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r/Homebrewing•
Chronos_

Questions for British brewers

Hi,

Looking at getting into brewing and I've seen loads of greats store websites and kits posted here but they're all in the US. Don't seem to be able to find any great sites this side of the pond. Just wondered what you all use?

Also can you recommend a kit? I want something past the "just add water" style but not the full grain works just yet.

Finally I see people constantly mentioning 72 degress F, obviously it won't be that warm here so just wondering how you get on throughout the winter? Does I need to keep it in a heated room or is it ok?

Thanks,

Posted Sep 4, 2012, 4:30 PM UTC

25
ScaryHamster•

I've recently started brewing and have purchased all of my kit from www.brewuk.com.

I Started with one of their Custom Premium Starter Sets which contains everything you need and turned out very well.

They also do their own extract kits which may work out a bit more economical than buying in the indivdual ingredients.

Now I have two kegged, one more fermenting and looking at trying BIAB!

Large stock pots are easily picked up on ebay if you don't have them already. This is the one I picked up which so far has done me proud.

2
virgilturtle•

I'm American, but I learned to brew in the UK. Wilkinson carries a fully range of homebrew equipment and kits. Unless you live in a VERY rural village, most major cities have a local homebrew shop.

If you want a simple, easy to get started kit, try anything in the Young's range. The only thing I'd recommend you avoid is trying a lager first. They require lower fermentation temps. A bog standard ale recipe or a stout would be a great first kit.

Finally, if you can locate a homebrew shop, I would HIGHLY recommend buying a packet of quality yeast to use instead of the dreaded under-the-lid packet. Keep the UTL pack of yeast in case you ever need to repitch and that's all you have.

I fermented in my airing cupboard and the temps were good enough to brew a variety of beers. Lagered in my cellar. Just remember, heat kills yeast, so be sure it's not TOO hot.

If you have any other questions, feel free to send me a message. Good luck!

1
ExdigguserPies•

I'd second those points. Some other things.

If you use a 1 can kit then definitely add a pack of dried malt extract or else it will turn out very watery.

There are really loads and loads of online brewing shops, actually so many that I can never remember which ones I've used. I tend to just google for a product I want then find the cheapest price. I have heard good things about http://www.4u2brew.co.uk/

I would definitely recommend using an actual shop to start with though as they can recommend a good kit and give you advice about equipment.

2
Chronos_OP•

Went to Wilkinson's today however they only had their bare basics £35 kit and I wasn't sure if this was a great way to start or if it'd just be good for my first few brews then I'd need to upgrade it all. I plan to do an ale, not a big lager fan.

I live in a small town but found a brewing shop around 15 miles away so will check that out to.

I'll have to measure my airing cupboard to see if I can fit a fermenting bin in. What temperature should I be aiming for and what is too hot?

Thanks for your help.

1
virgilturtle•

Hi again, Danstar Nottingham yeast (one of my favourites) prefers to ferment at 14° to 21°C (57° to 70°F). You can always go as high as 74F, but that's when you're going to get off-flavours and you'll notice sluggish fermentation.

If you don't already have your fermenting bins, I found I can buy excellent, food grade buckets from larger DIY shops for half the price of Wilko's. As long as it has HDPE 1 or 2 written on the bottom, it's food grade and safe to ferment in. You can also get all the bottles you'll ever need from a bottle bank or asking the pub landlord if you can take some off him. If you use one campden tablet per gallon of water in your beer, you'll end up with a much cleaner, more neutral-tasting beer. It removes chlorines and chloramines from the water.

Lastly, maintaining a steady fermenting temp is important, but don't worry too much if it varies a few degrees. All you really need to brew a kit is one fermenting bucket, one bottling bucket, hydrometer, sterilising solution, siphon, priming sugar (table sugar), bottles, a capper, caps, and patience. The guy in your thread who recommended adding a packet of dried malt extract makes a great point. It will bump your original gravity up a few points and your beer will taste less watery.

Good luck, let me know if you need anything.

1