Hi Guys

[Huck]

Just joined to source some helpful info really.

I was drawn to the idea of Kit brewing, as the videos make it look cheap, and easy. I was going to get a Coopers kit from homebrewingwest, but decided to do as much pre reading that i could before pissing any money away on what might turn out to be beer tasting bilge water.

The problem is though, i like lagers and pilsners (my favourite beers are either Czech, German, or after that Dutch). From what i've read, this means i need to keep any brewing at a low temperature. Now i know Dublin isn't the Bahamas, but we do get a decent summer from time to time, and the weather is anything but reliable. Seems getting a constant 13 degrees for two weeks might be problematic.

Is there a reasonably priced way for a starter to get his lager kit at the required temperature?

Also, are there any of you out there that can recommend fail safe ways of getting my extract kits tasting as they should? I'm sure there are Kit recipes out there, i just need a nudge in the right direction.

The quicker i can produce a brew that doesn't kill the house guests, the more chance i have of the wife not burying my head in the fermenter.

Thanks in advance...Huck

[djanto]

welcome to the forum
lagers are more tricky to brew than ales and ciders etc due to the lower temperature requirements as you have mentioned
best idea is probably to get an old fridge off adverts.ie or done deal for free or very cheap and then get an stc1000 or an inkbird temperature controller and a 45watt tube heater from ebay/amazon
that setup would allow you full temperature control no matter what the weather
see the brew wiki http://www.nationalhomebrewclub.ie/wordpress/stc1000-temperature-controller-a-beginners-guide/

link for Inkbird: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Inkbird-Temperature-Controller-Thermostat-Regulator/dp/B018K82UQU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1460504808&sr=8-1&keywords=inkbird

link for tube heater: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Ecoheater-IP55-Small-Low-Energy-45w-Tubular-Heater-1ft-Tube-1m-long-Cable-/400826540720?hash=item5d531fa2b0:g:Fj4AAOSwY45UNTmK

[lordstilton]

why don't you try brew a blonde ale first. Its not a lager but not too far off that style that a lager drinker will enjoy. You can easily ferment one at room temp. Don't use the yeast it comes with. Use a clean strain like US-05. I don't know much about kits but the lads in the Kit thread would be able to point you in the right direction.

[Huck]

Thanks for the response guys...off to the Kit forum to get some more info then.

Does anyone know if the beer with ale yeast they give in the coopers starter kit is worthy of putting in front of other people?

[Motorbikeman]

The yeast with the coopers kits are grand.  lots of choice .Get a few under your belt, and keep in mind that everything that touches the beer needs to be  sanitized.
Double or even triple fermentation  periods on the instructions.

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[darren996]

You could try some mangrove jack's m54, this is lager yeast that can be used at ale temps. I will be using it on my next brew and will ferment at 18 degrees

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