Homebrew beer
Homebrew beer
Was thinking of making my own real ale, a new hobby whilst the football is off and to keep me busy lol.
Does anyone on here make their own.
Does anyone on here make their own.
Re: Homebrew beer
I did once and drank 37 pints in the same week it were ready. I didn't bother again
This user liked this post: Funkydrummer
-
- Posts: 3060
- Joined: Thu Jan 21, 2016 12:08 pm
- Been Liked: 1177 times
- Has Liked: 414 times
- Location: Death Star, Dark Side Row S Seat 666
Re: Homebrew beer
I've done it with varying results. First set was really good and went downhill from there.
Biggest challenge I had was maintaining temperature. Too cold and theres no fermentation, too hot and you kill the yeast.
Biggest challenge I had was maintaining temperature. Too cold and theres no fermentation, too hot and you kill the yeast.
-
- Posts: 9454
- Joined: Sun Oct 16, 2016 10:47 pm
- Been Liked: 1181 times
- Has Liked: 778 times
Re: Homebrew beer
Wilkos do some good stuff especially pressure barrels, I just to brew all the time with 1 bubbling away & 1 in the barrel, sterilise everything prior to putting a mix on, too much sugar can kill the yeast even though you may want to add more for strength.
-
- Posts: 9585
- Joined: Thu Jan 21, 2016 9:45 pm
- Been Liked: 3146 times
- Has Liked: 10202 times
- Location: Staffordshire
Re: Homebrew beer
I've never made or tasted a decent home brew. I can't see the point when you've such a wide choice of ales at any supermarket.
This user liked this post: dougcollins
Re: Homebrew beer
Agree with that evensteadiereddie, good prices too.evensteadiereddie wrote: ↑Sun May 24, 2020 6:49 pmI've never made or tasted a decent home brew. I can't see the point when you've such a wide choice of ales at any supermarket.
-
- Posts: 8310
- Joined: Thu Jan 21, 2016 3:50 pm
- Been Liked: 2949 times
- Has Liked: 2063 times
- Location: Burnley
Re: Homebrew beer
Yeast is in very short supply at the moment, I believe.
Best buy the ready made stuff.
Best buy the ready made stuff.
-
- Posts: 797
- Joined: Fri Jan 22, 2016 6:29 pm
- Been Liked: 197 times
- Has Liked: 48 times
Re: Homebrew beer
Did once - first bottle was like spinster’ p**s. Last bottle stunted my growth!
-
- Posts: 500
- Joined: Fri Jan 22, 2016 6:54 pm
- Been Liked: 172 times
- Has Liked: 23 times
Re: Homebrew beer
I've won a few brewing awards so thought I'd chip in on this.
If done correctly then the quality of beer made at home will far exceed what can be bought. This is because the home brewer can afford to use the highest quality ingredients. Commercial brewers have to bring the cost down as much as possible and a decision to take 1p off the cost per pint affects them way more than the person making very small batches.
Some quick tips:
1) Sanitise, sanitise, sanitise. Be paranoid and you'll never have a problem. Buy an oxygen based sanitiser instead of a bleach based one as they are no rinse and won't effect the flavour.
2) Make a yeast starter the day before. Plenty of videos on youtube about how to do this. If you throw in a thriving yeast colony instead of the sachet then brewing starts earlier and the chances of an infection occurring are reduced.
3) Resist the temptation to take the lid off frequently.
4) Start with a kit, move to extract brewing and then move to all grain brewing. Learn to walk before you run and then you can understand the basics.
5) Always drink a beer when making beer.
If done correctly then the quality of beer made at home will far exceed what can be bought. This is because the home brewer can afford to use the highest quality ingredients. Commercial brewers have to bring the cost down as much as possible and a decision to take 1p off the cost per pint affects them way more than the person making very small batches.
Some quick tips:
1) Sanitise, sanitise, sanitise. Be paranoid and you'll never have a problem. Buy an oxygen based sanitiser instead of a bleach based one as they are no rinse and won't effect the flavour.
2) Make a yeast starter the day before. Plenty of videos on youtube about how to do this. If you throw in a thriving yeast colony instead of the sachet then brewing starts earlier and the chances of an infection occurring are reduced.
