National Homebrew Club Ireland

WHY NOT JUST DO WHAT THE INSTRUCTIONS TELL ME?
The instructions in the kit are very good, and should be read (repeatedly), but they miss out on a few bits and pieces that will leave you scratching your head.
Also, most parts about temperatures and gravities are a bit misleading.

VERY IMPORTANT
- Make sure that everything is clean and sanitised all the way through. If you want a cheap sanitizer use 20L water + 30ml thin bleach + 30 ml cheap vinegar. This will make an excellent no-rinse sanitizer that only needs about 30 seconds contact time on clean materials.
- You must be able to keep your fermenting brew fermenting at somewhere around the right temperature for the yeast
- Patience is a virtue, don't poke at your brew unless you need to.
- KISS. Keep It Simple Stupid. Get a couple of brews done to get the feel of it before experimenting with ingredients like grains and hops. It's better to make a plain but good first beer than to mess up a complicated beer.
- Relax! You'll see some weird activity in the fermenter, it's probably fine(provided you've sorted the last 4 points)

• Sterilize everything. This is very important.
  
• Fill and boil a kettle of water (I'll say this a lot, get into the habit)
  
• Assemble Fermentation Vessel (FV) and tap if you have one(ensure it is 'off'). This FV does not have a tap, but I will add one later. If you have not yet bought your FV, I recommend that you pay the extra fiver and get one with a tap. It will make gravity readings and bottling so much simpler. But otherwise a syphon tube is also great.
  (http://i615.photobucket.com/albums/tt234/eoinlayton/firstbrew/13012013393_zps89dec425.jpg)
  
• Weigh ingredients. For more about fermentable ingredients, click here (http://www.nationalhomebrewclub.com/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1355670934)
  
• Warm the kit can in a saucepan of warm water. If you're using Liquid Malt Extract (LME)[/url] warm this also. This will make it runnier and easier to pour. Make sure to take the pack of yeast out first or you'll kill it! Removing the label will ensure that no bits of paper fall into the brew later on.
  (http://i615.photobucket.com/albums/tt234/eoinlayton/firstbrew/15012013427_zps96a8d718.jpg)
  
• Place the FV on the floor and add the dry fermentables (malt/sugar)
  
• Add 2 liters of water off the boil
  
• Fill and boil a kettle of water
  
• Pick up the FV and swirl, alternating direction occasionally until all the malt is disolved completely. You can stir this in, but you're more likely to get clumps of malt, upset gravity readings, and a broken heart.
  (http://i615.photobucket.com/albums/tt234/eoinlayton/firstbrew/13012013408_zpsecd3367c.jpg)
  
• Put your FV back on the table
  
• Open kit can (upside down or the tin opener probably will not grip it) and pour the warm softened goop into the FV. If using LME, add this now too.
  (http://i615.photobucket.com/albums/tt234/eoinlayton/firstbrew/13012013411_zpsea22bf67.jpg)
  
• Fill the can with water off the boil, stir and add the rest of the goop. The boiling water will help to dissolve the remaining goop, but be careful as the can is thin so you need a towel or oven glove to pick it up or experience all the burning fires of hell via your fingertips.
  
• Fill and boil the kettle again
  
• Stir (or swirl) the liquid thoroughly. Take your time on this step and make sure to get everything dissolved well, otherwise you might have some undissolved fermentables sitting around in clumps, upsetting your gravity reading in a while. It will also help to aerate the wort.
  
• Fill with cold water to 19 or 20 liters. Some folks like to mark the FV at 2L, 20L and 23L as a handy reminder.
  
• Check the temperature and add hot/cold water to get it to the final volume (usually 23 liters) to about 22C. In this picture, you can see that the temperature is a bit low, so I added warmer water for the last few liters.
  (http://i615.photobucket.com/albums/tt234/eoinlayton/firstbrew/13012013412_zpsdc640eb7.jpg)
  
• Stir it vigorously to aerate the wort more. This helps the yeast to be happy litttle critters.
  
