So the Mrs brought me a Tom Caxtons home brew kit so am going to have a go at brewing my own beer. It makes up to 40 pints so I am looking at getting one of the following:

http://www.brew-it-yourself.co.uk/shop/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=30_34&products_id=69

And then some bottle to put it in for which these seem ideal (will have to go in a glass for drinking!):

http://www.brew-it-yourself.co.uk/shop/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=30_46&products_id=920

So what else do I need?!

Cleaner/sanitiser, make sure everything that touches your brew is spotless.

Hydrometer for checking fermentation is complete and a thermometer will also come in handy, though not essential.

and a big long food grade plastic spoon – something like this: http://www.brew-it-yourself.co.uk/shop/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=30_119&products_id=50

Hydrometer, thermometer, sanitising solution/powder would be useful. If it’s a one can kit, 1kg of Dried Malt Extract (DME) makes for a better beer than using the 1kg of sugar.

Have a look at Jim’s Beer Kit which has info on starting out on kit beermaking and an extremely helpful kit section to the forum.

Coopers kits are ace.

Then prepare to start splashing out on immersion heaters, stainless pots and all manner of equipment in search of that elusive perfect brew.

… and importantly, not forgetting one of these for supping it out of.

I have a hydrometer. Never use it though. When it’s finished, you can tell by the lack of bubbles.

I have a load of homebrew kit left from a failed business venture I did I will sell for trade + 20% to cover my costs Eg barrel and cylender £35 ( retail £50) brew bucket and lid £7if you are interested

Tips are free
1 CLEAN CLEAN AND CLEAN with a proper cleaner realy easy honest

2 Keep an eye on the temperature at arround 20c you will not go wrong brew belts are ace

You’ll need some spray malt or brewers sugar to stick in each bottle. Regular sugar won’t quite cut it.

I’m on my third batch and it’s all good stuff.

Ok question about bottling. With the fermenting barrel I have linked to above it has a tap for easy bottling. There should be sediment in the beer once the brew is complete – will this sediment form below the tap line making it easier to siphon of or am I going to get a load of sediment?

the sediment sinks to the bottom, but don’t use the tap if it is near the bottom.
Get some siphon tubing with a u-bend or upside-down snorkel at the bottom and an inline tap so you can turn it off between bottles, and try to keep it still to avoid disturbing the sediment.

bigger Boots stores used to do all this gear but I think you’d need a homebrew specialist these days

You’ll also need to raise the fermenting barrel a bit – I used to put mine on a chair/stool, but a couple of layers of breeze blocks should be enough, as long as you can get the whole of the bottle below the bottom of the bucket – so I’d do that before you start the kit.

Don’t try to get every last drop out of the fermenting bucket either, when you can see the sludge getting sucked into the siphon, pull it out and you might need to discard that bottle, unless you’re very patient.

<edit> didn’t see what bawbag had put, doh! </edit>

Finings shouldn’t be necessary to clear it – leave it for a couple of weeks in the bottle & you should have some nice clear beer. Check with your local homebrew store for current advice.

Bottling It

Picture guide to bottling – though the guy is using a bottling stick attached to the fermenting bin’s tap. I just bottle right through the tap. Sludge pretty much stays at the bottom through bottling until you get towards the end; once the beer gets to the level of the tap you can start to tip the barrel, slowly and carefully (I usually jam a big book under it) to avoid the beer rocking about and kicking up the sludge. If a little goes through it’s no big deal, it’ll settle out after the further fermentation in the bottle as will the rest of the yeast in suspension. It’s all really simple. The only pain with bottling is the sterilising and rinsing of all the bottles.

There are still quite a few homebrew shops round the country, so you may have a local that should be good for advice and support.

Then you can go down the route of:
Support your local homebrew shop or buy online?
What hops for a golden ale?
… and so on.

there are at least 4, possibly 5 within 10 miles of where I live. Hmm, now you’ve started me thinking…

If you’re anywhere near Leeds, there’s one in Kirkstall, one in Morley, one in Shipley and one, possibly two, in Bradford. And I didn’t even need to google for that info

Use a bottling stick, life’s been so much easier since I got one.

I’d also recommend an immersion heater more so than a brew belt, it’ll regulate the temperature better unless you happen to have a belt with a thermostat. Only a few quid more, there’s dedicated homebrew ones (Electrim 75) available for about £20 off Ebay or try an aquarium one.

Not an essential, but keeping your yeast happy will help you get down to final gravity. 18c is about right, if you’ve got a room constantly around this temperature then you’ll probably be fine without.

As mentioned above, you don’t have to use a hydrometer. If you can be sure fermentation has started (and it’s fairly obvious) then 2 weeks in the bucket should see it creep as close to final gravity as it’s likely to get.

Although they are useful for identifying a stuck fermentation and general beer geekery if you end up getting more involved.