Beers, Ales and Ciders (recipes below)
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This is the basic equipment you will need to make Beers and Ales. Kegs, we have 14ltr bins that are great for knocking out small brews or experimenting, 23ltr kegs for bigger brews and 30 and 50 litres just to bump things up a bit. A sieve that fits over the top of the bin and muslin for filtering, if using a small top keg you will also need a funnel and nerves of steel as you pour the boiling liquid over K's hands....she can get quite violent and has a low pain threshold. A large pot to boil up the ingredients, we have a 14ltr one for indoor use and two bigger ones, 30 and 45ltr for knocking up large batches outside on a gas burner. A stirrer, long of course and a large jug to transfer contents and top up kegs with cold water, 5ltr is good.
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You will need a bottle draining rack, we rinse all bottles after drinking the contents, drain them on the rack and then use some stuff called Chemipro OXI to clean and sterilise the bottles before filling and the kegs and bins before brewing. It's great stuff as it does both jobs and doesn't require rinsing, perfect for lazy sods like us. As the bottles need priming before filling you need a measuring spoon to get the right amount of sugar and a funnel so you don't chuck it all around the kitchen.
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We have a thing that looks like a thermometer which we drop into a test tube thing full of hooch to see if it's ready. This thermometer thing which we call either a Hydrangea or a hydrographer has a green line that says 'beer ready', when it settles on that line we bottle the stuff...... we don't really know why but it seems to work. If you bottle too early there is always the chance that the bottles will explode.
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A bottle capper is essential but get a decent one as shown or you will break bottles or knock them over, K hates the sticky floor. A marker pen to write on the cap so you don't forget what's inside. Don't bother labelling the bottles as it's a pain in the arse when you come to clean the bottles for reuse. With regards to ingredients there are some basics for all brews. One is spray malt which we buy in bulk 25kgs at a time as it's much cheaper, we like Muntons light or amber. The same for hops, you don't need much but it's still worth buying the pellets in bulk 5Kgs at a time and storing in an airtight container, we like Fuggles. Ale yeast can also be bought in bulk but we find the best is S-04 which comes in 11g packets and just needs sprinkling on top of the mix and will activate very quickly.
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Aside from that you need Golden Syrup and sugar and then whatever ingredients the recipe calls for. It may seem like a lot but it will soon pay for itself and you can't beat the taste of a beer you have made yourself that probably no one else in the world is drinking and has a wonderfully original flavour. Try some of the recipes below and we are sure you will agree or be too pissed not to care anyway.
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