Hi Colin
No doubt you have had a go by now. I brought the fermentor kit, and jumped in the deep end, when filling I briefly left the tap on, learn by mistakes. Brought a glass 25 lt Carboy, a work of art in itself, as I wanted it for secondary fermentation. Enjoying the brew now, 12 weeks latter, but it would be better if I had done the fining properly and I had worked out how to cold condition it for a month.
Second brew is an IPA sitting in a keg, but I haven't worked out the tapping gear yet, or a kegerator, but I got the beer ready for it. It will be an interesting day, as I poured 50 grams of hop pellets into the keg, which may define the outer limits of mouth feel.
Third brew was a Muntons double malt kit, red/brown ale, 6 day fermentation, but I thought was vigorous enough, and I got everything clean ready for bottling, tested gravity 128, bugger it, let’s do it anyway. 20 litres into a Coleman’s collapsible water container, the poms call them "polypins", and did that produce some gas, but after 5 days I start with a pint or two a night. Three weeks later the polypin was still rigid with CO2 as I drew the last few pints, it should have been a cock up but I enjoyed every pint.
One trick I am working out is fermenting in a water bath with an aquarium heater, 1/2 cost of a heating pad, a mate Jerry put the heater into the beer, no problems. Conditioning a porter at the moment, had a tester last night and coming along very well. I like the Muntons kits but now inspect the used by dates, and I am interested in going to partial mashing using DME, 25 kgs of malt in less than 2 years, before it goes off, maybe not a problem.
Why SOBA? spur of the moment, re Radler:
"I detest the adulteration of the noble barley, hops, yeast and water, but I will defend your right, till death, to drink an abomination, free from the tyranny of 'The Man'."
PS.; SOBA forum a great magnitude easier to read than realbeer forum.