So far I have done the Woodford Wherry real ale kit and the Cooper's European lager kit and both have turned out very well.
The key is thorough cleaning and sterilisation of all equipment, very important that as failing to do so can ruin your beer. I'm pretty sure that is the number one cause of bad home brews.
You certainly can make beer comparable to the stuff in pubs.
Like thetruth said, you have to take great care to make sure everything is sterilised properly. It isn't difficult.
I used to make a lot of red wine - the results were varied. But judging by the results, it was pretty strong stuff! I also made beer and peach schnapps.
Are you planning to just get the all-in-one kit or are you investing in all the equipment?
I still have a load of demijohns and gear cluttering up the attic, maybe I should put them to use myself.
You certainly can make beer comparable to the stuff in pubs.
Like thetruth said, you have to take great care to make sure everything is sterilised properly. It isn't difficult.
I used to make a lot of red wine - the results were varied. But judging by the results, it was pretty strong stuff! I also made beer and peach schnapps.
Are you planning to just get the all-in-one kit or are you investing in all the equipment?
I still have a load of demijohns and gear cluttering up the attic, maybe I should put them to use myself.
I used to brew my own bitter using kits and it kicked the shite out of commercial beers as well as costing a hell of a lot less. You'll need a good thermometer and hydrometer and as others have said sterilisation is critical to success. I used the Boots concentrated baby steriliser liquid. Don't use refined white sugar, instead use golden granulated or a dark pressed sugar such as muscovado and try combinations of specialist honey as well. It costs a bit more but the delicious taste makes it worthwhile.
Preheat the yeast with a small amount of warm water in a tumbler, as it will start faster but don't overheat the brew (ie not above 23C) and make sure the bin isn't airtight or it'll blow up! An accurate heater is essential to maintain a constant temp and the more constant the temp throughout each stage of the process, the better the result will be. I always used to add the juice of a fresh lemon and a couple of teaspoons of tea to the initial brew as this is a natural way of clearing the beer before bottling.
I bought 10 x 2 litre bottles of cheap still spring water, used that to make the beer and then re-used the empty plastic bottles to store the beer (instead of a pressurised container with a valve and float). Saves on having to sterilise them the first time and the PET bottles can easily take the pressure, although you'll still need to slightly unscrew and then rescrew each bottle every now and then until the optimum time is reached.
I would put a folded bath towel or two on top of the warm lounge radiator and slightly lean the upright bottles on top of the towels and against the back wall until the beer had cleared fully and the pressure reached max. Then move the bottles somewhere cool and dark for a month or so to condition.
If you use more sugar and make less beer you can make it pretty strong and if you get it just right the taste won't give the game away. Also it's a different type of pissed as you don't feel all gassy and sick like you would with commercial beer. When you bottle put a slighly warmed small amount of sugar solution in the bottom of each bottle and this will give a gentle fizz to the beer.
Keep accurate notes of what you do and label and number the bottles. Be careful to disturb the sediment on the bottom of the fermentation bin as little as possible when bottling.
Comments
Here is the site I get my equipment and kits from
http://www.balliihoo.co.uk/
So far I have done the Woodford Wherry real ale kit and the Cooper's European lager kit and both have turned out very well.
The key is thorough cleaning and sterilisation of all equipment, very important that as failing to do so can ruin your beer. I'm pretty sure that is the number one cause of bad home brews.
Like thetruth said, you have to take great care to make sure everything is sterilised properly. It isn't difficult.
I used to make a lot of red wine - the results were varied. But judging by the results, it was pretty strong stuff! I also made beer and peach schnapps.
Are you planning to just get the all-in-one kit or are you investing in all the equipment?
I still have a load of demijohns and gear cluttering up the attic, maybe I should put them to use myself.
I fancy trying this method which apparently produces superb beers.
http://beersmith.com/blog/2009/04/14/brew-in-a-bag-biab-all-grain-beer-brewing/
Preheat the yeast with a small amount of warm water in a tumbler, as it will start faster but don't overheat the brew (ie not above 23C) and make sure the bin isn't airtight or it'll blow up! An accurate heater is essential to maintain a constant temp and the more constant the temp throughout each stage of the process, the better the result will be. I always used to add the juice of a fresh lemon and a couple of teaspoons of tea to the initial brew as this is a natural way of clearing the beer before bottling.
I bought 10 x 2 litre bottles of cheap still spring water, used that to make the beer and then re-used the empty plastic bottles to store the beer (instead of a pressurised container with a valve and float). Saves on having to sterilise them the first time and the PET bottles can easily take the pressure, although you'll still need to slightly unscrew and then rescrew each bottle every now and then until the optimum time is reached.
I would put a folded bath towel or two on top of the warm lounge radiator and slightly lean the upright bottles on top of the towels and against the back wall until the beer had cleared fully and the pressure reached max. Then move the bottles somewhere cool and dark for a month or so to condition.
If you use more sugar and make less beer you can make it pretty strong and if you get it just right the taste won't give the game away. Also it's a different type of pissed as you don't feel all gassy and sick like you would with commercial beer. When you bottle put a slighly warmed small amount of sugar solution in the bottom of each bottle and this will give a gentle fizz to the beer.
Keep accurate notes of what you do and label and number the bottles. Be careful to disturb the sediment on the bottom of the fermentation bin as little as possible when bottling.
I once got completely sozzled on a glass-and-a-half of elderflower wine!