[dmg]

I would like to have a go making some homebrew.
Which supplier is the best for complete starter kits
Which is easier lager or wine- I'm not a beer fan and can 1 kit change between them.
If trying fruit wine what sort of quantities would I need?

Thanks
dmg

[SG6]

Cannot answer for the lager kit however I think you would be better off with a recognised good one, not a clue who that would be however, even with them I think people "tweek" them a bit. First time just follow the instructions.

Fruit wine, in the simplest form 3 lb fruit, 2 1/2 to 3 lb sugar, wine yeast.
There are additional bits that you could throw in, nutrient, acid, tannin, pectalose, but you would get by without - usually.

Dark (Red) wines are not that dark, so do not expect a deep red something or other.

At this time of year not a lot of fresh fruit, although the market near me had fresh cherries yesterday.

How about Apple ?

3lb or 4lbs apples,
Gallon water,
3lb sugar,
Wine Yeast.

Ignoring a book I would chop apples into small bits, the budget ones from Tesco/Sainsburys etc should do, russets have a nice flavour.
Chop and throw in a bucket.
Boil 2 or 3 pints of water and pour over the apples.
Wait 10-15 minutes then add water to make up 5 litres.
Add sugar and stir to dissolve.
Add yeast to the warm liquid. SEE note below.
Add Pectalose. Apples have pectin so you need this.
Cover with a tea towel and stir each day for a week.
Should be fizzing.

After a week strain off liquid (through a kitchin strainer) into a DJ, add airlock and wait for fermentation to cease.
Rack (Take the top clear stuff off).
If clear enough then stabalise (Potassium Sorbate) and bottle.
If not clear leave to settle and rack a second time.
Leave to mature until next Christmas.

Many add yeast by making a starter of a teaspoon of sugar in warm water, add yeast and let it get going, then add this to the main lot.

Alternative fruits, visit a supermarket and buy a few packs of frozen fruits. Pineapples seem to be around - never tried making it. Guess it would be chop 2 large pineapples.

[thedadtony]

Lots of Home Brew shops do starter kits and will give you advice if you need it. Cheers Tony.

[Daamoot]

I started with a 6 bottle red wine starter kit and found it a useful way of gathering some of the basic kit you need to start. I then tried a lager kit which was donated from a friend and I now use the 5gal bin for any brews I want to make extra large.  I've never used the plastic 1gal tubs that came with the wine kit since I collected some glass demijohns.  So I'd suggest getting a starter kit to reduce the initial cost of equipment but don't expect too much from the brew.  Keep an eye on freegle/gumtree for demijohns as they frequently appear for free/cheap.

I would say lager is the easiest of the kits.  Less steps to follow and far quicker to get the finished result.  But then more time consuming to bottle unless you have a keg to use.

[dmg]

Thanks for all the help everyone.

dmg

[calumscott]

If you're not a beer fan then I would avoid the beers entirely and go with the wine.

There are a couple of good lager kits out there but they aren't true lagers, they're brewed at room temperature with ale yeasts (very clean ale yeasts granted) which means you can't get a true lager crispness.  You can get a good lager styled beer though...

...to brew a proper lager takes a specialist yeast, rigorous temperature control (fermentation at around 12C and "lagering" (storage in German...) at around 2C for a good while.

I've got a 6 bottle california connoisseur Sauvignon Blanc kit on the go at the moment and it is showing real promise.  I think they're quite pricey though. 

You could get going with a Wurzel's Orange Wine (WOW) for much cheapness (I've also got one on the go just now) - I'm told they come out quite nice!  http://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/viewtopic.php?t=10179

[syks grower]

I would agree about the Wow its ready in about a month and is really good