Homebrew Beer Howto

Pete123456 · 04-10-2015 11:46PM

how soon should you see bubbles in the airlock after starting a batch?

mordeith · 04-10-2015 11:57PM

Pete123456 wrote: »

how soon should you see bubbles in the airlock after starting a batch?

Usually about 24hrs with me

BeerNut · 05-10-2015 12:04AM

Ignore the airlock. It doesn't tell you anything useful.

Lucena · 05-10-2015 07:02AM

24 hours for me as well. I've only done one brew though. How long has it been since you did yours?

janiejones · 15-10-2015 09:13PM

Ivw made a few coders with 100% Apple juice not from concentrate (1 batch of aldi juice, 1 batch of Tesco). I've been using sparkling wine yeast but there's a farmers market nearby every Saturday.

Is it worth picking up some fresh pressed Apple juice and Apple's, peel the apples, mix together and leave somewhere warm to gamble on getting the real deal natural yeast?

Anyone know if it'd be a big taste / quality difference?

BeerNut · 15-10-2015 10:50PM

Ask the farmer. David Llewellyn sells juice at the markets he attends for exactly this purpose.

janiejones · 17-10-2015 09:57PM

He said don't do it.

Unpredictable off flavours. He also said what they do is use wine yeast and leave it ferment out for 5 months. I'm guessing now he moved it to a secondary but not sure. They always use the same fermenter and put the new juice in on top of the yeast cake.

I've got the idea in my head now though so I bought a few apples , put the skins in with 4 litres of aldi not from concentrate, we'll see what happens.

I have a batch going with wine yeast currently so I am going to put juice on top of the yeast cake when I transfer next time.

I don't think I have the patience for 5 months in secondary though, I might leave it 2

Muahahaha · 17-01-2016 01:44AM

been kit brewing for a while now and want to upgrade to extract, which im hoping to do on a budget So i can get mesh bags and a thermo cheap enough on ebay But whats a good option for a boil kettle and copper/steel chiller? I think I read something before about a water boiler that comes up in Aldi or Lidl now and again that is useful?

On the cooling bit, do you need another vessel or can you drop a copper coil into the boiling vessel and chill it that way?

Ive foumd upgrade kits online for €120 but Im hoping to upgrade for less than that if its possible?

BeerNut · 17-01-2016 12:43PM

Muahahaha wrote: »

I think I read something before about a water boiler that comes up in Aldi or Lidl now and again that is useful?

The problem with a lot of the pre-made ones is they have a thermostat because they're not designed for sustaining a rolling boil.

Muahahaha wrote: »

can you drop a copper coil into the boiling vessel and chill it that way?

Yes. I put it in ten minutes before the end of the boil so it gets sanitised.

quacksers · 17-01-2016 06:42PM

Hey guys,

looking to pick your brains a little. when it comes to bottling, im leaving it in a box covered with a blanket to keep out the light under a table in the sitting room. should i leave the bottles standing up or lying down (or does it even matter)? also i am looking at leaving it for 14 days at room temp in the box, is that ok to do or should i move them to the fridge earlier?

thanks

BeerNut · 17-01-2016 07:05PM

Standing up, so the dead yeast falls to the bottom of the bottle, and 14 days at room temperature is correct.

BeardySi · 25-01-2016 02:39PM

Muahahaha wrote: »

been kit brewing for a while now and want to upgrade to extract, which im hoping to do on a budget So i can get mesh bags and a thermo cheap enough on ebay But whats a good option for a boil kettle and copper/steel chiller? I think I read something before about a water boiler that comes up in Aldi or Lidl now and again that is useful?

On the cooling bit, do you need another vessel or can you drop a copper coil into the boiling vessel and chill it that way?

Ive foumd upgrade kits online for €120 but Im hoping to upgrade for less than that if its possible?

I got a (iirc) 7.5L stockpot cheap from Argos a while back. Works perfectly well for brews up to 10L or so (I've not tried bigger). I usually start with about 6L of water and finish with 3-4L or wort which I top up to the required amount. It's small enough that it cools quickly in an ice bath which is handier (for me) than using a chiller. Fairly sure I could BIAB in there too so maybe that'll happen soonish...

Carawaystick · 29-01-2016 12:35PM

Treadhead wrote: »

I got a (iirc) 7.5L stockpot cheap from Argos a while back. Works perfectly well for brews up to 10L or so (I've not tried bigger). I usually start with about 6L of water and finish with 3-4L or wort which I top up to the required amount. It's small enough that it cools quickly in an ice bath which is handier (for me) than using a chiller. Fairly sure I could BIAB in there too so maybe that'll happen soonish...

I had a loan of a boiler when I started biab. When I gave it back, I tried in my 20l pot, but it's a bit messy. I now use my bottling bucket for the biab mash, and drain into my pot for the boil.

Thundercats Ho · 18-06-2016 10:06AM

Question:
I was clearing out the spare room and came across a dozen bottles of my 1st kit brew that I bottled in March 2015. It wasn't well carbonated and had a bit of a tang (that lessened as time went on).

I set these aside for a few months but forgot all about them, so they're bottled 15 months.

There's stuff floating if I shake the bottles which I'm assuming is yeast?

