hello and a lager question

[drmick]

Hi All

just a quick post to say hello from a newbie. Been wanting to have another go at brewing (did the obligatory disastrous Boots lager kit at university) and finally got round to ordering some stuff at the weekend. Ordered the Woodfordes Wherry microbrewery kit - so this weekend will be starting that up, fingers-crossed. Already got some good hints and tips from reading posts on this forum. Can you use Milton fluid (stuff for baby bottles) to sanitise things?

So now the question - what is a good, works everytime, lager kit, want to make some for Christmas so have about 8 weeks to make it in. Don't want anything fancy just drinkable and alcoholic - normally drink whatever's on special offer when it comes to lager so something of the Carling/Carlsberg/Fosters ilk would be ideal.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions

DrMick

[chopperswookie]

drmick

get yourself to wilkos get a geordie lager and muntons beer kit enhancer job done.
give the wort a good areate and bobs your uncle. leave for about a week and transfer to pop bottles (2litre ones, get friends and family to save them up for you, you'll need about 11-12) with a tablespoon of sugar and leave until christmas. done this kit many a time, its my "staple" lager. it tastes more "continental" rather than a carlsberg/fosters. in the past i have done it with some styrians, about 50g, boiled then added to the wort and it came out a treat. also done it with golden syrup and when the kits were cheap did 2 kits together instead of adding bke or brewing sugar.

[Marts]

You may have already picked this up from reading the forum, but just in case you haven't the accepted wisdom here for the microbrewery kits is to also buy a plastic fermentation bucket to brew your beer in and then transfer it to the King Keg once fermentation is over.

Fermenting it in the keg and then keeping it on the yeast cake while it conditions is not a great idea. I still don't understand why they sell it like this.

[dallse]

drmick

also done it with golden syrup

I asked my self the question the other day after tasting a spoonful! Could you use Golden Syrup in place of sugar and DME. Any one tried syrup... if so what was the result and flavour like. Just interested as this topic roused the question.

[mikewest]

It does improve the flavour for certain beer types e.g. Belgian but I find it increases the hangover as well.

[drmick]

Thanks for the replies,

Chopperswookie - I have discovered there is a Wilkos a few miles from home so will pop down there tomorrow afternoon after work and see if they have your recommendation, as long as its cold, fizzy and vaguely alcoholic I'm sure not too many people will complain.

Marts - I had seen a few posts saying to do the fermentation in a bucket then transfer to a keg, I was going to follow the instructions the first time, but as you have suggested not to I will get a bucket tomorrow (when I pick up the Geordie Lager kit). After the fermentation in the bucket do you add any extra sugar when you put it in the keg to build up the CO2?

On a general note, one of the posts I read said not to suck the tubing to start syphoning, if you can't suck it how do you get it started?

Thanks again for the replies so far

DrMick

[chopperswookie]

drmick i recommend bottling because you won't get enough pressure in a barrell. lager needs fizz!

as for golden syrup - yep used a big can i think about 900g and used about 100g of brewing sugar but i'm sure a few will say you don't need the extra sugar. as for the beer had taste of honeycomb and did have a "golden" colour. but from what i remember there was little or no head. even pouring it straight was naff all head. i think that was due to the inert sugars instead of using malt extract or bke. give it a go!

[StrangeBrew]

On a general note, one of the posts I read said not to suck the tubing to start syphoning, if you can't suck it how do you get it started?

Thanks again for the replies so far

DrMick

If you have a syphon tap on the end of the tube you can use either another small length of tubing or something like an empty biro pen pushed on to the tap, once the beer has reached the tap turn it off and remove the extra tubing/biro, turn the tap on and let it continue to syphon. I'm sure there are other ways aswell but that way works for me.