Brewferm, Abdij review

[mickthetrick]

the vast majority of people never boil a canned kit but you could if you like. i just wouldn't unless i wanted to add hops to the kit.
this kit is very good as it is though without tinkering it.

whatever you decide please take your time to type a review :thumb:

 

[morethanworts]

I'm excited! I really love this style of beer (in moderation, of course :drunk: ) So many good reports of this kit.

OK... I wont mess with it, promise! Thanks, mickthetrick.

 

[markowe]

Again, not wanting to open another thread - I will also refrain from boiling, I was always tempted to boil extract kits, not really sure why, I thought it altered the characteristics of the actual extract in some way (i.e. not just for isomerisation of the hops or sterilisation), but if you guys reckon it's not necessary...

But my other question is what is with the relatively large amount of dextrose in these kits? I am a bit ignorant about that stuff, but I thought if we are making beer from malt sugars then chucking these other sugars in, especially at a rate of 1 kg to every 1.5kg of extract, as in most Brewferm kits is surely defeating the object?

Hm, just to clarify - this kit as advertised on UK sites (can't post links) requires 500g of brewing sugar, while the kit as advertised in my country gives "1.5kg of extract + 1kg dextrose" in the ingredients list, but then later goes on to say that 500g of sugar are added in the primary stage. Not sure what's going on and why the discrepancy, but a 1kg of dextrose to 1.5kg of extract sounds an awful lot to me, and 500g still seems like it would negatively affect the taste - am I missing something?

 

[bottler]

Again, not wanting to open another thread - I will also refrain from boiling, I was always tempted to boil extract kits, not really sure why, I thought it altered the characteristics of the actual extract in some way (i.e. not just for isomerisation of the hops or sterilisation), but if you guys reckon it's not necessary...

But my other question is what is with the relatively large amount of dextrose in these kits? I am a bit ignorant about that stuff, but I thought if we are making beer from malt sugars then chucking these other sugars in, especially at a rate of 1 kg to every 1.5kg of extract, as in most Brewferm kits is surely defeating the object?

Hm, just to clarify - this kit as advertised on UK sites (can't post links) requires 500g of brewing sugar, while the kit as advertised in my country gives "1.5kg of extract + 1kg dextrose" in the ingredients list, but then later goes on to say that 500g of sugar are added in the primary stage. Not sure what's going on and why the discrepancy, but a 1kg of dextrose to 1.5kg of extract sounds an awful lot to me, and 500g still seems like it would negatively affect the taste - am I missing something?

Im going to do 2 of these kits in one fv later this year, and was going to use 1kg of brew enhancer for the 18 litre brew. I thought it was 500 gms per single kit... must double check.

 

[markowe]

Im going to do 2 of these kits in one fv later this year, and was going to use 1kg of brew enhancer for the 18 litre brew. I thought it was 500 gms per single kit... must double check.

Oh, wait, I got it, my homebrew shop supplies a kilo of dextrose free with all its Brewferm kits, but not all the kits require that much, some like the Abbey only use 500g. So yes, depends on the kit but if you are doing 18 litres of the Abbey, i.e. two kits, then 1kg would be right.

 

[bottler]

Well a few quid cheaper then :

 

[morethanworts]

Bottled this one nervously at 1.018 (OG 1.072) last night, having had 10days at 25C then 3days cool. I used 550g Golden Syrup at the start. Reassured this morning to see on here and on a thread from 2009 that other brewers also report a similar FG, even with rousing and repitching!

I could really taste the distinctive fruity character from the Belgian yeast at high temperature, though with higher bitterness than I expected (though not unpleasant). It's going to be hard leaving this one alone because it is my favourite style, even with other stock...

 

[GJB]

Put this in on Sunday.

550g of Golden Syrup, smelling loverly......

Will write up the rest in a few weeks.

 

[morethanworts]

Wow! Tried a (clear) bottle last night and was totally delighted with this. Still less than two weeks cold conditioning, which I know is way too early for this beer, but even then, it really stands out. My worries of FG of 1.018 were certainly unfounded. Carbonation was fine.

I was all set on gathering extract recipes for my next one, but I'm not immediately going to bother now - I'm just going to get a double batch of the Abdij through again, before I even think about it. It's bang on the style I was hoping for.

I could live with slightly less hop bitterness for this type, but that's really personal choice, and I'm not judging it after a fair length of time. Maybe the hops are loaded in to withstand the long maturation expected (?) The dark malt taste is delightful and the characteristic fruity notes are really there. [Anyone interested in Belgian beers may be interested in my recent tasting session, reported here, and you'll see where I'm coming from!]

Considering how expensive trappist ales are in shops (and how rarely they are stocked), this has got to be one of the most rewarding kits I could have done, coming in well under 50p per 330ml bottle, including the Golden Syrup. Highly recommended!

 

[mikeyjay84]

Could the high FG's be due to not leaving to ferment for long enough? I will certainly be trying my hand at the brewferm kits, my initial interest being in the Oranje-Bock and the abdij. So i went on the brewferm website and looked at their brewing suggestions. I went onto the how to brew beer tab, beginners and they suggest leaving in the FV for up to 10 days and then transferring into a secondary FV and leaving it for a few weeks BEFORE bottling....