• Take a gravity reading and write it down. Mine was 1.040. For later gravity readings, you'll need to de-gas them by giving them a shake, leaving them a while, or pouring from glass to glass. Then give the hydrometer a spin in case of any bubbles. But at the moment it's just sweet hoppy water, so a quick spin is fine.
  (http://i615.photobucket.com/albums/tt234/eoinlayton/firstbrew/13012013415_zpsa35086c3.jpg)
  
• Pitch the yeast - Sprinkle it on evenly, stir it in if it makes you feel better. For best results, rehydrate it in 10 times its weight of water (about 100ml) for about 15 minutes before mixing it in. A brief guide to kit yeast can be found here (http://www.nationalhomebrewclub.com/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1355060953). Don't forget to sterilize your scissors before using it to open the sachet
  (http://i615.photobucket.com/albums/tt234/eoinlayton/firstbrew/13012013418_zps42664110.jpg)
  
• Put the lid on the FV and bring it to its resting place.
  
• Add the airlock afterwards, or once you pick up the FV it will suck all the airlock water in.
  
• Add your temperature control. If using a heatbelt, you can move it up the FV to produce less heat in the wort, or down to produce more. If you do not have any temperature control, make sure that you leave the FV somewhere with a CONSTANT temperature around 12-14 for lager, 18-20 for ale. More info here (http://www.nationalhomebrewclub.com/forum/index.php/topic,660.0.html).
  (http://i615.photobucket.com/albums/tt234/eoinlayton/firstbrew/13012013420_zpse2678970.jpg)
  
• Have a beer!
  
• Clean up, or face the wrath of SWMBO...
  
  
  
• After 24-48 hours it should start bubbling and a thick head of foam (krausen) will form. Every krausen is different, don't worry if yours does not look the same.
  (http://i615.photobucket.com/albums/tt234/eoinlayton/firstbrew/14012013423_zps7a4dc686.jpg)
  
• Now that your yeast has started to work, set your Fermenting Temperature (http://www.nationalhomebrewclub.com/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1355060953)
  
• Over the next few days, a layer of sediment (trub) will start forming on the bottom. This is normal.
  
• After about a week (maybe more, maybe less) the bubbling will slow and stop. The krausen will die down, leaving a 'krausen ring' of gunk on the wall of the FV. Don't mix this back in. It is bitter waste.
  
• Take a gravity reading, then another 2 days later.
  
• If they are the same, and within the expected Final Gravity range (usually somewhere between 1.008 to 1.014), then you're good to bottle. Don't worry if it is still cloudy, the beer will clear up fine in the bottle.
  
• Before bottling, prime with sugar for carbonation. You can either:
  
• Prime the bottles individually with loose sugar or carbonation drops, or bulk prime
  
• - loose sugar is cheap but the beer can froth up when it hits it. It's also hard to get uniform carbonation.
  
• - carb drops are like boiled sugar sweets, 3 grams each. 1 per 500 ml for less fizzy, 1.5 for quite fizzy
  
• - bulk priming is racking the beer into another container containing the priming sugar (leaving the trub behind). Handy if you have varying bottle sizes.
  
• Cap the bottles, and put them somewhere warm (around 18C)
  (http://i615.photobucket.com/albums/tt234/eoinlayton/firstbrew/13012013406_zps4bd99934.jpg)
  
• Leave for a minimum of 2 weeks before drinking, at this stage it should be carbonated but once poured it won't hold its head or carbonation very well. Generally the more time you leave it, the better. My favorite time is usually about 3 months. Shorter for some lighter beers, longer for other darker/stronger beers.
  
• There'll be a little sediment at the bottom of the bottle, but you can leave it there by pouring smoothly and slowly.
  (http://i615.photobucket.com/albums/tt234/eoinlayton/firstbrew/13012013419_zps638042e9.jpg)
  
  
  WHERE ELSE CAN I FIND GOOD KIT BREWING BEGINNERS' GUIDES?
  
