I’m very new to homebrew. Would you suggest another brand that would be better?
I'm going to start this with:
I don't know what's available in Ireland, although most companies can ship to virtually anywhere.
Many people have and do make good beers with extract, I just feel that one can do better with all grain.
This was my experience.
My first kits were Coopers.
I followed the instructions exactly.
The beer tasted horrible, even though I tried to convince myself it was good, since I made it.
I drank most of it, a neighbor helped with some of it.
I learned how to brew all grain from another brewer, most have been good since then with a few that I didn't care for.
Those I didn't care for, others liked and I gave them away.
**** happens:
There was a time where I made several beers in a row that turned out to be infected.
I did a major cleaning and replaced all soft items, tubing, etc.
I had a few good batches, then the problem arose again.
Once again did a major cleaning, replacing all soft items, never figured out what the cause was.
I've been brewing pretty much great beers since.
My advice:
Get an all grain kit, do some research, watch a few videos, or find someone that can teach you.
There is wealth of information on this website, welcome to the homebrew community.
With the Brew In A Bag method (BIAB) you can do all grain with just a little more than what you have now.
A piece of advice that I got from a pro brewer when I got started, I didn't like the advice, but followed it anyway.
Pick a recipe, brew the same beer over and over until it tastes the same each time, this allows you to work out your process.
If you change anything, just change one thing at a time so that you know how it affected the outcome of the beer.
I brewed a bunch of stouts.
Darker beers can be a little more forgiving than lighter beers, as the dark grains can cover/mask some of the faults.
A pale ale or a bitter might be a good place to start.