Tips for a successful first Beer Kit

bbam

hi folks..
I'm hoping to do a beer kit to have at a party at the end of the year...
i've made wine before but not beer..

I was looking at the "Coopers Canadian Blonde" kit.. here..> http://www.homebrew.ie/coopers-canadian-blonde1-7kg-makes-40-pints.html




From reading posts I see that people supplement ingrediants different to the kit contents... For a first attempt should I just stick with the kit contents or is there an easy improvment I could make?

Also for a 40 pint kit, what size of fermenters would I need??

thanks

BeerNut

You will need to add extra fermentables to that kit. A kilo of spraymalt is probably best. Don't use table sugar, as the instructions might suggest.

The things to bear in mind are sanitising, but you'll know about that from wine-making, and temperature control: contrary to the instructions it's best fermented around 18C. Letting it get above 23C could produce off flavours.

There's a good general guide to kit brewing here.

A 25L fermenter is the minimum you'll need.

bbam

OK..
So ditch the sugar and use spray malt.. Or use 50/50 of each?
Also, will a 25l container allow room for foaming without spillage??

Thanks for the help..

BeerNut

Using all spraymalt will give you a fuller, better flavoured beer.

And yes: usually there's enough headspace in a 25L bucket for 22L of beer to ferment happily without spilling over. But yeast does what it wants, so take precautions.

bbam

I was thinking of getting these bottles for the final beer..

http://www.alpack.ie/Glass_Beer_BottlesSwing_topGrolsch_Bottles/Default.292.html



Anyone used these type of bottles... Or is there a better supplier??

BeerNut

They're great bottles.

I've never bought an empty bottle but I'm fairly sure the 75cl one is the one Carlow Brewing used for their Celebration Stout a few years ago. I've got lots of uses out of those bottles.

bbam

These are cheaper but I'm not sure about plastic....
http://www.homebrewwest.ie/coopers-ox-bar-24-500ml-pet-bottles-better-than-glass-bottles-837-p.asp

BeerNut

They're absolutely fine too.

calvin_zola

BeerNut wrote: »

They're absolutely fine too.

do you think the swing top bottles provide a suitable seal for homebrewing. I was on another forum and they mentioned that it dosent offer the same seal as a capped bottle. Do you use new red gromit seals or the existing ones?

BeerNut

calvin_zola wrote: »

do you think the swing top bottles provide a suitable seal for homebrewing.

I've been using them for three years and several repeat batches per bottle, with the original seals, and never had a problem.

calvin_zola

BeerNut wrote: »

I've been using them for three years and several repeat batches per bottle, with the original seals, and never had a problem.

cool my local off licence is selling 5 pilsner for a tenner, and they come in a brown swing top, may start investing in some of these now

BeerNut

If it's Flensburger I recommend the Weizen over the Pilsner, but YMMV.

Cork Boy

bbam wrote: »

I was thinking of getting these bottles for the final beer..

http://www.alpack.ie/Glass_Beer_BottlesSwing_topGrolsch_Bottles/Default.292.html



Anyone used these type of bottles... Or is there a better supplier??

Great bottles, I use the Hirschbrau and Grolsh ones (they don't get sunlight so green bottles are safe with me). Also, Allpack have a minimum order quantity that's beyond most home brewers

calvin_zola

BeerNut wrote: »

If it's Flensburger I recommend the Weizen over the Pilsner, but YMMV.

thats the stuff alright, Im going to build a collection of them.... I would put my stout into the grolsh bottles but im a bit anal about stout in a green bottle so will leave them for my the lager batch Il start on Monday, and while im talking to you I plan on adding a coopers brew enhancer II to this one, is there any particular temperature I add this or do I just tipp it in at the start with the lager mix and ME

BeerNut

calvin_zola wrote: »

I plan on adding a coopers brew enhancer II to this one, is there any particular temperature I add this or do I just tipp it in at the start with the lager mix and ME

I've no direct experience of this, but I'd make sure everything going in gets sanitised, so I'd boil up the kit enhancer and DME in a couple of litres of water, put it in the fermenter, and add the kit mix and more boiling water to that before topping up, stirring all the way through.

bbam

Well, my canadian blonde kit arrived yesterday. Looking forward to getting it going. Maybe tonight, just need to sort which buckets to use for the fermentors.
I'm worried about spill over if I use a 25l that is filled to 23l, I have larger containers but not sure if that would be overkill? Have some 25l food buckets and small food grade barrels, probably 35l.

Did I read in another thread about not tightening the lid completely, with an airlock fitted should the lid not be tight?

I thought the instructions with the kit were sparse, not too worried as the instructions on here more than compensate.

