what where and how

guerrilla podge

hi guys

im a fresher and was wondering what would i need to start as i am interested in learning how to brew.
what do i need how do i start and where to get ingredients

BeerNut

Hi,

Most people start by brewing kits. You don't get the best results, but you do get fresh, cheap drinkable beer and you learn some of the fundamentals of brewing like hygiene and taking readings. There are a few basic rules of thumb to watch out for, like dark beer styles work better from kits than pale ones; if using a single-can kit top up with malt extract rather than sugar, allow at least two weeks for fermentation and keep the temperature as close to 18C as you can. There's more detail on all of these if you read through the forum.

Pretty much every home brew supplier sells a starter set of equipment. The big ones are the Home Brew Company and Home Brew West but there are other smaller operators too, and some of the bigger Tescos also sell homebrew gear.

If you want to jump in a bit deeper you can start with extract brewing, for which you'll also need a vessel to boil wort in, a method of chilling it, and ideally some brewing software to compile your recipes. And for complete control there's all-grain brewing, which additionally requires a way of mashing grain, either with a mashtun or large muslin bag.

Any questions, just ask, but do have a read through the forum as there's lots of good information in here.

guerrilla podge

thanks beernut will do. i think il start wid a kit first of all start at the begining sort of thing:)

Devi

BeerNut wrote: »

Hi,

Most people start by brewing kits. You don't get the best results, but you do get fresh, cheap drinkable beer and you learn some of the fundamentals of brewing like hygiene and taking readings. There are a few basic rules of thumb to watch out for, like dark beer styles work better from kits than pale ones; if using a single-can kit top up with malt extract rather than sugar, allow at least two weeks for fermentation and keep the temperature as close to 18C as you can. There's more detail on all of these if you read through the forum.

Pretty much every home brew supplier sells a starter set of equipment. The big ones are the Home Brew Company and Home Brew West but there are other smaller operators too, and some of the bigger Tescos also sell homebrew gear.

If you want to jump in a bit deeper you can start with extract brewing, for which you'll also need a vessel to boil wort in, a method of chilling it, and ideally some brewing software to compile your recipes. And for complete control there's all-grain brewing, which additionally requires a way of mashing grain, either with a mashtun or large muslin bag.

Any questions, just ask, but do have a read through the forum as there's lots of good information in here.

Just a quick question on the kits beernut, what brand in your opion are the best? Is it worth going for the 3kg kits

sharingan

Devi wrote: »

Just a quick question on the kits beernut, what brand in your opion are the best? Is it worth going for the 3kg kits

I have never tried a 3Kg kit, but I see a lot of thumbs up from other people who have tried them. In addition 3Kg kits dispense with any silliness that arises from using table sugar or any other branded non-malt fermentables. It takes a choice away from you, and its a choice you dont want to have.

BeerNut

sharingan wrote: »

I have never tried a 3Kg kit, but I see a lot of thumbs up from other people who have tried them.

+1. Any I've tasted have, in general, been of a higher standard than the one-can kits.

Of the single can kits, I've been most impressed with the Cooper's Brewer's Reserve IPA. I've done it a few times for classes and it always behaves well.

tteknulp

BeerNut wrote: »

+1. Any I've tasted have, in general, been of a higher standard than the one-can .

I agree with Beernut ,with the 2 can kits you get a better tasting beer ,more straight forward to make also.muntons do a good range .

joctcl

The 2 can kits are far better even though they are a lot more expensive.
I have tried Muntons and St Peters and both gave surprisingly good results for kits.