# Cascade Spicy Ghost



## bowie in space (14/4/09)

Hi all, I'm probably going to get burned for this but hear me out. A while ago i bought a bunch of kits for $5 at my local coles and now I am down to the last one. The dreaded "spicy ghost"...which i didn't know at the time but have learned since that it has received bad reviews almost universally. I should point out that it's still well within its use by date.

Just wanna know if _anything_ can be done to make it ok. I have good stocks of Light Dry Malt, Dry Wheat Malt and some Joe White crystal grain (for steeping), and always use hops and a decent yeast.

So, what can i do? Should i boil the kit to rid it's flavour. If so, what steps do i need to take? How can i improve this kit, apart form chucking it out :lol: !

I am planning on moving into partials and BIAB after this last kit and can't wait  

Cheers
Bowie


----------



## j1gsaw (14/4/09)

Hey Bowie, mate, i Too ventured into the evil world of spicy ghost, and aside from a bloody 16 day adventure in the carboy, plus i froze the carboy by mistake almost to a solid block, thawed, another 3 days rest, funny smells emitiing.... long story short... after hearing a vast amount of ideas and etc on the matter, i went ahead and bottled just 9 tallies out of the 23L batch, (thinking it would be shite) and dumped the rest.

Ho Hum.... turned out fine... weird flavours though, and im sure stronger in booze then predicted.. Not my fave HB drop, but getting up there.
I just used the can plus kg dex... if i did it again, i would BE2 it.
Just dont sit near the carboy waiting for it to ferment out too soon.... its very much a "YAAAAWN" procedure. Good Luck. JIG


----------



## Rodolphe01 (14/4/09)

case swap :lol:


----------



## pint of lager (14/4/09)

Do not let a $5 kit stand in the way of your very first partial. Do the partial ASAP.

If you want to disguise the kit, make it into a dark beer. Add a kilo of dark malt, some crystal, some hops and some chocolate grain. Will it make it OK? Sorry, a bad fit of coughing has disguised my answer.


----------



## Fatgodzilla (14/4/09)

pint of lager said:


> Do not let a $5 kit stand in the way of your very first partial. Do the partial ASAP.
> 
> If you want to disguise the kit, make it into a dark beer. Add a kilo of dark malt, some crystal, some hops and some chocolate grain. Will it make it OK? Sorry, a bad fit of coughing has disguised my answer.



You zealot POL ! h34r: Che lives !

Before discovering the joys of AG, I made a lot of Cascade brews (looking for a good one).

Don't listen to all the cynics, what would they know anyway ! :chug: 

Have fun. Whack in a little wheat, a little crystal, some finishing hops. Enjoy the experience, learn from it. If it comes out okay, good stuff. If its shite, pour down the sink, tell no one. Everyone on this site has been there, done that. 



> Hi all, I'm probably going to get burned for this but hear me out.


 Don't worry, most here deserved to burn anyway !


----------



## flattop (14/4/09)

I just cracked my first Cascade Golden Harvest ale its been in the bottle a month.... hmm i used about 75% LME and 25% dex, it came out as a beautiful creamy brown color and i thought this is going to be nice....

BUT 

I think i will cellar it for 6 months maybe then it will be drinkable


----------



## hughman666 (14/4/09)

IMO the only good kit was the imperial voyage pale ale. i posted a recipe on here somewhere a couple of years back when i was still on kits. turned out great but that doesnt help you with the spicy ghost....use it as a doorstop.


----------



## manticle (14/4/09)

bowie in space said:


> Hi all, I'm probably going to get burned for this but hear me out. A while ago i bought a bunch of kits for $5 at my local coles and now I am down to the last one. The dreaded "spicy ghost"...which i didn't know at the time but have learned since that it has received bad reviews almost universally. I should point out that it's still well within its use by date.




I know nothing about spicy ghost but my assumption would be that boiling the flavoured hops out of it and combining it with any of the usual kits bits would make a better beer than most straight kks. Google tells me it's meant to be a wheat beer so maybe some dried wheat malt extract, some pale liquid LME and some hallertauer or saaz at various points in a 30 -45 min boil? Avoid too many bittering hops, maybe add some saaz in secondary ferment?

