First ever home brew

[Maker]

IKEA sell them in a range of sizes from 200ml, to 2l(?) I think: about 50p-£1 a bottle. (No lager in them, though).
I buy quite a few for my hot sauces.

Check they're rated to hold a bit of pressure before you put beer in them, Kilner ones aren't...

 

[gaz1]

you want a stock pot as i have one there really handy for big stews that i make

Large Stainless Steel Stock Pot Brew Boiling Stew Soup Cooking Pot Buckingham | eBay

We aim to resolve any problem as quickly as possible. Capacity : 15 Litres ( Approx ). Height = 22.5 Cm. Orders Dispatch Capacity: 11 Litres ( Approx ).

www.ebay.co.uk

 

[not done it yet]

Under the section "how to make beer". Strangely enough I never spotted that bit at all I was reading all the various recipes

So I have double-flavoured beer now or what? It also begs the questions:

1. Do I leave things alone or dilute the bottles down to ?
2. Do I add more sugar to my bottles? I put in half a teaspoon but I see in that guide they say to use a full level spoon. I cracked one of the lids an got very little fizz unlike the original kit I brewd where I got a volcano of it.

Told the wife I have to get another demijohn for fermenting and a 8L cooking pot.

Most serious brewers soon progress to a 25 litre bucket. I used to make wine by the bucketful as well as in demijohns. Wine kits were about £120 for a 30 bottle kit (with high quality ingredients). Still considerably cheaper than supermarket plonk, but of far better quality. After fermenting, the wine was matured in demijohns in an defunct 13 cubic foot freezer. It could hold about 27 demijohns.

We don’t drink anywhere near as much alcohol now, as we did. I progressed to making 20% ferments and used it for making home consumption spirits - until the water still packed up. Sloe gin was one favourite.

 

[not done it yet]

Check they're rated to hold a bit of pressure before you put beer in them, Kilner ones aren't...
View attachment 299472

Punted wine bottles are often good to recycle. I only save punted bottles these days, if screw capped.

I remember (from nearly 50 years ago) when future mother-in-law fermented something in several large screw-topped glass lemonade bottles. First sign of danger was when one exploded and took out two or three more with it. A good flood and I had to remove the rest of the bottles and make them safe.

 

[gaz1]

Most serious brewers soon progress to a 25 litre bucket. I used to make wine by the bucketful as well as in demijohns. Wine kits were about £120 for a 30 bottle kit (with high quality ingredients). Still considerably cheaper than supermarket plonk, but of far better quality. After fermenting, the wine was matured in demijohns in an defunct 13 cubic foot freezer. It could hold about 27 demijohns.

We don’t drink anywhere near as much alcohol now, as we did. I progressed to making 20% ferments and used it for making home consumption spirits - until the water still packed up. Sloe gin was one favourite.

serious ones use barrels and fermenting tanks

 

[Pete.]

Punted wine bottles are often good to recycle. I only save punted bottles these days, if screw capped.

I remember (from nearly 50 years ago) when future mother-in-law fermented something in several large screw-topped glass lemonade bottles. First sign of danger was when one exploded and took out two or three more with it. A good flood and I had to remove the rest of the bottles and make them safe.

Ginger beer? I remember my nan had a few bottles of that go off in the airing cupboard

 

[daedalusminos]

1. Do I leave things alone or dilute the bottles down to ?
2. Do I add more sugar to my bottles? I put in half a teaspoon but I see in that guide they say to use a full level spoon. I cracked one of the lids an got very little fizz unlike the original kit I brewd where I got a volcano of it.

Did you have a sneaky taste prior to bottling - if it tasted OK I'd leave well alone.
I little fizz with the classic CO2 haze sitting in the bottle top is good.

 

[mechman]

Punted wine bottles are often good to recycle. I only save punted bottles these days, if screw capped.

I remember (from nearly 50 years ago) when future mother-in-law fermented something in several large screw-topped glass lemonade bottles. First sign of danger was when one exploded and took out two or three more with it. A good flood and I had to remove the rest of the bottles and make them safe.

Yep, that also happened to me, it was 5 gall barrels from then on.