HELP! Is it essential to use a thermometer and a hydrometer when homebrewing beer?
Author: admin | Filed under: BoozeI’ve just bought my first homebrew kit which apparently contained everything I need to start brewing. However on reading instructions it sounds like I need a thermometer to keep check on the temp, and also a ‘hydrometer’ (which i dont really know what this is??). Is this essesntial? Do I really need to keep such strict monitoring of the temperature, and whatever the hydrometer does? and do i need to buy a ‘beer heater’ (something else which the homebrew company recommends in its instructions?)to keep the temp right? i’d saved up thinking i’d have everything i need and now it sounds like i’m only half way there?! Please let me know what you think! desperate to get started!
Also..there’s no yeast with the kit? theres the can which is labelled ‘real ale’ but don’t know if the yeast is in there?
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Tags: beer, Essential, help, homebrewing, Hydrometer, thermometer
you don’t need a hydrometer it gives you a trues.g. but just follow the instructions and keep it out of any draughts and Waite until it stops bubbling and you will be OK
No you don’t really need them, just keep the beer some place quite warm for a couple of weeks and it’ll be ok. I used to brew my own with kits you could buy from Boots and that’s all I did, brewed some some fearsome beers I can tell you!
helpful but not a requirement, the main thing is don’t allow your brew to become over heated, this will cause a fast fermentation and cause your brew to be bitter. a cooler, slower fermentation is better.
good luck
If you are using a kit that uses malt syrups you will probably be fine without either if you follow the instructions carefully, but if you are starting from grain you must go through a very precise mashing process and it is definitely a necessity to have both. I still would go out and get a hydrometer and thermometer anyway, they will help you monitor and understand the brewing process a little better. They aren’t all that expensive and if you decide to continue the hobby of home brewing it will come in very handy once you step up from syrups to all grain.
And to explain a hydrometer, it is used to measure the specific gravity (SG) of a liquid, basically meaning the density. By doing this you can figure the amount of fermentable sugar in the wort. During the brewing process you monitor the change in the SG and you can tell where you are at in the brewing process and you can use this measurement to figure the amount of alcohol in the brew.
It is also important to keep your brew at a steady temperature, which varies depending on the type beer you are brewing, typically lagers like colder temps. The temp controls the speed of the fermentation, if it is too warm and you allow it to ferment too fast the yeast can produce byproducts that will leave a foul taste in the beer. I have found that my basement in my house works quite well, it stays a pretty even temp, the biggest thing is to keep the temp steady, that is more important than it being a few degrees warmer or cooler, as long as it doesn’t fluctuate too much.
You also use a thermometer to check the temp of the wort before you pitch your yeast, if you don’t let it cool enough it will kill off the yeast, but there again with a little common sense you can judge when the wort is cool enough.
Hope this helps a little, if you decide to continue brewing beer, and want to understand the process a little better one of the best books I have found is “The brewmasters bible”, it explains the entire process in great detail as well many recipes from malt syrups to all grain
Good luck!
Oh and to answer the question about the yeast, it would be in a separate package from the malt syrup, usually a small square envelope. I am pretty sure the can you are referring to is the malt syrup. If they did not include the yeast in the kit it is readily available, just be sure to get a yeast that is meant for they type beer you are brewing, there are hundreds of types of yeast available, but some are for wine, some are better for baking etc.. While any of them will ferment the wort, certain ones are better for certain purposes. You should have a shop near you that sells brewing supplies, if you are unsure they should be able to advise you.
Professional brewers prefer using such instruments to more precisely monitor and control the progress of the fermentation, and a hydrometer could come in handy if you suspect the fermentation might have prematurely stalled and you want to check the alcohol concentration in order to determine that (or to add more sugar just to make it stronger), but they’re not absolutely necessary. And you don’t need a beer heater as long as the temperature in your home stays fairly constant and at a comfortable level. After all, the venerable ancients brewed fine beer long before we had such things as thermometers, electric heaters, hydrometers, or even airlocks and cultured yeast. And as for the yeast, there should be a packet of it in your kit. If for some reason you lost it, you can buy more at a brew shop, or if there is no brew shop in your area and you bought the kit online and really don’t feel like paying the shipping fee just for a little pack of yeast, you could use bread yeast from the supermarket instead (many brewers would consider that heresy and it will impart a slightly different flavor than beer/ale yeast, but it will work OK if you’re not too picky about authenticity).
This will probably be long
You definitely need a thermometer.
You don’t “need” a hydrometer unless you want to know the alcohol content of your beer.
Hydrometer measures the specific gravity of liquid. You can use it to determine the alcohol content of your beer.
It also helps when trying to determine when the beer is done fermenting (if you are following a recipe THAT closely)
Usually when the bubbles coming out of the airlock are, give or take, 1 minute apart is when I consider it “done”.
You don’t need it, but you may eventually want to buy one.
All you need to make beer–other than ingredients is:
- Stainless steel pot w/ lid (5 gallon should work)
- Thermometer
- hop bag
- grain bag
- funnel with a little screen (to filter out any solids)
- fermenter (big enough to hold your batch)
- air lock
- Siphon tube, racking cane, some kind of siphon starter (DO NOT try to start the siphon with your mouth)
You’ll also need cleaning supplies:
- Some kind of sanitizer (I use iodopher but onestep is fine)
- bottle brushes
You should have all of this if you bought a good kit
Depending on whether you are going to bottle or keg your beer you’ll need:
*To Bottle*
- Bottles (duh :])
- bottle caps
- bottle capper
- and a bottling wand
— (and bottling sugar)
*To Keg*
- Cornelius keg
- CO2 tank
- regulator
- liquid and gas lines and connectors
- dispenser
- and a fridge obviously
If I were you I would bottle for my first time. Kegging requires supplies which you probably don’t have. Most kits come with the bottling supplies.
It should have come with yeast. If it is liquid yeast it would have had to stay at a certain temp. so there would have been something to keep it cold, and it would be in a bottle of some kind. If it came with dry yeast then you’d be looking for a packet of powder. If you haven’t found it then chances are that the kit didn’t come with yeast. In that case you’ll need to buy yeast, either online or at a local homebrew store.
If you have a homebrew store in your area, go there and tell them what kind of beer you are making. The person who works there should be able to recommend yeast for you.
If you have to buy it online then the yeast you use will depend on what you are making.
Ale yeast and lager yeast are different, so buy accordingly.
There are also different strains of yeast which will contribute different flavors to the end result of your beer.
You want brewer’s yeast (not baker’s yeast).
If you have any other questions, you can e-mail me.
Good luck…