Beginners kit kegging....

[tony9i9i9i]

Hi,

I've build a home bar and have a 3 line chiller and I am going to start brewing.

I've ordered 6 * 19l kegs and a some basic brewing kit along with three beer kits to get started, I still need to order gas and regulators but have time for that (any tip on how to do that in the UK are welcome).

I watched a few videos and my plan is to brew one at a time, keg most of it and bottle the remainer.

I've seen on videos and read on the kit descriptions, that once brewed and bottled or kegged the beer is best left for a month or three, do we need to worry about the ambient temperature when doing this? Would keeping it in a garage (UK temperature swings shouldn't be to extreme) be OK?

Tony.

 

[Shaika-Dzari]

Will it be your first brew ?

Ideally, you want to keep beer at a constant temperature and from what I can see most people build a "keezer" to store and cool their keg.
It's also depend on the style of beer you are brewing; lager needs colder temperature, IPA would benefit from it, Imperial stout would probably be fine at room temperature to develop...

 

[brewbama]

I refer you to this diagram from Dr Bamforth. Beer is best kept cold.

 

[tony9i9i9i]

Will it be your first brew ?

Ideally, you want to keep beer at a constant temperature and from what I can see most people build a "keezer" to store and cool their keg.
It's also depend on the style of beer you are brewing; lager needs colder temperature, IPA would benefit from it, Imperial stout would probably be fine at room temperature to develop...

Thanks for the info Shakia, I plan to store beer in my garage, it's got a tilled roof so protects from the hottest and coldest outside temperatures. I have a overflow fridge/freezer there, we don't use the fridge much so I reckon I could have a couple of kegs in there at any time. Would any darker stuff generally be happy out side of the fridge to develop? That could sit in the garage.

I'm going to build a box cupboard to both stand the chiller on and store the serving kegs in (going to line it with polystyrene and loop the circulation from the chiller through it.

I'm hoping to brew out there as well next to the chiller, I can use a heat mat and blankets when it gets colder.

Anyway, I reckon the first pint will have cost me about £800 time I get the gas sorted, so I best get good at it. Still that cheaper than the fish tank was once we'd stocked it and never did go out and spend £1,000's on fishing or paint ball gear that I don't use so I'm not doing so bad.

Tony.

 

[tony9i9i9i]

I refer you to this diagram from Dr Bamforth. Beer is best kept cold.View attachment 693407

Thanks for that Brewbama, I've saved a copy looks like anywhere below 10C gives beer plenty of time to develop and then get drunken.

Tony.

 

[Shaika-Dzari]

You are obviously free to do anything you want but I would advise brewing a couple of beer first, then buy more stuff (keg, keezer, etc).
Sure, cool equipment is always fun , but you can brew perfectly fine beer with a kettle, a bag (BIAB), a bucket as fermenter and bottles.
The more equipment you have, the more things you need to understand, know and control.
When you are satisfy and consistent with your recipe, then upgrade (or not) to a more complicated setup.

Concerning you question, I'll let others respond as I'm also quite new to brewing so I don't want to give you bad/false answer.

 

[tracer bullet]

Colder beer tastes hoppier longer, I can say that for sure. Years ago I bought a 4 pack of a locally made IPA and put 2 cans in a frig and 2 cans on top. Friend and I did a blind taste test about 6 months later and there was absolutely no question that one (frig) was hoppier than the other (left out). Tried it multiple times with both cans to be sure and it was really obvious. Just drinking my own beer I can tell the same same if a keg lasts more than a month, the hops flavors go away, whether they be IPA's (kind of a bad effect) or Russian Imperial Stouts (for me a good effect).

 

[tony9i9i9i]

You are obviously free to do anything you want but I would advise brewing a couple of beer first, then buy more stuff (keg, keezer, etc).
Sure, cool equipment is always fun , but you can brew perfectly fine beer with a kettle, a bag (BIAB), a bucket as fermenter and bottles.
The more equipment you have, the more things you need to understand, know and control.
When you are satisfy and consistent with your recipe, then upgrade (or not) to a more complicated setup.

Concerning you question, I'll let others respond as I'm also quite new to brewing so I don't want to give you bad/false answer.

Cheers Shaika, I started off with the chiller and taps, then brought the kegs, least I can do is try and brew some beer. It's all good and it's all sellable, so nothing to worry about, and as for complication, I've only got one bucket so its only one brew at a time.

 

[tony9i9i9i]

Colder beer tastes hoppier longer, I can say that for sure. Years ago I bought a 4 pack of a locally made IPA and put 2 cans in a frig and 2 cans on top. Friend and I did a blind taste test about 6 months later and there was absolutely no question that one (frig) was hoppier than the other (left out). Tried it multiple times with both cans to be sure and it was really obvious. Just drinking my own beer I can tell the same same if a keg lasts more than a month, the hops flavors go away, whether they be IPA's (kind of a bad effect) or Russian Imperial Stouts (for me a good effect).

Thanks tracer, that will be well worth remembering.

 

[Newbrewer76844]

I'm new to brewing my beer has sat 14 days can i go ahead and force carbonate. Or is there another step

 

[Maxkling]

I'm new to brewing my beer has sat 14 days can i go ahead and force carbonate. Or is there another step

In most cases yes, but it’s advisable to check your gravity a few days apart. If it’s close to your estimated FG from the recipe then you should be good.

Also don’t be afraid to make your own post with your questions.

 

[Newbrewer76844]

In most cases yes, but it’s advisable to check your gravity a few days apart. If it’s close to your estimated FG from the recipe then you should be good.

Also don’t be afraid to make your own post with your questions.

How do I make a post not similar with this site yet