• A nice little guide on HomeBrewWest: here (http://www.homebrewwest.ie/make-your-own-beer-18-kg-kits-from-995-best-value-242-c.asp)
  
• The HomeBrew Company also have a good guide here (https://www.thehomebrewcompany.ie/guide-to-brewing-1-kit-brewing-c-58_59.html). What it lacks in simplicity it adds in useful detail.
  
• Garry's Brewer's Choice Premium Lager thread: here (http://www.nationalhomebrewclub.com/forum/index.php/topic,3207.0.html)
  
• Homebrewing Using Coopers Kits Videos 1 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NWRlzl_bv84&feature=related) : 2 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_ms_mhEx3k&feature=related) : 3 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qGoeeLcsVU4&feature=related) : 4 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QtYbBIksWH0&feature=related).
  
  GREAT, BUT CAN I ADD MY OWN STUFF INTO THE MIX?
  Of course you can. Add whatever you like. Just remember that you'll have 40 pints of the stuff to drink later on..  ;D
  A guide for KIT-"HACKING" can be found  here (http://www.nationalhomebrewclub.com/forum/index.php/topic,2732.0.html) Written by a reliable source...
  

thats crackin work.

A couple of points

not sure about using J-Cloths for hops I'd stick to just muslin or stainless tea balls
Also when to dry hop, usually in secondary or if you don't secondary, when primary had died down? I would suggest min 7 days.
If you put them in active primary you lose aroma as it is "gassed off" or "scrubbed" with the escaping CO2 formed during fermentation.
http://beersmith.com/blog/2008/05/21/dry-hopping-enhanced-hops-aroma/

Other point is you move the heat belt up the bucket it puts less heat into the wort, move it down it put more in. 

I always take the label off the tins before heating them up. Less chance of any bits of paper getting stuck in the ingredients/ME on the way out of the tins when pouring them into the fermentor.  :)

saw a great tip from american kit brewer on youtube where he puts his sterilised paddle  across the bucket and balances the opened can allowing the last drop of viscous contents to drain into brew bucket, you could of course just slosh it with hot water either.

Thanks folks, I've updated it now :)

j cloths removed - it works, but it's probably a bad habit
label removing added
heatbelt tips added.

I left out the bit about gassing off and scrubbing though because i want to keep it as simple as possible and apparently in a 23L brew the effects are minimal.
i wasn't going to add anything about grains or dry hopping, but decided to put in a 'taster' to show how easy it can be

Quote
I left out the bit about gassing off and scrubbing though because i want to keep it as simple as possible and apparently in a 23L brew the effects are minimal.
.

Not true I'm afraid you lose more than 50 percent of precious hop contribution by putting in during active fermentation, addition early in primary is the exception rather than the norm considering you  add them in for aroma and flavour, by putting in early in primary you are just burning these up the chimney.  Personally I think dry hopping is for number 3 or 4 kit when you have the basics under your belt.

I would ask Will our resident chemist to input here as I know his starter for 10 is hops oils and aroma.

There is also another reason they are added towards the end of the fermentation in that the alcohol kills off some of nasties in your hops as they are not sanitised. For virgin kit brewers one of the biggest reasons for off flavours is poor sanitation, I wouldn't be increasing chances of this for first time brewers.

i marked my FV on the 2LT - 20LT - 23LT with a black marker just as a little reminder.

Tub - sure thing, I'll be writing them anyway  ;)

Blueshed - added that handy tip, cheers  :)

Ciderhead - This is from coopers "Technical Development Manager, Brewing Products".
"It doesn't make a lot of difference at what stage, during ferment, the dry hop addition is made. It's really more a matter of adding when convenient.
The notion of CO2 gas scrubbing out hop aroma during fermentation doesn't really apply to tiny wort volumes such as 23litres."
The stuff this man doesn't know about homebrew could be engraved on a grain of rice.  ;D

Personally, I prefer to stick them in at the start so that once the FV is sealed it stays sealed until the brew is moving to another vessel or bottle. Infection from hops is unlikely once the bag is clean.
But for argument's sake I'll change to a bit later as that's the way most folks like to do it.  ;)

There, finishing hop teabags are a happy medium.
They might be a bit small to be very effective, but they're definitely easy enough to pop your hop cherry on the first brew  :)
(and it saves a heated debate on dry hopping for another day)

