which barrel?

[james_m_r]

I bottled up my first batch of brew at the weekend and do not fancy doing that again in a hurry so am planning to purchace a barrel this weekend but dont fancy spending a packet as I am new to this game and who's to say I wont get fed up with it in 6 months time. I took a look in my local Wilkos and they had some in there for £15 but dont mind spending a bit more, say £25-30. Any advice on what would be my best bet?

One other thing which I am sure is explained somewhere here but I have not seen, what the hell is "rehydrating yeast"??

[tubby_shaw]

If, as you say, you think that you may get bored after 6 months, Just buy a budget barrel. But be aware that you will also need a CO2 injector
These budget barrels are fine and will do the job more than adequately and they last an absolute age. I have had some for 15 years Even if you decide to upgrade in the future, you can always use your budget barrel for maturation
Rehydrating yeast is quite simply adding the yeast to some previously boiled and cooled water in a sterile container to give the little yeast cells a fighting chance before being pitched into an ocean of wort
Even better is to make a yeast starter, mucho info on the home page of this here site, courtesy of Jim et al

[StrangeBrew]

If you're willing to spend £30 then why not buy two £15 budget barrels, you can then have one brew ready to drink while another one is conditioning!

As for rehydrating yeast, this will help explain. http://www.18000feet.com/how/H2HB2.htm

[mysterio]

A budget barrel is fine for ale, infact I find them the easiest to use.

If you're willing to spend £30 or so, a cornelius keg is the way to go.

I personally don't find any benefit in rehydrating yeast.

[oxford brewer]

As tubby_shaw get a cheaper barrel for now and if you are still keen after then you can upgrade later.

As for rehydrating yeast, it is when you put the dried yeast into 300-400mls of boiled and cooled water in a clean and sterilized bottle or jug and place cling film over the top,keep in a warm place for 10-15 minutes before adding to the wort.

You could try this link http://www.howtobrew.com/section1/chapter6-5.html

[tubby_shaw]

A budget barrel is fine for ale, infact I find them the easiest to use.

If you're willing to spend £30 or so, a cornelius keg is the way to go.

I personally don't find any benefit in rehydrating yeast.

If it were only £30 for a cornelius keg I could justify it to SWMBO
Unfortunately there's the cost of the regulator and gas supply as well
If only I could smuggle it around in my carping gear, she never looks in there

[StrangeBrew]

If only I could smuggle it around in my carping gear, she never looks in there

That's the last place you need her to look, she might notice all that shiny new tackle tart stainless!

[bitter_dave]

My vote goes for the budget barrel if you're buying new. As I've said elsewhere on the forum, king kegs are a bit easier to clean because you can (probably) get your arm in the top, but the difference in price means they are not worth it IMO. If I had the kind of money to buy new king kegs I'd invest in corni kegs instead as I'm slowly coming to see the benefits. (Although I'm quite a luddite when it comes to brewing .)

All of my kegs, budget barrels and KKs, were second hand and dirt cheap, so this might be another option. Have a look at:
http://www.friday-ad.co.uk/
If they cover your local area you might be able to pick something up; secondhand barrels on ebay often go for too much, but you might get lucky if it is a pick up only jobby local to you

[StrangeBrew]

You might also get one cheap at a boot fair but if you do buy second hand be sure to replace all rubber seals and check that the tap and thread are ok.

[bitter_dave]

if you do buy second hand be sure to replace all rubber seals and check that the tap and thread are ok.

Good point SB, this is what I do when I've got barrels secondhand. Once you've done this fill up 3/4 full, insert gas and check it holds the pressure before you put your brew in it

[james_m_r]

thanks for all the advice. I may well go down the budget barrel route for now and barrel/bottle every other batch. Bottling 40+ bottles on Saturday took hours from cleaning/sanitising to capping the bottles and I was tempted several times to pack it in for good there and then.
The early signs are that I will be doing this for a long time to come though, although I am not going to start splashing out straight away on expensive kit.

[james_m_r]

what are c02 injectors for?

[bitter_dave]

what are c02 injectors for?

The pressure (the natural CO2 built up) inside a barrel which propels it out the tap can only last so long. After this you need to top it up with C02 so there is sufficient pressure to pump out beer again. If you drink a pint or two at a time you may not need to use a C02 cannister, as C02 will build up again between drinks; obviously when friends come around on the scronge this obviously goes out the window and your trusty C02 cannister will come to the rescue

[jogger321]

You might want to try your recycling shop down your local tip..Loads end up down there after garage clear outs..I've got all mine this way at a pound a piece..Bleach them and then steraliser..as good as new!

[james_m_r]

so you know when to top the barrel up with c02 as the beer will stop flowing? does it pump out the lot or just enough?