Have I been mislead?

[Pearlfisher]

I would pay pub prices for the wherry kit I did. I thought it was superb :

When I asked a mate from Norfolk about Woodfordes brewery and Wherry in particular ,he wasn't very complimentary although he did say Nelsons Revenge was ok ,which I personally thought was quite good and would make again unlike the Wherry which I wouldn't.

 

[BIGJIM72]

I think the "real" Wherry comes in at under 4% ABV, & the kit is 4.5%. Had a mixed case of bottles direct from the brewery & TBH I was more impressed with the kits. Plus they use a ridiculous amount of glue on their labels!

 

[wezil]

Hi, kits don't seem to be doing to badly in the poll! I recently made a Geordie Yorkshire bitter kit (I got it for a £5) and brewed it with 1kg of dme and it came out very nice. Certainly as good as many bitters from commercial breweries. Ag might be the pinnacle of perfection for many, but by the time you've got all the boilers+ grain+ gas etc. You need to brew/drink a lot to make it worthwhile, especially as kits can produce such good beers nowadays with just basic equipment and a bit of care. (I got 2 Young's barley wine kits at Tesco for £16)!

 

[jonnymorris]

...by the time you've got all the boilers+ grain+ gas etc.

One boiler, no gas required. 25kg of grain, enough for 5-7 brews, £24. AG is significantly cheaper though admittedly takes more time and effort. Well worth it IMHO.

 

[BIGJIM72]

+1 to that Johnny. The price of kits compared to a sack of grain is ridiculous

 

[wezil]

Hi so you only use one boiler and no gas? what about all the other bits and bobs? plus the leccy! As I said for an occasional brewer kits are still the best bet I reckon, Although your welcome to try and convert me. Had a quick look on the malt miller, 33ltr pot for conversion to a boiler £54! Immersion chillers £84! (both without p&p). Ok if your good at DIY this would be cheaper but it's still a lot to lay out in one go (or even several go's)!! And yes of course once you've got it you've got it without further expense, although judging by the amount of people on here having problems with boilers etc I'm not so sure! :lol: let alone the space it all takes up(and I agree kits are expensive for what you get)!! And can you say honestly say that ag will always beat a kit?

 

[jonnymorris]

Hi so you only use one boiler and no gas? what about all the other bits and bobs? plus the leccy!

One 50L pot with two kettle elements that doubles as a HLT and copper, £42 (plus elements, tap and filter). One coolbox, £12 (plus tap). One chiller, £25 (not essential). The leccy is insignificant as I only brew once a month.

And can you honestly say that ag will always beat a kit?

Without doubt, yes. I'm not knocking kits, I've done many and they are very convenient but they do not compare (in my opinion and experience).

Tempted?

 

[ScottM]

AG can be better than kits. There is no doubting that fact. The difference is in the simplicity to achieving quality. You can EASILY hit a quality brew when using a "just add water" kit. Doing so with AG will take significantly more experience.

The thing is though, IMO, there is no beating AG when you are on top of your game. I'm not an AG brewer, I can simply see the potential of brewing with such a method. Taking the process and the hardship out of the consideration and there is no comparison, individually, between what you can brew with a kit and what you can brew from scratch.

First brew..... Kit all the way.

Years of experience... they already have their answer.

HTH :)

 

[BIGJIM72]

This discussion comes up time & again through every brewing forum known to man. Bottom line-kits are fine,if you happy with kits thats fine, they can produce some good brews. There is an initial outlay for AG kit,yes-things aren't cheap.but you don't have to buy shiney or everything at once.With practise (and if you have the time,which can be a major factor) outstanding beer can be made.

If you are baulking at the cost now,wait a few years until 2 can kits start edging towards the £25-30 price bracket. That is one reason why I switched- £20 for a premium 2 can kit or £22 for a sack of malt.

Kit,AG,extract,BIAB-as long as you are happy with what you brew then thats it,why change? If you want to make more individual,cheaper beer then switch. There's no 4 legs good,2 legs bad issue-just personal choice.

 

[aamcle]

I may have isolated my failure, I left in the secondary/bottling bucket exposed to the headspace for too long.


ATB. Aamcle

 

[winelight]

2 weeks is a long time. Another reason I don't decant to a second FV (I just move the FV into the cold) - if you leave it in the first one then it will still have plenty of CO2 on top.

Yes I know there are pros and cons but this is what works best for me!