advise for beginner

pelliven

Hi all,
After stumbling across a thread from this forum last week,an interest in homebrewing was the outcome.I read through all of the threads and decided to get the equipment ready for my first brew.
I went with the starter kit from thehomebrewcompany.ie and a 3kg Muntons gold continental pilsner beerkit.
I`m not going to use the sanitizer that came with the kit instead opting for the no rinse 30ml thin bleach and 30ml vinegar solution( hopefully limiting off tastes from poorly rinsed equipment ).
Before i get started i`m just looking for last minute advice
1) is it alright to use tap water if there is a lot of lime in it?
2) should the starting gravity reading be taken just after adding the
yeast or after fermentation has begun?
Any helpfull advise or comments welcomed

Mantel

pelliven wrote: »

2) should the starting gravity reading be taken just after adding the yeast or after fermentation has begun?
Any helpfull advise or comments welcomed

Just before adding the yeast, you want to get a reading of how much sugar/ferment-ables you have before fermentation starts changing it all in to alcohol.

pelliven

Thanks Mantel

Saruman

pelliven wrote: »

1) is it alright to use tap water if there is a lot of lime in it?

Tapwater is fine. You only need to worry about your water chemistry when you start more advanced brewing and even then it is only if you become anal and a perfectionist.

pelliven

cheers Saruman. going to go ahead and start tonight then

rubadub

Lime would not worry me much, chlorine is more of a worry, in the summer esp. when reservoirs are low they can add lots of chlorine, you can let your water stand, boil it, filter it, or put a campden tablet in it while standing to try and dissipate the chlorine.

Chlorined water can give a TCP taste to your beer

pelliven

Thanks for the advice Rubadub.Thought i`d play it safe and use bottled water. Started yesterday at noon and as yet haven`t heard a bubble. Not too worried as there seems to be a healthy 2" head on the beer mix. Will try my own tap water with the next attempt, (is there a test i can do to check chlorine levels).
Also can anyone recommend me a good tasting 3kg kit for the next brew.

Saruman

Not necessary but if you can get it cheap then go for it.
As Rubadub says, a campden tablet will clear out the chlorine and chloramine. Boiling alone will clear out the chlorine.

If you are worried, get a water filter system.