Starting Up
Starting Up
With 20+ years wine making experience - I'm keen to brew good ale from grain, etc. I need some equipment - reliable & consistent mashing is important. Getting hold of kit in the UK seems more difficult than the US - any ideas & hints from experienced brewers?
Welcome
Hi, UKmalty. If you're having trouble locating equipment in the UK, there are a number of good online stores that'll ship overseas. My favorite is Beer, Beer, and More Beer (B3). The link is:
http://morebeer.com
Is there any gear in particular you're searching for? You'd be surprised at the extremely minimal investment in gear to start. There's enough knowledge here to help you fashion something before resorting to international shipments--what you seek may be no further than your hardware store (esp. if you're mechanically inclined).
As far as procedural advice...read, read, read, read, and read. Read everything you can get your hands on about brewing, especially if you're jumping out of the chute into all-grain brewing. A good online book is here: http://howtobrew.com
Although there are some similarities between making wine and making beer, there are also some major differences, such as sanitation. Through your reading you'll come to find proper sanitation is a big deal among brewers--sloppy sanitation = nasty brew.
Oh, and if you know someone that brews from grain, help him/her out on a batch or two so you can acquaint yourself with the process.
v/r
Bill
http://morebeer.com
Is there any gear in particular you're searching for? You'd be surprised at the extremely minimal investment in gear to start. There's enough knowledge here to help you fashion something before resorting to international shipments--what you seek may be no further than your hardware store (esp. if you're mechanically inclined).
As far as procedural advice...read, read, read, read, and read. Read everything you can get your hands on about brewing, especially if you're jumping out of the chute into all-grain brewing. A good online book is here: http://howtobrew.com
Although there are some similarities between making wine and making beer, there are also some major differences, such as sanitation. Through your reading you'll come to find proper sanitation is a big deal among brewers--sloppy sanitation = nasty brew.
Oh, and if you know someone that brews from grain, help him/her out on a batch or two so you can acquaint yourself with the process.
v/r
Bill
.. and for a mash tun?
Many thanks for the advice - the online book is great.
For 'grain' brewing, is there a 'gold standard' mash/lauter tun? Do most experienced grain brewers use home made tuns (modified coolers), or is there a recommended commercial equivalent?
The other piece of kit is a boiling pot - and have a large aluminium pot that'll do the trick, and there doesn't seem to be any reason not to use aluminium.
For 'grain' brewing, is there a 'gold standard' mash/lauter tun? Do most experienced grain brewers use home made tuns (modified coolers), or is there a recommended commercial equivalent?
The other piece of kit is a boiling pot - and have a large aluminium pot that'll do the trick, and there doesn't seem to be any reason not to use aluminium.
Aluminum info
There was a recent discussion about using aluminum pots on this forum. Try this link http://www.beertools.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1230 as well as the link within that discussion to an even earlier discussion.
Good luck and have fun!
Good luck and have fun!