Doom Bar / London Pride - premium brew kit?

[gazzza123]

Hi, by way of introduction I am new to home brewing as of 2019! However as often happens in my life when I get started with something new it tends to get quite a bit of my attention! So two months in and I've just done my 5th brew and it's all going really well thanks to a lot of the help and advice I've found here on this forum for which I am very thankful.

So my question is... Can anyone recommend a premium home brew kit that tastes like Sharps Doom Bar or Fullers London Pride?

There are many threads on this subject but none seem to have an answer and seem to go off topic very quickly so I really want to keep this simple... Those of you that have done many more kits than me... Which taste the most like these two beers?

Can anyone help??

 

[Clint]

Have a look at Homebrew online web site I think they have a comparison section regards to what kits will be similar to certain beers.

 

[gazzza123]

Thanks for that... I've just looked but not very accurate comparisons to be honest...

Obviously I cannot be sure as I haven't made either of the kits suggested but they certainly don't match the descriptions!

Guess this may come down to personal experience...

 

[Clint]

To get something like you will probably have to go either all grain,extract/part mash. The extract is easier if you get a large pot.
Google a recipe for your beer and you'll find it.

 

[gazzza123]

Thanks Clint but I am only looking for a kit that tastes similar...

I'm not expecting it to be an exact clone but both stated ales are very middle of the road tasting ales so I thought someone may have made a comparison with something..?

 

[Clint]

Not very accurate....tastes similar....bit of a contradiction...have a look through the premium kit sections...Young's or Festival are good and pick a bitter or British ale style. You won't get an exact copy but it will be a good beer.
Alternatively look on Coopers web site. They have a recipe section with some great ideas and what they taste like. I've done some of them and they work out really well.

 

[gazzza123]

Well yes but when I say not very accurate I mean they recommend the Festival London Porter kit as similar to London Pride...

Not even close! London Porter is not London Pride!

And they recommend a strong British ale kit as like Doom Bar!

So really their recommendations based on these two examples are a complete waste of time.

 

[Clint]

I'll get me coat...

 

[Chippy_Tea]

Don't blame you Clint.

Gary could I ask why it has to be a Doom Bar clone as far as I know it hasn't ever been mentioned in the "what are you drinking tonight" thread and there are hundreds of beers discussed in there, I am not saying its a bad beer but why not try something else that is popular with members you might find you never drink Doom Bar again.

 

[gazzza123]

Hi chippy tea... Thanks for the comment and yes I am trying all sorts but was really just hoping that someone with a load more experience than I might be able to help with my query.

In answer to your question... Why Doom Bar / London Pride..? Well personal preference to one side they are two of the best and most popular ales currently available nationwide... So why not?!

Ales don't have to be overpriced, individual and quirky to be good! I visited a trendy microbrewery at the weekend and their produce was almost undrinkable... But of course very popular! Tasted like what I produce after a week in primary fermentation!!!

 

[parpot]

Hi Gary... My favourite ale is Lomond Gold a Scottish blonde ale at about 5%. I put out a request on here and had a basic idea posted. I think the main thing you need to know about your two ales are what exactly do they taste off.

For instant my favourite is a light looking Blonde ale with undertones of Honey and a subtle Citrus taste. The first ale I did was based on a basic Lager kit from Wilko which I brewed with half Honey & half Brewing Sugar and put in Citrus hops after day 8 in the FV, When I bottled it I primed with Honey, it was a really great start on the original taste but was to gassy for me, so just done it again using the Wilko Golden Ale Bitter and adding 1kg of Honey and 1/2kg of Light Spray Malt and added brewing sugar to get the starting OG up, Bottled with a touch more Honey than before and added the hops on the same day. Not only does this Ale taste spot on to the original but it also turned out at 5.5%.

I know this doesn't answer your own favourites dilemma but it does show that if you know what your ales taste of, you can play around until you get it as near as possible!

I hope that helps?

 

[Sandimas]

The short answer to your question is no.

I think it's really hard to make a decent malty English bitter with a kit. There are plenty out there but in my experience most are poor, the better kits are the ones with the zingy hops that mask the kit/homebrew taste e.g. Tiny Rebel Cwtch, I can't tell the difference between the kit brew and the beer on the handpump.

I prefer English bitters and have been on a quest since I started brewing in 2012 to produce this from a kit. I've tweaked numerous kits, done many as per instructions, and sadly all were below standard. I brew mostly AG now but still do the occasional bitter kit and am always disappointed. The only one that I still make regularly is Woodfordes Wherry which is kinda in the Doom Bar ballpark and comes out OK.

