# Beer Kits and Brew Enhancers



## Major Arcana (10/7/14)

G'day Fellas,

Still quite a newbie here, so was wondering if someone could give us a little breakdown as to what the difference is between kit converters and brew enhancers? Correct me if i am wrong but i am assuming the kit converter contains dextrose and dry malt and something else? And are brew enhancers the same thing or just dry malt extract?

A lot of the home brewing stores here in WA are Brewcraft so all of my products come from there so i get a little confused when i hear different abbreviations etc on the forum, like LHBS???

I have kit converter that compliments a Pilsener wort i am going to try out, it also contains a hop bag etc, i understand i have to boil the contents of the kit converter in like 5 litres of water, just a lil confused on what to do with the hop bag, would be grateful for any advice.

cheers,

Dan :icon_cheers:


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## Lord Raja Goomba I (10/7/14)

LHBS = Local Home Brew Shop.

Kit converters and brew enhancers are synonymous terms - it's not about the terminology, but about what's in it. You can have many different brew enhancers (even coopers has more than one) each made up of different malts (and sometimes simple sugaz).

The hop bag is for containing the hops you are boiling, so you can pull them out without them going into the fermenter.

The idea of boiling for 5 minutes is to get some flavour and aroma from the hops. If it didn't contain any hops, that's strange, but the bag will likely come in use for the future.


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## Major Arcana (10/7/14)

Lord Raja Goomba I said:


> LHBS = Local Home Brew Shop.
> 
> Kit converters and brew enhancers are synonymous terms - it's not about the terminology, but about what's in it. You can have many different brew enhancers (even coopers has more than one) each made up of different malts (and sometimes simple sugaz).
> 
> ...



Thanks for the reply Mr Moderator, yeah the kit did contain the hops and hop bag so will boil the whole kit up with the hops for 5 minutes take them out and add her to the fermentor! Sound about right?

thanks again for the help fellas!


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## Lord Raja Goomba I (10/7/14)

Major Arcana said:


> Thanks for the reply Mr Moderator, yeah the kit did contain the hops and hop bag so will boil the whole kit up with the hops for 5 minutes take them out and add her to the fermentor! Sound about right?
> 
> thanks again for the help fellas!


Sounds perfect!

Enjoy the slippery slope - you'll be asking about spec malts and grains and hops before you know it.

Then comes lupulin threshold shift (never enough hops in anything you used to like).

:icon_drool2:

Have fun!

PS: In future, depending on how much $ value you could assign to the hops (if it's only a small amount like 12g or comes in a "brewcellar finishing hops" type of bag), you may be better off getting a pack of hops from a Home Brew Shop that sells at a reasonable price or that caters to all grain brewing (they're less likely to rip off non-AGers as well). 

If the hops cost you approx $5 for approx 12-20g, then it's way too much. You should be paying $6-$9 for 90-100g (or $5 for 50-60g at worst from some shops).

Sealer bag the leftovers and chuck in the freezer and bring them out for the next brew.


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## Major Arcana (10/7/14)

Lord Raja Goomba I said:


> Sounds perfect!
> 
> Enjoy the slippery slope - you'll be asking about spec malts and grains and hops before you know it.
> 
> ...


Sounds like they have caught a few people out with their extravagent bloody pricing then, i will keep this in mind when i head there this weekend! cheers again for the info! 

Dan


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## Grott (10/7/14)

Hi Major, if you google home brew shops Perth there are a few that are not Brewcraft, and probably worth visiting if not to far.
Cheers


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## Major Arcana (10/7/14)

grott said:


> Hi Major, if you google home brew shops Perth there are a few that are not Brewcraft, and probably worth visiting if not to far.
> Cheers


Cheers grott, mate didnt think of that will get onto that right now!! :beerbang:


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## brzt6060 (10/7/14)

Hey mate I'm in WA as well and find brewcraft are pretty expensive and give bad advice, ie ferment your lager at 24c.

There is a place called brewmart in bayswater that I find really good and the staff there seem to know a lot as well.

That hop tea bag in the brew enhancer / converter is pretty much rubbish if it is the one I'm thinking off. It's not vacuum sealed and it's stored at room temperature.


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## Grott (10/7/14)

Brewcraft seems to have the same reputation nationally, besides the high prices it would seem most give poor advice. I would have thought good advice = more business! and newbies not doing a crap beer on that advice and thus quitting thus losing further business.
That's my speech for today, cheers.


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## Major Arcana (10/7/14)

brzt6060 said:


> Hey mate I'm in WA as well and find brewcraft are pretty expensive and give bad advice, ie ferment your lager at 24c.
> 
> There is a place called brewmart in bayswater that I find really good and the staff there seem to know a lot as well.
> 
> That hop tea bag in the brew enhancer / converter is pretty much rubbish if it is the one I'm thinking off. It's not vacuum sealed and it's stored at room temperature.


brzt6060 thanks for your reply mate, yeah fermenting your lager at 24c sounds like crap advice haha, yep i am assuming that the hop tea bag i have in the kit converter would be the 1 your thinking of,this will be my second batch to date that im gonna start either tonight or tomorrow so will probably try it out anyway, what are your thoughts about it?

cheers,

Dan


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## brzt6060 (10/7/14)

I used one of their "own brand" enhancer kits on my first brew and tbh there is little to no hop taste or smell. I actually forgot I had even used one until you mentioned it here. 

