Advice on Lager / Beer kit.

Lazy Bhoy

I am just a beginner to home brewing and am in the middle of doing my first cider kit (Mangrove Jacks apple).


I know that I will like this cider if it turns out properly because a friend of mine brews it all of the time and I have drank it before.


But I want to brew another kit with a friend who is also a beginner and the problem is that he does not know which one to try. He always drinks Spaten beer which I think he gets in Aldi.


Is anybody else here familiar with that brand of beer? If so, could you recommend a kit that would provide similar enough results? I have drank Spaten before myself but I wouldn't have a clue what kit would be similar.

TomOnBoard

Lazy Bhoy wrote: »

I am just a beginner to home brewing and am in the middle of doing my first cider kit (Mangrove Jacks apple).


I know that I will like this cider if it turns out properly because a friend of mine brews it all of the time and I have drank it before.


But I want to brew another kit with a friend who is also a beginner and the problem is that he does not know which one to try. He always drinks Spaten beer which I think he gets in Aldi.


Is anybody else here familiar with that brand of beer? If so, could you recommend a kit that would provide similar enough results? I have drank Spaten before myself but I wouldn't have a clue what kit would be similar.

A Spaten is basically a Helles premium lager from Munich. So that's the ballpark you'll be aiming for in terms of a kit.

If yeer new to brewing, taking on a Helles lager in the height of summer might be quite a big ask. Maybe it would be best to start out on something else that he'll still enjoy that will be less challenging at temperatures in the 15-20+ range, and plan to brew the Helles in November?

Classic IPAs, NEIPAs and Porters/Stouts are easier to manage than lagers at this time of the year, unless you have refrigerated fermentation available.

BeerNut

Yeah, you're not going to be able to brew anything like Spaten from a kit starting out. I've had fairly decent results with the basic Cooper's Lager kit, but as Tom says, you want to be doing darker and stronger styles while you're getting your process dialled in.

Lazy Bhoy

Thanks for the advice guys.


Just shows how much I have still to learn.

But sure it's all part of the process.


I will suggest trying another kit to see what he thinks.
At least my drink (apple cider) seems to be easy enough to do at the moment so that will do me.



Speaking of which, is it best to use a heating source in the winter. I have seen both heating plates and heating belts online.


Which work best? and what stage of the year would I need them in this country? I was thinking around October onward but I could be wrong.

BeerNut

If you have central heating then you don't need a heating source. I've fermented beers perfectly happily in rooms that are 10C and below. By and large, low temperatures don't cause problems (though you may need to allow extra time) but high temperatures do cause problems, so a heating source is more likely to ruin your beer than to save it.