A Newbie Equipment

Post Reply
Retrolamp
Posts: 14
Joined: Wed Oct 28, 2015 3:24 pm

A Newbie Equipment

Post by Retrolamp »

Hi,

I am not a stranger to brewing but never really tried to brew beer before, which is odd cos thats what I drink. My partner bough on a whim a larger kit and bucket from an Asda sale the other week but I really fancy trying all grain brewing. My dilemma is where to start yes at one stage maybe I'd like an all singing and dancing kit but I'm just starting out and at the moment until I have finished works on our house I won't have as much room.

Ive been looking at an Electrim bucket in the Brewshop in Keynsham but have read some bad things about it. Is it possible to start up for around £200 and where should I look. At the end of the day I can build on equipment and you never know I might hate it :)

Again I'm sure this is a question some of you are tired of answering so apologies for the Newbie

Phil
PMowdes
Posts: 489
Joined: Wed Nov 28, 2012 4:29 pm
Location: Bristol

Re: A Newbie Equipment

Post by PMowdes »

If you are a practical person you can probably make an all grain set up fairly cheaply, I think most of us have,

You'll need a mash tun, a boiler and something to ferment in. and if you get into it you can add / replace kit as you go along.

www.brewbuilder.co.uk is Bristol based and well known to us, he can sort you out for almost anything you need home brew wise.

I'd also steer clear of the electrim boilers, I've heard they leak and have a tendency of cutting out.
60 percent of the time it works every time.
User avatar
steve crawshaw
Posts: 856
Joined: Thu Apr 22, 2010 8:49 pm
Contact:

Re: A Newbie Equipment

Post by steve crawshaw »

If I was starting again I would probably go BIAB (brew in a bag). buy a bag, a 50L or 33L stainless pot with a heating element and tap and then you can boil and mash in the same vessel. It is just as good as a 3 vessel system for a homebrewer. You can buy fermenting vessels from wilko. A stainless racking cane from brewbuilder and silicon hose mean that you can sanitise with heat. You will need some starsan and PBW to sanitise and clean. Many brewers now don't chill their wort after boiling, they just run the hot wort into a plastic jerrycan and let it cool naturally, fermenting it later. It works for many, but not all styles, saves water and means you don't have to buy an immersion chiller.
So, buy good kit, but keep it simple, brew in a bag, no chill and you can always buy more gear once you get addicted (but it won't necessarily make you a better brewer!)

cheers
steve
I like to keep a bottle of stimulant handy in case I see a snake, which I also keep handy.
User avatar
Jeltz69
Posts: 271
Joined: Thu Sep 05, 2013 5:21 pm
Location: Radstock
Contact:

Re: A Newbie Equipment

Post by Jeltz69 »

as Steve says BIAB but go for 50L not 33L. 33 is where I started and I had far too many messy boil overs!

What you need is

- stock pot
- element
- grain bag
- tap or siphon
- some insulation for the stock pot for mashing.

If you decide to move onto 3 vessel afterwards than the boiler will still be part of your setup.
Retrolamp
Posts: 14
Joined: Wed Oct 28, 2015 3:24 pm

Re: A Newbie Equipment

Post by Retrolamp »

Thank you all,

I keep changing direction with this and needed guiding. To speak to brew builder again :)

Phil
User avatar
I_used_to_brew
Posts: 2356
Joined: Sat Nov 20, 2010 1:06 pm

Re: A Newbie Equipment

Post by I_used_to_brew »

Make some more kits, try better quality kits. If it is l*ger that you like then you really need to practice and get the fermentation just perfect, likewise the bottling. (l*ger just does not work in a plastic keg).

After that, get a boiler, 50L sounds ok. Kits benefit from a brief boil too, during which you can add flavour and aroma hops. Perhaps try extract brewing, formulate your own recipes. Learn how to chill wort with an immersion chiller.

If you still like brewing then full volume mashing (BIAB) is a good step forward.

Would I suggest moving to all-grain straight away? Not a chance.
darrenw
Posts: 191
Joined: Tue Apr 09, 2013 10:17 pm
Location: Bristol

Re: A Newbie Equipment

Post by darrenw »

I'm selling a mash tun, just a insulated cool box, but its a good little masher....
Darren
----
Post Reply