Festival Beer Kits - New

[lee1]

just put a old suffolk ale into fv today sg 1052 cant belive what you get in the kit for the money excellent value for money cant wait to taste this well done ritchies

[wxmexile]

Day 10 today for my golden stag, removed hop bag and sample taken - down to 1.010 and the smell from the sample is amazing, very citrusy and complex. This is going to be a fantastic pint.

Did you not taste it

I did taste my second sample, and judging by this is going to be one hell of a beer. I've spent this summer doing golden ales mostly - sundew, burton bridge summer ale, linthwaite light , St.Peters golden ale... I'm going out on a limb here and i'm gonna say this is going to knock the socks off them all! It is worth noting though that i'm not used to dry hopping, or using any king of extra hops, so maybe its just that that i am so impressed with. If i ever get round to extract brewing my head might just explode!!

[twentyfootwilf]

I've been contemplating having a go at extract brewing and fancy easing my way in gently by having a go at on of these.. http://www.brewuk.co.uk/store/beerkits/brewextract.html maybe a little on the expensive side but everything is prepared for you and for a first timer it cuts down the potential for a balls up!

[Monkeybrew]

Day 10 today for my golden stag, removed hop bag and sample taken - down to 1.010 and the smell from the sample is amazing, very citrusy and complex. This is going to be a fantastic pint.

Did you not taste it

I did taste my second sample, and judging by this is going to be one hell of a beer. I've spent this summer doing golden ales mostly - sundew, burton bridge summer ale, linthwaite light , St.Peters golden ale... I'm going out on a limb here and i'm gonna say this is going to knock the socks off them all! It is worth noting though that i'm not used to dry hopping, or using any king of extra hops, so maybe its just that that i am so impressed with. If i ever get round to extract brewing my head might just explode!!

Loving your excitement there mate, sounds like you're turning into a hophead

I won't allow myself to buy anymore kits until I've brewed what I've got already, but a Festival kit will certainly be on my list as they all sound good!

Extract is the next natural step from kits or kit adaptations and makes the whole brewing journey even more interesting.

MB

[nutmeg31415]

That's it, I'm ordering a Golden stag kit now!

[wxmexile]

Yeah i will defo have a go at extract at some point, and the pre prepared extract kits will be my starting point - I just need to get some basic kit in place (big stockpot, thermometer, large strainer etc), to be honest if i was flush i would be doing it already, my budget is tighter than two coats of paint atm - its the reason i got into brewing in the first place if i'm honest. I'll get there all in good time though.

Will be bottling the Golden stag tomorrow (day 14) all being well - will keep you all posted.

[sbond10]

Yeah i will defo have a go at extract at some point, and the pre prepared extract kits will be my starting point - I just need to get some basic kit in place (big stockpot, thermometer, large strainer etc), to be honest if i was flush i would be doing it already, my budget is tighter than two coats of paint atm - its the reason i got into brewing in the first place if i'm honest. I'll get there all in good time though.

Will be bottling the Golden stag tomorrow (day 14) all being well - will keep you all posted.

I emailed brewuk about the brew extract packs and apprentkly they can be split to suit your pan size

[twentyfootwilf]

Just had a very small sample of my Father Hooks Bitter, after 1 week in the keg ( I was going to bottle it but changed my mind and pleased I did too ). It has cleared really well and tastes very similar to Batemans XB Bitter, quite hoppy with a lovely soft malt undertone, and well balanced bitterness. If your not from Lincolnshire you've probably not tasted the joys of Batemans XB, but it's a great pint. It also reminds me a bit of Wards Sheffield Best Bitter, don't know if you can still get it but I used to drink it at my father in laws pub in the 1970s and 1980s. The flavour should improve given 2 or 3 more weeks. I will be very happy to buy another one of these Festival kits, a big thumbs up

[lee1]

hi just put my suffolk old ale in the cornie yesterday for some strange reason i have just drawn a nip off [wow ] the hop smell and the taste this kit looks good so far , also put a pilgrims hope in yesterday cant wait until these beers are ready

[wxmexile]

Just sampled my golden stag after just a week in the bottle - Gentleman we have a winner! cleared really well, very hoppy slight citrusy taste and bitterness is perfectly balanced, going to be fantastic after a month or so conditioning. Like i mentioned previously i've spent the summer brewing light/summer ales and this knocks the socks off the lot of em!. Best kit i've done yet.

[Barloch]

i REALLY have to stop reading on here, i have 4 kits of rubbish still to do and all i want to do it buy 5 of these kits..... must .....refrain..... feck it i am going to order some tomorrow!! (well today, late night)

[twentyfootwilf]

i REALLY have to stop reading on here, i have 4 kits of rubbish still to do and all i want to do it buy 5 of these kits..... must .....refrain..... feck it i am going to order some tomorrow!! (well today, late night)

No point in brewing a poor kit just because you have some in your cupboard, leave them till you get really desperate and get yourself one of these festival kits to try - go on succumb to temptation

[tricky_dicky]

I got my Festival Father Hooks Bitter in the FV 4 days ago. I put the hop pellets in the bag that comes with the kit which is intended as a strainer to go over the end of the syphon or bottling stick. The hop pellets fit in very nicely and the draw string makes for a good tight seal. I should be able to re use the bag after washing out the spent hops. I put the hops in th FV at the time of yeast pitching, the instructions say to add them after 5 days, but I don't think it is going to make much difference. I made the volume up to 22l instead of 23 and got an original gravity of 1044. Good amount of yeast with these kits.. 10g!
Also there is a sachet of priming sugar which is said to be the correct amount for kegging the beer, but again this is a very generous 100g which personally I would only be using half that amount if I was planning on kegging it (I will be bottling mine with 1/2 level teaspoon per 500ml bottle) I previously kegged a wherry with 80g and it was more than enough and required a very gentle pour from the keg to avoid a glass full of froth.
I will update the final result when all is finished, but as usual I had a mouthful this morning from the FV and the taste is very promising.

Did you weigh the hop bag down with anything when you popped it in the FV, or did you just let it float on the top? - Does this affect how the hops work??

[Monkeybrew]

My understanding of dry hopping is that all of the hops need to be in contact with your brew.

I use 2 sterilised giant marbles to weigh my hops down in the muslin bag and some brewers use a couple of shot glasses.

MB

[twentyfootwilf]

I didn't weigh my hop bag down, but I did give it a poke about and flipped it over with a sanitised paddle a couple of times during fermentation, but I like the idea of the giant marbles to add some weight. I suppose if you follow the kit instructions and just put the hop pellets in loose they will disintegrate and make a better contact with the wort, I just don't fancy bits of hop floating about in my beer. A larger bag may be an improvement on the small bage in the kit which to be fair isn't intended as a hop bag anyway. I can't say whether the end result has suffered, not having anything to compare it with, I just know it's a lovely beer.