I'm interested to see what they taste like now, but just wanna check that they'd be safe to consume??

BeerNut · 18-06-2016 10:53AM

Perfectly safe. No pathogen known to medical science will survive in a solution of more than 2 or 3 per cent alcohol.

GLaDOS · 26-08-2016 12:29PM

Apologies if it's been answered (Had a search through the thread but couldn't find a definitive answer) but what's the advantage of using brown sugar over glucose for the fermentation?

I have a kit for an American Pale ale and got 650 g of "Brewing Sugar" (Which I presume is glucose) as part of the kit, would I be better using brown sugar? Can save the glucose for the bottling if so.

BeerNut · 26-08-2016 12:46PM

It's not a good idea to use sugar at all as a main fermentable. Spraymalt, or even liquid malt extract, is better. As I understand it, glucose ferments out very cleanly, but you're still going to end up with a thin and possibly cidery beer. I've never heard of anyone using brown sugar as main fermentable.

GLaDOS · 26-08-2016 12:47PM

BeerNut wrote: »

It's not a good idea to use sugar at all as a main fermentable. Spraymalt, or even liquid malt extract, is better. As I understand it, glucose ferments out very cleanly, but you're still going to end up with a thin and possibly cidery beer. I've never heard of anyone using brown sugar as main fermentable.

It says it in the OP

- Sugar according to beer kit (1KG is usual) - brown is best,
or, if you can get it, and want a better tasting beer, buy some
Dry Malt Extract from a homebrew supply shop (DME, or SprayMalt)
and use this instead of sugar. It's a bit expensive though.

Edit: Sorry the kit has liquid malt, but says to add sugar as well.

BeerNut · 26-08-2016 02:37PM

GLaDOS wrote: »

It says it in the OP

I'd say Ken has learned a lot about brewing in the last ten and a half years. Sure drop him a PM

GLaDOS wrote: »

Sorry the kit has liquid malt, but says to add sugar as well.

Yeah, if it's a one-can kit you'll need another main fermentable. Sugar is cheap but won't give you the best results.

Mr. Wexford Doyle · 04-11-2017 02:25AM

I was enjoying a pint of the black stuff in Mulligan's on Poolbeg Street the other night and a man told me that I should take up home-brewing.

I really like the idea of it.

I have never home-brewed before and don't know how to do it, there is nothing good online about brewing stout for beginners.

Can somebody please explain what you have to do and how much it will cost?

Just tell me everything you need to know.

Thanks.

mordeith · 04-11-2017 10:10AM

The biggest thing a beginner needs is patience. I've seen lads drink their brew weeks before it's ready and then complain it tastes horrible.
That aside all you need is a basic beginners equipment kit. Loads online. Something like this
https://www.homebrew.ie/collections/beer-starter-kits/products/homebrew-standard-starter-kit

You'd just need a stout ingredient kit then

BeerNut · 04-11-2017 03:09PM

There's nothing different about making stout so any guide to first-time brewing will do. I've found the basic Cooper's stout kit gives good results.

monty_python · 04-11-2017 05:41PM

BeerNut wrote: »

There's nothing different about making stout so any guide to first-time brewing will do. I've found the basic Cooper's stout kit gives good results.

I bottled one of them a week ago and added fresh chilli's and chocolate extract to the fermentation bucket. ðŸ˜

stecleary · 04-11-2017 10:03PM

Your first brew is the expensive one because you need to buy the gear.
depending where you are there could be a home brew shop close to you but the 4 in Ireland all offer delivery.

nice easy starter kit with everything for the beer included
http://www.thehomebrewcompany.ie/st-peters-cream-stout-makes-36-kits-p-2042.html

Shops:
http://www.thehomebrewcompany.ie/
http://themottlybrew.ie/
https://www.homebrewwest.ie/
http://www.geterbrewed.ie

If you drink at home keep brown bottles, or if you are friendly with a bar man he may give you some
example of pretty much everything you need

fryup · 05-11-2017 02:29PM

re:cider

can i add apple juice (non-concentrate) to my brewing bucket to make up the desired amount?

BeerNut · 05-11-2017 05:19PM

Yes. I make cider from just cloudy apple juice and yeast.

05-11-2017 05:23PM

BeerNut wrote: »

There's nothing different about making stout so any guide to first-time brewing will do. I've found the basic Cooper's stout kit gives good results.

I mix that with their dark ale kit and about 1.5kg of dark spray malt to make an imperial style stout. Tastes fantastic. Even better with some whiskey soaked oak chips left in for two or three days before bottling.

fryup · 06-11-2017 06:52PM

fryup wrote: »

re:cider

can i add apple juice (non-concentrate) to my brewing bucket to make up the desired amount?

BeerNut wrote: »

Yes. I make cider from just cloudy apple juice and yeast.

is it necessary to add camden tablets to the primary brew?

BeerNut · 06-11-2017 11:59PM

Not if you like it dry, which I do. There are ways of getting sweetness in without stopping fermentation, like adding an unfermentable sugar when priming or mixing with apple juice when serving.

fryup · 07-11-2017 06:07PM

^^^^^^^^^^^

Not referring to sweetness...........i just don't want it turning to vinegar

btw...should i use demijohns?...do they make fermentation quicker?

Homebrew Beer Howto

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