3) Resist the temptation to take the lid off frequently.
4) Start with a kit, move to extract brewing and then move to all grain brewing. Learn to walk before you run and then you can understand the basics.
5) Always drink a beer when making beer.
This user liked this post: eastanglianclaret
-
- Posts: 9454
- Joined: Sun Oct 16, 2016 10:47 pm
- Been Liked: 1181 times
- Has Liked: 778 times
Re: Homebrew beer
When you can go to farmfoods & buy a bag of Tate & Lyle sugar, think I used to pay a £1, doing that on a regular basis with a tried & tested mix & doing things properly, you can brew far better at home at a fraction depends what you buy in, I used to brew a geordie ale 1 & never ever deviated from the mix I knew tasted well.evensteadiereddie wrote: ↑Sun May 24, 2020 6:49 pmI've never made or tasted a decent home brew. I can't see the point when you've such a wide choice of ales at any supermarket.
-
- Posts: 797
- Joined: Fri Jan 22, 2016 6:29 pm
- Been Liked: 197 times
- Has Liked: 48 times
Re: Homebrew beer
Best yeast is from an old lady in Durham .......bu**er, wrong thread......again.
-
- Posts: 4600
- Joined: Tue Jun 21, 2016 3:41 am
- Been Liked: 1020 times
- Has Liked: 3163 times
Re: Homebrew beer
With you on this one....made Stout once it was awful!evensteadiereddie wrote: ↑Sun May 24, 2020 6:49 pmI've never made or tasted a decent home brew. I can't see the point when you've such a wide choice of ales at any supermarket.
-
- Posts: 608
- Joined: Sat Jan 23, 2016 9:01 am
- Been Liked: 135 times
- Has Liked: 179 times
- Location: France
Re: Homebrew beer
Just got back into it after a 20 year break (living abroad). On my fourth batch now and all have tasted fine (to me, I'm in isolation so can't share ).
Just doing kits which include yeast, the cheaper ones you add sugar but some of the mid range kits don't need it. I just brew in a 5 gallon bucket then bottle after about 10-14 days (check specific gravity or just taste to see if sweetness gone). Leave in bottles for at least a week but the longer the better (so pays to have a second batch going as soon as one is bottled). Then .. enjoy. There is a divine pleasure in drinking beer you have made yourself. Just ensure everything is clean and sterile. A starter kit is a good way to go, costs about £60 which will include your first brew and all equipment. Motto..no homebrew is undrinkable, some just take longer to drink than others.
Just doing kits which include yeast, the cheaper ones you add sugar but some of the mid range kits don't need it. I just brew in a 5 gallon bucket then bottle after about 10-14 days (check specific gravity or just taste to see if sweetness gone). Leave in bottles for at least a week but the longer the better (so pays to have a second batch going as soon as one is bottled). Then .. enjoy. There is a divine pleasure in drinking beer you have made yourself. Just ensure everything is clean and sterile. A starter kit is a good way to go, costs about £60 which will include your first brew and all equipment. Motto..no homebrew is undrinkable, some just take longer to drink than others.
-
- Posts: 4240
- Joined: Tue Dec 18, 2018 11:30 pm
- Been Liked: 1018 times
- Has Liked: 1486 times
Re: Homebrew beer
i'd put my 2 penny in but this board is full of absolutely miserable c_unts and you wont get nothing out of them except a ruined thread and people like funkydrummer spouting fake news about things theyve absolutely no idea about.
Buy a home brew book. I've made about 20 and never had a bad one. It's simple and will be better than anything you can buy.
I'd give you more advice but u get c_unts like eddie on here just blathering on because they've got nothing better to do in life so already this thread will be ruined by their constant bickering.
Buy a home brew book. I've made about 20 and never had a bad one. It's simple and will be better than anything you can buy.
I'd give you more advice but u get c_unts like eddie on here just blathering on because they've got nothing better to do in life so already this thread will be ruined by their constant bickering.
