Brigalow Brew Kit: What Can Be Saved?

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carpedaym

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Hi everyone,

I received a Brigalow home brew kit for Christmas and have read that Brigalow is notorious for producing sub-standard beer. Does anybody know whether this has changed over the years?

From the ingredients, is anything worth using?
- 1.7kg Brigalow lager kit
- 1kg dextrose
- yeast - doesn't say what type
- clearing agent / finings
- sodium metabisulphite (not brigalow branded)

I am expecting the yeast is a throw-out, but the dextrose is fine to use. I am thinking of using up the dextrose 50/50 with some malt, and adding some flavoring hops?

Also thinking of using a saison yeast to cope with warmer temps, as I don't want to invest too much in cooling for my first brew. (I'm in Brisbane.)

I've done a lot of reading over that last few days and am feeling pretty ambitious, but don't want to shoot myself in the foot by using dud ingredients.
 
Save the dextrose for priming, toss the yeast (save for yeast nutrient), use some dry malt instead of dextrose and add some hops. Should come out good

So did it come with a fermenter etc too?
 
So did it come with a fermenter etc too?
Yep, came with the fermenter and all the bits and pieces, including hydrometer.

So you reckon the kit can itself should be ok if supplimented as you suggest? What do you think of the idea to boil it first?
 
The yeast is appalling. Chuck it. I used to run a HB shop in QLD in the late 1970s when Brigalow first started up and the brews were pretty nasty back then. A couple of years ago I got a tin for old times sake to see if the quality had improved. :icon_vomit: - one sip and I was back in flared pants with a mullet and platform shoes.

However the main problem is that it just doesn't taste of beer so at least you can liven it up with a kilo of light dried malt extract, or a tin of liquid malt extract plus some hops - try a hop teabag from a HBS, simmer it for 10 mins and chuck the whole lot in the fermenter.

Get a decent yeast such as US-05 and you should get something quite acceptable. The equipment that comes with the setup is quite good, so keep all that.
 
Thanks guys,

I will be heading down to the LHBS today and hopefully come up with something based around your advice.

Will report back when I open my first bottle. (I hate open-ended forum threads.)
 
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