20 pint kits???...

[Trotters80]

Hello, I'm not as advanced as a lot of people on here, I still use 40 pint beer kits.

I cant see many 20 pint kits anywhere, does anyone know if you can get these at all?.

If not, is it possible to only use half of a 40 pint kit, or would the malt "go off" once the can has been opened?.

I'm asking because id like to have more than one brew on the go(see my recent question), but don't have much space for two 40 pint barrels.

Thank you.

 

[nigelnorris]

The Festival 40 pint kits mostly come with the malt divided nicely into two separate packs, easy enough to split up. Mind they're twice the price of some kits too so it's swings and roundabouts.

 

[stevie123]

Hello, I'm not as advanced as a lot of people on here, I still use 40 pint beer kits.

I cant see many 20 pint kits anywhere, does anyone know if you can get these at all?.

If not, is it possible to only use half of a 40 pint kit, or would the malt "go off" once the can has been opened?.

I'm asking because id like to have more than one brew on the go(see my recent question), but don't have much space for two 40 pint barrels.

Thank you.

Brewferm do some nice shorter brew kits :thumb:

 

[chub1]

I have tried one small trial extract brew mainly to get smaller batches as i don't really want 30/40 pints all at once and of the same beer and it's turned out really well.:thumb::thumb:
I have kits to use but once done i don't think i will go back to them unless i want a big brew.
I have a single can of Harvest stout which i am going to split into two different brews BUT will still end up with 25/30 pints!.

 

[terrym]

Why not try a Youngs or Wilko 1.5kg kit, add no further malt/sugars, and brew to 11 litres. This should give you a brew of OG about 1.040.

 

[Sandimas]

A lot of the Muntons kits (Wherry, Smugglers etc) come with 2 cans so you can just brew up 1 of the cans at a time. I've done this with Wherry. You won't need as much yeast, but that doens't matter with Wherry as it comes with a meagre packet of yeast in anyway (7g?) so chuck it all in; with kits that come with an 11g packet of yeast, just halve it and re-seal the packet.

Why not try a Youngs or Wilko 1.5kg kit, add no further malt/sugars, and brew to 11 litres. This should give you a brew of OG about 1.040.

...but won't that give you twice the intended bitterness?

 

[Slid]

A lot of the Muntons kits (Wherry, Smugglers etc) come with 2 cans so you can just brew up 1 of the cans at a time. I've done this with Wherry. You won't need as much yeast, but that doens't matter with Wherry as it comes with a meagre packet of yeast in anyway (7g?) so chuck it all in; with kits that come with an 11g packet of yeast, just halve it and re-seal the packet.



...but won't that give you twice the intended bitterness?

Won't be an issue with the ones marketed as Lager kits. These include Golden, Pilsner and Cerveca, which are all fine done as 2 can kits to 40 pints, so will be fine at half the size. Since the Wilko kits come with the same pathetic sized yeast packet as the other Muntons manufactured kits, using the whole packet will be fine too.

As far as I am aware, the yeast itself is not the issue. What may be questionable is the number of viable cells in a small packet that could have been stored for long periods at an unsympathetic temperature.

The Wilko lager kits all benefit from a small hop addition, too. This turns them into a pretty good pale ale.

 

[Albion]

Hi, I have done batches this size all the time I have been brewing. Brewferm do some 9l kits, but yes, you can use a one can kit. Just pour the remaining malt into a freezer bag and put it in the freezer. I did this many many times and had no adverse effect.

Of course, using one can of a two can kit also works.

 

[terrym]

...but won't that give you twice the intended bitterness?

I did a Wilko Hoppy Copper Bitter plus malt to 15 litres once and the hop balance seemed about right to me. So for me concentrating the hop flavour a bit more wouldn't be a problem.
I do kits (as opposed to AG) and would never brew a 1.5kg kit to 23 litres since it would come out decidedly thin.
And at �£7.50 for a Youngs Harvest one can its worth a try.

 

[Trotters80]

Hi, I have done batches this size all the time I have been brewing. Brewferm do some 9l kits, but yes, you can use a one can kit. Just pour the remaining malt into a freezer bag and put it in the freezer. I did this many many times and had no adverse effect.

Of course, using one can of a two can kit also works.

Good to know that. I'll try freezing the remainder next time. I don't wanna be spending more on these fancy 2 can kits.

But, how do you get it all out of the freezer bag?. As its a "gooey" consistency, do you not waste any with it sticking to the inside of the bag?.

 

[Albion]

Good to know that. I'll try freezing the remainder next time. I don't wanna be spending more on these fancy 2 can kits.

But, how do you get it all out of the freezer bag?. As its a "gooey" consistency, do you not waste any with it sticking to the inside of the bag?.

Good question!
I put the freezer bag in a 1l measuring jug so it is lining the jug. Then pour the first half of the canned kit in (so for a 1.5kg kit, I would pour 750g into the bag). Then tie the bag and put in the freezer. Then use the second half of the can for my first batch.

Then when I come to do my second batch, I would get the bag out to defrost in the morning. In the evening, I would half fill a 2l jug with hot water untie the bag and put it in the hot water. Once most of the extract is dissolved , you can fish the bag out, turn it inside-out and put it back in to dissolve the residue.

Hey presto!

 

[Robin54]

leave to defrost over night and pour out and then add some hot water to wash the bag out

 

[Trotters80]

Thanks for everyones replies. I'll give this a try soon.

 

[Saltrock]

Wilkos do 20 pint ibrew kits.
As for frozen malt, why not take it out of bag while still frozen and leave to defrost in the sterilised FV?