Quote
Ciderhead - This is from coopers "Technical Development Manager, Brewing Products".
"It doesn't make a lot of difference at what stage, during ferment, the dry hop addition is made. It's really more a matter of adding when convenient.
The notion of CO2 gas scrubbing out hop aroma during fermentation doesn't really apply to tiny wort volumes such as 23litres."
The stuff this man doesn't know about homebrew could be engraved on a grain of rice.  ;D

Personally, I prefer to stick them in at the start so that once the FV is sealed it stays sealed until the brew is moving to another vessel or bottle. Infection from hops is unlikely once the bag is clean.
But for argument's sake I'll change to a bit later as that's the way most folks like to do it.  ;)

I don't want to get into one with you about it as I started researching myself as well.
I was a big believer of the simple advice given by the guys from Coopers until i read this guys comments and I have pm'd him for a response.
Just to be clear forgetting about what you lose in aroma and hop oils as they bind to the yeast and fall to the bottom.
Your muslin in sanitised, your hops are not.
Hops are a natural antiseptic but bacteria can take hold at the start of fermentation before alcohol is present this has the potential to ruin your first beer.
Absolutely secondary has the potential for infection and is not a prerequisite for fermenting particularly for stronger ales or stouts but for lighter delicate beers that don't mask potential off flavours or have long conditioning periods like lagers its best advised to otherwise you run the risk of flavours from trub.
For somebody who was doing their very first kit I wouldn't even mention secondary hopping, as I've said before thats for kit number 3 or 4 when they have honed their technique.

Each to their own.
I've already updated it to 'add a hop teabag' a one armed blind monkey could do that.

PS, Tub - Could we remove it from the front page for now until it's finished and polished?

QuoteEach to their own.
I've already updated it to 'add a hop teabag' a one armed blind monkey could do that.

(http://i1270.photobucket.com/albums/jj605/joctcl/download1_zps3a44981d.jpg)

That's what she said... oh yeah! 8-)

(http://i1270.photobucket.com/albums/jj605/joctcl/download_zps8fcf9eeb.jpg)

Dont you just love the internet ;D ;D

I've completely removed the grains and hops parts for now.
They'll be added later on as a 'kit hacking' section.

Great guide, thanks!
Can the links be updated? They seem to be pointing to a YaBB3 forum.

Links are updated to redirect to the new forum now.

Cheers Metattron :)

I just noticed this guide also in the 'Make Your Own Beer' brand on HomeBrewWest.
http://www.homebrewwest.ie/make-your-own-beer-18-kg-kits-from-995-best-value-242-c.asp (http://www.homebrewwest.ie/make-your-own-beer-18-kg-kits-from-995-best-value-242-c.asp)
Nicely illustrated, simple and good.

Hi there,
Thanks for steps - I will be following them when I get started, I just have a couple of questions.
I'm going to try a Coopers Canadian Blonde 1.7KG first.  I have a kilo of dextrose and a tin of LME as mentioned in your link already.
Will I use the dextrose or LME (from what I've read its better to use the LME instead)?
Do i use the whole tin of LME?

I'm a little confused as to what I add and when?
If I'm using the dextrose, when exactly do I add the Coopers Concentrate and Dextrose?
If I'm using the LME, when exactly do I add the Coopers Concentrate LME?
The yeast has "16813" inkjetted onto it so what would my fermentation temperature be?

I'm mad to get started but just want to make sure I havent forgotten anything before I do, just want to have all the steps clear in my head first.

Thanks in advance

Hey Fishjam!

I'd use the whole can of LME to end up at a little under 5% ABV
Warm both cans (LME and Kit), open them and empty into the FV.
Fill one can with boiling water stir to disolve any leftovers, dump it into the second can and stir to disolve any leftovers there too.
Dump that hot water into the FV and mix it all up to get rid of any thick goop.
Top it up to about 18L with cold water, then check the temperature. Aim to have it at about 22C when you get to 23L.
Stir it up vigorously to get as much air in as possible.
Pitch the yeast, seal it up, ferment at 18-20C

Simples ;)

Great post.

