Complete Newbie Here

[Baldrick]

Hello Everyone

I'm a complete newbie to homebrew, and think I am in serious need of advice & guidance......
Last Friday I started off a Wilko bitter kit, using the measurements mentioned in the instructions. I firmly closed the lid of the fermenting bucket & have left it in the corner (I live in a 1 bed flat, so space for these items is at a bit of a premium) to do whatever it is meant to do. The instructions state that I should be siphoning the brew off into bottles or a pressure barrel any time from now, but I notice others are talking about fermenting the brew for longer - more like 14 days.
Basically, my questions are (& I apologise for asking the obvious!):-
1. Should I have firmly closed the lid on the fermenting bucket?
2. How long should I wait before bottling up?
3. I am interested in the idea of a pressure barrel, but as a complete numpty I know nothing - do I have to invest in CO2 etc to use it, or can I just condition with sugar at the rate of one teaspoonful a litre (or as I like to think, 1/2 teaspoonful per pint) ?
4. I used standard sugar, dissolved fully into hot water before adding it to the brew - will this be ok?
As I said earlier, I am sorry if I am asking the most blatantly obvious or stupid questions, but I really am a complete novice & fear I have cocked up my first attempt before it has really started.
All help & advice is greatly appreciated.
Mark

[Ditch]

Mark; Sadly, you're f**ked.

But, this stuff may well get ye pissed. And, the next one ye make ~ with some of our guidance ~ will be about five hundred percent better

[Baldrick]

Thanks for that. So, should I persevere & try bottling it, or pour down the sink?

[Ditch]

No way ye should drain it, mate! Ye just gonna be recreating the self same kind of piss we all got slaughtered on, back in the seventies.

Thin, insipid sh!t that ye'd hand back to a bar man. Yet which will seem cheap as chips and will get ye pissed.

It's actually good that ye'll experience this. Then, ye can do it properly, next time, and blow yeself away with how good the gear is these days.

Few, dead simple, 'rules' to apply:

1/ Toss the instructions in the fire.

2/ They say " Sugar "? We say dried malt powder. Pound for pound.

3/ They say 5 gallons? We say 4.

Right there, ye've got a product that'll leave that seventies type piss in its dust

[oldbloke]

Ditch was exaggerating a bit with his 'you're f*cked' comment, but yeh, spraymalt instead of sugar, and brew short, tends to give better results.
If you haven't got a hydrometer to check if it's finished, let it run a min of 10 days, up to 14.
There'll still be enough yeast in suspension to carbonate the stuff in the bottles.

[Ditch]

Ditch was exaggerating a bit with his 'you're f*cked' comment .....

No, I wasn't!

[WalesAles]

Ditch was exaggerating a bit with his 'you're f*cked' comment .....

No, I wasn't!

Ditch,
Your pic is not showing. Be nice to Baldrick, He`s a New Brewer!

Baldrick,
Good Luck with Your Brew!
Don`t worry about Ditch, He`s a big Softie really!
Mmmmmm, This Cherry Stout is Nice!
WA

[Baldrick]

Firstly thanks for your help & words of encouragement. I think I will wait until next Tuesday morning when I finish my next set of nightshifts, & then try to bottle it - gives me some time to get bottles to put it in - PET ones I reckon, just to get it done & I'll be visiting B&M for some of their great value beers & maybe Aldi/Lidl too purely to get some bottles of course....

However, should I lift the lid on the bucket or leave it sealed as it has been until I siphon it off. Also, should I leave the lid lose or sealed for my next go? I know where I'm off to for the kit & the spraymalt etc - Wilkos is only a short stroll from here.
Once again, thanks, & I will endeavour to keep you informed of how it goes - I have a mate who will definitely try it regardless as long as it's alcoholic!

[cumbrianwolf]

Also buy a hydrometer and learn how to use it as it will become your best brewing friend and take the guess work away.

[Jambo]

When I brewed in a bucket I would tend to leave the lid loose for the first few days when there is really quite a lot of CO2 being produced. No harm leaving it on, worst case it'll pop itself off!

[tazzymutt]

Just give your brew a full 14 days and you should be confident it has finished. If you don't have a hydrometer, do not be tempted to bottle early as bottle bombs can really spoil you day (and possibly your carpet too). As for the lid, I always clip mine down all the way round, the CO2 finds its' way out and if too much pressure were to build up it will only push the lid off.

As for the finished brew, no need to be too despondent, it is likely to be a bit thin due to lack of malt but should be drinkable. If nothing else it will be good practise for bottling the next batch.

Happy brewing,


Ian.

[Baldrick]

Hello All

Well, I bottled my first attempt yesterday in a mix of 2litre "PET" bottles & beer bottles, I added sugar to what I hope is the correct ratio & so far nothing has blown up - so fingers crossed!!

Once my bucket was empty I wasted no time in setting up my second attempt - Wilko's pilsner lager. This time,I brewed short (20 rather than 23 litres) & taking heed of advice I have used spray malt, the light type which said it was suitable for my needs. This morning, I decided to have a peek at how it is doing, & gave it a quick stir, it appears to look ok & certainly smelt like a beer (or at least wort).

Now all I have to do is wait for a fortnight or so before bottling my pilsner & a little bit longer before I try my first efforts.

Watch this space

Finally, I would like to thank everyone for their help, advice & encouragement.......

Mark

[Ditch]

Ditch, Your pic is not showing.

Yeah. I just spotted this again. I've noticed one or two other peeps, on here. It has the username and " Persons Picture ", or something, doesn't it? I can see my picture. See most people else's too. What's going on ....?

[Ditch]

I gave it a quick stir .....

Don't do That, mate!

Absolutely no reason for it. Likely to achieve Very little advantage. Damn good way to introduce an infection!

Put together properly, and with the right sort of ingredients, beer will normally make itself, quite happily. It's like wet paint. F**king with it will f**k it. Just leave well enough alone.

That said? Nothing wrong with a peek. There's enough gas in there that nothing short of solid matter dropping in will bother anything

[timbo41]

Sensei Ditch say don't mess with the beer, don't mess with the beer young paduwan.
One day, if he hasn't scared you off, you will read the text,hidden in " the temple of kit brewing"....in the room of " how to guides"
you will know it by its holy name ....Ditch's Stout...MasterClass.....it will enlighten you




Was easier to find before though!!!!!