any ideas for a youngs harvest bitter and lager

[BIGTRACTOR]

Hi, all, i was given a youngs harvest bitter, lager and cider for xmas from my brother, (i rather hoped he had spent the same ammount of money on a brupaks kit, but i didn't tell him that, don't want to appear ungrateful !

I have made up the bitter kit before when i first started brewing and wasn't particularly impressed, So i'm thinking of experimenting a little with these. I've bought 3oz of hops and i was thinking of using these when boiling the kit, but i'm also thinking of possibly using both the bitter AND lager in the same brew, my thinking is that Brupaks use two tins for 40 pints, so could i ?

Also, if i did do this, do you think i'd need to add any additional sugar ? if so , how much and would spraymalt be better?

any suggestions greatly appreciated

[sparky Paul]

I know what you mean... I got a Geordie bitter kit for xmas.

I'm no expert, but I'm not sure about using the Bitter and Lager together... the bitterness levels in the kits are really designed for brewing 40 pints each, it would be easy to end up with something really too bitter. The two can kits will only have the relevant amount of hop bitterness for a 40 pint brew.

I have actually done two cheap bitter kits in one brew, but the kits were really very cheap ones (Vina Basic Bitter) and very out-of-date... The results were surprisingly good, if very much like a stout, but I suspect the age and quality of the ingredients may have tempered the bitterness...

Using 100% spray malt is the answer. I'm currently drinking a John Bull bitter kit which was made with 1kg of medium spray malt (no sugar) and Safale yeast. Despite using a cheap 1.5kg kit, its actually turned out very good indeed, tastes not unlike Mansfield bitter. I'd certainly recommend the 100% malt approach to improve a cheap kit beyond recognition.

As for hops, I'm sure someone more experienced will be along soon to help you out with this, but the advice I've had is to not tinker too much with the bitterness levels of the kit. You can add more hop flavour by boiling a few hops in some wort for a short time, and aroma by adding more as the wort cools, before straining and adding back to the brew.

[Bongo]

I would also be interested in advice on using hops I have a youngs bitter kit in the keg at the mo and i have some vac packed cascade hops that i have thought about using but am unsure on amounts,dry hopping etc..

[Stu-pid]

I'm currently drinking a John Bull bitter kit which was made with 1kg of medium spray malt

On drinking, do you think medium spray malt was the right choice, or would it have been better with lighter/darker?

[sparky Paul]

On drinking, do you think medium spray malt was the right choice, or would it have been better with lighter/darker?

To be honest, I've never used any darker malt extract with a bitter kit as DaaB suggests. With the medium spraymalt, the flavour is very good and I would be happy to make it just like this again - its nice and malty and just so much better than I would ever have expected from a cheapo kit. Safale yeast is highly recommended too - it makes a very solid sediment, like nothing else I've used.

Colourwise, its a bit on the dark side, but the kit was a little out of date and I'm given to understand extract darkens with age... but then I'm not really bothered about the colour...

... this was a bottled brew by the way.

[BIGTRACTOR]

daab, they were helletau hops, (only ones in the homebrew section of my local hardware shop). I guess i'll get some spraymalt and give it a bash.

i've just had a look on a coupe HB sites and i see using 1.5kg of spraymalt would cost me nearly a tenner, does anyone know any shops that sell it cheaper?

[BIGTRACTOR]

i

[sparky Paul]

DaaB - for anyone local to the shop, Muntons spraymalt (all varieties) is even cheaper at BrewGenie, £2.25 for the 500g bags.

Thanks for the top hop tips, I reckon I'll try that myself.

[BIGTRACTOR]

hi all, i took a trip to my 'not so local' homebrew shop today, came back with 1kg muntons dark spraymalt, 1kg muntons hopped light spraymalt , 1kg youngs brewers sugar, a sachet of lager yeast and an almost out of date coopers australian pale ale (for half price).

i've got a youngs harvest lager and a youngs scottish heavy bitter ( i misread it earlier). and some helletau hops.

bearing in mind i can't really afford much more or get to the HB shop for a while, i'd like to ask you guys what you would do with all this kit.

cheers

[BIGTRACTOR]

thanks daab, thats great, will get onto the coopers asap

i made a mistake in the earlier comments, i only have a scottish heavy and a harvest lager, not a harvest bitter should i still use 1kg dark and 250g light or would this be too heavy?

[BIGTRACTOR]

cheers ,mate, your a star!

[davidson]

Does adding the hops make a big difference to the lager.

[BIGTRACTOR]

thought i'd make up my youngs harvest lager soon.
i've got ikg light spraymalt, 1kg brewers sugar, 100g halletau hops and 500g crushed crystal malt. i've also got a sachet of lager yeast and i will have some dry beer enzyme (which i've read is good for making the lager really dry ) (although 've read daabs post about being careful with carbonation).

what would you guys do with that lot?

[BIGTRACTOR]

cheers daab, would i boil the hops in a little of the wort, (as in your brupaks kit instructions)? about half litre?

also i take it that you mean boil 10g of hops for 40 mins, but add another 10g after 30 mins??

cheers!

[bettyswallocks]

Mix yer lager and cider kit up and make a snakebite. When you've done that tell us what its like. Might taste absolute crap but then yer didn't pay for the kits.
cheers