mashed plus beer kit

[rocket ronnie]

If I mash and boil in the normal way as ag but boiling no hops along with it
2000g Pale malt
200g Crystal malt
500g Spray malt
20g Goldings as hop tea

If I then add the finished wort to
1 can of Coopers pale ale
and ferment in the usual way

Do you think I would get a decent finished bitter

 

[pittsy]

i would ask 2 things here , If you can mash nearly 3kg of grain and boil the wort why don't you use hops in the boil too and why bother with the kit at all . No hops plus kit will be a very low bittered beer . I would add hops . I also would do the kit and if possible increase the grain bill or make less beer and just do the grain , it will be a lovely beer .

 

[rocket ronnie]

[quote="pittsy" No hops plus kit will be a very low bittered beer . I would add hops . .[/quote]

Thanks pittsy - - - but I have brewed Coopers Pale Ale before and I got an excellent brew and well hopped but it always lacked that beer taste, it always tasted as a kit beer. That was my idea to add the hop tea just for aroma purposes. The idea of the grain added to the kit was to give the finished beer more body and to taste less of a kit. I did think of adding more hops to the boil but thought that the beer would by overpowering hopped. And if the hopped kit was enough on its own I thought the hopped taste would be the same for an added body strength beer. I could as you said make a full grain beer .I am mainly a grain brewer 90% but I thought I would experiment.

 

[clibit]

I can see both sides of this one, if you don't have much capacity you can make more beer or stronger beer by adding a can to the mash liquor. But the can will reduce the quality of what otherwise be an all grain beer.

If the quantity in the FV is around 23 litres for a normal kit size then there should be enough bitterness from the kit. If the kit bitterness is enough for you. The mash is replacing kit enhancer/DME/LME/1 kilo sugar etc.

If it was me and I could only mash 3kg of grain, and I wanted 23 litres or more, I would boost the OG with DME or LME. Then boil hops for 60 mins for bitterness and add late additions for flavour and aroma. A partial mash in other words. You will make better beer and suddenly be involved in making your own beers from recipes or from your own ideas.

But if you like that kit and just want to boost it with a mash instead of other additives, and boost the hop aroma, then your idea looks fine. I just think people should break away from kits and realise it's not hard to make beer without them, and the quality will generally be much higher.

Question, though. If it "always lacked that beer taste", how could it be an excellent brew? Surely 'that beer taste' is kind of crucial?!