Homebrew

[tanstaafl]

After years of being a wine drinker I have really gotten into Real Ales over the past 6 months, but they can be quite pricey, £6 for 4 bottles at the mo.

So thought I might try home brewing


Any tips and tricks, have heard that Wilko does good value kits ??

[jansman]

Wilkos kits make a passable brew.You have to ' shortbrew' them though ( instead of twenty litres of water,add 17 for better flavour).However,I would go for Coopers kits every time. Their English bitter is bang on.This time of year you can brew from start to drinking in 6 weeks for best results. If you have a brewing mat or jacket I bet you would get it down to a month. Coopers are 14quid for a 40 pint kit at wilkos.

[tanstaafl]

Wilkos kits make a passable brew.You have to ' shortbrew' them though ( instead of twenty litres of water,add 17 for better flavour).However,I would go for Coopers kits every time. Their English bitter is bang on.This time of year you can brew from start to drinking in 6 weeks for best results. If you have a brewing mat or jacket I bet you would get it down to a month. Coopers are 14quid for a 40 pint kit at wilkos.

Cheers will have a look tommorow

[Jamesey1981]

The youngs American kits are nice too, the American pale ale is lovely if you like a bitter beer with plenty of hops, and the mocha porter is nice if you like a dark beer, that one makes a little less though.
They're not cheap but everything is included, even priming sugar.

As for tips, clean and sterilise everything, then do it again!
Sit your fermenter on a tray or a towel as well, they can bubble over and make a mess.

[Deeps]

Funnily enough, I'm trying wine for the first time. I've done lager 20 odd years ago but trying to go slow on the vino this time for best results. I'll be following this with interest as I'm thinking about trying lager again.

[jansman]

Funnily enough, I'm trying wine for the first time. I've done lager 20 odd years ago but trying to go slow on the vino this time for best results. I'll be following this with interest as I'm thinking about trying lager again.

The kits are SO much better now.I have a glass of Magnum ( a brand) Cabernet here right now.The secret with that is to ( as with beer) brew it out at a steady temperature.I use the front room by the side of the sofa! Which is a steady 18 degrees c most time.NEVER brew at really high temperature, the end result is foul!

I find that four weeks is bang on.With wine,add the stabilisers and finings as per instruction, and rack it off into another barrel for at least a week in a cooler temperature.Then bottle.The results are worth the wait.

Regarding lager ( if you must drink it! My wife does ) then the Coopers Australian is good.They are an Aussie company.

[Deeps]

Funnily enough, I'm trying wine for the first time. I've done lager 20 odd years ago but trying to go slow on the vino this time for best results. I'll be following this with interest as I'm thinking about trying lager again.

The kits are SO much better now.I have a glass of Magnum ( a brand) Cabernet here right now.The secret with that is to ( as with beer) brew it out at a steady temperature.I use the front room by the side of the sofa! Which is a steady 18 degrees c most time.NEVER brew at really high temperature, the end result is foul!

I find that four weeks is bang on.With wine,add the stabilisers and finings as per instruction, and rack it off into another barrel for at least a week in a cooler temperature.Then bottle.The results are worth the wait.

Regarding lager ( if you must drink it! My wife does ) then the Coopers Australian is good.They are an Aussie company.

Cheers amigo, we're pretty close to decanting it, I've been gently 'oscillating' it to try and get as many 'bubbles' out of it as I can, I'll try putting it somewhere cooler, what kind of cooler temp do you reckon works ?

[mightymayesy]

I love wine. Red wine to be exact.
Recommend a Virgin Wines subscription. £25 per month and they'll send a selection of different wines to try every quarter.
If you do £50 then I guess you can legitimately save the other box for your prepping provisions. After all, we will all need a little enjoyment for when SHTF lol

Funnily enough, I'm trying wine for the first time. I've done lager 20 odd years ago but trying to go slow on the vino this time for best results. I'll be following this with interest as I'm thinking about trying lager again.

[jansman]

Funnily enough, I'm trying wine for the first time. I've done lager 20 odd years ago but trying to go slow on the vino this time for best results. I'll be following this with interest as I'm thinking about trying lager again.

The kits are SO much better now.I have a glass of Magnum ( a brand) Cabernet here right now.The secret with that is to ( as with beer) brew it out at a steady temperature.I use the front room by the side of the sofa! Which is a steady 18 degrees c most time.NEVER brew at really high temperature, the end result is foul!

I find that four weeks is bang on.With wine,add the stabilisers and finings as per instruction, and rack it off into another barrel for at least a week in a cooler temperature.Then bottle.The results are worth the wait.

Regarding lager ( if you must drink it! My wife does ) then the Coopers Australian is good.They are an Aussie company.

Cheers amigo, we're pretty close to decanting it, I've been gently 'oscillating' it to try and get as many 'bubbles' out of it as I can, I'll try putting it somewhere cooler, what kind of cooler temp do you reckon works ?

When you add the stabiliser,stir well.add the first finings,stir well but gently.same with the second.When yourack it,stir it well.Then leave in a cool place.I use the stone floor of the pantry.

[Deeps]

The kits are SO much better now.I have a glass of Magnum ( a brand) Cabernet here right now.The secret with that is to ( as with beer) brew it out at a steady temperature.I use the front room by the side of the sofa! Which is a steady 18 degrees c most time.NEVER brew at really high temperature, the end result is foul!

I find that four weeks is bang on.With wine,add the stabilisers and finings as per instruction, and rack it off into another barrel for at least a week in a cooler temperature.Then bottle.The results are worth the wait.

Regarding lager ( if you must drink it! My wife does ) then the Coopers Australian is good.They are an Aussie company.

Cheers amigo, we're pretty close to decanting it, I've been gently 'oscillating' it to try and get as many 'bubbles' out of it as I can, I'll try putting it somewhere cooler, what kind of cooler temp do you reckon works ?[/quote]
When you add the stabiliser,stir well.add the first finings,stir well but gently.same with the second.When yourack it,stir it well.Then leave in a cool place.I use the stone floor of the pantry.[/quote]

Muchos gracias senor, I'll try the garage, its integral to the house but cooler. After being in a mad rush as a young man (ask my ex wife ) I'm taking my time with this so happy to give it all the time it needs, if its crap we'll use it in cooking.

I love wine. Red wine to be exact.
Recommend a Virgin Wines subscription. £25 per month and they'll send a selection of different wines to try every quarter.
If you do £50 then I guess you can legitimately save the other box for your prepping provisions. After all, we will all need a little enjoyment for when SHTF lol

Funnily enough, I'm trying wine for the first time. I've done lager 20 odd years ago but trying to go slow on the vino this time for best results. I'll be following this with interest as I'm thinking about trying lager again.

I'm not a fan of the wine clubs, I'm not that keen on Costco's either, I've found I can buy 'acceptable' wine cheaper. I've been on the Asda boxes of Aussie Shiraz for a few years now, would I drink it if I won the lottery, probably not but I used to drink more expensive stuff and we all find a level that works for us. I've got my 'good gear' and every now and then I break out a bottle but usually as a first bottle, after that, meh, it doesn't seem quite so important.