Home Brew

[)typically]

I'm going to make some ginger beer over the next few weeks using that recipe. Sounds lovely and reckon it would be good during the winter months. I was planning on making my own ciders too but I'll start off with the ginger beer.

Turbo cider is the easiest to make, supposedly it is similar to Scrumpy. Its made from cartons of apple juice. Ho to guide in link below.

http://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=48&t=25735

I have never made this myself though.

[lichtgilphead]

I'm going to make some ginger beer over the next few weeks using that recipe. Sounds lovely and reckon it would be good during the winter months. I was planning on making my own ciders too but I'll start off with the ginger beer.

Only additional tip I would give would be to take the recipes advice re filling the bottles.

Use 2 litre plastic coke or lemonade bottles, but don't fill them with more than 1.75 litres. Squeeze out the remaining air, and screw on the top.

Even at that, the CO2 produced often fills the bottle to near bursting level after a couple of weeks, so you may have to let some of the fizz out by loosening the top, then leave for another couple of weeks to mature some more.

Post to say how you get on

Edited October 27, 2013 by lichtgilphead

[Davi3j]

Forget getting a kit. Home brewed beer from a kit is never great in my experience.

Instead, try making alcoholic ginger beer. It's really simple to make, and really cheap.

Here's a link to the recipe I use

http://h2g2.com/approved_entry/A634664

I'm going to give this a try

are 2lt coke bottles ok to use?

[lichtgilphead]

I'm going to give this a try

are 2lt coke bottles ok to use?

Yep, as long as you make sure they are clean inside.

I've never bothered with anything more than fairy liquid & hot water then rinsing out with fresh cold water and leaving them to drain and dry.

I've got away without food poisoning so far!

[peeeel]

Great, another Sunday. I've been to the gym, had a nice hot shower and I've just picked up a bottle of home brew off a neighbour for this afternoon. I've got a few spliffs rolled up for the XBox tournament with the lads, after which I'll muck about online with some porn and gambling sites.

I love prison, me.

[Adam]

I tried it once but found that everything needs to be sterilised to prevent infecting the brew. This is fine for your fermenting bin but when you need 40 pint bottles to put it in once brewed it can be a pain in the arse.

 

I gave up on it, but if I was doing it again I would invest in a pressure barrel with the CO2 system. This is for storing the beer once brewed, not for fermenting in. The advantage is it keeps the beer fresh by preventing oxidation. The CO2 doesnt affect the beer. You can buy a plastic barrel that doesnt have the CO2 injector but once opened you need to drink the 40 pints in a few days otherwise it goes off.

 

With the pressure barrel there is a valve system that allows you to inject Co2 into the air space in the barrel and drive the air there out. This blanket of CO2 protects the beer. The problem is once you drink some, more air is drawn in and you need to repeat the Co2 process to remove said air.

 

Basically you need a fermenting bin to ferment ther beer, a syphon tube to syphon it off and then ideally the plastic CO2 barrel to store it in before and during drinking. Bear in mind that the beer neeeds to be stored for a month or more after fermenting in order to carbonate and condition. Also a hydrometer to measure the progress of the fermentation and calculate the ABV %age.

 

Fermentation takes around a week.

 

Lagers need to be fermented in colder temepratures (say 14-16 degrees C) if you are brewing in a centrally heated house then ales are the better option as they fement best at 18-20 degrees C.

 

Mine was a Bitter, it was OK but not great.

 

Below is a link to a how to guide for first time  kit brewers. The instructions on the can apparently are over simplistic and dont get you the best results.

 

http://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=30&t=24822

That's excellent mate, thanks for all the information. If I've got this right, the beer needs to stay in the fermenting bucket for a week, then transferred to the barrel, where it has to remain for a month before I can drink it?

Definitely investing in a barrel with a CO2 injector, f**k sterilising 40 pint bottles every time you make a batch!

[dastardly77]

There isn't a huge choice in Lochgilphead! I just get whatever is in stock at the local deli.

I've bought some on eBay so will hopefully get started in a few days time.

Am I right that you squeeze the air out the bottles and screw the lid whilst the bottle is still misshaping and the build up of co2 pushes the bottle back into shape?

I love science, especially when it gets me blootered.

[Smurph]

Only additional tip I would give would be to take the recipes advice re filling the bottles.

Use 2 litre plastic coke or lemonade bottles, but don't fill them with more than 1.75 litres. Squeeze out the remaining air, and screw on the top.

Even at that, the CO2 produced often fills the bottle to near bursting level after a couple of weeks, so you may have to let some of the fizz out by loosening the top, then leave for another couple of weeks to mature some more.

Post to say how you get on

Yeah, I have a few empty plastic cider bottles kicking around so I'm going to put it into that when I make it. Going by the discussions on the link, the squeezing air out part is pretty vital. I don't fancy them exploding. I like ginger beer, but not all over my room.

I'm unsure how to change the alcohol percentage. I don't know if it's the amount of yeast, sugar or how long you keep feeding the plant or keep it stored in the bottles. I guess it's a bit of trial and error or I could just buy a ABV measure.

Sorry to hi-jack your thread, Adam!

[)typically]

That's excellent mate, thanks for all the information. If I've got this right, the beer needs to stay in the fermenting bucket for a week, then transferred to the barrel, where it has to remain for a month before I can drink it?

Definitely investing in a barrel with a CO2 injector, f**k sterilising 40 pint bottles every time you make a batch!

Yes. You can drink it before the month is out but it may be cloudy as the yeast sediment has not settled yet.

Ideally one week for primary fermentation in the bucket, one week in the barrel in the warm for the priming sugar (which you will add to the barrel) to ferment and carbonate the beer. Then 3 put the barrel in a cold place like a shed or garage to condition for 3 weeks. Conditioning lets the yeast sediment drop to the bottom and solidify and also results in better carbonation.

