Hey Elnoss,
You’re starting out where most of us did, and learning some important lessons along the way.
Don’t be ashamed for drinking CD/VB, there is a lot of science and skill that goes into creating those beers, and getting them tasting the same from batch to batch takes some serious know how.
There’s 3 things you can do to improve you kit brewing, before worrying about shelling out for more expensive bits of kit.
1: Cleaning and sanitisation: One of the most important aspects IMHO. You can’t sanitise until everything is clean. There’s lots of methods to clean, but if you don’t let your fermenters and bottles stand after use and let stuff dry on them (i.e. rise bottles right away) then you’re half way there. You can wash your fermenter with fragrance free dishwasher detergent and a soft cloth then rinse well and store upside down (you repeat the process before brewing). You can use a sodium percarbonate based cleaner (i.e. fragrance free Aldi napisan, or some other similar product) To soak away the more stubborn stains.
Sanitise with a no rinse solution (available from most brewing stores). I do rise these with boiling water prior to having it contact beer, but the manufacturers state it isn’t necessary.
Get a bottle washer and a bottle tree if you don’t have one.
2: Yeast health: Use good quality yeast, not the stuff that comes under the lid of the tin. US05 is a good place to start, and you can make a pretty good quasi lager with it (lagers can be a bit tricky at a home brew level). Make sure you pitch enough as well. 2 packs of dry yeast is about right for most kit brews.
3: Temperature control: 3rd in my list for a reason. If you don’t nail the first 2, then there’s less point in controlling your temperature as you’re already miles behind. A temp controlled fridge is ideal, however you can make excellent beer without a fridge. Keeping you temperature stable and not letting it get hot is the key. Avoiding temperature fluctuations is also important. If you don’t have a fridge, find a cool dark spot in your house (I used to use a cupboard in the spare room), and wrap a damp towel around it if it looks like it’s going to be warm. Generally avoid trying to ferment when it’s going to blazing hot, unless you’ve got a a fridge.
If you can get these 3 things sorted then you’ll make excellent kit beers every time.
Fresh wort kits are worth a go (the grain and grape ones are excellent), but make sure you follow the principles above and you’ll be sound as a pound. You can experiment with steeping grains and hops if you like as well (The G&G guys will sort you out with what you need)
Pressure fermenting, all grain, liquid yeast, expensive gear will all help down the track if you’re keen, but there’s many a brewer who follows these principles and makes excellent kit beer. I’ve got a good mate who only makes kit/FWK beer and it is just as good as some all grain beer I’ve had (often better).
JD
