'm hoping to give the cider recipe a go. According to the link you posted (http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f81/edworts-apfelwein-33986/) Red Star Montrachet is the yeast to use, but am I right in assuming that it won't make a massive difference if I use another type? What yeast did you use for your cider and what did it taste like in the end?
You can get pints for a quid on student nights anyway. Did the stuff taste like crap or was it any good?
Yeah they have more expensive kit as well (ie all hop, and mash brewing equipment). You can probably wrangle getting an all hop brew with their basic kit instead of a basic one and adding a fiver or so, they will also be able to give you advice.
By the way, everything in the shop itself is a little bit cheaper than in the on line shop in my experience, and no delivery charge. If you're a student you can get a stagecoach bus up there for 50p
Bus was the plan
Soldato
Are there any disadvantages to using a 5 gallon bucket compared to a 5 gallon bottle? I think I may have found a rather good source of 5 gallon buckets but I'm not sure if there are any pitfalls by going to bucket route as opposed to bottles...
Nice, they seem to sell the caps as well, I didn't know that you could re-use glass bottles like that. In fact I normally leave quite a few out for recycling most weeks, so if I save a few up then I'll have some good and almost free secondary containers.
Buckets are easier to clean if they get really dirty.
You need to rinse out the bottles before the residue really dries on, and possibly use some sanitiser and then rinse them out a lot more, uses a lot of water but doesn't matter if you're not on a water meter
Also is quite funny when you have loads of different bottles with different labels all filled with the same brew.
You need to rinse out the bottles before the residue really dries on, and possibly use some sanitiser and then rinse them out a lot more, uses a lot of water but doesn't matter if you're not on a water meter
Also is quite funny when you have loads of different bottles with different labels all filled with the same brew.
Yeah pretty much, the clear bottles are best because you can see the yeast sediment from the secondary fermentation better, which means less sediment in your pint
But keep clear bottle in the dark, or you get off flavours from light reacting with the hops in the beer.
Well my IPA is doing fine. Bubbling away nicely in the cupboard. Gave it a sniff this morning and still smells pretty sweet but that should go away during the course of the day. My friend, who I brew with (although the IPA is totally my creation) is coming round today and expecting a sample.
Prepare for a wall of text!!
Yeah, yeast does change the taste and you can get various different strands. Some best for wine, some ale, etc. Also some are better for lower temperatures. Unfortunately I'm not very clued up with the biology side and yeast, just not that interested. I just use Youngs for pretty much everything, and throw in some nutrient to make sure it goes OK. I haven't had any taste issues. Asking in your brewshop would yield a better response, or just have a gamble!
Yeah, it can be anything from 4 days to 3 weeks. I tend to leave mine for at least 2 weeks and then rack it into another vessel for a further week and then bottle. The bottling stage is known as 'secondary fermentation'. This is where the booze gets it fizz. You want to leave this for at least a week, but depending on what you're making ideally it's anything from a month to 2 years. Good luck waiting that long though!
Won't make a massive difference, the juice you use and the amount of sugar will give the definable characteristics. My cider was quite tart, but then it's purposely very strong. We keep two bottles of each batch aside as our 'vintages', and I'm assuming that after a year (which some are now past) they'll be very nice indeed. I occasionally find an old bottle hidden in the room which is pretty mellow indeed. Like a fine wine, and unlike a woman, gets better with age. As said, I just use Youngs yeast.
I can make pints of 8%+ cider for about 25p, pints of 13% wine for 12p... Though it's more about the fun of making, tasting, and drinking something that you've made yourself, in your kitchen. You can make totally premium beer with very expensive ingredients which will far surpass any pint you can get for a pound or you can make dirt cheap, drinkable hooch. I aim for the middle ground.
Not really, make sure that it is food grade. I can't remember the code off hand but there'll be something marked onto the buckets. The only issue I can think of is things dropping into the brew. A tea towel over the barrel will help stop this, or if you can get a lid that would be good. I was going to go down the bucket route, but then I found my big blue things. Buckets also allow you to see the brew better.
I use these:
They are fine after a good soaking and sanitizing. My friend works at the Cinema, so he gets loads for free when people leave them behind. It's a bit jakyish, but a good clean and they're fine. Also, you can take them back from the shop and get 30p per bottle so if I keep my brews under 30p a bottle, I'm essentially making free booze. I have over 200 in my flat.
Prepare for a wall of text!!
Yeah, yeast does change the taste and you can get various different strands. Some best for wine, some ale, etc. Also some are better for lower temperatures. Unfortunately I'm not very clued up with the biology side and yeast, just not that interested. I just use Youngs for pretty much everything, and throw in some nutrient to make sure it goes OK. I haven't had any taste issues. Asking in your brewshop would yield a better response, or just have a gamble!
Primary fermentation is the 1-3 weeks in the air tight container? After that it sits in the barrel at room temp for 4-6 weeks? (Or less time if you're impatient
Yeah, it can be anything from 4 days to 3 weeks. I tend to leave mine for at least 2 weeks and then rack it into another vessel for a further week and then bottle. The bottling stage is known as 'secondary fermentation'. This is where the booze gets it fizz. You want to leave this for at least a week, but depending on what you're making ideally it's anything from a month to 2 years. Good luck waiting that long though!
Thanks, I'm sure I'll be able to get hold of champagne yeast though, there is quite a good homebrew shop not far from me.
Won't make a massive difference, the juice you use and the amount of sugar will give the definable characteristics. My cider was quite tart, but then it's purposely very strong. We keep two bottles of each batch aside as our 'vintages', and I'm assuming that after a year (which some are now past) they'll be very nice indeed. I occasionally find an old bottle hidden in the room which is pretty mellow indeed. Like a fine wine, and unlike a woman, gets better with age. As said, I just use Youngs yeast.
I can make pints of 8%+ cider for about 25p, pints of 13% wine for 12p... Though it's more about the fun of making, tasting, and drinking something that you've made yourself, in your kitchen. You can make totally premium beer with very expensive ingredients which will far surpass any pint you can get for a pound or you can make dirt cheap, drinkable hooch. I aim for the middle ground.
Not really, make sure that it is food grade. I can't remember the code off hand but there'll be something marked onto the buckets. The only issue I can think of is things dropping into the brew. A tea towel over the barrel will help stop this, or if you can get a lid that would be good. I was going to go down the bucket route, but then I found my big blue things. Buckets also allow you to see the brew better.
I use these:
They are fine after a good soaking and sanitizing. My friend works at the Cinema, so he gets loads for free when people leave them behind. It's a bit jakyish, but a good clean and they're fine. Also, you can take them back from the shop and get 30p per bottle so if I keep my brews under 30p a bottle, I'm essentially making free booze. I have over 200 in my flat.
Forgot to ask what the glass work is at the top?