Homebrew Beer Howto

oblivious

cyborg wrote: »

Found a source of swing top bottles,anybody used them?
http://www.alpack.ie/Beer_BottlesSwing_topGrolsch_Bottles/Default.292.html

Green bottle are any better the clean for skunking your beer

BeerNut

cyborg wrote: »

Found a source of swing top bottles,anybody used them?
http://www.alpack.ie/Beer_BottlesSwing_topGrolsch_Bottles/Default.292.html

The picture looks like green glass but the spec sheet says they're brown.

They look exactly like the ones Carlow used for their Celebration Stout.

kaimera

have a couple of the swing top bottles at home; bought the pils just for the bottles

BaZmO*

The picture looks like brown glass on my screen.

Can anybody buy these bottles or do they only sell to businesses? Great find if Joe Public can buy them. I'd definitely pick up a crate

Saruman

They were one of my customers in my last job, not sure if they sell to anyone but in this economic climate they would be mad to refuse business.

BaZmO*

True, although I looked around the site and they say that they are open to the public. I also just copped that the bottles are 750ml. I'd only want the 500ml type which they do but only in clear glass. Might email them and ask if they can get the 500ml in brown glass.

Saruman

How about Ikea? I know they do 750ml clear ones but has anyone been and seen what else they have? Otherwise HBC has them, but at the moment they are out of stock.

The other option and most fun is to get beer that happens to be in a swingtop.

BaZmO*

The ones on HBC are too expensive imo. But I have been collecting them through your other suggestion, although I'm starting to get a bit sick of Flensburger at this stage!

good one

Just bought the 750ml swing top bottles from Alpack ltd. on Friday last. Going to brew some cider. Brown bottles with heavy duty swing top. They are good heavy duty bottles. Will be easily capable of taking any pressure builld up:rolleyes:

The clear bottles appear to be not as strong as the brown bottles, also the wire for the cap is not as strong. I've bought the swing top bottles from IKEA but they are only light compared to the Alpack brown bottles.
Alpack supply to joe public , just pay the VAT. Don't think there is a minimum quanity requirement.
Nice friendly people.
Think they may close early on a Friday afternoon.

Wallacebiy

BaZmO* wrote: »

The ones on HBC are too expensive imo. But I have been collecting them through your other suggestion, although I'm starting to get a bit sick of Flensburger at this stage!

Order some from Beerangel.de good range of beers with fliptops there

Watch out for your weight when ordering , up to 20kGs is a fixed cost , and then every ten kgs block after that is fixed , ( I managed to get about 22 bottles of beer from them for about 47 euro , 12 different fliptop beers in that )

BaZmO*

Wallacebiy wrote: »

Order some from Beerangel.de good range of beers with fliptops there

Watch out for your weight when ordering , up to 20kGs is a fixed cost , and then every ten kgs block after that is fixed , ( I managed to get about 22 bottles of beer from them for about 47 euro , 12 different fliptop beers in that )

Yeah I was looking into that. I saw the thread on ICB. The beer is quite cheap but the delivery is quite expensive, although it still works out cheaper per bottle to get it delivered to Ireland. I think 30 bottles is the cut off point.

Wallacebiy

BaZmO* wrote: »

Yeah I was looking into that. I saw the thread on ICB. The beer is quite cheap but the delivery is quite expensive, although it still works out cheaper per bottle to get it delivered to Ireland. I think 30 bottles is the cut off point.

Or 4 Partykegs ( 20 L of beer )

YourName

I'm new to home brewing, and I did my first batch on Saturday. So far its going pretty well (I think), its bubbling every 10-15 seconds, which means something is happening in the fermenter.

I bought my kit from home brew west, and got on pretty well when making it first, I watched a few tutorials online and stuff and they really helped. The only thing is that I didn't take a measurement form the hydrometer before I closed the top so obviously I won't be able to find out the alcohol content when its finished, but I won't forget the next time. I do have a few questions though.

Now granted I have only went through a few pages of this thread so far, but I will go through the rest over the next few days and try pick up a few tips.

How do I use the hydrometer??? Everywhere I look for an explanation seems to presume that you should already know how to do it.