Thanks folks

BeerNut

bbam wrote: »

I'm worried about spill over if I use a 25l that is filled to 23l

Just put a towel or something under the bucket to catch spill over.

bbam wrote: »

with an airlock fitted should the lid not be tight?

It doesn't matter. The airlock won't bubble if the lid isn't tight, but if you want to watch bubbles buy a lava lamp.

Cork Boy

Hi BBam,

If you have an airlock you should be able to seal the lid completely, just cover the top of the airlock with sanitized tin foil and poke a few holes in it with a needle.

I'm bottling my second ever batch tonight (ditches stout) and all going well, putting on my third brew (lovely sounding hefeweizen here post #3).

I've been steadily building a collection of Grolsh and Hirschbrau swingtop bottles - the two lever capper broke my heart... the tension was like trying to tune a guitar string that's already too tight. That said my seals were perfect and I was also probably battling with first time bottling pressure and poor siphoning technique!

Lucklily enough I've been strict with myself for rinsing used bottles straight away so I'll just pop em into a detergentless cycle in the dishwasher (handly way of removing labels also) for sanitization. That said, you can make a very cheap and effective no-rinse sanitizer by mixing 30ml unscented thin bleach and 30ml vinegar to 18L warm water - do not mix the bleach and vinegar neat though or you'll get sick from the chlorine gas.

My final tip from the top - do not try to extract every last bit of beer out of the fermenter, let the last few pints that are at the bottom go, if you have to start tipping the fermentor it's time to stop - take it from someone who learned the hard way!



All that said, welcome to the hobby and best of luck!!!

bbam

OK I have two fermentors going now.. One 6 bottle white wine kit and my Canadian Blonde.. I sub'd spray malt for the sugar so fingers crossed..

All went well with both kits although I added about a litre too much water to the wine kit as was chattin to missus as I went along :rolleyes:

Was supprised the beer mix is quite dark in colour...
Both fermentors showed activity within a few hours
Room is at a steady 20 degrees

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Have secondary fermentors ready
I have my bottles and a syphon..
planning to use 1/2 teaspoon of sugar at bottling for the beer...

Anything else I'm missing?

bbam

Hi..
I racked both the wine and beer into secondary fermentors...
The wine is crystal clear and tastes fine..

The beer tastes good considering it's flat, but is still cloudy, I didn't disturbe it before syphoning and didn't syphon out the sludge...
I was planning on leaving it sit for about 2 weeks now, will it clear much ?? and is there anything I can do to help it clear ?

bbam

bbam wrote: »

These are cheaper but I'm not sure about plastic....
http://www.homebrewwest.ie/coopers-ox-bar-24-500ml-pet-bottles-better-than-glass-bottles-837-p.asp

I'm ready to bottle...
Does anyone know can these plastic coopers bottles be washed in the dishwasher at 60degrees ??
.

Martyn1989

bbam wrote: »

I'm ready to bottle...
Does anyone know can these plastic coopers bottles be washed in the dishwasher at 60degrees ??
.

Ive never tried it and I could be wrong but I'd be worried they'd come out warped have you not got a lower setting?, I'd run a test one in a regular load first.

bbam

Martyn1989 wrote: »

Ive never tried it and I could be wrong but I'd be worried they'd come out warped have you not got a lower setting?, I'd run a test one in a regular load first.

That's what I was afraid of... I think I'll hand wash to be safe

bbam

Well guys..
So my beer is bottled 12 days now...
I opened a sample at the weekend, partly to check and partly cos I had no other beer in the house :rolleyes:

It seems to be developing a head which is great..
However... I don't think it tastes as good as it did before I bottled it :eek:

I washed the bottles well and double rinsed (once hot and once cold) and dried them out thoroughly.. I'm a little worried...

They are in a room at 18 degrees and fairly stable, is that OK at the moment ??
I tried one I'd moved into a warmer area and it definitely had a better head but just not the taste I was expecting...

AM I being too impatient or could I have a problem??
Quite disappointed at the moment

covey09

This beer needs time at least 4 weeks in the bottle before it starts to begin to taste nice, get your next brew on and and forget about it for a while. Im just about to try my coppers European Larger and it been in the bottles for 6wk but i know already its going to taste like piss, i know for a fact it will get a lot better with time. Chill and get brewing!

Martyn1989

All homebrews take time, once its not tasting of vinegar or something equally unbeer like your fine just be pattient itll turn out

bbam

Thanks guys.
I'd be heartbroken if it turned out pants at this stage

What it the best temp to keep it at now. I can keep it in a room at about 18 degrees or move it to the hotpress which would be about 22 degrees.