Has anyone done this?? Is it likely to make the ABV even higher?

Here a screengrab from the page.

 

[morethanworts]

***The Brewferm Instructions have Changed!!!***

I bought two more Abdij kits today, Best Before dates of Jan 2015, and the instructions have changed significantly:

They now say ferment at 20-23C, rather than 25C stipulated in the kit I've already done (BB date was around October 2013 on that) and they mention the use of secondary vessels, mentioned by mikeyjay above!

Has the yeast changed? I'm going to email Brewferm, because I had a very successful method which I wont change unless the yeast has been altered!

I don't worry about the 1.018 FG any more. It represents 75% attenuation from my 1.072. getting to Brewferm's '1.010' would mean an attenuation of 86%, which seems totally unrealistic. Also, if mine had not fermented out, I would probably have over-carbonated (or exploding) bottles this far on, which I don't! Many extract recipes for this style, even with big liquid yeast starters, seem to expect a similar FG.

 

[morethanworts]

Just got a reply from Brewferm - big credit for their prompt response... :thumb:

The yeast and the extract is the same. No reason given for the change in recommended temperature as such, but suggested that (as I liked it before) I can stick with 25C.

I wont be changing anything in the method. I think it's equally the best beer I've ever made (in 20-30 kits, including a few extract brews), though because it's my favourite style of all...the best!

 

[mikeyjay84]

Just got a reply from Brewferm - big credit for their prompt response... :thumb:

The yeast and the extract is the same. No reason given for the change in recommended temperature as such, but suggested that (as I liked it before) I can stick with 25C.

I wont be changing anything in the method. I think it's equally the best beer I've ever made (in 20-30 kits, including a few extract brews), though because it's my favourite style of all...the best!

Awesome. This will be my next brew. :thumb:

Did you use a secondary vessel as they say?

 

[morethanworts]

Just got a reply from Brewferm - big credit for their prompt response... :thumb:

The yeast and the extract is the same. No reason given for the change in recommended temperature as such, but suggested that (as I liked it before) I can stick with 25C.

I wont be changing anything in the method. I think it's equally the best beer I've ever made (in 20-30 kits, including a few extract brews), though because it's my favourite style of all...the best!

Awesome. This will be my next brew. :thumb:

Did you use a secondary vessel as they say?

Nope. And I often have used secondaries, and still do for dry hopping, but I was following something similar to Aleman's methodology with this one: leaving the lid on for 10 days, standing cold (which I did for 3 days), and into the bottling bucket (I may be oversimplifying his methods slightly - sorry Aleman!). It worked great (at 25C), as I've said in earlier posts.

I've got to admit I did lift the lid at 78 hours to record an SG of 1.021, but I wont lift it at all until about 8 days this time, assuming I see the initial whoosh through the sides of the FV.

PS I whisked to aerate really well for a full 5 mins before pitching, and threw in a spoon of nutrient. The nutrient may have been unnecessary.

 

[scofire]

Bottled mine today. Came out at 7% but happy with that. Just need to hide it up the loft as the sample jar tasted pretty good already.

 

[mickthetrick]

Bottled mine today. Came out at 7% but happy with that. Just need to hide it up the loft as the sample jar tasted pretty good already.

ye get it tucked away for a wile and it will be really nice.
ive 6 bottles left thats 20 months old for this christmas. the ones i had last year were lush. be good to see if its any better now :thumb:

 

[Bowl sprayer]

I agree with mickthetrick (first post of the thread) very similar to Old Tom.

I brewed with light spray malt. I add about 1 teaspoon of dextrose per 500mil bottle for all Brewferm kits. I always rack for 2 weeks as it says to do in the instructions.

Racking Brewferm kits does seem to help cut down the time taken for final conditioning. I sampled an Abdij last night that has been sat in the warm for 2 weeks (no cold conditioning yet). Very tasty already for a beer that everyone says needs a long maturation period.

Complex, sweetish, rich malt flavours with decent bitterness. Already tasting very much like Old Tom which I sampled on friday at a beer festival. If anything it was a bit dryer than the cask Old Tom which is no bad thing. That makes it drinkable in larger quantities!

Happy days! Come the winter it will be perfect.

 

[Stew]

Had one of these kits hanging around in the kitchen cupboard for about two months now, so decided to get this on the go tomorrow.
Going to brew this with 500g of light brown muscavado :thumb:

 

[Stew]

As planned I got this kit on the go Lunchtime yesterday, with 500g of light muscavado sugar, re-hydrated the yeast before pitching and slung an aquarium heater into the FV set to 21c. FV is sitting on the cold stone kitchen floor and has already kicked off fermentation overnight with a decent 'whipped cream' krausen present.
Already smells lush :thumb:

 

[Sandimas]

I now appreciate how you need to condition this brew, just tried mine after 2 months in the bottle and it's just starting to come good. I have a Diabolo that I bottled a few weeks later and that is tasting very young, with a distinct homebrew taste, not at all what I was expecting.

I've seen comments saying you need to leave these brews bottled for 4-6 months minimum, and I'm starting to think they're right (normally very impatient and start drinking brews 2-3 weeks after bottling).