Coopers offer a range of tweaks to their kits which may help
https://uk.diybeer.com/brewing-info/recipes

But if you want to make a decent bitter you need to go Extract or AG: it really is a discernible step up. BrewUK do some easy-to-make recipe packs, all you need is a stockpot 12L or 15L and a couple of hours - it really isn't difficult. Their London Pride pack is good.
https://www.brewuk.co.uk/beerkits/craftybrews/brewextract.html

 

[Chippy_Tea]

In answer to your question... Why Doom Bar / London Pride..? Well personal preference to one side they are two of the best and most popular ales currently available nationwide... So why not?!

As I said above as far as I know they are not beers that have been discussed or reviewed here so I wasn't aware they were so popular if that is the case I am sure someone will have the answer, good luck with your search. :thumba:

 

[terrym]

+1 on all that @darrellm has said.
That's probably the best advice you will get.
It is rare for off-the-shelf kits to be a good match to a commercial beer even when they are sold as such e.g. Festival Landlords bitter kit is nothing like the 'real thing' in my opinion
But if you wanted to use the Wherry kit as a basis to try to clone these beers yourself that's not a bad start. It comes with 2 x 1.5kg of hopped malt extract and two packets of yeast so you can try two separate half size brews. A dry hop and/or hop tea with Goldings would be a good simple start as an addition . Otherwise try a partial mash....
https://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/threads/simple-kit-plus-mini-mash-method-to-improve-a-kit.52938/
And the London Pride extract kits you buy are often made up with ingredients based on a recipe from the book by Graham Wheeler 'Brew Your Own British Real Ale'. Your local library may have a copy (mine does) and you can buy s/h copies off ebay. Extract brewing is only a small step up from kit brewing. More here....
https://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/threads/a-simple-guide-to-extract-brewing.75501/
In the end the more you put in the better the likely outcome.

 

[Pavros]

If you are looking for a British style bitter (US amber ale) with American hops, you could try the Festival Pilgrim's Hope kit. (or the Festival Father Hook kit which is more of a best bitter)

You are never going to get a kit which is exactly like the beers you are looking for but I would suggest looking at the descriptions of the Festival/Bulldog/Youngs American kits on a website which lists the hops used in the kit. Then read the reviews of the kit on that website and on here (if there is a review thread). I find that the premium kits produce a good beer which I don't mind drinking 40 pints of, even if it is not exactly what I was looking for.

 

[Sadfield]

Would the best approach be to use the lightest and least hopped kit available and then add in the ingredients for those recipes? For example, use a Lager kit as a base then add in steeped crystal malts, a hop tea and an appropriate yeast.

London Pride is:

92.5% Pale malt.
7% Light Crystal
0.5% Chocolate Malt.

With Goldings, Northdown and Challenger late in the boil.

 

[GhostShip]

As others have said, you'll struggle to match the flavours of a particular beer, but as the two you've mentioned are British ales, the Beerworks kits are probably worth a look. Well reviewed and they do a Yorkshire bitter, Suffolk bitter, Derbyshire IPA and Kentish bitter among others. Once you know which hops are used in Doom Bar and London Pride, you can then look for kits with similar hop profiles.

https://bit.ly/2tDdbfw

 

[Horners]

As I said above as far as I know they are not beers that have been discussed or reviewed here so I wasn't aware they were so popular if that is the case I am sure someone will have the answer, good luck with your search. :thumba:

As an aside, believe it or not Doom bar easily the most sold cask ale selling half as much again as nearest rival ( greene king IPA)

 

[Sandimas]

Once you know which hops are used in Doom Bar and London Pride, you can then look for kits with similar hop profiles.

Doom Bar hops are Northdown, Northern Brewer and Perle. I reckon if you got large pan of water and boiled up 20g each of Northdown, Northern Brewer and Perle for 5mins, turned off the heat and let steep for 30mins, then strain the liquid into an FV and use it to make up a fairly neutral bitter kit like Coopers English bitter you might get close.

I remember the first time I tried Doom Bar in Padstow mid 90s, just after the brewery had opened - it was fantastic. Seems to have gone downhill a bit since then, after the small Rock brewery was bought out.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

As an aside, believe it or not Doom bar easily the most sold cask ale selling half as much again as nearest rival ( greene king IPA)

Leading 20 bottled ales ranked by market share in the United Kingdom (UK) in April 2016

https://www.statista.com/statistics/297890/market-share-top-bottled-ale-brewers-united-kingdom-uk/