Home brewing kits ....

aceface57 said:
It's supposed to be hoppy and slightly spicy. It's available in bottles in ASDA (the microbrewery decided to realise a home brew kit of their beer). I'm hoping I like it. Much prefer a porter style beer though, can't be old peculiar!
Click to expand...

Just finishing Woodfordes Norfolk Nog. It's as close to black as i've made. :D Like Hobgoblin crossed with Old Peculiar and bombardier (before it was changed).


Got another woodfordes kit going now, Admiral’s Reserve.


admiral-150.gif



I did the Wherry and was shocked what a fantastic pint it was for very little effort.
 
James N find your local home brew shop and pop in. Most that I've been to are very helpful and I've yet to be subjected to hard sell.

Starting from scratch you want:-
Beer Kit approx £20(woodfordes make excellent ones)
Fermenting Bucket £15(Youngs is the standard make)
1/4" dia siphon hose 2m long approx £3

Now you can go glass or plastic bottles for your first beer.
Plastic is cheaper glass is a bit more expensive but aesthetically more pleasing.
Buy new plastic bottles but use old unchipped beer bottle (brown or green ideally).
Caps and a capper for glass bottles will set you back approx £20.

Say you go the glass route for £60 you'll get 30 pints of good beer and next time round it'll be £84 for 80 pints (assuming you need more caps) then £108 for 120 pints etc.

It certainly pays for itself quickly kit brewing and the beer is reliably good.

Cost are indicative but not far off
 
Ahleckz said:
They are plastic airlocks to let the CO2 out of the fermenter but ensure nothing goes in. I fill mine up with sanitizing solution, or vodka.
That's my boiler above them.
Click to expand...

Ahhh, those are still first stage fermentation then. That makes sense. I guess the fermentation bin in the Starter Kit's come with an airlock thing too? I'd only need to buy an airlock separately if I got myown fermentation bins like you?
 
JonB said:
Ahhh, those are still first stage fermentation then. That makes sense. I guess the fermentation bin in the Starter Kit's come with an airlock thing too? I'd only need to buy an airlock separately if I got myown fermentation bins like you?
Click to expand...

Yeah, but they are only a couple of pounds. Think £1.99 from my local brewshop. You can use balloons with pin pricks in too, which do the same sort of thing but not as well.
 
I've made up one gallon of cider from the apple tree in my garden, haven't tried it yet, I'm betting it's going to be a bit crap lol. On another note, really need to get another brew on.
Had my first bottle bomb yesterday, blew the bottom out and the side of the bottle. Good job it was under the stairs and not in the lounge! Seriously if it was to go off near you, it would do some serious damage.
 
Just took a reading of my IPA, as wasn't sure it was actually fermenting. Only been on since Friday but it's at 3.9% now. Still pretty sweet, but it's getting there. Looks good. Just hope it ferments some more, I'm hoping to get it to 6%. Have a feeling I may have to repitch some yeast though. Not a massive hoppiness to it, after adding the hops but it's only been a few days.

Rhubarb wine is getting positive comments from my friends, though on Monday my friend said that it didn't agree with her that morning after drinking a bottle of it on Sunday. C'est la vie.
 
Last edited:
Ahleckz said:
Just took a reading of my IPA, as wasn't sure it was actually fermenting. Only been on since Friday but it's at 3.9% now. Still pretty sweet, but it's getting there. Looks good. Just hope it ferments some more, I'm hoping to get it to 6%. Have a feeling I may have to repitch some yeast though. Not a massive hoppiness to it, after adding the hops but it's only been a few days.

Rhubarb wine is getting positive comments from my friends, though on Monday my friend said that it didn't agree with her that morning after drinking a bottle of it on Sunday. C'est la vie.
Click to expand...

Ah Rhubarb is infamous for causing upset stomachs in some people, has a laxative effect.
 
PlacidCasual said:
James N find your local home brew shop and pop in. Most that I've been to are very helpful and I've yet to be subjected to hard sell.

Starting from scratch you want:-
Beer Kit approx £20(woodfordes make excellent ones)
Fermenting Bucket £15(Youngs is the standard make)
1/4" dia siphon hose 2m long approx £3

Now you can go glass or plastic bottles for your first beer.
Plastic is cheaper glass is a bit more expensive but aesthetically more pleasing.
Buy new plastic bottles but use old unchipped beer bottle (brown or green ideally).
Caps and a capper for glass bottles will set you back approx £20.

Say you go the glass route for £60 you'll get 30 pints of good beer and next time round it'll be £84 for 80 pints (assuming you need more caps) then £108 for 120 pints etc.

It certainly pays for itself quickly kit brewing and the beer is reliably good.

Cost are indicative but not far off
Click to expand...




Ooooooor, get a keg. 1 thing to clean & sterilise instead of 40 (assuming you are using 500ml bottles). ;)

I actually have 3 kegs on the go now, 1 drinking, 1 maturing (all homebrew kits get significantly better with 4 - 6 weeks maturation) and 1 that has just been filled ;)

I have IPA drinking (clear as crystal and not bad for a £10 kit), Nelsons Revenge maturing, and Muntons Sumgglers gold in the FV, will be kegged in a day or 2 :D

I only bottle for beers which really need it now. I have collected over the past few months quite a few glass bottles to re-use (I really like hoegaarden sized ones). Currently bottled a wheat beer, a dubbel type, and have some apfelwein still stashed.

Also got a mead & ginger wine fermenting.

Homebrew can become a little obsessive :p
 
Just took another reading of my IPA, that's it now up to 5.2% and tastes bloody brilliant. Can really tastes the hops coming through, it'll be good aged for a month.
 
Last edited:
Anyone got any use for a few ounces of Amarillo hops? I'm not going to have time to use them in anything, and my freezer isn't that great so don't want them to go to waste.
Free to a good home! (Though would be good if you could pay postage).
 
Last edited:
This was the latest thread I could find for homebrewing, so I think I'll post this here.

My neighbour was cleaning out the house and found an old book “Home Brewing Without Failures” by H. E. Bravery, copyrighted 1965. The opening passage was this poem, which I thought was quite cute:

*****

The Horse and Mule live thirty years,
Yet know nothing of wines and beers.

Most Goats and Sheep at twenty die,
And have never tasted Scotch or Rye.

A Cow drinks water by the ton,
So at eighteen is mostly done.

The Dog in milk and water soaks,
And then in twelve short years he croaks.

Your Modest sober, bone-dry Hen,
Lays eggs for Nogs, then dies at Ten.

All Animals are strictly dry,
They sinless live and swiftly die.

But sinful, Ginful, beer soaked man,
Survives three score years and ten.

While some of us, though mighty few,
Stay sozzled till we’re ninety-two.

Origin unknown.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom