ibrew - new home brewing system from Muntons...

Discuss making up beer kits - the simplest way to brew.
Bryggmester

Re: ibrew - new home brewing system from Muntons...

Post by Bryggmester » Fri Nov 06, 2009 10:44 pm

There have been other "easy option" brewing systems in the past, which died the death. It does sound like a rip off to part the unsuspecting from their hard earned cash. I will await the reviews with interest.

arturobandini
Under the Table
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Re: ibrew - new home brewing system from Muntons...

Post by arturobandini » Fri Nov 06, 2009 10:47 pm

I saw this iBrew as something similar to the Brewbuddy thing a lot of people, me included, start off with. The pets and sparklets are a bit gimmicky for me but I'd keep an open mind as to how it works out.

I put myself , and the kit brewing circle of mates who will be sharing it, forward for the St Peter's Red Ruby Ale as I think this is definitely a more productive way of getting people interested in Homebrewing. It's a high profile name capture and if it's the start of things to come then all the better providing the quality is decent. They need to focus on , as Chris said, quality products rather than naff gimmicks like jazzy handbags with mini brewing equipment inside.
Planning - Not for a long while

Fermenting - I'm Done

Bottle Maturing - Hobgoblin, Fullers ESB, American Stout, TOP, Fullers London Porter, Bandini Black IPA

Drinking - Still...Whiskey

scottmoss

Re: ibrew - new home brewing system from Muntons...

Post by scottmoss » Fri Nov 06, 2009 10:51 pm

It's a very good dispencing unit and easy to use. Ther are a few niggles about it like when you change the bottles the yeast becomes unsettled again because you need to stand it up to put the tap on.

I got this kit as it was recomended by leyland homebrew as it's what all the staff use also.

EoinMag

Re: ibrew - new home brewing system from Muntons...

Post by EoinMag » Sat Nov 07, 2009 12:49 am

Chris-x1 wrote:The problem with homebrewing is not that there aren't enough gimmicks or gadgets, it's that it still has a reputation for producing substandard beer and this doesn't address that.

There're lot's of people on here who think that a 7 day primary is enough to lash a beer into bottles and drink it a week later, it's no wonder that homebrew is considered substandard. This system looks like an easy kit to turn our pretty decent beer, it's muntons premium with only one can, it can't be too bad.
I see it as a good one off Xmas type starter kit, once you cop how easy it is and log on here yer gonna change yer methods and equipment.....

196osh

Re: ibrew - new home brewing system from Muntons...

Post by 196osh » Sat Nov 07, 2009 2:13 am

Chris-x1 wrote:The traditional method of brewing in a bucket is hardly difficult, particularly if you have a tap fitted to your fermenter and a bottling stick.

There is nothing about this gimmick that will improve the quality of the beer over the more traditional bucket fermenter. Homebrewers are just as likely to produce crap beer as they ever were.
Indeed
All that is required to get new brewers making good beer is to give them better instructions and with access to the internet and video clips, they don't even have to read them. There are plenty of other ways of generating interest and loyalty without resorting to over priced plastic gadgets.
I suppose the point of the Ibrew system is to make it as fool proof as possible, a lot of people get put off homebrewing due to bad experiences the first time out when they dont really care, therefore if it goes wrong then they assume all of their preconceptions of homebrewing were true. Then they never touch homebrewing gear ever again.

If this sort of equipment makes it easier for people to produce a good first batch people are much less likley to fall off. The more people homebrewing the better in my opinion.

kfm

Re: ibrew - new home brewing system from Muntons...

Post by kfm » Sat Nov 07, 2009 10:31 am

Subject to the caveat that I have not used one of these systems, I agree with Chris's sentiments entirely. Munton's scheme is symptomatic of what is destroying British business: form is overtaking substance. No doubt a lot of very important people with great suits were in a lot of meeting rooms with their Powerpoint presentations and easy-flowing rhetoric marvelling at how iBrew should capture a particular market share in its first year. The cash flow forecasts have been done and the marketing people brought in to give the product the right 'presence' and the right 'theme' but the bottom line, the real bottom line, is that the product is over priced and fails to innovate. I reckon it will fail and fail quickly. Just like many other businesses have in this country since the accountants and marketing people started making the decisions. Successive governments have also pursued short-termist populist economic policies that have left the UK as a 'service provider'. The problem with that is the services can be supplied cheaply from elsewhere and the one blue riband service that we did offer, our financial services machine, was found out last year to actually be crap, unstable and as value-adding as a once-used iBrew (see the skip on Boxing Day for details).

Here's one for Muntons: why don't you ask one of the small AG system builders in for a meeting to see how their systems are put together? You could take a stake in a business with a view to using your 'buying power' to source components more cost effectively? Throw some marketing budget behind a proper product that would be saleable to those switching from kits/extract up to AG. Thing is you will have to know something about brewing or you'll end up looking silly in one of those many meetings ..... another cause of the demise of British business that, lack of knowledge.

scottmoss

Re: ibrew - new home brewing system from Muntons...

