Festival Landlords Finest Bitter - Honest Opinions Required!

[sss360]

Hi All,

I've just bottled the Festival US Steam Beer and was really impressed with the quality of the Festival kits (I'm yet to taste it, but it smells and looks great). Looking at the range of Festival beers, the Landlords Finest Bitter sounds good and I think would suit my taste (I really like lighter/golden/pale ales).

I know there are a couple of threads on here regarding it, but I wanted the latest opinions on the quality of this kit and the beer after it's had sufficient time to mature. It seems to be a bit hit and miss, is this true? Is this because it is a particularly hoppy beer that may not suit everyone's taste?

So, back to main question in this thread: would you recommend it? If so, do you find it a bit hoppy? Would you reduce the amount of hops added if you made the kit a second time?

Cheers,

James :

 

[Spapro]

I found it very, very hoppy/bitter even after 3 months in the keg. It was nothing at all like TT Landlord which I thought it was going to be like.

Not sure if leaving the dry hop pellets out all together would make enough difference but I wouldn't class it as a light, golden ale myself.

If you like a lighter, golden ale then the Wilkos 2 can 'Golden Ale Kit' is a good kit and great value when Wilkos do their frequent 20% homebrew promotion - currently at standard price is £22.

Heard good things about the Muntons Hand Crafted Midas Touch Golden Ale Kit but not done that myself.

 

[Mickeywheelspin]

I did this one and it was probably my favourite kit. I think where some people go wrong is by following the instructions and adding the hops at day 5, but this assumes a 10 day ferment. I always leave mine for at least 2 weeks (often longer) so at day 9 it tested at 1.011 so I added the hops for the last 5 days and ended up at 1.008.

It was still fairly hoppy but mellowed after a month or so and was very drinkable.

 

[Spapro]

I fermented for 2 weeks plus then once it had finished fermenting I added the hop pellets for 4 days, then kegged and bottled. Mine was hoppy to the point of being unpleasant even after 3 months in the keg. I understand this is subjective and personal opinion but the OP has stated a liking for 'lighter/golden/pale ales' - not a super hoppy amber brew !

 

[clibit]

I'm not a kit brewer and can't advise on what kit to use, although I've read a lot of reviews. I know that Better brew kits, Simply Pale Ale, Coopers kits, and Festival kits are all generally popular.

A few weeks ago though, I wandered into a home brew shop and there was a barrel on the counter and the chap asked me if I'd like to taste it. It wasn't pleasant, I struggled to drink about two inches. I assumed it was a cheap kit. I had a look around and then while paying for stuff asked what the beer was. He told me it was Festival Pilgrims Hope. I was shocked, cos I would have expected a premium kit to be better, to be honest.

Hence, in my honest and repeated opinion :-D , it really does pay to make a little bit more effort. Make an extract brew, with DME and hops, maybe steep some crystal or some other steeping grain. All you have to do is boil a few litres of water (steep the grains in this before it boils, in a bag), stir some of the extract in, and bung the hops in at the start and finish of the boil. Then mix it up with the rest of the extract and cold water in the FV. It's a doddle. You can buy extract kits from Brewuk, Geterbrewed, the Homebrew company and other places. Or just buy the ingredients.

Or do a mini/partial mash, a bit more work, but rewarding. You can add a mini mash to a kit, or to extract and hops.

 

[cornyandy]

It's couple of years since I did a landlord and although I liked it I did have a stronger hop character than I would have expected that would have been unpleasant if it had been only a little more pronounced. I would suggest a better brew based on what you seem to want would be the Brupaks "Birkby Bitter" The quality is pretty much the same as the festival kits, you could even go a bit lighter than that with the Linthwaite Light although that has a little more hop character. I have never done on but the St Peter's ales have a very good reputation.

The other really high quality stuff is the Bulldog series. Although I have only done the Four Finger Jack so far (I have a second Four Finger and and Evil dog in the FV at the moment.

