Hamstead homebrew kits

[soupdragon]

White labs seem to know a thing or two about fermentation so that's good enough for me

Cheers Tom

 

[soupdragon]

Fingers crossed, I hope it turns out well. Will let you know what they say when I get a reply

Cheers Tom

@dowden87
They must have forgotten about my most recent enquiry as I've not had a reply as yet but if the packs of malt look like this.......

then you should be on for a good-un. They may remove the labels they may not. If the malt is in tins it's probably Muntons, if it's in foil pouches then it's likely Bevie (mangrove jack and the like). Their other design a brew kits  seem to use these so it's a good bet the one you're looking at does too.
Once your kit has arrived can you let us know what type of pack the liquid malt is in?

Cheers Tom

 

[dowden87]

@dowden87
They must have forgotten about my most recent enquiry as I've not had a reply as yet but if the packs of malt look like this.......

View attachment 85425
then you should be on for a good-un. They may remove the labels they may not. If the malt is in tins it's probably Muntons, if it's in foil pouches then it's likely Bevie (mangrove jack and the like). Their other design a brew kits  seem to use these so it's a good bet the one you're looking at does too.
Once your kit has arrived can you let us know what type of pack the liquid malt is in?

Cheers Tom

Thanks for the information, it will be arriving tomorrow so I will keep you updated.
Cheers
Pete

 

[soupdragon]

Nice one Pete

Cheers Tom

 

[dowden87]

Nice one Pete

Cheers Tom

 

[soupdragon]

Thanks for posting the pics Pete.

Looks like the Briess packs to me.
Also, I read on their web site that the dried malt extract that's included in the kit will actually mix well without it clumping up into lumps. I quote..........

"Due to the latest drying equipment this malt is free flowing and will not suck moisture out of the air like traditional spray dried malt does and dissolves in just a couple of stirs. Meaning that it is easier and better for the customer in every aspect. Pour it out without it sticking to the bag mix it without it going into a big clump and be able to open a bag and handle it without it going instantly sticky"

Another plus, once I get my stock levels down I'll be getting one of these myself. I'll have a browse to see what other delights I can add to get the free delivery

Cheers Tom

 

[dowden87]

Thanks for posting the pics Pete.

Looks like the Briess packs to me.
Also, I read on their web site that the dried malt extract that's included in the kit will actually mix well without it clumping up into lumps. I quote..........

"Due to the latest drying equipment this malt is free flowing and will not suck moisture out of the air like traditional spray dried malt does and dissolves in just a couple of stirs. Meaning that it is easier and better for the customer in every aspect. Pour it out without it sticking to the bag mix it without it going into a big clump and be able to open a bag and handle it without it going instantly sticky"

Another plus, once I get my stock levels down I'll be getting one of these myself. I'll have a browse to see what other delights I can add to get the free delivery

Cheers Tom

It seems real good quality ingredients in the pack. And alot for your money. Recommend brewing temperature is 22-24 degrees so I bought a little aquarium heat mat I'm going to make a little fv in my cupboard to try and keep it around 20-22 degrees

 

[soupdragon]

It seems real good quality ingredients in the pack. And alot for your money. Recommend brewing temperature is 22-24 degrees so I bought a little aquarium heat mat I'm going to make a little fv in my cupboard to try and keep it around 20-22 degrees

When do you plan getting the brew on?

Cheers Tom

 

[dowden87]

When do you plan getting the brew on?

Cheers Tom

Tonight or tomorrow il keep you updated

 

[MashBag]

Although I'd take the timings with a pinch of salt

What makes you think that's off? I am pretty much drinking at 2 weeks now (Inc slow mashing)

 

[soupdragon]

What makes you think that's off? I am pretty much drinking at 2 weeks now (Inc slow mashing)

The time it takes some all malt kits to ferment is dependant on the yeast provided, ferment temperature etc as you'll know. There have been many reports about slow/stuck ferments, that's why I was asking Hamstead about which malt is used. If muntons, then it's quite possible that the ferment may slow considerably once the S.G. gets down to the 1.020 ish mark, or even seem to stick.
I've never had that issue with my all grain brews but some kits I've done have struggled to get down to a figure where you'd normally expect it to have finished. I've had other kits (Mangrove jack for instance) that ferment well, hence the comment about time and pinch of salt

Cheers Tom

 

[dowden87]

The time it takes some all malt kits to ferment is dependant on the yeast provided, ferment temperature etc as you'll know. There have been many reports about slow/stuck ferments, that's why I was asking Hamstead about which malt is used. If muntons, then it's quite possible that the ferment may slow considerably once the S.G. gets down to the 1.020 ish mark, or even seem to stick.
I've never had that issue with my all grain brews but some kits I've done have struggled to get down to a figure where you'd normally expect it to have finished. I've had other kits (Mangrove jack for instance) that ferment well, hence the comment about time and pinch of salt

Cheers Tom

Put the brew on today. There was a nice bag of grains I needed to steep. The dried malt was the best I've ever had it went in the fv without any clumps which it usually does. It also come with some hop extract to add. The two pots of malt extract seemed good quality too. I will let you know how it turns out
Cheers
Pete

 

[London]

How long does it take from start to finish?

 

[soupdragon]

Put the brew on today. There was a nice bag of grains I needed to steep. The dried malt was the best I've ever had it went in the fv without any clumps which it usually does. It also come with some hop extract to add. The two pots of malt extract seemed good quality too. I will let you know how it turns out
Cheers
Pete

Was the dried extract slightly granular in consistency? If so it's probably vacuum dried rather than spray dried. I used to run a couple of drying plants when I worked at a food flavour factory. The vacuum dried are usually less prone to sucking up moisture from the air than spray dried. Holds the flavour profile better too

Cheers Tom

 

[dowden87]

Was the dried extract slightly granular in consistency? If so it's probably vacuum dried rather than spray dried. I used to run a couple of drying plants when I worked at a food flavour factory. The vacuum dried are usually less prone to sucking up moisture from the air than spray dried. Holds the flavour profile better too

Cheers Tom

Yes it was more granular. It was great fairplay

 

[dowden87]

How long does it take from start to finish?

Not long at all maybe 40 minutes.

 

[soupdragon]

Now the hard part, waiting around for it to finish fermenting

Cheers Tom

 

[London]

Not long at all maybe 40 minutes.

Pretty quick, waiting to see how it turns out.

 

[dowden87]

Pretty quick, waiting to see how it turns out.

I will let you all know it's only 40 minutes, as you've got to steep the grains for 20 minutes :-)

 

[dowden87]

@dowden87
If it does turn out to be similar to Abbot ale can you post a comment in the thread below?

https://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/threads/pub-beer-kit-beer-taste-alike-list.101774/
Cheers Tom

A quick update on this kit. I wanted to brew it exactly to the instructions first time around. I brewed it at 22 degrees. Today is day number 4 of brewing and i just checked the gravity it's already down on 1.015. I had a sneaky taste and it tastes like a delicious real ale. I would say it's less hoppy than Abott ale but still delicious. I'm going to bottle on day 6, as the gravity will be under 1.014. I've never bottled a brew this early on but the guy from hamstead homebrew said he brews this kit for 6 days and bottle, as long as the gravity is under 1.014 on day 6 and it's always delicious. The yeast seems to be flying along. I seen a review of it by dog and partridge homebrew reviews on YouTube and they brewed the mini mash version and said it was horrible and a drain pour. I don't know if it's luck but I'm happy with how mine tasted when I took an hydrometer reading.
Cheers
Pete