Beer Making Kits-How Easy????

thriftlady_2

Has anyone had experience of wine kits(to make grape wine)? Does it compare with a bottle of Californian Shiraz??

ladygrey_2

my sister says that she thinks she has seen beer making kits in Wilkinsons
has anyone else?
there isn't one in my nearest town but would make the journey if they do them

pol

thriftlady,
I've made loads of kit wines and they compare very favourably with bought wines, but they do need to mature. At least 3 months, preferably 12 months though. Years ago when I first started brewing, a lot of the kits, beer and wine, were time consuming, fiddly and the end results were quite often disappointing. Nowadays it's very difficult NOT to get a good result from a kit. They are easy and quick to do, apart from the maturing!

ladygrey,
Wilkinsons do sell kits, but if you can, go to a brew shop. They are few and far between these days but well worth the journey. They don't just sell the kits, they give advice, will lend you books and sometimes equipment, and give you that extra bit of confidence that you can make a good wine. A lot of them will deliver too. But buy the best you can afford, the cheaper kits can be dreadful, and are enough to put anyone off.

Hope you both get some wine brewed, it will be ready in time for summer!

pol

thriftlady_2

pol wrote:

thriftlady,
I've made loads of kit wines and they compare very favourably with bought wines, but they do need to mature. At least 3 months, preferably 12 months though.

Thanks pol,I think I'll look into it,but 12 months!!! If I bought a bottle of wine today to drink on Friday it would be gone by bedtime tonight

pol

Don't know if anyone is interested in making a cider, but there is a recipe HERE using tesco value apple juice and it's ready in about 10 days. (HEY, my first link, hope it works)

thriftlady
If you can get the yeast, citric acid, nutrient etc, you can make a gallon from pure grape juice. Costs about 2.50 - 3.00 and ready to drink in a month. Not quite Shiraz, but ok while you wait for the kit.

pol

thriftlady_2

That cider from value apple juice looks intriguing.You are having much better luck with links than I am.

I've never done any brewing before but I'm a dab hand at making fruit flavoured liqueurs.Great success last year with damson gin and quince vodka.I'm going to try rhubarb vodka next.There was a thread a few days ago on making a ginger beer plant too which looked fun.

calleyw

ladygrey wrote:

my sister says that she thinks she has seen beer making kits in Wilkinsons
has anyone else?
there isn't one in my nearest town but would make the journey if they do them

Ladygrey,

Not all do. I have two local ones and only one does.

Try e-mailing customer services they are really nice and helpful.

My local wilkinsons has the fermenting buckets at approx £7.50 and barrels approx £14. My husband brews stout and the kit is £8.99. He even treated himself to a bottle capper for £8.49 as he bottles some but keeps the rest in the barrel.

They don't keep a lot of stock on the shelves. 1 maybe 2 barrels and buckets at a time. Same with the Kits. And the bottle cappers they only keep one on the shelves.

Yours


Calley

Austin_Allegro

pol wrote:

Don't know if anyone is interested in making a cider, but there is a recipe HERE using tesco value apple juice and it's ready in about 10 days. (HEY, my first link, hope it works)

thriftlady
If you can get the yeast, citric acid, nutrient etc, you can make a gallon from pure grape juice. Costs about 2.50 - 3.00 and ready to drink in a month. Not quite Shiraz, but ok while you wait for the kit.

pol

This is 'buck' or 'prison wine' - the most basic form of home made wine. I've used variations of this recipe quite a lot, hoping to do ginger wine with herbal teabags next. Quality varies, but it's always acceptable as a mixer.

tonyhamm

Used to brew beer ages ago, when boots used to sell kits and equipment, but it never quite tasted as good as cans - mainly because I couldn't wait for the dead yeast to clear. It takes a fair bit of patence. I dare say if your husband is a beer drinker then he will have a great deal of fun doing this though.

I used to be able to do it for 10p a pint after all the buckets etc..had been bought for £15-20. I used coke bottles sterlised with hot water to store it all.

I have now just bought a pile of wine homebrew stuff, and the kits now seem much easier - come with everything.

ladygrey_2

gave up looking in the end and because of the nice weather I have been to Tesco to buy some apple juice to try making the cider.

the weather will probably change before I get it made