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I wouldn't worry about this at all. I don't use mine anymore as I found they slowed down bottling towards the end of the brew and didn't actually make all that much difference anyway. On inreasing the strength, you can simply add more brewing sugar. However, it is recommended that you use a...

Well, that was unfulfilling to say the least. The official line from the fellow in charge was that he can't give me a refund because he can't guarantee the product as it isn't produced by them. One gem was: I felt like telling him I 'craft' beer in a plastic bucket and it comes out tasting a...

NO WAY!!! :D Cheers guys, just thought I'd ask this before I ran off down the street. I'll give a yell when I get back... - boingk

Hey guys. I picked up a sixpack of Beez Neez after remembering it as a decent summer drop when I tried it on tap a year or two ago. All seemed good. On opening, it tasted foul! Immediate oxidised/lightstruck taste and aroma. Damn! I only had one swig of one bottle, the rest are still in the...

Sounds fine, although you've gone overboard on the yeast - one of the packets should have been fine. having said that, I can't see it doing any damage. I generally store my kit yeasts that I don't use in the fridge. I've had good success on simpler brews even with 2 year old yeast this way...

Wait, by corn sugar are we talking dextrose (fully fermentable) or maltodextrin (only 30% fermentable)? I'm assuming dextrose as maltodextrin would be out of place. - boingk

Perhaps the oft-used lager/ale hybrid kit yeasts are somehow more tolerant of the higher temperatures, Patch?

Well said, goomboogo. Which is especially why I countered the generalisations with this in my first post: For the record, beers that I've fermented over 20'C deteriorate exponentially as the fermentation temperature rises. One fermented at 21 (with US-05/S-04) may not be seriously flawed, but...

Kits have a use-by date stamped on the bottom of the tin, in most cases 2 years after canning From this you can infer with reasonable certainty how old the kit is. Hell, the Coopers 'Real Ale' tin I have next to the PC says it was made at 1:50pm on 25/09/09. As per above, I'd peg a more...

May well be something to do with a function of fermentation time, or the original condition of the yeast. I've found my beers do best at around 18'C if I'm using a stock kit yeast, or 16-17'C if I'm using US-05. My father uses the kit yeasts and makes up strictly to directions (eg 'add BE2' or...

Another word on easy improvements: Try Coopers Brew Enhancer 2 ('BE2') instead of dextrose, or 1kg of light dried malt (LDME). See how it goes after trying both. Personally, I prefer 500g LDME and 300g Dextrose for adding to a kit. Try better yeasts like the aforementioned US-05. Also try...

I've done the same with a few 'Homebrand' kits from Woolies, just adding my stock malt/dextrose mix and then 250g of specialty grains and 20g of dryhopping to spice them up a bit. All up it was an experimental couple of brews on the cheap to put stocks up for summer. THey turned out really...

Don't mind the sound of that Baseballers Light at all, 4*. Be great stuff for drinking while I'm up in the garage messing around with beer, coffee & bikes. :D I'm still clear of AG territory, but am putting down a Smurto's JSGA in the next few days. Coopers 'Sparkling Ale' 1.7kg Coopers light...

Looking good guys. I've done mostly kits and bits, with 3 AG brews thrown in. Ag first, I've done: Ordinary Bitter Robust Porter Pilsner Aussie Ales IPA's Special Bitters faux-Aussie Lagers an Aussie Midstrength and a few commercial drink-alikes [Heineken, Becks, 'Improved' T. New (don't shoot...

Hell yeah! Mines Born To Be Wild by Steppenwolf...or Gay Bar by Electric Six if a mate wants to join in and have a laugh. Listening to 'Ordinary Story' by In Flames.

'Hot Chilli Woman' - Noiseworks.

Yeah, I had a good score from a friend the other week actually. He came around and said he saw a neighbour throwing these out, and handed over a box containing 7 x 2 litre swingtop wine bottles! Score! Gotta love mates. - boingk

If you don't have a syphon, trot down to the local auto store and get a fuel syphoner with the little jiggler bit on one end. Very effective and clean way of syphoning, might set you back $10. Good call to practise with water instead of beer first, even if you only use a bucket to syphon to the...

Pure genius! Definitely a bit of gear I'm going to get. Thanks for that one BribieG. - boingk

Slap a kit down, honestly. My father is over 50 and does shift work while raising a 6 year old and running/working a primary produce holding. He puts down enough beer to keep him drinking - whats your excuse? Seriously, its not very hard or time consuming, especially if you keg. Say, for...