I hope that gives you a few ideas

Cheers

A

 

[Mickeywheelspin]

I fermented for 2 weeks plus then once it had finished fermenting I added the hop pellets for 4 days, then kegged and bottled. Mine was hoppy to the point of being unpleasant even after 3 months in the keg. I understand this is subjective and personal opinion but the OP has stated a liking for 'lighter/golden/pale ales' - not a super hoppy amber brew !

I agree with you - add the hops at the end so you can govern how long they're in there rather than adding them on day 5 as the instructions suggest. From speaking to other brewers its common to believe the instructions, add the hops at day 5 and end up leaving the hops in for 10 days or more.

It was a nice beer, verging on too hoppy to start with but it did mellow for me. I certainly wouldn't leave it for more than 5 days if brewing again. This one tasted good before adding the hops so if you're after a less hoppy beer just add them for a day or two before bottling. IMHO the base kit was a very nice bitter with the bonus of coming with the means to hop it as you like.

I like pale ale's and am also a fan of the Wilko's Golden Ale - I brewed it straight but needs some hops added for my taste.

 

[Mickeywheelspin]

Clibit speaks the truth - although this was one of my favourite kits they just don't compare to what can be produced with AG.

 

[sqrson]

All Festival kits I have made so far, were on the hoppy side. And Landlord Finest wasn't an exception. I am a huge hop head so loved it to bits, but I can see why some people would say it was too hoppy. If you are not a fan of a very pronounced hop kick (aftertaste lasts for quite a while too), use half of the hops and leave the rest for your other brews. The taste profile of the beer is very pleasant and highly refreshing. I am sure you will enjoy it
PS. please update us on the US steam beer as mine is in the fermenter as we speak :)

 

[LarryF]

Using a run of the mill lager kit, something you'd pick up in the Tesco sale for £10 or there abouts. Using BE instead of sugar then pre hopping with a tea and dry hopping it and then carbonating with 1tsp of sugar per 500ml bottle gives a very nice light fizzy ale. You also have a lot more control over not only the ABV either with or without added fermentables but with your IBU and hop aroma depending on what hops you use and in what amounts. For example Galaxy with its high alpha in the hop tea and something lighter to dry hop.

 

[sss360]

Thank you all for the feedback! I think I'll give it a go, but add the hops later and probably only for a couple of days.

The Steam Beer is currently verrrry cloudy, as it's only been in the warm since Sunday. There is a lot to clear so I can see why it needs three weeks in the cool to condition. I'll update again when I've had the first taste :)

 

[proost]

Thank you all for the feedback! I think I'll give it a go, but add the hops later and probably only for a couple of days.

The Steam Beer is currently verrrry cloudy, as it's only been in the warm since Sunday. There is a lot to clear so I can see why it needs three weeks in the cool to condition. I'll update again when I've had the first taste :)

I followed the instructions but only used half the hop pellets. After two months in the bottle it is so bitter I can hardly drink it :sick:

 

[Hopping_Mad]

I'd say my effort took about three months to optimise.

It's a quality end result for the patient brewer, but not, in my opinion, much like TTs Landlord to be honest. It's pale an very hoppy if you use all those supplied for a dry hop. You don't have to use them all though if you don't want to.

I had no issues with the end result as I wasn't expecting it to be too near to TTs Landlord.

I used half the hops and only for a couple of days at the end of fermentation for aroma. I didn't find it too bitter as a result.

 

[sss360]

All Festival kits I have made so far, were on the hoppy side. And Landlord Finest wasn't an exception. I am a huge hop head so loved it to bits, but I can see why some people would say it was too hoppy. If you are not a fan of a very pronounced hop kick (aftertaste lasts for quite a while too), use half of the hops and leave the rest for your other brews. The taste profile of the beer is very pleasant and highly refreshing. I am sure you will enjoy it
PS. please update us on the US steam beer as mine is in the fermenter as we speak :)

Well, just a quick update on the Steam Beer...

It's been in the bottles 13 days and I couldn't wait any longer, so I popped one in the fridge for an initial tasting. I opened the bottle to a nice fizz sound and was very pleased with the carbonation level for a lager. It tastes very hoppy but full of flavour and I expect this to mellow of time. All in all, it's extremely moorish and it's a great summer beer coming in at 5% abv.

I'd brew it again :)