If it's Heineken you like Sandy, then a good way to get into these beer taps is to start with the Sub. I bought one over the PD at the time because the Torps are smaller than PD barrels and with me working away, I knew I could get through them quickly enough once opened and not leave them for longer than the 30 days. Obviously I don't like wasting a good beer The Sub machines are around £100 and the Torps are about £8 on average so they are well priced and the drinks are quality. https://www.beerwulf.com/en-gb/the-sub
Years ago, when I first ventured into home brewing, I tried buying the hops and cans of malt seperate. Then I tried the ready mixed cans of hop flavoured malt. But in bottles the beer always had an unpleasant snap to it; an aftertaste. Later I put it into barrels and the beer was (I’ve been told) professional standard.
Now you’ve got me thinking - and it hurts! I hate having to make decisions. Used to make them on the hoof, dozen times a day when I was working; now I’m hopeless.
Pregabalin? Don’t know where that came from. Sorry Pregabalin. It’s done it again! Sorry Pre-hab. Although, if you like the new name just remember that I own the copyright!
10 pints in akeg mate, so about 30 quid a keg, less a fiver back on empties, so about £2.50 a pint. Half the pub prices these days.
Is it easy to make? I like the look of that stout, tempted to have a bash. A 40 pint bucket, some bottles and the stout kit....is that it?
The range do a really good brew bucket . Bigger than most at 32ltr which gives more head space so less likely to foam out of the airlock when fermenting, and top quality for a tenner. If they still do it. You need an airlock. A syphon tube and save some fizzy pop bottles (free) (don't bother with a barrel, they're crap, and bottles fit in the fridge lol. A long plastic spoon or paddle to stir it. And Milton sanitizer for babies bottles is good for sanitising equipment. Wilko's is decent for kits and equipment. some online sellers are better. You can buy a full starter kit off them. Yes it is easy. The most important thing is cleaning and sanitising equipment. Ps, that was either a Wilko's chocolate stout or a Cooper's Irish stout. You can either use normal sugar, dextrose or liquid malt for fermentation. I use the latter two for better body, head and taste . I use normal sugar for carbonation. I have another bucket with a tap I rack off the beer too with around 170gm sugar to secondary ferment to add carbonation. I fit a bottling wand to the tap to make bottling easy peasy Pps, look on Facebook sales for 2nd hand equipment.
Cheers for the info mate, appreciated. There is a Range and a Wilko nearby so will have a look, there is also a local shop (Boyes) which sells home brew stuff, so will have a look there as well. Just never crossed my mind to have a go myself. My Dad used to make it when I was in my teens....I just used to drink it, had no interest in how it got there.
Me grandad in Shields made saki, Banana wine, sherry, I used to get pìssed on it as a kid at times lol. He used to put the Demi johns by the coal fire hearth, and home made stotties . It was the memories got me into it. Have a look at some YouTube videos mate. It is easy. Basically clean and sanitise. pour the tin of liquid in. Water. Sugar. Good stir. Right temperature. Pitch the yeast. Lid and airlock on. Away you go. Ok not that simple but basic idea. You don't have to rack off to another bucket. But if you go straight to bottles you have to prime each bottle instead of all the sugar in the rack barrel, And you'll get more yeast transfer.
30p a pint for me Yes, the 2ltr ones or 1.5/1.75ltr coke bottles. Coke ones are good/thicker. Just make sure they are for fizzy drinks. I bought a load of those sparkling water bottles from Morrisons. https://groceries.morrisons.com/pro...g-raspberry-blackberry-spring-water-112024011 The grandson drank the water They're 1ltr so don't normally bother now as 2ltr means less bottling. Their still water bottles are the same. But 2ltr are easily obtained off friends etc. I have a device you press the bottles on to squirt sanitiser inside and a bottle tree to stack them upside down and drain. Them and the bottling wand make bottling a whole lot easier as its a pain in the arse, Milton takes 15 minutes to sterilise and you don't have to rinse. Be aware, I say it's easy, and it is, but you have to take things like temperature into account. Too cold and the fermentation won't start. Too warm and it can spoil the taste dramatically. Get a cheap bottle brush to clean inside bottles too.
Yeah mate I never bottled Just used the gas cylinder into the barrel then tap into glass Superb I’m not being no more I put on too much weight I’ll stick to pubs and garden drinking You enjoy mate
I've got a barrel but they leak gas. Even expensive ones are a pita. And unless you have a dedicated fridge to fit it in yer fooked unlike pop bottles. Kegs are the way to go but expensive initially. Although there's a good place online to buy reconditioned ones. Here @Snaggey Notice she uses a tapped bucket and bottles straight from that. I don't for three reasons. 1, the tap can leak if the seal isn't seated right. 2 she will have to measure out sugar for each bottle for carbonation whereas i just dissolve one whole measurement into the tap bucket I rack off into. 3 by racking off there's less yeast if you're careful and more beer as the tap is set upwards from the base. I tip it up towards tap when bottling to get most beer out. If you did that with the yeast in it would mix into the last few bottles. You will get a bit of yeast but the trick is to pour the bottle slowly and don't glug it. And deffo don't shake them Ps. Take no notice of her "7 days to ferment". It can be anything from 3 to 14 days I always leave it about 2-3weeks. But no more than 4.
nig is posting some good advice regarding home brew, take note people if you fancy trying it. i think he basically covers this but just to spell it out, never be tempted to bottle/barrel it too soon, i always left a couple extra days to allow more sediment to settle...after that it is all about getting it into the bottles/barrel without disturbing it, believe me, those extra couple of days can make a big difference to how much 'mush' is floating around, how long a bottle will take to clear and how much is likely to get agitated and mix with the ale, that is when you get that really bitter after-taste. never ever scrimp on the cleaning side, i know nig covered this but it cannot be stressed too often, as soon as you empty something, clean it out. barrels, easier and far less clart on than individual bottles (i was always told to use beer bottles not pop bottles, something to do with the pressure building up and pop bottles 'blowing') but they can be a pain to get clean...i had 4 barrels on the go with injectors to put a bit 'fizz' into the ales, forget it as once the barrel started to empty it seemed all you did was put air into the space rather than the ale, stuck with the barrels without the injectors and my usual tipples were lager, beer and always a cider on the go to mix my own snakebites while the missus did a lot of wines using those '5 tropical fruit' drinks. cant say i ever got a 'great' tasting ale but it all went down well at the parties...or when all else had ran out.
