Kit tinkering experiment

[Mr Fro]

I had a little go on my first brewing attempt last night after one week in the bottle.

It tasted okay but it wasn't half thin. Also, I think it could have used a bit more priming as it was pretty flat.

I made the kit to the volume on the instructions so to improve the body am planning to modify my next attempts.

I have a two tin brupaks kit which calls for 23L total volume.

I'm thinking to make one tin up to 10L and (once that's bottled) doing the other tin but mashing some oats up in the water before I add the tin contents.

Now, I'm having a guess at 100g of oats at 60-70*C for half an hour in 9L of water should be a reasonable stab, followed by making it up to 10L.

What do you reckon? I'm basing this on a bit of reading and thinking but zero experience!

Cheers,
Fro

 

[aamcle]

Errr.... All your going to make is a mess. Without some base malt to provide enzymes that will turn the starch in the oats into sugar your going to make Porridge.

time to do some reading on the forum search for mashing.


Atb. Aamcle

 

[Mr Fro]

Errr.... All your going to make is a mess. Without some base malt to provide enzymes that will turn the starch in the oats into sugar your going to make Porridge.

time to do some reading on the forum search for mashing.


Atb. Aamcle

Hmmm, yes, I have had a good read thanks.

I'm not aiming to introduce fermentables, I want to add body.

 

[Gerryjo]

Try brewing the the two cans to 20l,this will inccrease the ABV but should help retain more body and add to the mouthfeel.

Sent from my ALE-L21 using Tapatalk

 

[Drunkula]

I'm thinking to make one tin up to 10L and (once that's bottled) doing the other tin but mashing some oats up in the water before I add the tin contents.

I've heard about people adding barley water to kits to add a little thickness. Bought a bag but haven't tried it.

 

[kellywiiliam]

I've heard same let me know is it good or bad please :)

 

[Snakeshack]

Personally I'd add some dried malt extract,this will add extra fermentables but will also radically improve the body,as will lactose ,but this will also sweeten the finished product. As said previously any oats would need to be mashed and would also add extra fermentables as well as body,improving mouthfeel .
Pays yer money takes yer choice .
Or just brew it short

 

[Mr Fro]

Fair doos.

I've brewed up a batch to ~ 80% the prescribed volume so we'll see what happens...

 

[Mr Fro]

Right then, sitrep:

The 80% volume brew was pretty good. Quite tasty and a smidge more feel to it - I used LME for priming which was probably the difference. Obviously the abv was up a bit but it's perfectly drinkable.

For batch 2 I tried mashing up some oats in a few litres of water before adding in the kit and rest of the water.

It was obvious when it was cooling down that anything that would have added any feel was precipitating out of solution fairly quickly.

I pitched the yeast anyway and left it to do it's thing.

After a week there's an additional layer of precipitate above the yeast cake which agitates very readily.

A quick gravity check shows it's at or around completion and it tasted just about the same as the 80% batch if slightly sweeter.

I'll continue on with bottling and such but I think that's put the nail in the coffin of kit brewing for me. Time to think about AG. :-)

 

[Llamaman]

It's not the kit's fault you've tried to make beer from porridge (although it may have been a bad kit to start with - you haven't said which it is).

There are other ways of adding body, such as using DME, steeping some carapils or adding maltodextrine.