Advice for a complete beginner?

[Robbo]

Hi all,

Well I am brand new to beermaking, so new in fact I only decided last night to have a go. I have spent a few hours on google, researching, looking for equipment and beer making ingredients and finding this site and forum of course. I thought I should start with a kit and of course there are so many, at very different prices too.

I understand that you can not give advice as to which specific brand of kit to buy, but I have a pretty generic question. The kits sold on several webistes I have discovered, vary from about £8 to over £25 to £30. As a newbie, would it make much difference to me how much I spend? I am a lover of real ale and that is the sort of beer I would be aiming at. I would hate to do the wrong thing to begin with and ruin my beer making career before it has begun.

Is it a good idea to buy a 'complete' kit with everything needed to start, or just buy the ingredients beer kit and then seperate equipment. I am guessing our existing cooking pots, pans and pyrex jugs are OK to use.

Lastly bottles or a keg? Which is best for a beginner?

Thanks in anticipation of your replies, ALL advice very gratefully received.

Cheers, Robbo

[scottmoss]

Hi,

I would recommend kegging as this is much easier and quicker than bottling (You don't have to clean 40+ bottles). The £10 kits are non premium kits which will require you adding sugar (purchased separately). The premium kits come in 2 cans and required no extra sugar to be added and also produce (in my opinion) a far superior beer.

I would recommend doing a Wherry as this kit is excellent and you would not be disappointed.

I would contact your local homebrew shop and ask which equipment they would recommend, it may work out cheaper buying their beginner kits. This one seems pretty reasonable as the Wherry generally costs £19-£20 (its also free delivery this month!)

http://www.thethriftyshopper.co.uk/brew ... uctid=1057

Enjoy your new hobby!

[TheMumbler]

start here
http://www.jimsbeerkit.co.uk/kits.htm

when looking at kits remember that the 1 can kits will require additional sugar or spraymalt (spray dried malt extract) to make up to strength, so factor that in when thinking about cost. IMO the best value kit at the moment is the 2 can wherry kit which is 14.99 in wilkos.

there are a number of suppliers here
http://www.jimsbeerkit.co.uk/links.htm
wilkos sell some homebrew stuff and are pretty cheap
I got a starter kit with a fermenting vessel with a tap and a bottling stick from www.thebrewmart.com and think that they are well worth the cost.

Bottles are cheaper since you can use 2l pop bottles which are 12p or so with the contents. They can be a pain to fill though and a keg is probably less hassle overall but if you are wanting to dip your toe in the water then you may be better off with bottles.

If you have a local homebrew shop go talk to them

good luck and welcome to the hobby

[mysterio]

Firstly I would go for a 'budget barrel' to dispense your beer. These are pretty good value and the more expensive barrels don't really do you any favours. The pressure release valves on these are set to give you the kind of carbonation you'd get in a real ale. You'll need some CO2 dispense too.

Part of the fun is experimenting with the different kits, i'm a fan of the Coopers brand of kits, but you have to (for good results) supplement the 1 can kits with some malt extract (Muntons spraymalt extract usually).

Some options are : 1 can kit + 2 packets of malt extract = fuller bodied, maltier beer. 1 can kit + 500g malt extract & 300g table sugar = lighter bodied beer. 1 can kit + 'beer kit enhancer' (which is basically a mix of malt extract and dextrose).

2 can kits don't need any supplementation.

[Lillywhite]

Go for Youngs basic keg at £17.99 together with the Wherry at £14.99 both available from larger branches of Wilkos.

Easy to do and you won't be disappointed. Just give the brew at least 6 weeks to condition, clear and mature.

[quiff]

cooking pots, pans etc??
Maybe a silly question but you're not thinking about the possibility of fermenting in a few seperate pots and pans are you?

[Robbo]

Wow! lots of advice, thank you all so much. You have answered my basic questions and I am ready to start.

No, I know I have to ferment in a proper, large bucket.I meant I will use the pans for heating the cans, as I have seen done in this website.

I can't wait! I am really excited. Sadly there is no homebrew shop in my town so I will have to buy from websites.

Thanks again, Robbo

[Ingieuk]

http://www.hopandgrape.co.uk I've always had great service from here, very local to me too. Another place for you to browse.

Its a slippery slope, you'll have bought a boiler before you know it!

[Lillywhite]

Sadly there is no homebrew shop in my town so I will have to buy from websites.

You can get everything to get you started at a reasonable price, from larger branch of Wilkos, if you have one close by. However their staff won't be able to give you any brewing technical advice. They stock FV's (bucket) with snap on lid at £7.99. Youngs basic keg, with pressure release valve, for £17.99 plus syphon tube, hydrometer, yeast nutrient and any minor bits and bobs for a few quid more to get you on your way.

As you progress you can invest in some other equipment.

The problem with on-line home brew suppliers is that you need to know exactly what you want before you can order and this is where a home brew shop comes in useful and you can go in, ask questions and seek advice before you part with your money.

However, I sure the nice people at Hop & Grape (link in earlier post), who also have a retail shop in Darlington can answer any questions over the phone. Give Patsy or John Braithwaite a ring. I'm sure they will oblige.

Failing that, fire away with any questions on this forum.