hey peeps
So..
you have decided to have a go at making home brew.
so where do you start? what do you need? and most importantly how much will it cost?
well if your just starting out there seems to be a lot of things you need?
demi johns, thermometers, sterlizing solution, hydrometers ect
well over time you will collect bits and bobs but for the cheapest option
all you will need is a food grade container with a lid.
This could be a large jar, mayo bucket or an official demijohn.
food grade plastic is simple to find.
if you take a look at various drinks bottles you will see somewhere on it a triangle with a number 1 in it. thats food grade plastic.
I STRONGLY ADVISE NOT TO USE ANYTHING OTHER THAN FOOD GRADE PLASTIC
Why? other plastics that arn't food grade can and do have things in them that can leach out of the plastic into your brew!
these are usually harmful e.g. heavy metals
plus a plastic tasting brew isn't appealing.
for starting I would suggest going to your local supermarket and getting a 5 liter bottle of spring water.
They are about a pound and are perfect for making home brew as they are the same as the 6 or 7 pound plastic demijohns you see on ebay or at a homebrew shop, even better they come with water in it so you can use for your brew.
and are pre sterilized for your 1st go.
WATER
There are alot of people who only use distilled water or filtered water when making home brew.
they say the taste is off or the yeast doesn't like the chemicals in tap water.
well i've tried using bottled water/ distilled water and tap water and as long as it is drinkable it works the same.
Cornish water is divine to the taste and has no lime in it and the water in linconshire has quite a lot of lime in it so i tend to mix squash in it to hide the shitty taste but both have worked with no problems fermenting some lovely wines & beers.
but its up to you.
air locks
airlocks are used to keep out air from your brew and the beasties who love nothing more than you have a drink of your stash usually killing them selves in the process spoiling your brew.
They are a one off investment and well worth the money.
£3-5 for 2
for the cheap and the skint there are 2 options if you cant afford them or just dont want to.
make a hole in the cap the same size as a piece tube or a straw.
put the tube/ straw in the cap and the other end into a glass of water making sure the end in the water will stay submerged
you've just made an air lock! pat on the back!
the only real other thing you need is yeast
depending on where you go to get yeast there are quite a few options.
wine yeast, beer yeast, cider yeast, high alcohol yeast ect.
too many to list here. I have found that a universal wine yeast is a good all rounder.
I have made more than few cracking ciders, beers and wines with this.
there will be some who will argue that you need beer yeast for beer ect but lets keep it simple. it works and the results are good and its cheap.
you can opt to use free wild yeast but the results can be hit and miss. if you go to the trouble of making a brew you want to be sure you make alcohol and not vinegar or mould.
cider ( hard cider for my American readers) is the only exception to this rule as usually only wild yeast is used. (more on that later)
so you have your container of a description, an air lock of a type and some yeast
check you. now your ready to give it a bash.
if you went for the cheap option 5 liter water bottle and a straw in a glass of water and some yeast it will have set you back
say £3 at most and if you got a real air lock £6-7 for the lot.
not too bad.
theres just one more thing you will need to get something to sterilize your container if you already have one and after you have made your 1st brew.
there are cleaners that you can get from the brew shops and they are only £3 or £4
but baby bottle sterilizing tablets at £1 ish work very well or unscented bleach at 30p for 2 liters also works.
about 20ml per gallon seems to do the trick, leave for 30mins, just make sure you rinse it out well.
bleach isn't tasty.
to all that worries about ingesting bleach, at these concentrations once washed out its safe to use.
so next is making your 1st batch.
So..
you have decided to have a go at making home brew.
so where do you start? what do you need? and most importantly how much will it cost?
well if your just starting out there seems to be a lot of things you need?
demi johns, thermometers, sterlizing solution, hydrometers ect
well over time you will collect bits and bobs but for the cheapest option
all you will need is a food grade container with a lid.
This could be a large jar, mayo bucket or an official demijohn.
food grade plastic is simple to find.
if you take a look at various drinks bottles you will see somewhere on it a triangle with a number 1 in it. thats food grade plastic.
I STRONGLY ADVISE NOT TO USE ANYTHING OTHER THAN FOOD GRADE PLASTIC
Why? other plastics that arn't food grade can and do have things in them that can leach out of the plastic into your brew!
these are usually harmful e.g. heavy metals
plus a plastic tasting brew isn't appealing.
for starting I would suggest going to your local supermarket and getting a 5 liter bottle of spring water.
They are about a pound and are perfect for making home brew as they are the same as the 6 or 7 pound plastic demijohns you see on ebay or at a homebrew shop, even better they come with water in it so you can use for your brew.
and are pre sterilized for your 1st go.
WATER
There are alot of people who only use distilled water or filtered water when making home brew.
they say the taste is off or the yeast doesn't like the chemicals in tap water.
well i've tried using bottled water/ distilled water and tap water and as long as it is drinkable it works the same.
Cornish water is divine to the taste and has no lime in it and the water in linconshire has quite a lot of lime in it so i tend to mix squash in it to hide the shitty taste but both have worked with no problems fermenting some lovely wines & beers.
but its up to you.
air locks
airlocks are used to keep out air from your brew and the beasties who love nothing more than you have a drink of your stash usually killing them selves in the process spoiling your brew.
They are a one off investment and well worth the money.
£3-5 for 2
for the cheap and the skint there are 2 options if you cant afford them or just dont want to.
make a hole in the cap the same size as a piece tube or a straw.
put the tube/ straw in the cap and the other end into a glass of water making sure the end in the water will stay submerged
you've just made an air lock! pat on the back!
the only real other thing you need is yeast
depending on where you go to get yeast there are quite a few options.
wine yeast, beer yeast, cider yeast, high alcohol yeast ect.
too many to list here. I have found that a universal wine yeast is a good all rounder.
I have made more than few cracking ciders, beers and wines with this.
there will be some who will argue that you need beer yeast for beer ect but lets keep it simple. it works and the results are good and its cheap.
you can opt to use free wild yeast but the results can be hit and miss. if you go to the trouble of making a brew you want to be sure you make alcohol and not vinegar or mould.
cider ( hard cider for my American readers) is the only exception to this rule as usually only wild yeast is used. (more on that later)
so you have your container of a description, an air lock of a type and some yeast
check you. now your ready to give it a bash.
if you went for the cheap option 5 liter water bottle and a straw in a glass of water and some yeast it will have set you back
say £3 at most and if you got a real air lock £6-7 for the lot.
not too bad.
theres just one more thing you will need to get something to sterilize your container if you already have one and after you have made your 1st brew.
there are cleaners that you can get from the brew shops and they are only £3 or £4
but baby bottle sterilizing tablets at £1 ish work very well or unscented bleach at 30p for 2 liters also works.
about 20ml per gallon seems to do the trick, leave for 30mins, just make sure you rinse it out well.
bleach isn't tasty.
to all that worries about ingesting bleach, at these concentrations once washed out its safe to use.
so next is making your 1st batch.
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