In my second brew I uses a larger hop tea bag that came vacuum sealed and from a freezer at brewmart much better.

My suggestion is brew it up anyway, odds are it will be a drinkable beer and it will give you something to compare your next beer to.

All that having been said I still think the beer will turn out better then it would if you had just dumped 1kg of dextrose in.


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## Vini2ton (10/7/14)

I went to 2 different brewcraft stores and was amazed at the different level of retail skills between them.One guy seemed more interested in his laptop and couldn't give a ****,the other was helpful,up for a chat and knew what he was selling.Wish I was the hidden boss.


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## Batz (10/7/14)

Your best brew kit enhancers are grains, and you'll find it cheaper and more enjoyable. And we are all here to help, just ask.

Batz


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## Major Arcana (10/7/14)

Cheers for the guidance fellas!!!

i have been going to a local Brewcraft store and the guy is actually quite helpfull is happy to answer your questions and cracking jokes and what not, but he is a moody bastard the next weekend i went there he said fuckall, probably got an infection or something!

Dan


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## Kak (10/7/14)

Dan, 
What part of perth are you in?

Shack


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## Major Arcana (11/7/14)

G'day Shack,

mate i live in Wandi right next to Aubin Grove, and Cockburn etc. 20 mins from perth :beerbang:


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## Vini2ton (11/7/14)

Major Arcana said:


> Cheers for the guidance fellas!!!
> 
> i have been going to a local Brewcraft store and the guy is actually quite helpfull is happy to answer your questions and cracking jokes and what not, but he is a moody bastard the next weekend i went there he said fuckall, probably got an infection or something!
> 
> Dan


Ice


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## Nizmoose (12/7/14)

Have the same experience with brewcraft, they're close so I do go there but every time I walk out the door I feel a tad ripped off and try to promise myself I'll stop going there lol, 6.50 for 25g of cascade is what I paid for my first brew before I wised up and shopped elsewhere


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## Kak (12/7/14)

google TWOC. There at the stock rd markets. Cnr of stock rd and spearwood ave. they sell it all and will point you in the right direction


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## brzt6060 (12/7/14)

Nizmoose said:


> Have the same experience with brewcraft, they're close so I do go there but every time I walk out the door I feel a tad ripped off and try to promise myself I'll stop going there lol, 6.50 for 25g of cascade is what I paid for my first brew before I wised up and shopped elsewhere


I will shop at brew craft sometimes but only because there is one about 5minutes from my house vs 20 or so minutes for brewmart.


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## craftworkamber (12/7/14)

Lord Raja Goomba I said:


> LHBS = Local Home Brew Shop.
> 
> Kit converters and brew enhancers are synonymous terms - it's not about the terminology, but about what's in it. You can have many different brew enhancers (even coopers has more than one) each made up of different malts (and sometimes simple sugaz).
> 
> ...





Major Arcana said:


> G'day Fellas,
> 
> Still quite a newbie here, so was wondering if someone could give us a little breakdown as to what the difference is between kit converters and brew enhancers? Correct me if i am wrong but i am assuming the kit converter contains dextrose and dry malt and something else? And are brew enhancers the same thing or just dry malt extract?
> 
> ...





Lord Raja Goomba I said:


> LHBS = Local Home Brew Shop.
> 
> Kit converters and brew enhancers are synonymous terms - it's not about the terminology, but about what's in it. You can have many different brew enhancers (even coopers has more than one) each made up of different malts (and sometimes simple sugaz).
> 
> ...


Hi there.

My recent extract attempt resulted in one of those hop bags (the pre-packed 10g variety) bursting during boil because I squeezed it like a tea bag. Seemed like the thing to do at the time, won't be doing that again though! I strained the contents into the fermentor as best I could but the resulting beer was still quite hoppy but overly bitter I thought. I've read in places that it wouldn't really change the quality of the beer to leave all those hop pellet pieces in during fermentation but I wasn't so sure that it didn't. Thoughts?


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## pnorkle (12/7/14)

Kak said:


> google TWOC. There at the stock rd markets. Cnr of stock rd and spearwood ave. they sell it all and will point you in the right direction


+1 for TWOC. I get the majority of my stuff from there, partially because they're close,but also because that have just about everything you could ever hope for in a LHBS.

link here Web site's not the greatest but the shop is a nice place to have a look in.


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## brzt6060 (12/7/14)

craftworkamber said:


> Hi there.
> 
> My recent extract attempt resulted in one of those hop bags (the pre-packed 10g variety) bursting during boil because I squeezed it like a tea bag. Seemed like the thing to do at the time, won't be doing that again though! I strained the contents into the fermentor as best I could but the resulting beer was still quite hoppy but overly bitter I thought. I've read in places that it wouldn't really change the quality of the beer to leave all those hop pellet pieces in during fermentation but I wasn't so sure that it didn't. Thoughts?


