Cerveza Kits

[philguk]

Hi all

Just starting out on this home brew adventure and have only tried cider kits so far

But as a fan of Sol & Corona I’m tempted to try a Cerveza-style kit

Anyone have any good or bad experiences with Coopers, Morgan’s or Bulldog Brews Cerveza kits? I did a quick search and now need to investigate the suggested recipe tweaks, but which would be the best starting point?

And is there a reason why the Bulldog Brews kit is nearly twice the price of the other two??

Thanks for any input, and I’m prepared for it to be contradictory !!

Cheers

 

[Ezza]

Made the Wikos Cerveza once it was ok,
and very cheap.

 

[Scottyburto]

I've brewed the wilko one loads of times and really enjoy tweaking it but wouldn't say it's anything like Sol or Corona.

I had a few Sols last night and wasn't particularly happy with it. Seems like they've started adding more and more sugar and very little grain. It's a lot sweeter than I remember too. I had the one wilko Mexican with Mosiac I had left in the fridge and was gutted I only had one. The next bottle of Sol after was a right disappointment!

 

[philguk]

Made the Wikos Cerveza once it was ok,
and very cheap.

Yeah, I did see a lot of chatter about Wilkos - something to look out for next time I’m allowed close to a store.....

 

[philguk]

Yeah, I did see a lot of chatter about Wilkos - something to look out for next time I’m allowed close to a store.....

I succumbed to online shopping! Bought some spray malt at the same time - seemed to be a popular suggestion on here

 

[BrewMeHappy]

I've done the Coopers one a few times and it always came out very good.

 

[Scottyburto]

I succumbed to online shopping! Bought some spray malt at the same time - seemed to be a popular suggestion on here

Some hops from crossmyloof for a few quid and your laughing!

 

[philguk]

Some hops from crossmyloof for a few quid and your laughing!

mebbee - I’m trying to stick with “as is” for my first try, so I have something as a baseline. I was intrigued by another suggestion to add lemon/lime juice, but I’d like something to compare it with first

 

[Slid]

Probably the best thing with the Wilco kits is to buy two and then add some hops, like @Scottyburto says . Since that would bring the price up to a Premium kit, perhaps that could be the way?

Alternatively, you could go down the path?

https://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/threads/have-a-go-at-simple-ag.51779/
Great guy, almost any recipe posted by user clibit will be fantastic.

 

[chris-s]

And is there a reason why the Bulldog Brews kit is nearly twice the price of the other two??

Yes.

Most one can/pouch kits are about 1.5/1.8 kg. Most 2 can/pouch kits are 3kg+.

Twice the malt, twice the price.

 

[yrhendystu]

Made the Wikos Cerveza once it was ok,
and very cheap.

Done a few of them, needs a good month or two conditioning. I also liked the Cooper's too. If I had to choose I'd go for the Cooper's but the Wilko is easier to pick up if you have a store nearby.

 

[Covrich]

My dad did teh cerveza coopers kit a few times

It was okay but a little bland.. I think you'd want to dry hop it or something to give it a lift

 

[philguk]

Yes.

Most one can/pouch kits are about 1.5/1.8 kg. Most 2 can/pouch kits are 3kg+.

Twice the malt, twice the price.

Hadn‘t noticed the difference in pack size. Thanks

 

[Scottyburto]

I don't think it's as simple as like for like 1.5kg one can kit vs 3kg two can. If it was that simple all kits would have the same expected OG comparative to weight of syrup. Also once you've added 500g spray malt and 1kg brewing sugar to a one can kit you've got 3kg but again it's not as simple as they are dry and ferment at different rates.

Aside from all that; a commercial lager like Sol/corona is brewed with maize aka brewing sugar and by adding more malt instead of brewing sugar changing this ratio and therefore changing the style of beer. It's meant to be thin in mouthfeel because Sol/corona are thin in mouthfeel.

You generally get what you pay for with kits, but that doesn't mean you need to pay a lot if you want to brew a cheap sessionable lager.

 

[philguk]

I don't think it's as simple as like for like 1.5kg one can kit vs 3kg two can. If it was that simple all kits would have the same expected OG comparative to weight of syrup. Also once you've added 500g spray malt and 1kg brewing sugar to a one can kit you've got 3kg but again it's not as simple as they are dry and ferment at different rates.

Aside from all that; a commercial lager like Sol/corona is brewed with maize aka brewing sugar and by adding more malt instead of brewing sugar changing this ratio and therefore changing the style of beer. It's meant to be thin in mouthfeel because Sol/corona are thin in mouthfeel.

You generally get what you pay for with kits, but that doesn't mean you need to pay a lot if you want to brew a cheap sessionable lager.

My former boss hated that I drank Corona instead of ”real beer” (in Texas). That just made me want to drink it more

 

[Shirley Bassett]

How much and what type of hops would you add to the Cerveza?

Is it added pre, during, or post fermentation?

 

[chris-s]

I don't think it's as simple as like for like 1.5kg one can kit vs 3kg two can.

Agreed. It would be strange if it were. I perhaps used the word 'malt' carelessly.

But whether it is more or less malt and/or corn sugar and/or water, the premium kits provide all the fermentables. Plus maybe more hops and often a sachet of hops for adding too.

And then there are the additional costs associated with double the volume and weight etc.

Whether that adds up to value for money is debatable which I think is what you are getting at particularly in the case of a light beer like cerveza.

Taste test?

Chris

 

[Scottyburto]

How much and what type of hops would you add to the Cerveza?

Is it added pre, during, or post fermentation?

The world is your oyster. The wilko cerveza is well regarded as a blank canvas to twerk as you see.

I've done it with US cascade, mosaic and chinook. First all cascade (25g tea when mixing before yeast + 25g dry hop 5 days before bottling at cold crash) , then all mosaic (same as first method) and then chinook/cascade (Chinook tea and cascade dry hop) with 500g light spraymalt & 1kg brewing sugar it ends up closer to a pale ale than a lager. My preference was the mosiac but I also used Cali common yeast with that one so it's not a direct comparison.

 

[philguk]

Thanks all

just placed my order for a small quantity of hops and a “suitable” yeast

going to be an interesting few weeks looking at the permutations and tasting the results

if anything awesome comes of my experimentation, I’ll be sure to report back

 

[Scottyburto]

Thanks all

just placed my order for a small quantity of hops and a “suitable” yeast

going to be an interesting few weeks looking at the permutations and tasting the results

if anything awesome comes of my experimentation, I’ll be sure to report back

What yeast did you go for?