From Kits to Full Brewing

[FezzWRS]

Hi all,

I have been brewing from kits for a while now and am getting quite good at the brewing.

But, the next logical step is to start with the raw ingredients. However, because I am new to this phase I don't really know what I doing. I have done my research on the web and in books, watched a few youtube videos on the process but you can never be too prepared.

Just wondering If anyone can give me help on the process? Any good, helpful websites that might help me? Any pitfalls that I could come across? Easy starter recipes? Just any Help?

Thanks
Fezz

[Damfoose]

Your best bet is to buddy up with a seasoned brewer, Most will gladly have you over for a brew day makes understanding the whole process much easier. You also get to taste their brews. Best bet ask if their is any one close to you that will be brewing some time soon which at a guess will happen due to the christmas boozing and none brewing time of year

[boingy]

Not forgetting this very website. There is a great guide here:

www.jimsbeerkit.co.uk/ingredients.htm (follow the links at the bottom of the page)

and the AG section of this forum has several pictorial guides to brewdays.

[jubby]

I found this a great help: http://www.howtobrew.com/intro.html

[yashicamat]

I found this a great help: http://www.howtobrew.com/intro.html

Seconded. I'd suggest grabbing a pint (or three) and a notepad, then read through the extract brew section. John Palmer is a very knowledgeable bloke and while some might think his guides go into too much depth, I know I found them very interesting reading and it really helped me on my way.

[Horden Hillbilly]

If you can't find a local home brewer to show you 1st hand, have a look at my brewing website, here.

[kevthebootboy]

ive just gone from kits straight to all grain, i found everything i needed to know from this forum, jims beer kit and horden hillbillys website, oh and a coulpe of videos on youtube, its not as scary as it seems, just read loads and ask loads of questions,
kev

[FezzWRS]

Thanks guys for the help!

Does anyone know where I can find a seasoned brewer that I could learn from?

[jubby]

I'm sure if you posted your location, there would be a few that could help.

[jubby]

Chris, you have given me loads of invaluable advice for which I am very grateful, but I have to say that John Palmers book 'How To Brew' has for me, been a great source of information. Yes, it has a great deal of information that a new all grain brewer might find overwhelming, but it's all good stuff in my humble opinion.

[boingy]

Yeah, I agree 100% Chris. I haven't been on this forum very long but there have been a couple of instances where newcomers have been swamped with info about stuff like water treatment and the perils of mashing a degree or two away from teh optimum when all we should really be doing is emphasising the basics: Sanitise, mash at roughly the right temperature, boil for a while and don't pitch the yeast until the wort is cool enough.

Many years ago when I started AG I used a bruheat boiler and grain bag for both mashing and boiling. In the mash the outside parts of the grain were too hot and the insides were too cold. In the boil I had never heard of the hot break, I just boiled it for a while (usually about 20 minutes because I was impatient). As for the cold break, I just let the wort cool naturally (often leaving it overnight before pitching the cheapest yeast I could find) and you know what, I brewed some bloody good beer. Even with such basic knowledge and technique there was a quantum leap in beer quality from kit to AG. All the other stuff just serves to make the beer a bit better and a lot more repeatable but the key is the basics.

I'm currently reading the latest edition of Palmer's "How to Brew". In parts it goes into more detail than I want and in other parts it is spot on. The same cannot be said for Ray Daniels "Designing Great Beers". Bloody hell. That one is just too theoretical for me. It desperately needs a few sample recipes for each beer type, just so apprentice "beer designers" can check their maths....

[FezzWRS]

I think learning on the Job is the best way as some of you have said.

Being new to this, I think I have been overwhelmed with the little details. I get the basics mashing, boiling, cooling etc but everyone has a different style, a different method to each stage. I have the basic kit that I need for all parts of the brew, but it is the little details that I need to learn. For example this piece of equipment will be more efficient than that one or make the process go a bit faster.

I think that all books, that I have read, are good in some areas but lack in others. They all give an outline of the process but some can be bogged down with details.

However, from what I can imagine it is the little tricks that each individual picks up, the details in these books that adds to the character of the beer. These things take time to develop and that is what I am trying to tap into the tricks that you guys have picked up that will make my life easier when I first start.

One book is not enough, you need a few to decide what is necessary and what is something the author has added extra. John Palmer's how to brew is a great book but as I have said I don't think it would have been a great help if it was not used in conjunction with others.

For now I want the basic method, but I also want to learn the details.

[boingy]

I think it might be a bloke thing. Take a bunch of blokes and give them a simple set of instructions for doing something. I guarantee that by step 3 most of those blokes will already have started to diverge away from the instructions (and I include myself in this). Whilst mashing I'm wondering whether there is a better way to sparge. Whilst waiting for the boil I find myself thinking "hmmm, I wonder if I should get a metal boil pot, put a couple of elements in it and then also use the gas cooker to get some more heat into it quicker". By the end of the process at least half of those blokes will be convinced that they have invented a better wheel and will evangelise about it to the others.

For me, this all adds to the fun of the hobby but it can also be the thing that confuses the hell out of beginners. In the end you just have to find a way of doing things that works for you. If something works really well for you then post it on this forum, but be prepared for someone to tell you how it's not such a good idea because you will end up with Pterydactyls in your beer lol (other dinosaurs are available) .

[Parva]

To reitterate an earlier post :-

I'm sure if you posted your location, there would be a few that could help.

If we knew your location there is the possibility that someone may be local enough to invite you to a brewday to see it in action.

[FezzWRS]

I live in Birmingham.