Quick question, is it easy to install a tap in the bottom of a Plastic FV?

Quote from: wayneibs on December 28, 2013, 02:53:05 PM
Great post.

Quick question, is it easy to install a tap in the bottom of a Plastic FV?

Reasonably easy but you might as well just buy one premade from a homebrew shop as you're always going to need plastic buckets.

Yeah reason I ask is I got vouchers for The Homebrew Company for xmas, but their starter kit appear to not be tapped. I suppose I could ask them to have taps installed on them for me. Only an extra few quid after all

Quote from: wayneibs on December 28, 2013, 03:12:10 PM
Yeah reason I ask is I got vouchers for The Homebrew Company for xmas, but their starter kit appear to not be tapped. I suppose I could ask them to have taps installed on them for me. Only an extra few quid after all

Aye do that. You can then use one as a FV and the tapped one as a bottling bucket.

Use a 25mm wood flatbit.
They cost about €2 from any hardware/DIY shop  :)

drill from inside out and finish outside in. to get a good score on the edges, if you can't, drill slowly into bucket and then finish edges with a stanley blade.

Quote from: LordEoin on December 28, 2013, 04:22:54 PM
Use a 25mm wood flatbit.
They cost about €2 from any hardware/DIY shop  :)

Not where I work  ;)

I'll do a better deal where I work  :)

Quote from: fishjam45 on December 30, 2013, 07:23:55 PM
I'll do a better deal where I work  :)

Where do you work? 

FJ the sharks are circling!
Save this for when you come to your first Bray meet in Jan ;D

Yup Damo, ya know where i work.

Howya Colin?

I thought I recognised your pic. 

Been up to your counter many times mostly with stupid questions and such.

Theres no such thing as a stupid question, only the ones you guys have been answering from me on this forum!

 :)

this is exactly what i have been looking for many thanks for this guide, just one question when you refer to adding water "off the boil" what do you mean? also the water in my area is a very hard water, should i instead use bottled still water for the brew?

by 'off the boil' I just mean boil it them pour it in. Don't boil after that.
I have very hard water too, it's a huge subject that has a few threads on here already.
Your main problem with kit on hard water will be head retention, I generally compensate with a carapils or crystal steep

ah thanks very much for that, i never heard of those products, i had intended to either put the water through a water purifier (which i think contaminates it even further) or buy a load of still water and use that, thanks for your help

That explains the head retention on my current brew... hadn't realised there was a relationship between lime in the water and how long the head lasts. And luckily, for my next batch I have a kilo of crystal malt to steep.

Crystal and carapils are a great addition to any kit. About 150g to 250g seems good.
Once you have it steeped and strained you'll need to boil it for 5-10 minutes, so you might aswell add some hops to that boil while you're at it  ;)

LordEoin - could you do a beginners how to guide to lager, how to get the best out of a lager kit assuming lager yeast ?

It's the exact same except you need to hold hold the fermenting temperature a the right temperature for the yeast, and ferment it for longer.
Most lager kits don't have lager yeast.
you don't really need to lager a kit beer as they clear up a lot easier than all grain.
Cooper's Pilsner is my favorite Lager kit, you need to ferment that at about 12C

Hi guys,

I am just about to start my first brew from the Coopers starter kit ( Australian Lager )  but have some questions before I start:

1) Water - is it ok to use tap water or should I get some Lidl / Tesco still water for the brew? I live in D24 so my water comes from the Ballyboden Water Plant which I think is fairly soft.

2) The Coopers instruction says the Lager should ferment at 18-21 degrees. I thought a lager ferments at 12-14? I guess this is due to the attached Ale yeast?

2) I also have the Mexican Carveza kit which I'm going to brew next - I've found a recipe for a brew  called "Aztec Gold" which requires 500g of Coopers Light Dry Malt but I can't find that particular malt anywhere but the Coopers online store. What Malt would you recommend to use instead that I can get in Ireland? And at what temperature should the Mexican Cerveza ferment?