Better than dying wondering. The number of things I've done to my beers that would make most experienced brewers laugh and cry at the same time would fill a small encyclopaedia. Some of them were done today. It's homebrew. Have a crack. We are not all microbreweries.


----------



## bowie in space (14/4/09)

> Sorry, a bad fit of coughing has disguised my answer.


 
...and you're a moderator???  



> I know nothing about spicy ghost but my assumption would be that boiling the flavoured hops out of it and combining it with any of the usual kits bits would make a better beer than most straight kks. Google tells me it's meant to be a wheat beer so maybe some dried wheat malt extract, some pale liquid LME and some hallertauer or saaz at various points in a 30 -45 min boil? Avoid too many bittering hops, maybe add some saaz in secondary ferment?
> 
> Better than dying wondering. The number of things I've done to my beers that would make most experienced brewers laugh and cry at the same time would fill a small encyclopaedia. Some of them were done today. It's homebrew. Have a crack. We are not all microbreweries.


 
Cheers manticle, sound advice. I think i'll just have a crack at experimenting and see what happens. Like pint o' lager eluded to i don't wanna hold up my partial quest too much longer, so i'm sure i'll be able to knock something up.

Bowie


----------



## manticle (14/4/09)

bowie in space said:


> so i'm sure i'll be able to knock something up.
> 
> Bowie



Lock up your daughters.


----------



## Wonderwoman (16/4/09)

my partner recently decided he wanted to start doing his own homebrew - I don't know why he wasn't satisfied with drinking the stuff I made - and he started with the cascade spicy ghost....

We ended up getting it for free - he bought it because it was "reduced to clear" at coles, but the checkout chick charged us full price - we took I back an got a full refund. So I guess i can't complain about the cost.

After buying it I read all the bad reviews on this forum and had little hope for the brew, but he was determined to make it, so we used 1 kg of wheat DME and dry hopped with fuggles and goldings - probably not the right match, but they were the only hops I had at home.

it's been in the bottle for just over 2 weeks now. It does have a bit of a funky smell/flavour, but remarkably it's very similar to the brewcraft hoegaarden clone I' recently made. The hoegaarden clone doesn't taste like real hoegaarden and I find that I have to be in the right mood to enjoy it - the spicy ghost I'd put in the same category. You'll either love it or hate, but you might as well give it a go.


----------



## HoppingMad (16/4/09)

I have too have dabbled with the ghost and lost.

My opinion is the goo is fine, and if you add to the stuff in the tin with any of the suggestions above (steeping grain, hops, BE2 etc) you'll be right.

The main issue with this phantom is the yeast - it's temperamental stuff.

Fling the yeast IMHO or even substitute with another kit yeast but don't use the ghost one.

Hopper.


----------



## Wonderwoman (16/4/09)

HoppingMad said:


> I have too have dabbled with the ghost and lost.
> 
> My opinion is the goo is fine, and if you add to the stuff in the tin with any of the suggestions above (steeping grain, hops, BE2 etc) you'll be right.
> 
> ...



that's what I forgot to mention - we used the kit yeast and the fermentation stopped after a couple of days. We then added an extra packet of yeast (unused from some other kit)... not sure if that contributed to the wierd smell/flavour


----------



## Jason76 (29/4/09)

I came accross this review here : 
http://www.hbkitreviews.com/view-id-59-cas...st-draught.html

The post by: *Value +*by *Kaburpo*
Sums up probably the best info I have found...
Planning on trying this with Kit yeast (bohemian @ 18*), 600g Dextrose, 400g Maltodextrin, 500g LDME, plus 15gm boil in the bag Cascade hops....

Not sure what will come of it :huh: but open to suggestions !

Cheers,
Jase


----------



## drtomc (30/4/09)

I reckon the yeast is "Bohemian" as in "Good for nothing & temperamental".

T.


----------

