Home Brew suppliers?

[thebunster]

I'm looking into home brewing (bitter/lager) for the first time.

Can anyone recommend a good online supplier? Any tips on how to start out?

Cheers!

[4 french hens]

Try googling homebrew supplies, but don't forget to click on UK only.
Larger ferments at the bottom of the barrel, whereas bitter ferments at the top. This makes absolutly no difference to the brewing procedure.
Always sterilize really thoroughly and then rinse equally as thoroughly. Use a product called CHEMPRO for this. It's the same chemicals as the industry uses but in homebrew size packs. It also works in warm water, NOT boiling, which is safer for you.
Use a yeast called FORMULA 67, it dies at a much higher strength than bakers yeast.
Sugar kills alcohol so if you add sugar to the finished product it will reduce its strength, sweetness should be obtained by adding the sugar to the initial blend of ingredients.
Do not put your finished product into fizzy drinks bottles as they WILL burst.
Best advice would be to try one of the kits first time as they give you a good insight into what you need to do. Then buy a good home brew reciepe book.

Enjoy.

Mike

[Effie]

Good luck with your mission, Bunster

I'd recommend finding a local enthusiastic supplier if you can - ours is at a health food store. The chap is a really good source of information, and chatting about brewing makes a very enjoyable way of spending half an hour Even though I love the web, I like to know I'm supporting a local, independent business.

Our latest batch of bitter was disappointing, bit flat. Apparently, we need to put some vaseline on the ring

Effie

[lancashire lass]

You'll need a fermenting bin, tubing, a pressure barrel or bottles, caps, sterilizing solution (usually sodium metabisulphite but I understand there are others less hazardous available), can of concentrate (yeast usually comes with it inside the lid), sugar. You'll also need a capper if you go for bottles, and CO2 caps for the pressure barrel (when you pull off beer, you need to replenish the gasses or you end up with a barrel of flat beer).

Although you mention online, you can do a much cheaper alternate by getting the items from Wilkos. They do some decent lager, pale ale & bitter concentrates as well.

The instructions are inside the can label, but generally you sterilize the fermenting bin, place the concentrate in a bowl of hot water (it's very syruppy so this should make it more runny), weigh out and put the sugar in the fermenting bin followed by the concentrate and using hot water to rinse out the can. I always boil the water (just as a precaution) and use this to fill up to the 5 gal mark on the bin. Leave to cool until lukewarm/tepid and add the yeast per instruction (you might have to start it off like you would for breadmaking)

The bin should be in a reasonably warm place like an airing cupboard. About 3 weeks later after much frothing & fermenting, without disturbing the sediment, use the tubing (pre-sterilized) and siphon into sterilized bottles or a pressure barrel, and then cap. I've used 1 litre pop bottles and they've been perfectly fine.

Leave in a warm area until instructed (about 1-2 weeks) When pouring, gently into a glass to avoid disturbing the sediment on the bottom (you can't drink straight from the bottle - well you can, but you will also get a good dose of brewers yeast )

[p.penn]

Don't know where in Surrey you are but there's a great home brew shop in worthing!

Or, as Lancashire lass has already mentioned - wilkos stock wine/beer making equipment and bits . You can do wilkos online but not sure if they do brewing stuff there.

Good luck!

[Harry Flashman VC]

try this site this is where I get my home brew stuff

www.brew-it-yourself.co.uk

There is also a forum on there with hints and tips

all the best