Any Kit recommendations - what can i do with these???

[Bluejam15]

I want to do a couple more kits and want to find out the best value / best results & how to achieve this from kits before i venture onto the next phase.

Are there any links already weighing up good and bad kits? - or could i start one - is this thread fine here, or am i in the wrong spot?

Could anyone give me any pointers / modifications to the kit instructions to avoid pitfalls / enhance the kit - get the best results, mix them ? or buy a few other ingredients to get the best out of what ive got?


Just for the taste i do like my bitters and stouts bitter and strong - so volume is not the issue i will cut back from the 40 pint to a lower number to get a better brew - but how much to go for and if so will i have to cut back not only on water but also on sugar / spray malt?

So here goes .. .this is what ive got .. what shall i do with them??

Tom Claxton real ale 40pt

Edme dry extra stout 40 pt (reduced it to 24 pints last time - added no sugar - liked it) what would happen if added sugar to 24 pints - or even geordie beer kit enhancer - and how much?)

Geordie bitter 40pt

Geordie lager 40pt

Youngs bitter 40pt

Those are the kits these are the extra's ive got

3 x bags of geordie beerkit enhancer

2 x brupacks flavapack ale (bags of hops etc)

the isomerized hop extract & the clarimalt (as mentioned in prevoius post)

A winsor brewing yeast 11g(danson)

a brupack ale yeast 25 lt sachet (top fermenter)

Any suggestions - amount of pints to brew - mixes / deviations from the kit instructions - get some other ingredients to add (esp to the cheap and nastier kits)

o and ps - you can tell im still at the start of my journey im brewing them in "borrowed" 18.9 ltr blue water butt plastic bottles with heaters dropped in the middle - in the garage - 2 heaters 2 water butts for 40 pints. The only thing im doing properly is sterilizing everything.

Many many thanks

Bluejam15 :drink:

 

[BrewStew]

crikey mate! you've dived in the deep end with kit brewing good n proper!!!

with all this tinkering you're gunna be itching to go All Grain in no time at all

to control the strength with a kit, you can add less water for a lower (but stronger) amount of beer, or add beer kit enhancer (which is actually just a 50/50 mix of spraymalt and brewers sugar IIRC... but will be quickly corrected if i'm wrong ) or do both!

with the single tin kits like cooper's etc, i've read many reports that using spraymalt instead of sugar improves them drastically.

have you thought about dry-hopping with your own choice of whole hops from a homebrew shop? which is literally adding hops (either loose or in a sanitised muslin or netting bag) into the fermenter to give it some extra aroma.

i've never done any of the kits you've got so cant give any direct advice, but i can tell you that your choice of yeast will drastically change the flavour of your beer! for example i did an experiment; the same brew split 4 ways with a different yeast in every one (safale S04, Nottingham, Munton's Gold, and brupaks ale) and each one tasted like completely different beers! all four tasted good, but munton's gold and S04 were decided amongst me and my best mate as the best for taste, aroma (yes it even affected the aroma aswell) and head retention. so not only is it a challenge getting the recipe to your tastes, but your yeast aswell! .... as if you thought it wasn't hard enough to decide already huh? :P :lol:

 

[Smod]

[quote="
o and ps - you can tell im still at the start of my journey im brewing them in "borrowed" 18.9 ltr blue water butt plastic bottles with heaters dropped in the middle - in the garage - 2 heaters 2 water butts for 40 pints. The only thing im doing properly is sterilizing everything.

Many many thanks

Bluejam15 :drink:[/quote]


I wouldn't worry about using the water bottles (how do you get the thick malt in without making such a mess :hmm:)

Interestingly, as BrewStew said, you could try a different yeast in each to experiment further. Keep a couple of bottles back and next time you brew change the yeast again and do a side by side test.

