What bitter, larger and cider kits do people reccomend?

[Schnell88]

Im sure this has been asked before, but what bitter, larger and cider kits do people reccomend?

If it has been asked before could someone post a link to the thread, as this would be rater helpfull.

So far, I have tried...

Youngs harvest yorkshire bitter
Youngs definitive bitter
Coopers australian lagar
Brewbuddy cider

Thank you.

 

[Moley]

I was quite impressed with the EDME Bitter (Wilko £9.99 or thereabouts), I suppose the Young's Definitive is ok for under 25p a pint.

If you fancy something darker I would recommend Cooper's Dark Ale (£9.50 in my LHBS) and the EDME Stout is supposed to be one of the best.

I've never tried a Cider kit, I think the done thing around here is to lob some yeasties into a supermarket apple juice, which I will be doing later this evening.

As for larger kits, I think they all tend to be 40 pint.

 

[corby_brewer]

I would recommend the EDME Stout and the Geordie Scottish Export, wilkinsons sell both kits for around the £10 mark.

Or if its something a bit stronger your after i would go for the Heart of England barley wine kit from Matchless Homebrew thats under £10 and a very nice drink.

As for the more expensive kit ive herd good reviews about Milestones Olde Home Wrecker its about 4.8 ABV cost about the £20 mark.

As for Cider i agree with Moley and would have a go at making yourself some Turbo Cider, all you need is supermarket concentraded Apple juice and yeast.

 

[Chris]

I'm bottling (at 12 days in a FV) Coopers Mexican brew tomorrow. It tastes a bit zingy, so I can only imagine when it's been carbonated & left it'll taste even better. Mine is a 5.2% brew, so for my first brew I'm very happy. This forum has helped me! :thumb:

 

[TheCheekyMonkey]

well ive just done the wherry bitter kit , not really a bitter fan but it came with the kite i bought.

had it bottle for about two weeks nows, literally just this minute tried a bottle, never chilled it, poured it straight in a glass and tased, what can i say, very nice, still not my drink of choice but turned out alot better than i expected, and its FIZZY!!!!!

wasnt expecting it to as good as it turned out.


Also just done a magnum pear cider kit, very nice again, only been bottled a week, will only get better, but quite drinkable.


cant do any more big kits for a bit now, the staffys with pup , so just waiting for her to pop.

got some wines in the demi`s on the go, finished one other day , luverly jubberly!!

 

[dandan]

I second the EDME Stout.

I found Geordies kits were great for messing about with adding different sugars/spraymalts/malts to and adding hop teas to make your own flavor of beer! and the best thing is they are about £5 from Morrisons!!!

I have a Werry kit, Edme bitter, Edme Stout and Gordies Lager(prob going to be another dangaarden). instock waiting to be made, but I am onto allgrain so they are to oneside for when I don't have enough time to dedicate to making a allgrain beer.

Two things that I found that improved the kits were changing the yeast! (use somthing like Safe-ale or a Danstar yeast) its amazing what different yeasts do! and not using just sugar (using spraymalt/beer kit enhancer to give a fuller body)

As for the cider i've just made Turbo Ciders :twisted: from supermarket apple juice!

 

[markp]

I am just getting back in to home brewing after 7/8 years and I have to say that the kits have improved enourmously since I was last brewing.

I used to use Ironmaster kits in the main - this is what my Dad used to brew, so I just went along with them.
And back in those days we'd never heard of spray malt; which as dandan said, can be used to greatly improve a brew along with a yeast upgrade.

My favourite kit at the moment is Muntons Gold IPA.

I appreciate the info on the EDME stout chaps......I've been looking for a stout to do and if I can't sort my **** out to make a boiler any time soon (for an extract stout), then I'll have a go at that.

 

[falafael]

I only do kits now, i dont have the time to do AG, besides, they all do the same job..lol...asd for kits, i tend to use the geordie kits from wilkos, along with the youngs ones, then from the homebrew shop in mansfield, i get a victorian bitter kit, which is very nice indeed, and i cant fault the coopers lager kits, especially the green tin..pils one, thats a cracker!!
As for the cider, i have ddone the brewmaster, and find it nice, i also have done a TC, and thats a winner in my book!!

Happy brewing matey!!
:

 

[leondz]

Edme Stout!

Tom Caxton's real ale has also won me many compliments, and is really easy to brew and not that hard to clear.

 

[falafael]

i have a tom caxtons on brew leondz, looking forward to it now you say that matey!!