Full Work Kits

[gjhansford]

I had Paul, a fellow brewer visit over Easter from Brisbane and he brought with him a keg of beer made from a BrewCraft 15l Full Work Kit. No disrespect to my mate who is a kit brewer but when he said he was bringing it I was not expecting much.

We'll ... to my surprise ... it was really good! The kit was the Heffe blend and he used a California Ale yeast ('cos he doesn't like the wheat yeast flavours). It was a professionally made beer, it had plenty of malt flavour which was interesting seeing it was, I assume, a simple pilsner and wheat malt wort, and it was quite a nice drop. It was so good that it was the first keg emptied over the long weekend! And I'm partially to blame for that!!

Anyway it got me thinking ...

Why am I spending 4 hours and probably just at much money (after factoring in gas and electricity costs) with all grain when I could just add yeast to a wort kit? It would also solve my pH, mash temp and water chemistry issues!

Now I know there's something about the artisan nature of the all grain process ... and certainly all grain gives me the variety that the concentrated wort kits don't, but I've checked out both BrewCraft's 15l and Craft Brewer's 20l full wort kits on their websites this morning and I'm looking for a good argument NOT to buy a few!

Any thoughts or experience?

ghhb

 

[manticle]

Loads of people (including myself) have used various fresh wort kits (presuming that's the same as full work).

http://www.google.com/search?q=site%3Awww....=fresh+wort+kit

My experiences with craftbrewer and grain and grape are good and I'll grab one every so often if supplies are low and/or time is low.

However it could never replace actual brewing which is in itself an enjoyable hobby to which I look forward. I don't see it as work - I see it as an enjoyable day in my backyard.

Buy a couple yourself and see.

 

[Sammus]

wtf is a full work kit?

 

[gjhansford]

I don't see it as work - I see it as an enjoyable day in my backyard.

Couldn't agree more ... but when my 'work' consumes so much of my time that I also have run low on stock and had to buy a couple of 6 packs of craft beer from First Choice for the same money as it takes to make a keg, it seems I've completely missed full wort kits as an alternative.

But there's a part of me that feels like an aldulterer when I say that ... forsaking my steady all grain process for a cheap one night stand. Or maybe I'm just a worry-wort and she'll never know?

ghhb

 

[manticle]

Get into it. No shame in having good beer around the house. Think of it as someone else's homebrew.

I'd drink that, no worries.

 

[bradsbrew]

Craftbrewer FWK's are good and you get a free cube. But if time is short increase the size of your brewery. I do 66L batches which gives me 3 cubes/FWK's. I am currently purchasing the gear to turn it into 110L batches to give me 5 cubes. These can all be tweaked to get a different beer out of each cube.

Cheers brad

 

[mwd]

I have just bottled my first Craftbrewer Bacchus FWK (apa) modded with some extra hops and as a normal Kit and Bits (hops and steeping grains) brewer got to say the result is spectacular. Way better than anything that comes out of a can.

Second one just about done in fermenter now. Only downer IMO is price and shipping costs due to weight. If you can get into the shop and pick them up would be considerable savings. I have also done a couple of the 15L Brewceller branded FWKs which were also good but there is not the selection that CB have, spoiled for choice.

Only problem is I am building up a collection of cubes and they are too good to sling in the bin.

 

[Online Brewing Supplies]

Only problem is I am building up a collection of cubes and they are too good to sling in the bin.

Yes not very ECO friendly containers but you could use them to store grain ETc
GB

 

[manticle]

No chill, take home wort from a brewday at someone else's, water storage, grain storage, soft cider storage if you know someone from an apple orchard and want to make hard cider, primary and secondar fermentation containers and recyclable plastic.

Also may be used as a rather smart hat at special functions.

 

[gjhansford]

Still thinking about these Full Wort Kits! What about entering one in a comp? Is that cheating?

ghhb

 

[fcmcg]

Still thinking about these Full Wort Kits! What about entering one in a comp? Is that cheating?

ghhb

Well yes and no...
I think it's cheating , but I'm sure if you say in your entry that the base was a FWK and you've maybe done a mini mash and used some liquid yeast , your not cheating because your being honest about where it came from..
However , would you really want to win with a beer that has really been made by someone else ? the base that is...
I also think that blending is cheating a bit...I reckon If you can't brew it properly the first time , you should be re brewing and fixing or tweaking your recipe..but that is my opinion...

 

[bradsbrew]

Still thinking about these Full Wort Kits! What about entering one in a comp? Is that cheating?

ghhb

IMO yes.

 

[felten]

Not really, it's not like you are malting the barley yourself either.

Mashing is a very simple process, its just making sugar. The fermentation is where you as a brewer actually make the beer and control the quality and character of it.

 

[winkle]

IMO yes.

+1. Just pitching yeast isn't brewing.

 

[wraith]

To Felton, Malting barley isn't brewing, It's malting. Mashing may be considered a simple process (is it?, If it's so simple then why don't people start mashing straight away?) but it's crucial to the brewing process and it takes a good brewer to control the conditions/process.

IMO It's a major part of the brewing process. You are not the BREWER if you don't do the mash (and boil).

As Winkle said, Pitching yeast doesn't make you the brewer (Same as kits).

I'm not saying using the kits is bad, Just that you are not the brewer.

Bottom line IMO: It's cheating if you enter it into an all grain category for sure, into a kit beer catagory not as much, if at all.

Wraith

 

[winkle]

It's cheating if you enter it into an all grain category for sure, into a kit beer catagory not as much, if at all.

Wraith

I could live with that.

 

[Bribie G]

Two years ago I entered a toucan stout in the Nats but had to disclose kit (it was on the form)
There is no longer a kits category at BABBs annual
Not sure about QABC or the other states.

If you enter it and don't disclose then I would regard that as unethical. The idea of a kit is that it has the ingredients to make a full beer, as opposed to a tin of LME.
Damn I wish I was still doing Philosophy at UNE, I could do a term paper on this.

 

[Milky11111]

Still waiting for my FWK, damn easter slowing up the post. :[

 

[barls]

As Winkle said, Pitching yeast doesn't make you the brewer (Same as kits).

I'm not saying using the kits is bad, Just that you are not the brewer.

Bottom line IMO: It's cheating if you enter it into an all grain category for sure, into a kit beer catagory not as much, if at all.

Wraith

so what your saying is the highly commended in the state comp for my oude bruin which came from a kit is not deserved, im sorry but your wrong i probably spent more time on that beer than i do on my ag beers. how is it not brewing? most comps dont distinguish between kits or ag.
also by your definition if you go somewhere else and take home a nc cube from brew day, its cheating

i disagree as there is so much about sanitation, yeast choice, fermentation temps and hop and grain additions that it can be a valid entry

 

[bum]

how is it not brewing?

Because many people here define brewing beer in the same way that you might describe brewing tea. If you didn't extract the liquor from the ingredients yourself then you aren't a brewer, apparently. Pretty narrow logic, if you ask me. You quite rightly point out many of the ways this logic falls short, barls.

Perhaps the name of this site should be changed to aussiehomeyeastmangers.com? You know, just so no-ones delicate toes are being trodden on.