PS I've just had a sneaky taste of my Brother-in-Laws Tom Caxton Real Ale kit after 5 days in the barrel and it's the best kit beer I've ever tasted!! None, or very faint, of the dreaded Kit Twang I always got. Might do one myself for quickness.

 

[BrewStew]

PS I've just had a sneaky taste of my Brother-in-Laws Tom Caxton Real Ale kit after 5 days in the barrel and it's the best kit beer I've ever tasted!! None, or very faint, of the dreaded Kit Twang I always got. Might do one myself for quickness.

with a response as positive as that, it deserves to be pencilled in my brew log book in the "kit beers to try" section :thumb:

 

[Bluejam15]

Quote - I wouldn't worry about using the water bottles (how do you get the thick malt in without making such a mess :hmm:)

Drop the tin in a bowl of very hot water for 1/2 hr then carefully, slowly pour in. Stick blue bung back on, once all ingredients in and you can give it a great shaking. Definitely mixes it up. These are also great for mixing wines. Got 3 batches of 18 ltrs elderberry racked in garage, just waiting for next Sept to drink. I read that wine is better left in large containers, rather than bottling (is this right?) If it is then the 18 ltr containers are great. I've "borrowed" quiet a few.

Quote - to control the strength with a kit, you can add less water for a lower (but stronger) amount of beer, or add beer kit enhancer (which is actually just a 50/50 mix of spraymalt and brewers sugar IIRC... but will be quickly corrected if i'm wrong ) or do both!

So if i make less beer , say 1/2 of 40 pints , but add full amount of beer kit enhancer as directed for the 40 pints - what will happen?
Is that too much? too sweet / too strong ???


Back to the tom caxton real ale .. what do you suggest 40 pints or less? Should i add a bag of the geordie beerkit enhancer - if so how much? Was the yeast from the kit? Anything else you did to get a good taste?

So what do you think to adding a brupacks flavapack ale (bag of hops in a small bag you dunk in the heated water / sugar/spray malt) to say the cheaper kits - geordie bitter / lager or youngs bitter, or should i add one to the edme stout or the tom claxtons real ale. How many pints should i go for? Do the geordies taste better if you only make 24 pints rather than the 40 pints?

How about the isomerized hop extract should i add that to the cheaper kits as well, if so how much and when?

What a lot of questions im blurting out, still thinking of starting my next kit tomorrow whilst wifey watches corrie.

Cheers,

Bluejam15 :

 

[Smod]

For the Tom Caxton's kit I'd do the full 40 pint and then use the spraymalt as everyone seems to recommend. If you're fermenting in two of your "borrowed" containers then add the yeast and half the hop enhancer to one and try another yeast with the other. If you get hold of some Safale S04 or some other good ale yeast you'd get two different beers according to BrewStew. I've never split a brew and tried different yeasts but it would be good to taste the difference.

Good luck.

At least you won't be in her way brewing whilst Corrie is on. :thumb:

 

[Bluejam15]

Ok, so tonight im gonna start the real ale kit - as you suggested smod - split it into 2 x 20 pint batches.
Equal share of the spraymalt & half the hop enhancer for each.
Should i use one of my brupacks flavapack ale (bags of hops etc) as well or will the hop enhancer with the kit be enough?

I will the yeast from the kit on one , and on the other i will use a brupack ale yeast 25 lt sachet (top fermenter) that i have.

Do i use the whole sachets for both?, or as half size split them?

Cheers,

Bluejam15

 

[BrewStew]

you can do either, but if you dont plan on using the other half of the yeast soon, wrap it up and stick it in your freezer to keep it fresh :thumb:

 

[trunky]

After a long break from Brewing - my last AG brew was more than 15 years ago I am twiddling with kits untill I finish my "dispensing area" :grin: After that it will be back to AG. However, with kits simply remember that for proper beer, in general, refined sugar is your enemy, it adds alcohol at the expense of flavour and body.