There is all this talk about syphoning on this forum, I didn't get this bit of equipment with my kit, do I need it?? I got a "little bottler" with my kit and I just thought I could just pop this into the bottle and that was it, do I need to syphon??? Whats the difference???

I plan on picking up a few bottles tomorrow, do pubs mind you getting them off them??? Other than that I will just have to wait around outside the bottle bank and grab a few there??? I have the capper and caps on there way from the UK so they should be here in time.

So time-wise, when should I bottle the beer??? Should I take my first measurement next Saturday and then my second measurement on Monday and bottle then if they are the same??? Granted that I don't have a second drum to put it in for a while and I am worried about leaving it in the fermenter for too long.

Sorry for all the questions, I hope somebody doesn't mind answering them.

BeerNut

YourName wrote: »

How do I use the hydrometer???

Presumably you got a trial jar with your set-up: a tall thin beaker. You fill this three quarters with beer (taking care to sanitise it if you're dunking it in the fermenter, though you'll probably just use your tap), then float the hydrometer and read the line at the surface of the liquid. Check the temperature of your sample too, as hydrometers are calibrated to work at 20 degrees and you may need to adjust the reading to allow for a different temperature, using a calculator. Though you don't need a precise reading if you're not calculating the ABV, you'll just be watching for change.

YourName wrote: »

do I need to syphon???

If your fermenter has a tap then you won't need to syphon.

YourName wrote: »

do pubs mind you getting them off them???

There's a deposit on pint bottles, but they should be fine about non-returnables.

YourName wrote: »

I am worried about leaving it in the fermenter for too long.

Don't be. Three weeks is normal. Take your first reading on Saturday, then a few more over the following week. I wouldn't be even thinking about bottling until the week after.

YourName wrote: »

Sorry for all the questions, I hope somebody doesn't mind answering them.

No worries. There's a good article on the basics of kit brewing here, and it has a link in it to another about bottling.

YourName

BeerNut wrote: »

Don't be. Three weeks is normal. Take your first reading on Saturday, then a few more over the following week. I wouldn't be even thinking about bottling until the week after.

So I won't be bottling for 3 weeks??? That's perfect then, loads more time to pick up a few bottles. Now the instructions that came with the mix says that I need to bottle after 4 days if I kept it at around 25 degrees and if it was at around 20 degrees then I need to bottle after 6 days.Should I just go by the "tried and tested" (i.e. yours) recommendations then???

Thanks for giving me a hand with this.

slayerking

YourName wrote: »

So I won't be bottling for 3 weeks??? That's perfect then, loads more time to pick up a few bottles. Now the instructions that came with the mix says that I need to bottle after 4 days if I kept it at around 25 degrees and if it was at around 20 degrees then I need to bottle after 6 days.Should I just go by the "tried and tested" (i.e. yours) recommendations then???

Thanks for giving me a hand with this.

You'd be better keeping the kit below 20 if possible, that way you'll get a cleaner tasting beer and less funky flavours from the yeast.
25 degrees is very high. The tried and tested is the way to go, 3 weeks should be ok. If you bottle too soon you could have over fizzy beer/a few bottle bombs!! Best be sure fermentation has stopped totally before you bottle.

What kit is it that you brewed?


P.S welcome to the obsession!!;)

YourName

slayerking wrote: »

You'd be better keeping the kit below 20 if possible, that way you'll get a cleaner tasting beer and less funky flavours from the yeast.
25 degrees is very high. The tried and tested is the way to go, 3 weeks should be ok. If you bottle too soon you could have over fizzy beer/a few bottle bombs!! Best be sure fermentation has stopped totally before you bottle.

What kit is it that you brewed?


P.S welcome to the obsession!!;)

Oh ok, I didn't realize, I was keeping it in the hot press (even though your not supposed too), because we have a fairly big one and down the end at the bottom the temperature didn't really fluctuate, its staying at 24 degrees, should I take it out of there, because I have another place for it that will keep it at a regular 21 degrees, its just that the kit told me to keep it at them temperatures so I wasn't sure but of course I am sure there are better ways of doing this. Now I had it in the room last night and it went from 24 degrees down to 20 overnight then I put it in the hot press this morning, so its been at 24 all day, if I moved it out again am I moving it around too much and changing the temperature too much???