Post by scottmoss » Mon Nov 09, 2009 9:48 am

Chris-x1 wrote:The traditional method of brewing in a bucket is hardly difficult, particularly if you have a tap fitted to your fermenter and a bottling stick.
I think that you are all missing the point of the iBrew system, you are still fermenting kits like normal but instead of bottling/kegging you use the 10 pint PET bottles with draft tap!

EoinMag

Re: ibrew - new home brewing system from Muntons...

Post by EoinMag » Mon Nov 09, 2009 3:27 pm

Chris-x1 wrote:No, the point is it doesn't address the points that have inherently given homebrewing a bad name and put people off and it doesn't add anything to the beer other than the gimmick factor.

It addresses one of the major points, which is that it takes table sugar out of the equation and basically is a one in kit that you only make up to twenty pints, have you read up on it yourself? It then gives you a draft dispensing system. I think it's definitely in the wrong place with experienced homebrewers, but for beginners I think it could be just the ticket to get them started, creating good beer and teaching them the basics.

fractureman
Piss Artist
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Re: ibrew - new home brewing system from Muntons...

Post by fractureman » Mon Nov 09, 2009 3:35 pm

I too think it is a god idea to get people into brewing. I am only a newbie too it myself so can see people maybe moving onto FV's & Kegs after using this system if the quality of the end product is good.

Obviously experienced brewers are going to look down their nose at it. I suggest they come up with a product & start selling it on the mass market & show us how it should be done instead of whinging
keg 1 : (Drinking) : Amarillo extract brew
keg 2 : (Conditioning) : Summer Ale extract
keg 3 : (Conditioning) : Lightening extract Goldings only
keg 4 : (Conditioning) : Lightening etxract

FV1 : FV2 :
Bottled: Brewferm Diabolo, Brewferm frambois
next up: coppers stout:)

scottmoss

Re: ibrew - new home brewing system from Muntons...

Post by scottmoss » Mon Nov 09, 2009 3:50 pm

fractureman wrote:I too think it is a god idea to get people into brewing. I am only a newbie too it myself so can see people maybe moving onto FV's & Kegs after using this system if the quality of the end product is good.

Obviously experienced brewers are going to look down their nose at it. I suggest they come up with a product & start selling it on the mass market & show us how it should be done instead of whinging
I totally agree, even with the iBrew you still use a fv you just syphon it into the iBrew pets when primary fermentation is complete. I use my iBrew for lagers so I don't have to mess around bottling and it fits nicely into my fridge. I use my kegs for ales.

EoinMag

Re: ibrew - new home brewing system from Muntons...

Post by EoinMag » Mon Nov 09, 2009 9:17 pm

I still maintain that for someone with not a lot of time they will produce alright beer very simply all equipment in one place, one expenditure. Not everyone wants an all consuming hobby.

mysterio

Re: ibrew - new home brewing system from Muntons...

Post by mysterio » Mon Nov 09, 2009 10:01 pm

However, I suspect this 'testing' on the forum is more of a marketing ploy though designed to get product awareness among existing homebrewers rather than to get any genuine feed back. I can't see why else they'd want tto test something that has been out on the market for sometime at this late stage.
I thought that was pretty obvious, do you see me complaining though :lol:

I fully intend to get into the spirit of the thing though, I genuinely think the tap-a-draft has the potential to be a handy gadget especially for newbies - I'll say if it's garbage. And i'm certain Muntons know how to make a decent extract. So all they have to do is include some clear information on sanitation, chlorine treatment and fermentation temps and you'll be happy Chris ? Apart from the price ?

I still don't think the price is all that bad

Included in the ibrew starter kit on the market at 59 quid :

Brewing Bin - £5ish
Two twenty pint beer kits. - £20 ish
Steriliser - £3ish
Mixing Paddle - 1.25
Two 6 litre bottles
Dispensing unit
C02 bulbs - £12
Syphon tube £1

So the tap-a-draft set up is coming in at about 17 quid. Presumably most of that is for the dispensing unit rather than the plastic bottles. Not bad compared to a budget barrel (which isn't much use if you want lager or nitro stout) or a full cornie set up which no newbie is going to shell out for.

scottmoss

Re: ibrew - new home brewing system from Muntons...

Post by scottmoss » Tue Nov 10, 2009 9:51 am

I would be quite interested on your reviews of the iBrew and I hope you treat the kit that comes with it and the Tap-A-Draft as different entities!

king martin

Re: ibrew - new home brewing system from Muntons...

Post by king martin » Wed May 19, 2010 5:51 pm

what about using a brubox refill in one of these?

they are 20 pint kits i believe and pretty decent quality? plenty of different varieties?

would that work?

is it not possible to split a 40 pint kit?

king martin

Re: ibrew - new home brewing system from Muntons...

Post by king martin » Wed May 19, 2010 9:00 pm

excellent! what would be the best way to split a 40 pint?

use a jug and perhaps freeze the other half?

do you know if a 40 pint kit would fit in the fermenter? i watched the video on the site and the fermenter looks quite deep, but its hard to see..

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