The kits that have 1.5-1.8kg of malt extract that ask you to add sugar will definitely benefit from adding at least the same amount of malt extract in place of the sugar. The 3kg malt kits don't need extra sugar, but you could increase the alcohol content by adding more malt extract and it's in these circumstances that adding the hops to balance the extra malt will be a good idea.

It's all about balance and you should get a feel for that after a few brews : Whatever you make will be great and, lets face it, it's going to be drunk, some will just be better than others. Keep notes and then you can repeat your good ones. Note down the fermentation temp, the dates that you do specific things with each brew, what was added, etc.

I think your idea of splitting brews into 10 litre batches is a coll way to experiment with different variations more quickly :clap:

My next brew will be a 1.8kg Coopers stout kit with a similar sized tin of Coopers dark malt extract and some extra hoppy loveleyness.

 

[Bluejam15]

God i love this site and the help from everyone, many, many thanks

quote ;if you dont plan on using the other half of the yeast soon, wrap it up and stick it in your freezer to keep it fresh

Think i will use it all as knowing me i'll damage the open yeast and spoil the next batch

quote: The 3kg malt kits don't need extra sugar, but you could increase the alcohol content by adding more malt extract and it's in these circumstances that adding the hops to balance the extra malt will be a good idea.

Gonna just add the spray malt to the tom caxtons real ale.

Think i will try the hops in the bag with the geordie / youngs

My last kit was a firkin dogbolter - just tried a smeaky quick one after 2 - 3 weeks and it is very very nice. Added spray malt...and its a little malty in taste (smell isnt great) but a definite improvement on the cheaper kits - would recommend it.

Will leave it a little longer - but it is a one or two pinter - tastes strong & quite heavy.
Has anyone done a firkin one yet?

Cheers,

Bluejam15

 

[Bluejam15]

Well got both the 20 pints brewing nicely. Started 24/3/9

Used the Tom Caxton real ale 40 pint kit, split the hop extact from the kit 50 / 50 . Also used 1 kg geordie beer kit enhancer (1/2 in each)
Batch A i used the yeast supplied with the kit
Batch B i used brupack ale yeast.

Have a fish tank heater in middle of both (same temp)
Just had a quick look and both have a head on them, but Batch B the Brupak ale yeast is amazing , five times the head of the kit yeast.

Let's see how things develop

Bluejam15 :whistle:

 

[Wez]

Good to see you're experimenting BJ15 - look forward to hearing how it turns out :thumb:

 

[Bluejam15]

Just got the two caxtons bottled ..funny the original yeast came out strongest from 1035 to 1002 (4.4)
and the brupack 1035 - 1008 (3.8)
However , the brupack, when sucking through pipe tasted bitterer (which is what i like)

now just got to wait for two to three weeks to try!
Am i right taking the final reading just as bottling or should it be done to ther primed bottle after carbonation of bottle in two to three weeks?

I did pop into the homebrew shop in coalville and managed to get a burton bridge porter kit.... cant wait to get that started - if its anything like the one they serve in the burton bridge pub will be great (went over the pub specially as a recommendation of the porter - stubbled out very happy - great ale, great pub) .

Has anyone tried that kit or any of theirs before? and if so any tips when making it?

Went talking to woman in the homebrew shop about the homebrew taste from cheap kits she said i wouldnt get it from the burton bridge - so will keep you informed.

She did say however just to use sugar in it and no beer enhancer as it is a good kit, the sugar will be enough...what does everyone think?

However the one big tip she gave was to fill bucket with water going to use 24 hrs before starting kit. Then use that water ? . Heard that b4? Supposed to let out the chlorine etc from water???

I have just tried that water approach on a summer ale i am experimenting with - from one of those kits -
geordie lager & getting rid of it (early purchase at start of homebrewing)

used340 g honey
160g golden syrup
500g geordie beer enhancer
flavapack ale enhancer and only made 30 pints (24 hr standing water)

lets see how it goes. Any tips?

Cheers,
Bluejam15 :drink: