Any one ever used this kit before??

bluepencil

Hello

I want to buy my dh a brew your own beer kit for his 40th bday as i know its something he wants to do... i'm looking at this one??

http://www.homebrewwest.ie/coopers-diy-beer-kit-new-with-vwp-sterilizer-246-p.asp

or this one as it has a a 'red brew belt' whatever that is but i must need it???

http://www.homebrewwest.ie/coopers-diy-beer-kit-new-with-vwp-sterilizer-red-brewbelt-965-p.asp

or this looks cool

http://www.homebrewwest.ie/brewsmarter-premium-starter-beer-kit-best-value-844-p.asp

any one with expertise is it any good... do i need any thing else if i buy this or can he start straight away...

also do you get barrels for them and what would they be like
it seems reasonable enough and it is only 4.95 delivery

i don't want to pick him one and then him not be able to use it as stuff is missing...
Thanks in advance for your help

Khannie

I'm not into beer, so I can't really help you there, but....

bluepencil wrote: »

or this one as it has a a 'red brew belt' whatever that is but i must need it???

A brew belt is something that you use to regulate the temperature of the beer while it's fermenting. If you're brewing in your house and the house is reasonably warm, you probably don't need it (it can speed up fermentation too, but this isn't necessarily super news ).

Cool gift though! Good luck with it. Someone with better beer brewing knowledge than me will be along soon.

Also....welcome to boards.

Krusty_Clown

Hi Bluepencil, the three kits you linked to all come with PET plastic bottles, which are perfect for starting out. Kegs (barrels) are something that your other half could investigate at a later stage, once the hobby has really kicked in, but it isn't really something you need to invest in up-front.

All of those three kits are complete, and come with everything you/he might need to start brewing. Once you have a couple of batches done, you'll probably want to invest in additional kit, such as:
A second fermenter
A better thermometer
Things to speed up cleaning/sanitizing
Kegs (at some point)
Cappers (for real bottles)
etc.


The kit I bought was the third link you provided and I have found it to be very good. It does come with a brew belt, which you really don't need (though I did use mine in the depths of winter, just to raise the temperature of the wort (beer in the fermenter) by one or two degrees (which I could just have as easily accomplished with a blanket).

BeerNut

The Coopers DIY set is quite swish and has pretty much everything you need to start (I wouldn't bother with the brewbelt). The biggest downside is that the kit it comes with is quite poor and it's unfortunate to put all that effort into your first brew, getting everything right, and ending up with mediocre beer at the end. If going with it I'd suggest getting an extra kit too. The Coopers IPA, maybe. There's also this set, which comes complete with one of the best quality kits available.

Note that the Coopers sets appear to be out of stock on HomeBrewWest at the moment.

The instructions with the Coopers set aren't great, but at least there are instructions, and they will produce beer if followed. I would suggest pointing the recipient in this direction, or to one of the many other quality homebrew forums on the web, for answers to any questions when getting ready to brew. There's a very good guide to kit brewing for beginners here -- much better than any official instructions.

You can get barrels like this or this but I've never known anyone to be really happy with them. People who want their beer on draught at home tend to use corneys, but setting them up is a whole separate project.

viper123

My first kit was the exact one from Homebrewwest and they had no problem letting me pick any kit from the shelf to include with it rather than the one that came in the parcel. If you're ordering it of them it's probably a good idea to drop them an email first to see if they still do that...

bluepencil

Thanks so much for your help... i won't get the barrel so...i'll test his home brew first i'm looking forward to it.. how long roughly should we be waiting for his first taste after brewing

BeerNut

bluepencil wrote: »

how long roughly should we be waiting for his first taste after brewing

I'd suggest five weeks: two weeks of fermentation, three weeks conditioning in the bottle.