airlock.

hurmson

hi im new to homebrew, i keep reading about airlocks but how do i fit one to my fermenting vessel it doesnt have anywhere to fit one or do i have to buy a certain type of vessel?

im on my 5th batch and managed without just keep taking a reading after about 7 days is it ok to keep removing the lid.

i like my bitter (only tried john bull) any recomended, my wife likes cider (youngs) would appreciate any recomenations or advice.

one last thing used sugar in secondary but gives a really sweet taste to bitter any advice.

thanks

 

loady

i wouldnt bother with the airlock unless your vessell is REALLY airtight..it is only a visual aid and you dont really need it, i have just started vrewing and have removed mine now, it didnt bubble once, i just covered the hole now.

Not sure about the sugar making your bitter sweet, as i said, i have only just started out myself and not yet on to that stage, i did read if you use to much it will give it a sweet taste but as far as i know it is for carbonation...you can use carbonation drops as i have seen suggested.

i have not tried the john bull range, i like the darker ales and went for woodfordes nog and woodfordes wherry

HBO_Staff

loady's right, not all kits come with airlocks, the main thing is to make sure no contaminants get in, you can just crack the lid open slightly to let any build up of pressure out. That said, if you want to use an airlock, you could just drill a hole in the lid, fit a grommet, and then push the airlock into that, it can then bubble away to let any pressure out as it ferments. You can remove the lid during this first (primary) fermenting stage, as it does not have to be airtight, it is critical though once kegged or bottled that it then stays airtight.

The Woodfordes range loady has been making is very popular, inparticular the Wherry, we can highly recommend that, and the St Peters are also of a great quality. Both these are the 3kg kits, and are a natural progression from a cheaper 1 tin kit, they come with all the malts and sugars needed so the finished result is as close as possible to how the manufacturers intended it to be. Ciders that are popular are the Magnum and Finlandia ranges, but there are often genuine customer reviews at the bottom of the item listings on the website which can be very useful and let other people know how they found the products to be.

Priming sugar wouldn't usually make beer sweet, as it is a small quantity and should ferment into the brew as it carbonates it. You can use spraymalts or enhancers to prime instead, which some people swear by and would be worth an experiment. We also recommend you leave the beer to condition for a few weeks in the bottles or keg so it reaches it's optimum taste - if drank too early it wont be at it's best, so leave it somewhere warm for a few days to kick start secondary fermentation, then move somewhere cooler to clear and condition ideally for a few weeks