I had a similar experience. Over the course of a two week fermentation the bitterness dropped off a bit and a week of cold crashing did wonders for clearing the beer up. The end result was still a tad overly bitter but an extended bottle conditioning period has helped mellow it out and I expect that will continue to happen the longer I leave it.


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## Major Arcana (12/7/14)

Hmmmm, i am not a massive fan over a rather hoppy beer so seeing as this is only my second batch i am going to just boil the hop bag etc and leave her to cool but i wont be throwing it into the fermentor, im doing this first up tomorrow morning, will keep you updated, and again thanks heaps fellas for all the advice, :drinks:

Dan


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## Major Arcana (14/7/14)

G'day Fellas, put together the Pilsener yesterday morning, boiled up the kit converter and hop bag etc then added another 300gm of dextrose, all looked good until i realised i had put in 23.5 litres all up, will this make much of a difference being 500ml over? I also pitched to packs of the under the lid 5gm yeast packs at 22c. Love to hear ya thoughts! 

Dan


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## Major Arcana (14/7/14)

sorry meant to say i pitched 2 packs of the yeast!


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## Cronessa (14/7/14)

500mls over won't make much difference (it's only about 2% over).

It's good to get into the habit of taking gravity readings with a hydrometer though if you haven't already.

Cheers


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## Major Arcana (15/7/14)

Cronessa said:


> 500mls over won't make much difference (it's only about 2% over).
> 
> It's good to get into the habit of taking gravity readings with a hydrometer though if you haven't already.
> 
> Cheers


G'day Cronessa

Im all over the hydrometer readings mate the OG of the above batch came out at 1048.


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## Major Arcana (15/7/14)

pnorkle said:


> +1 for TWOC. I get the majority of my stuff from there, partially because they're close,but also because that have just about everything you could ever hope for in a LHBS.
> 
> link here Web site's not the greatest but the shop is a nice place to have a look in.


Indeed +1 for TWOC, they had quite a good range and definitey cheaper then Brewcraft, it did have an old feel and was rather cluttery in there. so when i go back im going to be sure to check expiry dates and packaging dates, especially on their kit beers etc, otherwise they are top notch!!

cheers,

Dan :beerbang:


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## Cronessa (16/7/14)

Major Arcana said:


> G'day Cronessa
> 
> Im all over the hydrometer readings mate the OG of the above batch came out at 1048.


Good stuff - assuming you end up with an FG of around 1.010 you should be at about 5% abv. 500mls won't be enough to affect the body of the beer I wouldn't imagine. 2 packs of yeast will also be fine.


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## RobboMC (16/7/14)

brzt6060 said:


> I had a similar experience. Over the course of a two week fermentation the bitterness dropped off a bit and a week of cold crashing did wonders for clearing the beer up. The end result was still a tad overly bitter but an extended bottle conditioning period has helped mellow it out and I expect that will continue to happen the longer I leave it.





craftworkamber said:


> Hi there.
> 
> My recent extract attempt resulted in one of those hop bags (the pre-packed 10g variety) bursting during boil because I squeezed it like a tea bag. Seemed like the thing to do at the time, won't be doing that again though! I strained the contents into the fermentor as best I could but the resulting beer was still quite hoppy but overly bitter I thought. I've read in places that it wouldn't really change the quality of the beer to leave all those hop pellet pieces in during fermentation but I wasn't so sure that it didn't. Thoughts?



When I boil up hops; which is every single batch now, I usually just pour the whole lot ( malt, boiled hops, left over pellets etc ) into the fermenter. You can do more damage than good by straining out the hops unless you know what you are doing. At the very worst, those left over pellets may add some more aroma to the finished beer.


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## Major Arcana (16/7/14)

RobboMC said:


> When I boil up hops; which is every single batch now, I usually just pour the whole lot ( malt, boiled hops, left over pellets etc ) into the fermenter. You can do more damage than good by straining out the hops unless you know what you are doing. At the very worst, those left over pellets may add some more aroma to the finished beer.


How long do you boil up for normally Robbo MC?

cheers,

Dan


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## syke (17/7/14)

Kak said:


> google TWOC. There at the stock rd markets. Cnr of stock rd and spearwood ave. they sell it all and will point you in the right direction


TWOC is great, the guy behind the counter brews and had some great info when I went there. My favorite is Malthouse is welshpool, always have good service there and never felt ripped off. There is another store in Armadale but never have I shopped there so can't comment. Plenty of places around in Perth.


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## abe max (20/7/14)

Major Arcana said:


> How long do you boil up for normally Robbo MC?
> 
> cheers,
> 
> Dan


The last one I did where I wanted a nice amount of bittering, nothing too big, was done by steeping 250g of grains in 2 ltrs of water, got that to a light boil and added the hops for 10mins, I strained this and added this and the rest of the goop to the fermenter, I also added a different style of hop tea bag straight in, it turned out really well, good aroma and nice level of bittering.


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