These 2 users liked this post: Jakubclaret Sausage
-
- Posts: 9454
- Joined: Sun Oct 16, 2016 10:47 pm
- Been Liked: 1181 times
- Has Liked: 778 times
Re: Homebrew beer
Homebrewing is not for everybody, you need to be patient & ideally have a understanding partner when you are in the kitchen it takes all the sink up to properly rinse off, everything you brew is drinkable & shouldn't be drainpour if doing things correctly, some obviously taste better than others & you learn from that, the instructions in the kits are so simple, a basic tip is to put the tin in water & warm it up runs better from the tin into the fermentation bin, less mess & wastage, just have a do you'll be pleasantly surprised how good it can taste & how much you can save,
-
- Posts: 277
- Joined: Sun Jan 24, 2016 7:06 am
- Been Liked: 88 times
- Has Liked: 41 times
- Location: Colne
Re: Homebrew beer
Unfortunately the vast majority of peoples experience of home brew is those hideous kits you can buy, they are awful
I've been brewing all grain beer for about 10 years and it is as good and in most cases far better than pub beer
If you know what you are doing it is a great hobby
I've been brewing all grain beer for about 10 years and it is as good and in most cases far better than pub beer
If you know what you are doing it is a great hobby
-
- Posts: 608
- Joined: Sat Jan 23, 2016 9:01 am
- Been Liked: 135 times
- Has Liked: 179 times
- Location: France
Re: Homebrew beer
Each to their own, I've never had any problems brewing from kits and it's far less messier than playing with your own ingredients, which I've also tried. My stepson brews from basics and although he has more control over flavours his brews are not significantly better than mine, just more varied. The mid range kits (about £25) are a good compromise.
-
- Posts: 277
- Joined: Sun Jan 24, 2016 7:06 am
- Been Liked: 88 times
- Has Liked: 41 times
- Location: Colne
Re: Homebrew beer
I'm totally sure you haven't had any problems and the mess is less.
Any comments on the taste ?
Any comments on the taste ?
-
- Posts: 608
- Joined: Sat Jan 23, 2016 9:01 am
- Been Liked: 135 times
- Has Liked: 179 times
- Location: France
Re: Homebrew beer
This was during my first brewing season over 20 years ago, I was boiling my own hops, can't remember the taste but can certainly remember the smell. I went from wine to beer using basic ingredients but then moved on to the kits for simplicity and time and have always been happy with them.
-
- Posts: 1829
- Joined: Sat May 26, 2018 7:16 pm
- Been Liked: 559 times
- Has Liked: 1394 times
Re: Homebrew beer
That reminds me of an old chap who used to frequent one of my locals when I was a teenager whose one-liner I still appropriate:kritichris wrote: ↑Sun May 24, 2020 10:07 pm...no homebrew is undrinkable, some just take longer to drink than others.
"I'll tell you what young man, there's no such thing in this world as bad beer, though Vaux does come fairly close."
This user liked this post: fatboy47
-
- Posts: 608
- Joined: Sat Jan 23, 2016 9:01 am
- Been Liked: 135 times
- Has Liked: 179 times
- Location: France
Re: Homebrew beer
Watneys made a fair attempt too with Red Barrel, you could start a thread with this.AfloatinClaret wrote: ↑Mon May 25, 2020 8:52 amThat reminds me of an old chap who used to frequent one of my locals when I was a teenager whose one-liner I still appropriate:
"I'll tell you what young man, there's no such thing in this world as bad beer, though Vaux does come fairly close."
-
- Posts: 209
- Joined: Fri Jan 22, 2016 3:15 pm
- Been Liked: 59 times
- Has Liked: 5 times
- Location: Suffolk
Re: Homebrew beer
There are some very good, varied kits available nowadays. I've made plenty of beers which I didn't like, but not because the process went wrong, they just turned out not to be to my taste. I would agree with claretabroad that cleanliness is a very important factor....don't take any liberties in this respect. If you do this and follow the kit instructions you should be OK. Personally I use shop bought mineral water rather than tap water, the tap water in Suffolk is very hard and heavily treated. I enjoy taking a basic, cheap English Ale kit (using beer enhancer rather than sugar) and then 'dry-hopping' with various hops. I've had some really nice ales doing this which taste good out of bottle and/or barrel. I have always found the owners of Home Brew shops to be good sources of advice and info. They're generally fanatics and quite happy to pass on info. The guy on Standish Street has helped me out many times.
