Time wise you need to set aside about 30 minutes to make a Kit, Extract about 2hrs and All-Grain about 5 hours.( Includes cleaning equipment, cooling wort etc)
Its not a bad idea if your new to brewing to begin with the basic starter kits. It provides you with some of the essential equipment at a lower initial outlay & helps you learn some of the techniques you will need to perfect your brews.
I'm going to write about each method, starting with kits.
Starter Kits
Starter Microbrewery Kits come in a few different formats, ranging in price from £25 to £65 depending on what options you choose. There is also a product called BruBox, which I haven't used, in which you ferment and serve from a polythene cube in a cardboard box.
A good value starter kit with barrel, I would suggest this one St Peters Starter Kit ( click to open in new window )
Or with bottles Custom Starter Kit ( see section on bottling before you decide )
The basic minimum you will need is as follows:
- 25 Litre fermenting bin + lid
- Testing Jar & Hydrometer ( Although you could get away without this but is a good idea, if you want to take it seriously)
- Paddle or long handled spoon
- Syphon - I would recommend an auto-syphon
- Steriliser - I just use Milton Sterilising tablets which are easy to use and cheap.
- A 5 gallon barrel or plastic PET bottles
- 25 Litre fermenting bin + lid with hole for airlock
- Rubber Grommet + Airlock
- Trail Jar and Hydrometer
- Liquid Crystal Thermometer to affix onto ferment bin
- Plastic Paddle
- Auto-Syphon
- Steriliser
- A 2nd 25 Litre fermenting bin with hole drilled for tap ( Bottling Bucket - also handy for sterilising stuff in)
- Little Bottler Complete (comes with correct tap for above bin)
- Bottle Capper + crown caps
- 500ml Glass bottles - Wilcos is cheap + collect all those old bottles
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| I have A LOT of bottles |
You can buy 500ml PET bottles from Coopers as well.
I do use these to supplement my glass bottles.
Barrels ( plastic kegs) are easy to fill and you then don't need the bottling bucket & bottling equipment. I have three kegs but prefer bottles. Avoid the top tap barrels they will make you angry !
If you decide to go with bottles, a couple things are worth thinking about.
Firstly, bottling 40 pints can be an effort if you don't have the extra bottling bucket and 'Little Bottler' attachment. With the extra bottling bucket you can rack (siphon) your fermented beer off the trub at the bottom of the primary fermenter and mix in your priming sugar in there as well. Adding the priming sugar to the bottling bucket means you will get an equal carbonation in your bottles. Also if your using 500ml bottles; without the bucket you will need to prime a lot of bottles.
You can buy carbonation tablets which make it easier, I've never used them so can't comment if they are any good, but have read some negative things about them.
Secondly, you will need to clean and sterilise all those bottles....fine if you have the setup and patience like I do.
These carry 5 litres and the integrated tap serves a great head. Even better it costs £4.92 and is re-usable. I'm definitely buying more of these they are awesome !
Beer Kits
Ok so you have your micro-brewery equipment, now make some beer. There are now hundreds of kits to choose from and generally come in two formats.
1. Single 1.7kg Can of liquid extract. These require in addition either 1kg of brewing sugar, 1kg Brew Enhancer or 1kg DME e.g Coopers, Youngs & Geordie kits
2. 'All Malt' Kit - containing two tins of 1.7kg liquid extract. e.g Muntons Gold , Woodfordes & St. Peters kits
For both you still need sugar, brew enhancer or DME for bottling
Some home brew shops sell their own kits, but these are dry 'extract kits' (DME) and you will need to boil the hops. Check with the shop before buying. Also, there are some 'no boil' extract kits out there, you just steep the hops like a tea bag and make like a normal kit. Just be aware there are some differences in some of these kits.
So for the normal kits the prep time is about 30 minutes, sterilise all equipment that comes into contact with the wort. The basic steps are as follows
1. Place the can(s) of extract in warm water for 5-10 mins to soften the malt extract and make it easier to pour out.
2. Sterilise the fermenter and empty the can(s) into the fermenter, then add a little boiling water to the cans and wash out into the fermenting bin to get as much malt extract out as possible.
3. Add additional sugar or spraymalt (DME) (if required in instructions, single can kits only)
4. Add 3 litres of boiling water and stir until all the ingredients are dissolved. ( Sterilise the spoon first )
5. Top up to 23 Litres with cold water. Ensure wort is below 30 Deg before pitching yeast.
6. Sprinkle yeast on top and stir.
7. Place the lid back. If using an airlock ensure it is half filled with sterilising solution or cooled boiled water. Place somewhere warm and away from direct sunlight for approx 4-6 days.
8. Ferment until bubbles have ceased (if using a hydrometer when gravity remains constant).
9. Transfer to Bottle or Barrel ( prime with sugar as instructed )
10. Keep somewhere warm (room temperature) for two days then store somewhere cool for 2-3 weeks until beer has cleared.
The above is taken from a kit instruction book. I would mention a couple of tips...
- Temperature is important. Temp of wort should be between 18-22 Deg for ale, 9-15 Deg for Lager. Don't forget the wort could be as much as +5 degrees higher than the room temp.Use a stick on thermometer. Keep it constant as well.
- Sterilise everything, spoons , lid, work surfaces , hands ...everything OK
- Don't keep opening the lid and having a peak..leave it alone
- If you get yeast ( Krausen ) coming out of the airlock, don't panic. Either fit a blow-off tube or occasionally remove the airlock and clean with sterilising solution. Check the wort temp is not too high.
- If nothing has happened after 72hrs ( i.e no airlock activity or signs of Krausen ) check the temp is in the correct range, it might be too cold. Move to a warmer place for 24hrs. Check the lid is on tight. Try rousing the yeast by gently swirling the fermenting bucket, making sure you don't suck the liquid into the wort from the airlock. Or open the lid and stir with a sterilised spoon as a last resort.
- If in any doubt leave it for 10 days in the fermentor. If anything it will improve the beer. I routinely leave mine for 14 days. ( see Conditioning Phase )
- There are many options from priming your bottles / barrel for carbonation. I would use either Dextrose(Glucose), beer enhancer or spraymalt(DME). Beer enhancer is a mix of Glucose & DME. DME is about 80% fermentable so will give more body to the final beer. Different style beers benefit from different priming sugars but I use Glucose the most. You can use granulated sugar if you wish, I was put off using it from reports it added a 'cidery' taste to the beer, but reading up recently I think thats a complaint for the early days of brewing when kits weren't as good. This article by John Palmer is worth a read 'Priming and Bottling'
- Don't suck on the syphon when racking your beer. Get an auto-syphon or learn the proper way to do it ...see this vid "Racking Your Beer - Brew Your Own Magazine"
Conclusion
I must admit I didn't find many of the kits I made taste that great. The Muntons Gold range seemed ok but compared to my brews since moving to all grain, they simply aren't the same as using fresh ingredients.
I would recommend doing a few kits to hone your sterilising, syphoning and bottling skills. It also helps to understand your fermentation temps and times.
Move to extract brewing as soon as possible if you have the time, its definitely worth it. Being able to create your own recipes or clones of your favourite beers, and the smell of fresh hops is second to none !