Many thanks in advance!

1. If your tap water tastes ok to drink use it.
2. Yes you have been sold a lie that its a lager and it is really an ale so go for the higher temp
3. You can pick up dried malt extract in any homebrew shop but i wouldn't bother for this kit, just use this first time to get used to the process.

Thanks very much!

1 - as dcbrewing said, if it's good to drink it's good to brew.

2 - it's a blend of ale and lager yeasts. i find it works best at 16-18C. Unlike their ale yeasts which are hardy and will ferment a lot higher.

3 -  for the aztec gold recipe use any extra light DME (eg this (http://www.homebrewwest.ie/muntons-foil-pack-spraymalt-extra-light-500grm-961-p.asp) . brew to 19-20 liters. again the mexican cerveza kit comes with the same lager/ale blend, so 16-18C would be best

Thanks Eoin, much appreciated!

Hi guys I've got the coopers lager kit too like martin but had the lager yeast. Its in its 3rd day of fermentation at 16-18 degrees. The instructions said between 21-28 but after some advice online from underdogbrewing (who steered me to this fine establishment too) I
brought it down to 16-18. Quick questions....Do i still remove the Kreuzen after 4 days at the lower temp ? As a rule , how long should i ferment the lager at this lower temp ? Thank you in advance guys!

As a rule, ignore fixed timeframes. They'll only make you rush the job. Instead observe the brew and let it tell you when it's ready.
By the kreuzen, i presume you have a coopers fermenter and you're referring to the krausen collar, right?
You remove this when the level of the krausen (the foam) drops below the ring of dark bitter scum stuck to the collar.
Just remove the lid, take out the collar, replace the lid.
Any shorter and you'll just get a krausen ring on the fermenter. Any longer and you might not have as much of a blanket of protective co2 over the beer.
Coopers kits usually ferment out in about 5-7 days(pilsner takes longer). You'll know when it's ready because the krausen will disappear and more yeast will to drop out.
Take a hydrometer reading when you think it's done, then another 2 days later. If they read the same then the fermentation is finished.
You can prime and bottle at this stage if you want. many people will leave it another week to let the yeast 'clean up after itself'.

Great stuff. Thanks LordEoin !

I was just going to ask the same collar question :) Thanks Eoin!

yeah, that collar's a bit of a weird one. Its purpose is to give enough headspace for more violent brews and once the krausen has died down removing it makes the headspace smaller and removed the krausen ring while its still soft and easy to clean.
They're a very well designed FV, right down to the tap and the bulged bottom for sediment:)

..."You can prime and bottle at this stage if you want. many people will leave it another week to let the yeast 'clean up after itself'

- My first brew will be good to bottle soon, so Eoin, would you advise to leave the brew in the fermenter for another week or rather bottle when's ready? I guess leaving the beer to rest for another week won't do the brew any harm, right? Just for me to understand the process for my future brews - what are the advantages / disadvantages of doing so? Many thanks in advance!

Hey Guys,

I am trying a Belgian Ale kit from Muntons. The instructions go along these lines....."When the gravity is below 1.014 syphon the beer into a sterilised fermenting bin leaving behind the yeast sediment. Add the spraymalt and then scoop half a cup of the yeast lees and pitch into the beer and stir gently. Close the fermenter and continue fermentation until ready to bottle."
So....i only have one fermenting bucket, do I need a second bucket or can I continue to ferment as normal but guessing i just wont get the same results?
Apologies if this is a really obvious, stupid question ☺️

A bit of a weird one, but at a guess I'd say:
"When the gravity is below 1.014, dissolve the spraymalt in a cup of boiled water. Pitch into the beer and stir gently. Close the fermenter and continue fermentation until ready to bottle."

Thanks for the reply and sorry for not getting back sooner.

The beer is in the fermenter for about 2 weeks now with a steady temp of 20-22c. Bubbling has slowed down a fair bit but the gravity hasn't dropped past 1.020 for the past few days.

Do you think its stalled a bit and should I increase the temp a bit? or should I just add the spraymalt as per your advise previously?

TIA.