Just started out with kits, pleased with the results!

[frutbunn]

Hi everyone,

I was walking around Wilkinson's a month or two ago looking for bedspreads; but whilst searching for them, I accidentally stumbled upon some sort of mystical 'brewing section' (?) hidden away at the back in the corner...

Wow! I thought! Make your own beer! Of course!

So, I went home with my bedspreads and thought about beer making...

Ultimately, I decided: Why not! It's only 25 quid. And think of all the money you'd save. So, I went back to Wilkinson's and bought a Young's U-brew starter kit.

Unfortunately the instructions that came with it were not particularly clear if you ask me... So, I did a Google search and stumbled upon Daab's site.

So, armed with his kit making instructions I went through the motions. (Not splashing while siphoning would never have occurred to me...)

Anyway, to cut a long story short. I did a Geordie bitter kit with Tate & Lyle first, and was very impressed with the results. (My brother poured his first one down the sink though). Next up was the Young's kit that came with the starter pack. But I think I messed that up somehow, as it was really unpleasant.

Kit three was a Wherry, and the early sneaky bottles were great! Unfortunately, as the pressure built up in the 2 litre bottles I use (all I can get), upon opening, all the sediment at the bottom of the bottle mixed up with our beer... But it was still drinkable (just), and chilling helped a bit.

By now the remaining bottles of Geordie had been conditioning for about four weeks, and were now so good that even my brother was finishing his pint!

Armed with a new secondary fermenter (one of the closed top ones), and some finings. I've put together another Wherry, dumped it in the cold in the secondary for a week with the finings, and siphoned it into my 2 litre bottles. And wow, the bottles are now crystal clear at bottling time!

Well, it's now all primed and packed away out of the light. So hopefully the priming sugars wont add too much sediment.

I started out with this to make some cheap beer! But I think it's now turning into a new hobby! Just hope I can get a few more Gordie's in before it gets too hot!

[stevezx7r]

Well done and welcome to the forum. Daabs place is the first port of call for a lot of people - loads of helpful advice for starters and the experienced.

Wilkinsons can be realy good for various things - usually anyway. The beer section is the best thing i've found in their too, namely the Geordie beer kits. It's funny how you start out thinking "i'll save loads of money" but after spending a small fortune on spray malt, dextrose, the kit itself and not to mention the inevitable broken thermometer/hydrometer - thats when it becomes a "hobby"

Steve.

[Hoppkins]

The youngs starter kit was how i got going

Great stuff

[sparky Paul]

Great to hear you're enjoying your new hobby!

Kit three was a Wherry, and the early sneaky bottles were great! Unfortunately, as the pressure built up in the 2 litre bottles I use (all I can get), upon opening, all the sediment at the bottom of the bottle mixed up with our beer... But it was still drinkable (just), and chilling helped a bit.

I use 2 ltr PET bottles all the time, and there is a knack to avoiding sediment problems - but with a bit of practise, you can serve a crystal clear pint. You will get a small amount of sediment after resting in a secondary, but it will help a lot.

Don't overprime - maximum 3 tsp of sugar in each bottle for beers served at room temperature, and if it's really warm I put them in the fridge for a bit. I put 4 tsp in lagers, but refridgerate them all day before serving. As you have found, chilling helps.

You need to pour them in one go, so I always decant the bottles into a 2 litre pitcher before serving, leaving any sediment behind. The ones designed for fruit juice from Tesco's are ideal - they have a valve closure on the top and a spout which pours the beer well. I prefer a reasonable amount of carbonation, as a little is lost during the decant.

Leave the bottles as long as possible - as well as improving the flavour, the sediment adheres better to the bottom of the bottle.


I just need to devise something which will sanitise and rinse 12 PET bottles without all the faffing...

[PieOPah]

Also, if you use glucose to prime with, you will get less sediment.

I have never primed with DME so couldn't comment on the sediment levels.

[Stonch]

And dont' worry too much about a crystal clear pint, a small amount of floating sediment won't make the beer undrinkable. Sometimes it adds something...

[frutbunn]

You need to pour them in one go, so I always decant the bottles into a 2 litre pitcher before serving, leaving any sediment behind.

Yeah, I picked up two at Sainsbury's the other week, half price too!

[frutbunn]

And dont' worry too much about a crystal clear pint, a small amount of floating sediment won't make the beer undrinkable. Sometimes it adds something...

I'm not too bothered personally, but it's the first thing people seem to comment on!

[frutbunn]

but after spending a small fortune on spray malt, dextrose, the kit itself and not to mention the inevitable broken thermometer/hydrometer - thats when it becomes a "hobby"

The cost is starting to mount up, I'll have to make sure I don't get too carried away!

[sparky Paul]

I'm not too bothered personally, but it's the first thing people seem to comment on!

Very true... I gave a pint of Wherry to a neighbour the other day, first thing he did was hold it up and say "It's nice and clear, innit!". I suspect he was expecting it to look like mud.

[frutbunn]

Very true...

When it's clear, I've had: "It's not very fizzy is it?!" (followed by a shaking of the glass [1])... But the (fully matured ones) have passed the taste test with everyone so far!

Just opened a Geordie Bitter made with Geordie beer enhancer. Totally clear with a slight fizz. This one has had about three weeks to mature, and it's lovely!

I think it's early days for me yet, but I'm learning something new with each batch.

[1] But the Wherry was quite fizzy, hence my sediment problem. Maybe I over primed it a bit.

[Beer Monster]

Hi Frutbunn, good to see everything is going well. I've just got into homebrewing, currently on my first brew, and i've started with the very same Wilkinsons kit, although i got mine reduced from 25 to 20 quid

The Old Henpecked is currently fermenting away and plan on kegging next week after just getting a barrel on my local freecycle and i can't wait to taste the results.

This forum is a fantastic place and i also have learned a great deal since being here. A big thanks to all.

Paul

[ade1865]

as a newcomer to the site, and homebrewing too, I'm staggered by the number of people who are new to both like me. Is this representative? Are howebrew sales going up?

Cheers all!

[sparky Paul]

It certainly seems like it to me.

Home brewing became very popular in the late 70's and 80's, but seemed to fizzle out after that - it's certainly gaining in popularity again, and more and more people seem to be showing an interest in my own efforts.

One thing I would say, having experienced brewing in the 80's, is that there seems to be much more knowledge about the subject, and many more high quality kits available - many gave kit brewing up as the results were often mediocre at best.

I'm sure that forums like this are already having an impact too - and I'm sure this will increase as the word spreads that you can make great beer at home.

[Wez]

I was quite happily brewing kits for a year with great results until i found this site about 2 months or so ago....and...i did my 7th all grain brew at the weekend ....beware the bottomless pit

There are some excellent kits and come October with the arrival of mini Wez Mk II i'll be going back to kits for a while without a concern (except price) (Wherry & Smugglers are my fave's) just for time really.

You'll find you're friend-base increases when you home brew, the problem we have is the first things that people think of when you mention homebrew is :

Cloudy Beer
Airing Cupboards
Smelly Houses
Bad Guts
Wind!

All wrong if it's done right!

Beware though..the beer fairies, I have two that visit who make my beer disappear very quickly.

Welcome to the 'hobby'