I live in Panama and I dont have any local brew shops to get my materials off of therefore I need to order everything and Im making the leap into home brewing by starting with a coopers kit, now I have some questions seeing as how I dont want to screw up my first batches and would love to enjoy some nice homebrewed beer instead of the cats piss we get from our local brands (international brands are more expensive ranging from the acceptable to the ridiculous) and I cant exactly just run out and buy more materials I have to order it all before hand I have 3 brews lined up as my first 3 batches and would like to get all my doubts sorted out so I can start of on the right foot.
In regards to the water its more than drinkable here however should I still boil it before using etc? Would distilled water be better seeing as how I might be able to get it from my universities lab (i am a medical student)?
As far as sanitizers go I read about one that seemed to be a foam of sorts that you could leave in without washing out am I just confused or is that a real thing and how recommendable is it for my kit particularly considering my temperature issues Im worried about the spigot and keeping it clean once I pull it out for bottling. I am also slightly confused as far as just leaving it on there wont it potentially harm my beers flavor?
Mr. beer recipes in coopers brew maker kit can I just use the recipes as shipped from Mr. beer and maintain the volume (2 gal.) in the coopers fermentation tank or will the tanks size mean it wont work? Also I wonder are their kits any good since I read about problems with the kits coming from coopers leading to watery beer and things of the sort. I would like a nice rich beer when possible. And the Mr. beer recipes seem like good alternatives while maintaining the coopers kit, which from what I understand, is better particularly given its larger nature.
Besides what is included do I need any additional materials for my brewing any instruments or gadgets?
Regarding temperature control is it necessary to maintain it at the 68f range all the time its in the fermenter?
How do I manage the gravity readings I keep reading estimated values how are these calculated the way I understand it its important to get an initial reading just as the wort is at its final liquid volume and stirred up to get a base reading the og if im not mistaken then the fg is useful for comparing one day to say 2 days after that and if there are no changes then it should be done fermenting.
Since I dont have a secondary vessel for racking how will I work it around my cooling situation in regards to moving all the sediment in the vessel when im taking it out of my cooling container?
Temperature control is it necessary to maintain it at the 68f range all the time its in the fermenter?
Recommended recipes to make preferably without adding grains or hops since I want to keep it simple at first however Id like some nice very drinkable beer was thinking first a creamy thick Irish stout then a strawberry or cherry flavored beer then a nice English brown ale.
Recommended online supply shop for refills on my materials and eventually hops etc. seeing as how after my third batch I plan on moving on to the more complex end of extract brewing?
Differences in fermentation time per recipe are there any? Say between a stout to an ale?
I also would like to know if its possible to use the regular 340ml glass brown bottles with the coopers carbonation pellets they sell since those seem to be rather useful in comparison to having to mix in the corn syrup etc.
I know its a lot to ask and searching is useful and I have, however sometimes I find my self looking at conflicting replies or situations not quite like the one im in and I just want to make sure it all applies to my case.
Thank you in advance,
Dark
In regards to the water its more than drinkable here however should I still boil it before using etc? Would distilled water be better seeing as how I might be able to get it from my universities lab (i am a medical student)?
As far as sanitizers go I read about one that seemed to be a foam of sorts that you could leave in without washing out am I just confused or is that a real thing and how recommendable is it for my kit particularly considering my temperature issues Im worried about the spigot and keeping it clean once I pull it out for bottling. I am also slightly confused as far as just leaving it on there wont it potentially harm my beers flavor?
Mr. beer recipes in coopers brew maker kit can I just use the recipes as shipped from Mr. beer and maintain the volume (2 gal.) in the coopers fermentation tank or will the tanks size mean it wont work? Also I wonder are their kits any good since I read about problems with the kits coming from coopers leading to watery beer and things of the sort. I would like a nice rich beer when possible. And the Mr. beer recipes seem like good alternatives while maintaining the coopers kit, which from what I understand, is better particularly given its larger nature.
Besides what is included do I need any additional materials for my brewing any instruments or gadgets?
Regarding temperature control is it necessary to maintain it at the 68f range all the time its in the fermenter?
How do I manage the gravity readings I keep reading estimated values how are these calculated the way I understand it its important to get an initial reading just as the wort is at its final liquid volume and stirred up to get a base reading the og if im not mistaken then the fg is useful for comparing one day to say 2 days after that and if there are no changes then it should be done fermenting.
Since I dont have a secondary vessel for racking how will I work it around my cooling situation in regards to moving all the sediment in the vessel when im taking it out of my cooling container?
Temperature control is it necessary to maintain it at the 68f range all the time its in the fermenter?
Recommended recipes to make preferably without adding grains or hops since I want to keep it simple at first however Id like some nice very drinkable beer was thinking first a creamy thick Irish stout then a strawberry or cherry flavored beer then a nice English brown ale.
Recommended online supply shop for refills on my materials and eventually hops etc. seeing as how after my third batch I plan on moving on to the more complex end of extract brewing?
Differences in fermentation time per recipe are there any? Say between a stout to an ale?
I also would like to know if its possible to use the regular 340ml glass brown bottles with the coopers carbonation pellets they sell since those seem to be rather useful in comparison to having to mix in the corn syrup etc.
I know its a lot to ask and searching is useful and I have, however sometimes I find my self looking at conflicting replies or situations not quite like the one im in and I just want to make sure it all applies to my case.
Thank you in advance,
Dark
