Adventures in Homebrewland (image heavy - you have been warned!)

RHYSDAD

Going back when i was a nipper, my dear old Grandpa used to have gallons of decent (by all accounts) homebrew in his shed which him and my Dad used to get piddled on at BBQ's and Christmas time etc and i wanted to follow on from him and do some myself. Sadly he died about ten years ago taking his beer making secrets with him so i wondered if anyone else does this still, and if they could offer me any tips as to how to do it properly and what kit i need? I like a beer and trying to cut costs is important to us and i'd love to give it a go. Boots used to have loads of kits stocked when i was younger but sadly they stopped doing them years ago. Any help appreciated!!! RD.

miss_corerupted

i found the home brew kits on internet but postage was expensive

i think i saw some in wilkinsons b4 (fairly certain)

Gigervamp

Yes, wilkos sell both wine and beer homebrew equipment. ebay have a lot of sellers of HB kit too.
I'm going to have a go at wine making this year. Made elderflower champagne and turbo cider a few weeks ago for the first time.

Belt-tightener_2

I have my fist batch sitting under the stairs it was £22.75 for the set up which was the drum and kit it will make 40 pints of brown ale then £20 for a preasure drum or you can recycle bottles a kit is about £9 a bag of sugar and water is all you need so next batch will be cheaper. Wilkinsons sell the stuff but we have a home brew shop in town.

daleigha

Love this thread!!

i just wanted to check a few things (im a home brewing virgin lol!!:o ) - how does the syphoning work - how do you actually get the stuff from the demijohn into the other demijohn? is there a pump or something? and presumably you can do this with any fruit juice - red grape juice for example?

tata in advance - i cant wait to start making my own cider!! (have been meaning to do this since i found the recipe a few weeks ago.... but have been lazy lol!! :rolleyes: )

xx

nopot2pin

daleigha wrote: »

Love this thread!!

i just wanted to check a few things (im a home brewing virgin lol!!:o ) - how does the syphoning work - how do you actually get the stuff from the demijohn into the other demijohn? is there a pump or something? and presumably you can do this with any fruit juice - red grape juice for example?

tata in advance - i cant wait to start making my own cider!! (have been meaning to do this since i found the recipe a few weeks ago.... but have been lazy lol!! :rolleyes: )

xx

The syphoning works by gravity....
The demijohn with the liquid in it should be higher than the empty one... the full one on the kitchen counter, the empty one on the kitchen floor is how I do it.
To start the syphoning action.. your should have one end of your syphone tube in the liquid, then you suck the other end, until the liquid is near your mouth.. Put this end into the empty demijohn.. and gravity will do the rest.
You will have to hold the tubing, otherwise it may end up on the floor.

If you use a red/green grape juice, you will end up with a wine type drink. I guess it is just personal choice what combination you use.

Good Luck

Gigervamp

I made a batch of the cider, and whilst it tasted nice, the after effects weren't good! I spent some time stuck on the loo! Someone else tried just a glass of it and he said his bottom exploded!

Adam_Kadmon

There must have been yeast in the cider. It is VERY important that you don't drink any of the sediment, or drink it before fermentation has finished.

Gigervamp

It did taste yeasty, yet the sediment had settled to the bottom and the cider was very clear. It had been left for about 5-6 weeks before being drunk.

shandypants5

Adam_Kadmon wrote: »

There must have been yeast in the cider. It is VERY important that you don't drink any of the sediment, or drink it before fermentation has finished.

The yeast isnt THAT bad for you..

I like a bit of yeast in my homebrew, it er, keeps me regular.:rolleyes: