I keep getting a weird urge to do a kit.
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- Drunk as a Skunk
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I keep getting a weird urge to do a kit.
I could do with some one talking some sense into me, every so often I get the itch to experiment with a kit. Now I usually have more good AG beer on hand than I can easily drink so mucking with kits is daft.
But I'd like to see if I can get one up to the standard of my AG batches, possibly split it into a number of Demijohns and experiment with different volumes, yeasts, hopping and fermentables. The last time I made up a kit I did a small mash (1) including some speciality grains to supply the extra sugar but I'll not do it that way again it seems to me to undermine the point (ease) of a kit.
I suppose the obvious choice would be a Coopers kit as they seem to offer the most flexibility, possibly a lager as the IBUs are low and summer is coming.
What can you recommend, Coopers, a Two Can or say stuff it and get mashing? I wonder if Tesco are going to go mad again soon
ATB. Alan
1 I stuck a controller probe onto a slow cooker.
But I'd like to see if I can get one up to the standard of my AG batches, possibly split it into a number of Demijohns and experiment with different volumes, yeasts, hopping and fermentables. The last time I made up a kit I did a small mash (1) including some speciality grains to supply the extra sugar but I'll not do it that way again it seems to me to undermine the point (ease) of a kit.
I suppose the obvious choice would be a Coopers kit as they seem to offer the most flexibility, possibly a lager as the IBUs are low and summer is coming.
What can you recommend, Coopers, a Two Can or say stuff it and get mashing? I wonder if Tesco are going to go mad again soon
ATB. Alan
1 I stuck a controller probe onto a slow cooker.
- Dennis King
- Telling everyone Your My Best Mate
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Re: I keep getting a weird urge to do a kit.
At last years festival I won a Coopers lager kit in the raffle. I fermented it a few weeks ago using a better yeast and adding some hop tea. Only the second kit I have ever done, the other one was at the festival a few years previous.
Re: I keep getting a weird urge to do a kit.
I am doing kits at the moment, because of time and children.
Did a wheat beer and added 2kg of summer fruits. Quite tart, but is nice.
Just done a Geordie Lager (on sale in Wilkos) but added the cml Kolsch Yeast and 60g Saaz hop tea.
Both will be summer drinks for friends etc when we have a party. So as long as they are drinkable I will be very happy.
There is something nice about knowing it will only take you an hour to knock it up and keeping the wife happy.
Did a wheat beer and added 2kg of summer fruits. Quite tart, but is nice.
Just done a Geordie Lager (on sale in Wilkos) but added the cml Kolsch Yeast and 60g Saaz hop tea.
Both will be summer drinks for friends etc when we have a party. So as long as they are drinkable I will be very happy.
There is something nice about knowing it will only take you an hour to knock it up and keeping the wife happy.
Re: I keep getting a weird urge to do a kit.
I did my first one a year ago. My advice is don't bother because it's not at all like real beer. Having said that I have tried a lot of micro stuff that is equally crap. They however cover any faults by hopping it to death. Well there's a thought I suppose you could do he same thing with a kit but there again a kit would probably be not cloudy enough
"You're not drunk if you can lie on the floor without holding on." Dean Martin
1. Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, thoroughly used, totally worn out and loudly proclaiming... "f*ck, what a trip
It's better to lose time with friends than to lose friends with time (Portuguese proverb)
Alone we travel faster
Together we travel further
( In an admonishing email from our golf club)
1. Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, thoroughly used, totally worn out and loudly proclaiming... "f*ck, what a trip
It's better to lose time with friends than to lose friends with time (Portuguese proverb)
Alone we travel faster
Together we travel further
( In an admonishing email from our golf club)
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Re: I keep getting a weird urge to do a kit.
i get that it's tempting for a shorter brewday, but the quality is such a dropoff i'm a bit unconvinced. i believe they can be improved with minimashes and hop teas and decent yeast but by the time you've done that i honestly find it a lot easier and less fn around (not to mention cheaper) to fire up the mashtun, and you get better beer.
i do admit to the same curiosity about making them though!!
i do admit to the same curiosity about making them though!!
dazzled, doused in gin..
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Re: I keep getting a weird urge to do a kit.
It's the enthusiasm that gets to me, I see lot's of posts "it's great, fantastic , pub quality, flavoursome " and curiosity reaches out and pokes at me.
Can they all be wrong?
aamcle
Can they all be wrong?
aamcle
Re: I keep getting a weird urge to do a kit.
@aamcle to be honest the only one that I would consider as being always excellent is Coopers Stout. That stuff is very good.
Re: I keep getting a weird urge to do a kit.
I do a very occasional kit, I tend to add beer enhancer, steep a bit of grain of some sort like crystal, and do a short hop boil. I find the bit of grain and the hops make a huge difference. I once split lager a kit three ways, and used the kit yeast, an ale yeast. All had an enhancer added. One had nothing else, one had hops added, one had hops and caramalt added. The enhancer only version was undrinkable, it was like a sweet syrup, the hops version was good, but the hops and caramalt +version was really good - I really enjoyed it. I think the hops made the most impact, giving a much better bitterness balance thanks to the boil, and loads more hop flavour. But the caramalt made a clear difference too, and I only used a bit.
If I do a kit now, I always add hops, and I usually do a bit of a grain steep.
If I do a kit now, I always add hops, and I usually do a bit of a grain steep.
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- Drunk as a Skunk
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Re: I keep getting a weird urge to do a kit.
I did a Coopers Irish Stout some years ago and I brewed it short it was still thin but the taste was good.
- Dennis King
- Telling everyone Your My Best Mate
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Re: I keep getting a weird urge to do a kit.
Rob the malt miller sells some interesting kits. https://www.themaltmiller.co.uk/product ... ract-kits/
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Re: I keep getting a weird urge to do a kit.
aam,
Try this Kit Mod.......
Wilko IPA to 20Lts.
1 Can Kit
500gr Med Spraymalt
25gr Simcoe, Chinook, Mosaic, boiled 10 mins, steeped 30 mins.
Yeast in at 22deg. SG 1040
Day 7 Dry Hop Chinook 75gr Leaf, Mosaic 62gr Pellets, Simcoe 35gr Pellets.
One of the best kits I`ve made.
Great Taste, Great smell, etc, etc
FG 1010
WA
I must do this again.
Odd Hop weights are from just emptying the bags!
Sent from my Sofa.
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- Drunk as a Skunk
- Posts: 904
- Joined: Tue Jan 15, 2013 11:42 am
- Location: Newton-le-Willows ( St Helens/Warrington)
Re: I keep getting a weird urge to do a kit.
I've found a supplier for pilsner LME so possibly Coopers European Lager, a can of LME, maybe some steeped grains, hops, lager yeast x 2, Tasty's lager scheduled, a month at 0°C, add a little yeast, bulk prime and bottle.
aamcle
aamcle
Re: I keep getting a weird urge to do a kit.
Sounds like my previous post. Another variation of "hop soup"WalesAles wrote: ↑Wed Mar 21, 2018 11:28 pmaam,
Try this Kit Mod.......
Wilko IPA to 20Lts.
1 Can Kit
500gr Med Spraymalt
25gr Simcoe, Chinook, Mosaic, boiled 10 mins, steeped 30 mins.
Yeast in at 22deg. SG 1040
Day 7 Dry Hop Chinook 75gr Leaf, Mosaic 62gr Pellets, Simcoe 35gr Pellets.
One of the best kits I`ve made.
Great Taste, Great smell, etc, etc
FG 1010
WA
I must do this again.
Odd Hop weights are from just emptying the bags!
Sent from my Sofa.
"You're not drunk if you can lie on the floor without holding on." Dean Martin
1. Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, thoroughly used, totally worn out and loudly proclaiming... "f*ck, what a trip
It's better to lose time with friends than to lose friends with time (Portuguese proverb)
Alone we travel faster
Together we travel further
( In an admonishing email from our golf club)
1. Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, thoroughly used, totally worn out and loudly proclaiming... "f*ck, what a trip
It's better to lose time with friends than to lose friends with time (Portuguese proverb)
Alone we travel faster
Together we travel further
( In an admonishing email from our golf club)