That is, indeed, what I was suggesting. And I don't think it need be a huge tome. C'mon, Dunc - you can do it!!!Green Aura wrote:I think he's suggesting you write us a tutorial - like Mike did for wine making. And if he's not, might I?gregorach wrote:In what sense?MKG wrote:Dunc, you appear to be a confirmed beer man with a fair amount of experience - care to give us the benefit of that?
but I could be here for ages and have to finish writing about beer instead of talking about it.
I probably haven't made a kit for a couple of years... The modern all-malt kits are pretty good though, you've got to be a fairly sophisticated brewer or highly attuned to the "extract tang" to better them without a fair bit of work. I certainly always recommend that people start with kits whenever anyone asks - if you can't make a decent kit beer then there's no point trying anything more sophisticated, and it spreads the equipment costs out. I did extract brewing for a while, but I really don't see much point except as a stepping-stone to all-grain brewing - if you're not planning on going all-grain, you probably may as well stick with the kits.Andy Hamilton wrote:I wrote a simple beer recipe that is a step up from kit brewing and yeilds better results. Mind you, can't say I've made a kit beer in years. Do you ever try them out gregorach? Well actually thats a lie, I went to a real ale festival in Bo'ness and Edina homebrew were making a kit beer and it was delicous, can't recall what it was called?
I know this is an old thread, but I wanted to say thanks for this advice, and I'm not being sarky eithergregorach wrote:OK, if you really insist, here's my short tutorial for new brewers: Buy a 2-can, all-malt beer kit and follow the instructions carefully, paying particular attention to hygiene. You'll need a 5 gallon brewing bucket, a pressure barrel, a long-handled plastic spoon and some sanitiser. A thermometer and a hydrometer would be good to have but not essential. Don't try to make it stronger by adding more sugar, and don't keep it in the airing cupboard.
Excellent! Brewing is a complicated and tricky business for a beginner, and I hate to see people getting put off because they try to do too much at once, or simply because they baulk at all the kit you need for all-grain brewing. I would strongly recommend the more expensive 2-can kits though - they give far better results, and still only work out at about 50p a pint. I figure that your first kit saves you enough beer money to pay for the basic equipment, so from here on in, it's pure profit!Zech wrote:I know this is an old thread, but I wanted to say thanks for this advice, and I'm not being sarky eithergregorach wrote:OK, if you really insist, here's my short tutorial for new brewers: Buy a 2-can, all-malt beer kit and follow the instructions carefully, paying particular attention to hygiene. You'll need a 5 gallon brewing bucket, a pressure barrel, a long-handled plastic spoon and some sanitiser. A thermometer and a hydrometer would be good to have but not essential. Don't try to make it stronger by adding more sugar, and don't keep it in the airing cupboard.
I hadn't really thought of buying a kit as they don't really seem very Ish, but at the same time I'd been put of making beer because it all seems rather complicated. Your suggestion made me think of giving it a go - after all, if you think they're OK...
Now I'm halfway down my first pint of cheapo kit beer, and it's not 'alf bad. Cheers
)
There is plenty you can do to customise a kit brew to something more that you want to drink - speciality malts, hops, yeasts - before you go down the all grain route if you want. Coopers (brewers and kit makers) even give you ideas on what sort of things should work with their kits.gregorach wrote:Excellent! Brewing is a complicated and tricky business for a beginner, and I hate to see people getting put off because they try to do too much at once, or simply because they baulk at all the kit you need for all-grain brewing. I would strongly recommend the more expensive 2-can kits though - they give far better results, and still only work out at about 50p a pint. I figure that your first kit saves you enough beer money to pay for the basic equipment, so from here on in, it's pure profit!Zech wrote:I know this is an old thread, but I wanted to say thanks for this advice, and I'm not being sarky eithergregorach wrote:OK, if you really insist, here's my short tutorial for new brewers: Buy a 2-can, all-malt beer kit and follow the instructions carefully, paying particular attention to hygiene. You'll need a 5 gallon brewing bucket, a pressure barrel, a long-handled plastic spoon and some sanitiser. A thermometer and a hydrometer would be good to have but not essential. Don't try to make it stronger by adding more sugar, and don't keep it in the airing cupboard.
I hadn't really thought of buying a kit as they don't really seem very Ish, but at the same time I'd been put of making beer because it all seems rather complicated. Your suggestion made me think of giving it a go - after all, if you think they're OK...
Now I'm halfway down my first pint of cheapo kit beer, and it's not 'alf bad. Cheers
(Well, until the all-grain bug bites, followed by its partner in crime - the dreaded "shiny" bug - and you find yourself coming up with increasingly baroque ways to justify spending hundreds of pounds on a new stainless steel brewery...
