Home brew? Homebrew? Winemaking

Bravo!

Congratulations!

I came 2nd in my kategory

Fixed.

Well done!

Hi,

I will be at my parents for 10 days over Christmas, so I thought that I'll get my dad this kit so we can spend a day home brewing.

first question, is this kit as good place to start as any?

Second question is Chritmas a really bad time to try and do something like this, people constantly dropping by, all the associated distractions?

Also super naive question, but with this being a low ABV beer, does it take less time to mature?

This is an all-grain kit. So it's a little advanced, but perfectly possible. You may need to purchase a straining back and something like a cool box to use as a mash tun.

A simpler alternative would be to do a malt extract kit but with your own hop additions (so identical to this, but no need to mash and strain with all grain).

Instructions:

https://brooklynbrewshop.com/pages/instructions-evil-twins-bikini-beer

Thanks

I think my dad has done something like that before

and I think for me its the actual full grain process which is intriguing! I'm pretty good at making porridge...Will look out for a cheap ice box.

I would recommend using a pan which is significantly larger then your boil volume as you want a strong boil (despite what those instructions say). That was the advice that the head brewer at Kernal gave as it makes sure you drive off DMS.

Yeah, i'm sick at home watching home brew videos and that was a major take away.

I think I will also take the boil in the bag approach, so I will buy a bag too.

Instead of the strainer I think I may aswell go brew in the bag bag and I'll go for an 11 litre stock pot. No wondering if I should go for a less subtle option than the bikini beer @rodabod.

Just brew whatever you know you enjoy the taste of. It’s easier to get good efficiency with lower gravity beers like this one. I wouldn’t shoot for more than say 7% ABV on your first go as your efficiency can be unpredictable.

The brewers from Grain Brewery came to my local, to show off their Grainfather.

They had a basic recipe which we tweaked on the night and the result will be available behind the bar in a couple of weeks...

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I'm saving up for one of those...

They're very nifty.

Easily converted into a still too...

Anyone interest in a crate of 330ml swingtops? Might be the odd 500ml swingtop as well. Brown glass, actual homebrew bottles as opposed to delabelled commercial bottles. Inc free Crate - I think its Warsteiner branded.

Free to anyone who can collect from SE13 - Halesworth Road. Or swap us for a bottle of your finest!

Is is considered safe to re-use champagne wires (the little wire things that stop the corks popping out undre the pressure of the plonk in the bottle)?
I've got a batch of ginger champagne on the go and saved all the bottles and wires from new years prosecco but my gf is worried they might not be up to the job. Won't be bottling for a good few months yet so plenty of time to get new ones if required.

If you can get them done up again ans they stay intact, yes. You'll lose a few through metal fatigue as the wire re-bends. You can always tie the corks too if worried. Unless you've over-primed them, of course....

General brewing question: I have a batch of mead on the go and it's past time for bottling but this was a bit slow to get fermenting at the beginning (all natural yeasts, nothing added from a packet) and I still see the odd bubble coming up from the sediment at the bottom, and the odd(er) bubble goes through the air lock. Do I:

a) Leave it until there are no signs of fermentation before bottling
b) Bottle anyway and hope for the best
c) Syphon off into a new jug, leaving the sediment behind and see if more sediment and bubbles form. It's currently in a glass demijohn with bung and airlock so I'd just put it in a new one.
d) something else

Any thoughts from the pro brewers of the forum?

Did you do a gravity reading before fermentation?

I did not :( this is my first ferment and I dived into it without really knowing what I was doing (still don't!)

Ah well nevermind. If you have the equipment to do so take a reading and then do it again in a few days time. If it's the same it's stable and can be bottled. I suspect if it is still bubbling in the airlock though it's just slow and needs to be left.

Always safer to leave it than bottle it and have explosions.

Thanks, I will give that a go!

So I took a reading the other day, was going to give it a week before another reading, what am I looking for? Two very similar/identical readings before I bottle?
(@Kat_Balou but also anyone else with the know-how)

You want the same reading, if it has changed it is still fermenting and should not be bottled unless you want them to explode

Duly noted!

I have assembled the components to build a brew kettle and fridge based fermentation chamber. I intend to brew using the biab method. Any recommendations on where online to buy relatively small amounts of grains etc?