Re: Homebrew beer
Go for it Mov. I've been brewing for 18 months and it's cracking. Far better than it was years ago. Give the blokes at Burnley Home Brew a ring. They are more than helpful and you can place an order to collect. As mentioned above, make sure you sanitize everything, follow the kit instructions and you'll not go far wrong. Works out to be a very reasonably priced pint. There are all sorts of tweaks you can make as you get in to it. Loads of advice available online. I've brewed golden ales, IPA's, lagers, stouts and they've all been enjoyable. You might get the odd mishap as you go along but that's all part of the learning process. It's also been ideal for the current situation we all find ourselves in.
Burnley Home Brew: 01282 786462
Burnley Home Brew: 01282 786462
Re: Homebrew beer
Cheers Mick, I took the plunge rang burnley home brew ordered the stuff picked it up and my first brew is on.....a copy of speckled hen I believe, took some advise from the guy at the shop and fingers crossed it turns out drinkable
This user liked this post: kritichris
-
- Posts: 608
- Joined: Sat Jan 23, 2016 9:01 am
- Been Liked: 135 times
- Has Liked: 179 times
- Location: France
Re: Homebrew beer
Patience is a virtue, leave it as long as you can for the secondary fermentation to give it some pizzazz, I'd recommend 2 weeks min (not one) then store in a cool place if available or just transfer to the fridge as needed. You need that "psssst!" as you open the bottle, a glorious sound. When pouring don't let the dregs get into the glass or it will cloud your beer.
Having said that if you ever have bowel issues homebrew dregs will loosen a constipated elephant.
Having said that if you ever have bowel issues homebrew dregs will loosen a constipated elephant.
Re: Homebrew beer
Turn heating temp off and leave for another week, sypyon off into second fermenter and leave for the 4th and last week.
Add 112g of brown sugar Bottle it and put in warm place (airing cupboard) to carbonate for two weeks and then chil down for at least a week to clear.
7 weeks in total......no rush lol
-
- Posts: 608
- Joined: Sat Jan 23, 2016 9:01 am
- Been Liked: 135 times
- Has Liked: 179 times
- Location: France
Re: Homebrew beer
A bit complicated for a first brew, needing two barrels and 7 weeks. One barrel, 2 weeks, bottles, 2 weeks (min) does me and I use a belt but now it's warming up it's less necessary. It's your choice and perhaps, like my son in law, you go for quality and more input, I'm just happy with the output.
-
- Posts: 500
- Joined: Fri Jan 22, 2016 6:54 pm
- Been Liked: 172 times
- Has Liked: 23 times
Re: Homebrew beer
Try and avoid using normal sugar in brewing and use dried malt extract instead. Yeast has to work harder to break down a sugar molecule and this can cause a number of different issues. There are styles of beer where you would use sugar but get comfortable with the basics before introducing these elements.
-
- Posts: 22
- Joined: Sun Aug 12, 2018 10:53 am
- Been Liked: 13 times
Re: Homebrew beer
Just finished my first ever homebrew. Cooper's Australian lager. It's not bad! Just started fermenting Wilko's hoppy copper bitter. Certainly a big improvement on what it used to be like years ago
This user liked this post: kritichris
Re: Homebrew beer
Also, keep a brew diary, noting down all ingredients, method and outcome. There's nowt more annoying than brewing a great-tasing pint but not being able to repeat it.
This user liked this post: claretabroad
Re: Homebrew beer
I'm keeping a dairy but if its crap that page will be binned until I get it right lol
Re: Homebrew beer
Me and my lad have just brewed 40pts of Hammer of Thor. It's a premium lager - like a home brew Leffe, it's turned out really well and takes three weeks.
Ten days to ferment - hop pellets go in after five days - then bottle, second fermentation in the bottle and then a week later put it somewhere cold and it clears.
Put it in the fridge for five or six hours - pour it into a big wine glass and it's just like being in France!
Ten days to ferment - hop pellets go in after five days - then bottle, second fermentation in the bottle and then a week later put it somewhere cold and it clears.
Put it in the fridge for five or six hours - pour it into a big wine glass and it's just like being in France!
-
- Posts: 500
- Joined: Fri Jan 22, 2016 6:54 pm
- Been Liked: 172 times
- Has Liked: 23 times
Re: Homebrew beer
+1 on the diary. I made an altbier once that was amazing but forgot to write it down. I've never come close to replicating it.