I got this kit: http://homebrewwest.ie/homebrewwest-brew-smart-starter-beer-kit-245-p.asp

And it came with coopers original lager, from experience does this taste any good???

Is there any reason why they recommend 4 - 6 days????

Yeh I'm hooked now, its a real interesting process though and I am looking forward to the result.

BeerNut

YourName wrote: »

Now the instructions that came with the mix says that I need to bottle after 4 days if I kept it at around 25 degrees

Those Cooper's kits really should come with instructions for people who don't live in Australia :rolleyes:

YourName wrote: »

should I take it out of there

YES! Immediately. Beer ferments best at about 18 degrees; above 20 and you risk nasty flavours, especially if you're making a "lager" where there are no strong flavours for the funk to hide behind.

YourName wrote: »

if I moved it out again am I moving it around too much and changing the temperature too much???

No, temperature fluctuations aren't a problem per se, just never let your beer get too warm.

YourName wrote: »

from experience does this taste any good???

I've tasted a couple of these and they've all been awful. "Lager" kits are a bit of a scam as it's impossible to make anything resembling commercial lager without some fairly involved temperature control gear. Real lager ferments around 12 degrees, so they give you an ale yeast with these kits. You're making a blonde ale rather than a lager.

I take it you added sugar, as per the instructions?

Next time I'd recommend going with a 3kg kit in a more forgiving style, like a stout or an ale.

Saruman

The best piece of advice for kit brewing when you start out is do not follow the kit instructions. I found this out after my first brew and did it my own way from then on.

Follow these instructions from the ICB site and you can't go wrong.

BaZmO*

Saruman wrote: »

The best piece of advice for kit brewing when you start out is do not follow the kit instructions. I found this out after my first brew and did it my own way from then on.

I've never done a Kit Brew, but why are their instructions so bad? A mate of mine did his first brew recently using a kit and made a mess of it after following the instructions.

Surely the companies must know by now that the instructions aren't great?

BeerNut

Saruman wrote: »

you can't go wrong.

Not a guarantee.

Saruman

Probably down to limited space for the instructions, plus they are generic so the instructions are the same for all styles of beer.

The biggest thing I found with kit instructions was fermentation time. It said to transfer to bottles after 7 days but that is too young even for a kit in my oppinion so I left my kits for a few weeks after my first batch and they turned out great, then again I did some kit hacking so I changed things like yeast, added specialty hop/grain bags etc.

Patience is the best thing to learn when brewing. Stick it in the fermenter and forget about it for a few weeks. Resist the temptation to lift the lid

BeerNut wrote: »

Not a guarantee.

True... less likely then to go wrong

ManFromAtlantis

just brewing first ever cider. the amount of sediment that has gone into the bottles is worrying. prob my own fault as the siphon tube was prob too far down into where the sediment was sitting at the bottom of the demijohn. (there was alot of sediment there 1" thick !!, maybe should have sived better)

anyhow, we are where we are my question is , is the sediment a big concern. is it bad for taste/heath/ etc or just ok.
all bottled now and capped.

thanks for any advice.

BeerNut

It's packed full of vitamin B and very good for you. And if you like the smell of your own farts, well then you're laughing.

Don't worry about it, if the sediment is spoiling the flavour just pour carefully and leave a little bit of liquid in the bottle.

YourName

Thanks for all the advice, I have moved it into the other room now, so hopefully it should be OK and I haven't ruined it already, I will just leave it now for 2 weeks and hope for the best.

When this is finished fermenting and I have eventually bottled the beer I am hoping to put another batch on, since somebody has said here that it won't taste too good then what do you guys recommend for my next batch, where can I get it as paying 7 euro for delivering one tin doesn't seem justified, as some of the websites are charging that, regardless of weight. So what do you guys recommend???

