Any Home Brewers Out There?

As long as you properly sterilise them paying particular attention to the rubber washer they work fine. If they are beer bottles they are usually dark brown or green which is good. Light causes a chemical reaction with the hop oils which are in beer and gives it an unpleasant smell. If have beer in clear bottles be sure to store it in a dark place.

 

I used to make a fairly "long" brew , by home brewing standards .

I had a few kegs and a large collection of Grolsch type bottles , and also the large screw-cap bottles
that are common in European supermarkets .

Sterilizing all of those containers was a major PITA .... several hours of work !

 

That's why I moved to cornelius kegs.

 

I’ve just read through this and good to see Muntons was mentioned, I’ve worked there for over 20 years. I also saw Tom Caxton mentioned, still make it. We also make wine and cider kits. If any one has any real problems let me know and I can speak to some people that have help develop some of the kits, good to have a little inside knowledge!!

 

I've used the Muntons kits many times over the years .... excellent quality , and value for money

Tom Caxton .... Ha !
Memories of teenage years .... clubbing together for the kit , then deciding who could best hide a bin full of brew
from their parents .....

Park Drive and No6 fags , sold individually under-the-counter as "seppies"

Interesting that Tom Caxton is still in production .... has the flavour improved any , over the past 40 years ?

 

if you want I might be able to get one Oldtech, so you can find out for your self. Every tried a Smugglers Special? All the kits in Wilkinson are produced on site too.

 

That is handy to know. Any chance you could get them to put more than the 7g of yeast in the kits please? - there seems to be a lot of problems with Munton's kit yeasts.
I have made the Smugglers Special too and it is very good quality beer. A lot of sediment in it but once cleared very, very nice indeed. You do get what you pay for.

Just finished bottling 40 pints of Munton's Old English Bitter. Like all extract kits that I make for the first time it was made as per the instructions on the box.
It is pretty good and I found myself sipping a few sly mouthfuls during the bottling process. Not very bitter for a 'bitter' but has a rich, sweet, nutty taste. It will likely be getting made again but I will dry hop with some Fuggles next time I think. This one cleared very quickly and did not seem to have as much sediment as a lot of the other Munton's kits. Looking forward to it - MB.

 

For your first brew you will be so keen to get it in the bottles you won't want to bother letting it clear in a second bin, so probably OK with just one to start with. But, yes, if you want to let it clear and condition a bit before bottling then best to siphon (rack) it off of the sediment as it can pick up off tastes from the dead yeast etc. I often dry hop - simply adding dry hops after a few days - and you must siphon off after a few days or the hops start to go off. Not good.

P.E.T. bottles: I tried them years ago and ended up throwing them in the bin! It also worked out cheaper to buy cheap (but not bad) beer from Lidl and re-use the bottles. Some people say only use proper returnable bottles but I have never had one burst yet in 30 or more years - sometimes the caps can fly off right enough! MB.

 

Thought I would try one of the St. Peter's IPAs that I bottled exactly one month ago. Had a rather too hard morning doing garden work so thought I deserved it.

Must have been over primed or not fully fermented out - as you can see by the head. Dry hopped with Fuggles this time. Think it is better suited to El Dorado or Cascade which I usually use - still very nice though, not complaining at all. The haze cleared as it warmed up a bit, so it must have been over chilled. MB.

 

Well that's an impressive bit of kit ..... a modern version of the classic catering boiler ?
( .... I can't remember the name of them right now )

Hefty clamps on the lid ..... tell us a bit more about it .

 

" Burco "
.... that's the name I couldn't remember .

Mighty fine brewing set up there .... electric pump and all !

 

Where did you get those kegs from please NM?
TIA