Be careful not to shake the barrel about to much as you want the yeast to settle.

[MacDuffman]

www.innhousebrewery.co.uk

Located at 736 Dumbarton Road - on corner of Broomhill Drive.

Great ales and they are very informative - Coopers are brilliant ales.

[broon-loon]

I used to brew beer at home years ago then lost interest. IMO I found that kit lagers were less tasty than kit ales. I once did a kit stout and it was OK, but nothing to get overly excited about.

I used the traditional bucket for the first fermentation and then transferred it to a pressure barrel for second fermentation then boosted the pressure with the small CO2 injectors to give the beer a head. I had problems with leaks from the barrel, especially at the tap.

A wee while back I was given a new barrel and a larger CO2 canister. This barrel has the tap near the top connected to a floating tube contraption. The theory is that you can brew the beer completely in the barrel so no need for the bucket and transfer hassle.

Recently I bought a traditional bitter kit and some brewing sugar with the intention of trying the new barrel out. I also scrounged a loan of a heating belt from a workmate.

I really need to have a go at this again.

[Adam]

 

Yeah, I have a few empty plastic cider bottles kicking around so I'm going to put it into that when I make it. Going by the discussions on the link, the squeezing air out part is pretty vital. I don't fancy them exploding. I like ginger beer, but not all over my room.

 

I'm unsure how to change the alcohol percentage. I don't know if it's the amount of yeast, sugar or how long you keep feeding the plant or keep it stored in the bottles. I guess it's a bit of trial and error or I could just buy a ABV measure.

 

Sorry to hi-jack your thread, Adam!

Not a problem, young padawan. I look forward to hearing how you get on.

 

Yes. You can drink it before the month is out but it may be cloudy as the yeast sediment has not settled yet.

 

Ideally one week for primary fermentation in the bucket, one week in the barrel in the warm for the priming sugar (which you will add to the barrel) to ferment and carbonate the beer. Then 3 put the barrel in a cold place like a shed or garage to condition for 3 weeks. Conditioning lets the yeast sediment drop to the bottom and solidify and also results in better carbonation.

 

Be careful not to shake the barrel about to much as you want the yeast to settle.

That's brilliant, thanks again. Will be starting out with a generic ale (like the look of the some of the Suffolk kits, a bit pricey, but seem to get better results) so will store the fermenting tub in my kitchen cupboard, then move it to the cellar where it's a bit cooler.

Can't wait to get stuck in!

[DA Baracus]

I hear that for the best results you should sit on the beer like a hen would her eggs for the time it takes to ferment. You have to go fucking mental and flap your wings and squack like a b*****d as well as try to peck folk's eyes out if the come near it. For maximum effect, ensure lots of feathers fly when doing this.

[Bairn]

Check out this guy on YouTube

http://m.youtube.com/user/CraigTube

All you need to know about home brew from basic brews to the much more advanced.

[Smurph]

Started the 'plant' for my ginger beer today. Should be a week before bottling it but I'll do it next Sunday.

[Smurph]

Day two: Fed my plant just there. The lid of the coffee jar I'm using has already popped off so it seems to be doing the business. Smells a lot like ginger beer now which is good. One week before the bottling process!

[dastardly77]

Day two: Fed my plant just there. The lid of the coffee jar I'm using has already popped off so it seems to be doing the business. Smells a lot like ginger beer now which is good. One week before the bottling process!

I'm around one week ahead of you. The first couple of days nothing much was happening in the jar so i removed the lid and covered it with a cloth instead. From then on you could see the chemical process taking place.

Gave it an extra couple of days to make up for the first couple of days in the air tight jar.

I bought a 5 gallon barrel instead of messing around with plastic bottles and have just strained the contents of the jar into the barrel to leave for 4 weeks.

I'm not sure how solid the 'solid' part of the contents should be but mine's was more a brown paste and no where near what I would consider solid. Unsure if its okay or something to do with the first few days of nothing happening.

Will give an update in a months time.

[Smurph]

I've had a few bubbles in mine and the lid popped off and turned 180 degrees so it was facing upwards (it's obviously not a screw-on lid, a Douwe Egberts coffee jar) so I must be doing something correctly. I've had to put a layer of tin foil underneath which seems to have stopped it from popping for the moment.

If it helps, my 'solid' is paste-like also.

Keep us updated. I'd like to know if it's worth it! I saw a recipe on-line for how to make it within three days, but I'll persevere with this method for just now.

[lichtgilphead]

Day two: Fed my plant just there. The lid of the coffee jar I'm using has already popped off so it seems to be doing the business. Smells a lot like ginger beer now which is good. One week before the bottling process!

I've never used a lid - just left it on the kitchen worktop to do its magic

I'm around one week ahead of you. The first couple of days nothing much was happening in the jar so i removed the lid and covered it with a cloth instead. From then on you could see the chemical process taking place.

Gave it an extra couple of days to make up for the first couple of days in the air tight jar.

I bought a 5 gallon barrel instead of messing around with plastic bottles and have just strained the contents of the jar into the barrel to leave for 4 weeks.

I'm not sure how solid the 'solid' part of the contents should be but mine's was more a brown paste and no where near what I would consider solid. Unsure if its okay or something to do with the first few days of nothing happening.

Will give an update in a months time.

I assume your barrel will be able to take the pressure? I've only ever used the bottles and opened them as required, so don't know how well it will keep in a barrel.

The "solid" part is never any more solid than a paste. If you plan on keeping your plant going, remember to split it into two or it will die. You can keep both halves separately or gift half to another brewer or throw half out but make sure you split it!

[Smurph]

I just assumed I should use a lid, to be fair. If it keeps popping off I'll leave it then. Cheers.