Re: Homebrew beer
I was looking at thatGuich wrote: ↑Mon Jun 01, 2020 8:44 pmMe and my lad have just brewed 40pts of Hammer of Thor. It's a premium lager - like a home brew Leffe, it's turned out really well and takes three weeks.
Ten days to ferment - hop pellets go in after five days - then bottle, second fermentation in the bottle and then a week later put it somewhere cold and it clears.
Put it in the fridge for five or six hours - pour it into a big wine glass and it's just like being in France!
Hammer of Thor its 6%.....
-
- Posts: 1257
- Joined: Fri Jan 22, 2016 10:39 pm
- Been Liked: 327 times
- Has Liked: 199 times
-
- Posts: 209
- Joined: Fri Jan 22, 2016 3:15 pm
- Been Liked: 59 times
- Has Liked: 5 times
- Location: Suffolk
Re: Homebrew beer
If you like a strong beer with a good flavour then it's worth trying Brewferm's Grand Cru, if you can still find it. 8% ABV. Slightly cloudy but a lovely fruity taste. Slightly pricey per pint though given that it's only a 20 pint kit. Brewferm's Framboos (Raspberry Ale) is also worth a go, not as sickly as it sounds!! It tastes very much like a traditional ale but with a faint tang of sour raspberry. Lovely summer beer.
-
- Posts: 1051
- Joined: Thu Jan 21, 2016 8:48 am
- Been Liked: 637 times
- Has Liked: 441 times
- Location: London
Re: Homebrew beer
I’ve been brewing all-grain beers for 20+ years. Had the occasional iffy brew but nothing so bad that it’s undrinkable. Just as you’d find when going to the pub, some beers suit your palate better than others. Loving the hoppy IPAs at the moment and have brewed stouts that are genuinely pub quality. The advantage of brewing your own is that you can brew what you genuinely want to drink or try beers that are now hard to get hold of. For example, I’m drinking a 4% mild made with molasses. If you can buy that at the supermarket for less than 50p/pint then please send me the details.
You can also ensure you never run out of beer. As shown in the photo I have bottles of Social Distance IPA (so called because they’re just over 2m from my desk), a 5.5 gallon keg of Barnard Castle Bitter (at 6% it’ll make your eyesight go weird) and a half drunk keg of Molasses Mild.
You can also ensure you never run out of beer. As shown in the photo I have bottles of Social Distance IPA (so called because they’re just over 2m from my desk), a 5.5 gallon keg of Barnard Castle Bitter (at 6% it’ll make your eyesight go weird) and a half drunk keg of Molasses Mild.
- Attachments
-
- 905B17BC-28BE-4AEC-9D44-E4A2AD259CD9.jpeg (94.63 KiB) Viewed 3521 times
This user liked this post: kritichris
-
- Posts: 608
- Joined: Sat Jan 23, 2016 9:01 am
- Been Liked: 135 times
- Has Liked: 179 times
- Location: France
Re: Homebrew beer
I envy you sausage, a dedicated homebrew area, dreams are made of such, that and Burnley winning the prem.
-
- Posts: 17
- Joined: Mon Feb 20, 2017 11:26 pm
- Been Liked: 1 time
Re: Homebrew beer
Here's a little diity to a noble art.........Hic!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1U7aPLX ... rt_radio=1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1U7aPLX ... rt_radio=1
Re: Homebrew beer
I used to make it from kits. A continental lager. Very strong. Very nice. Shared a litre with wife.
Then they changed to a different lager kit. Wife did not like, so I drank the litre. Head used to pound! Was having a wee one night and had to hang on!
Stopped after that! Lightweight!
Then they changed to a different lager kit. Wife did not like, so I drank the litre. Head used to pound! Was having a wee one night and had to hang on!
Stopped after that! Lightweight!
Re: Homebrew beer
Lol bloody predicted text
Re: Homebrew beer
Poured my first drink after 5 weeks, a little early I was going to wait 7 but couldn't wait lol......very nice.
- Attachments
-
- Screenshot_20200628-182352.png (1.99 MiB) Viewed 3266 times
These 2 users liked this post: kritichris Sausage