BeerNut

YourName wrote: »

paying 7 euro for delivering one tin doesn't seem justified

So get a few. And get some spraymalt. And the second bin you need. There's no real bricks-and-mortar alternative, though I think TheHomeBrewCompany.ie does a collection option, if going to Mountmellick is easier.

Good kits I've tasted include Wherry and Nelson's Revenge by Woodforde's, or Munton's Connoisseur Stout.

YourName

BeerNut wrote: »

So get a few. And get some spraymalt. And the second bin you need. There's no real bricks-and-mortar alternative, though I think TheHomeBrewCompany.ie does a collection option, if going to Mountmellick is easier.

Good kits I've tasted include Wherry and Nelson's Revenge by Woodforde's, or Munton's Connoisseur Stout.

Thats good thinking actually, I could do with a few extra things too so maybe the 7 euro will work out at a good price in the end. I am liking the sound of the "Wherry" and "Munton's Connoisseur Stout" that you suggested, I think I will take your word on them and pick them up.

By the sound of it the spraymalt is much better than just sugar, so I think I will pick that up too.

The second bin that I need, will I get one with a tap on it yeh, I don't like the sound of this syphoning to be honest. So when the beer is fermented would I just transfer it into the second bin through the tap on my first bin and then let it sit for a while. Then I can bottle the beer through the tap and "little bottler" from the second bin when I want to???

BeerNut

YourName wrote: »

So when the beer is fermented would I just transfer it into the second bin through the tap on my first bin and then let it sit for a while.

Why are you transferring it? If it's for a secondary fermentation, then it's not really necessary, but no harm. If it's to use as a bottling bucket, with a priming solution, then you don't let it sit, you bottle immediately. More on bottling buckets in this guide.

There are two reasons why you would siphon rather than using a fermentor with a tap: First of all, once fermentation has started you should not splash your beer -- you splash it as much as possible before adding the yeast to get oxygen in, but if you splash it afterwards you'll get stale flavours, so if you're transferring from a tap you'll need to attach a siphon tube to it anyway so the beer runs out into the bottom of the second bucket. Secondly, a tap is somewhere else that bugs can hide -- the awkward corners can be difficult to clean which could make your beer more prone to infection during fermentation.

Just some stuff to think about, but it's up to you.

YourName

BeerNut wrote: »

Why are you transferring it? If it's for a secondary fermentation, then it's not really necessary, but no harm. If it's to use as a bottling bucket, with a priming solution, then you don't let it sit, you bottle immediately. More on bottling buckets in this guide.

There are two reasons why you would siphon rather than using a fermentor with a tap: First of all, once fermentation has started you should not splash your beer -- you splash it as much as possible before adding the yeast to get oxygen in, but if you splash it afterwards you'll get stale flavours, so if you're transferring from a tap you'll need to attach a siphon tube to it anyway so the beer runs out into the bottom of the second bucket. Secondly, a tap is somewhere else that bugs can hide -- the awkward corners can be difficult to clean which could make your beer more prone to infection during fermentation.

Just some stuff to think about, but it's up to you.

Grand, good stuff, well I am going to put an order in over the next few days and I will give it a shot, the syphoning doesn't seem to bad with a bit of practice.

So my first batch has been doing its stuff since Saturday morning, and I have been checking it daily since then. So obviously fermentation was very quick at the start. The air lock was bubbling every 10 seconds on Sunday, and then every 20 seconds yesterday, today its bubbling once a minute, so obviously the fermentation seems to be slowing down (I know this isn't a good way of measuring it but it is the only way you can figure anything out at the moment), is this a good sign??? Normal sign???

Thanks for all the links by the way "BeerNut", they are very helpful and well explained.

BaZmO*

BeerNut wrote: »

Why are you transferring it? If it's for a secondary fermentation, then it's not really necessary, but no harm. If it's to use as a bottling bucket, with a priming solution, then you don't let it sit, you bottle immediately.

I think that's one of the confusing parts of the instructions on certain kits. It's not clear that when you prime the fermented beer it should go straight into bottles. The mate I was talking about earlier primed all his beer and left it in the sealed bucket. Then his mate opened it to have a look into it and released all the built up CO2 that would of carbonated the beer had it of been bottled.