Kit Brewers

[Snow Gun]

So, from my short time here (although plenty of time wasted) perusing the forums, I tend to note that the majority of people here are what I'd consider 'hard core' brewers.

What I mean by this is there seems to be a number of posters who go for the AG (what I interpret to be All Grain brewing ) This being making most of your beer from scratch, and seeing/enjoying what you end up with.

That said, my interpretation of the 'easy' way to home brew is grab a kit from your local HBS or supermarket and away you go.

So, are there more AGers here, or is it just that they are the more vocal ones who have most likely brewed thousands of brews?

Do many posters just go for the kit off the shelf at the local HBS, possibly making a few mods along the way? (all of mine have had additions to try to 'entice' my palate to the home brew experience). My biggst fear is I will not be able to palate what I have brewed.

I really don't think I'd get the time or have the palate to start from scratch. I'm just hoping to find a brew that I like, that I can replicate on a regular basis.

Onto my 3rd brew at the moment, just hanging to try my first brew that was bottled on 18 March.....

What do you think?

Cheers,
SG

 

[andrewl]

First off, Hi Snow Gun!
I'm in the same basket as you here as I only have done kit brews and am up to about my 7th or so... I have also noticed that alot of these guys are AGers as well but are always full of knowledge about anything "beer" and are also always willing to help.
Good luck with the first brew!

Cheers
Andrew :beer:

 

[Fingerlickin_B]

My first beer made (fermented) was 10 or so years ago and even after a huge break I've ended up on a constant production streak for the last year or more now, late last winter producing upwards of 80L per week (I make more in winter...long story).

That said, every beer I have ever done has been extract-based, mostly fiddled kits and such.

I'd love to give AG a shot and may do so one day on a small scale, but I simply don't have the time and energy to consider it for all my beer production needs.

You'll find that using kits as a base you can make some pretty bloody good beer, just remember to never follow the instructions and DON'T use sugar :beerbang:

PZ.

 

[peas_and_corn]

I'm at an intermediate stage- I use extracts and kits, but am starting to use grain a little more- making some partials, my bitter is an ESB pack with some crystal to make it darker and nicer. Brewing, especially if you're into it enough to be a member of a HB forum, becomes a progressive thing; you add different things over time- start racking, hydrating yeasts, boiling, etc etc

 

[Boozy the clown]

Definatley still KK, but always bastardise it, hey sometimes other people can stomach it too!

Getting into liquid yeasts, they make a big difference. Still working on finding time for the next monster.

 

[altstart]

:beer:
I brewed many kits over a long long time. One taste of a properly brewed AG beer and I threw out my kit beers. within 2 months I had brewed my first AG . I would never go back to Kits. All grain done well is far far superior beer. Another big plus is that the recipe with either Beersmih or Promash can be easily tweaked to suit your own taste.
Cheers Altstart

 

[Steve]

Onya Snow Gun - welcome to the addiction.
Im a kit n bits brewer. Just put down my 140th brew on Sunday. I started off just throwing a kit and a bag of sugar into the fermenter and cooking it at 30degrees with a heat pad in summer!.
I soon realised that this probably wasnt the best way to go about making a nice beer. So I started playing, reading, and asking questions. I starting racking to secondary, dry hopping, bulk priming, brewing at correct temps, learning the differences between lager and ale yeasts. I then got a fridge so I can brew my lagers/pilseners and cold condition them properly.
No affiliation here but I mainly brew Grumpys and ESB products and with the techniques ive learnt im very satisfied with the end results. I would say im a lazy brewer but saying that most of my weekends are spent with some brew related activity. I have 5 fermenters and always have 2 or 3 brews on the go at once. I dont have the space, money or time to advance any further in my brewing. Im happy at this stage im at.
Everybodys different though - i would rather spend an hour or two on a Saturday and Sunday brewing or bottling and then spend the rest of my weekend my little son and wife.
When you say that you fear not being able to palate something you brew, dont be scared, experiment, just put it down to experience, take notes, its all about experimenting and playing. If you make a dodgy one just stick it in a cupboard for a few months - it might improve, or give it to rellies your not keen on who visit. I'll guarantee that everyone on here has made a dodgy one at some time or another - but dont be scared - learn from it.
There is a mixture of All Grainers and kit brewers on here and all willing to share their knowledge. I read the AG threads and learn from them but I dont post as I dont brew AG. I know in theory that I could do an AG because of reading what they talk about.
Jeezus wafflin a bit here, sorry forgotten what your original questions was :blink:
Snow Gun - I hope you have many years of brewing your own beer, its a great feeling and great fun and very addictive. Dont be afraid to ask questions, if you ask and dont understand, ask again.
HAVE FUN :beer:
Cheers
Steve

 

[Jerry]

Snow Gun,

As Steve said, it certainly is an addiction, but a bloody good one! :chug:

I did kits and bits for years and enjoyed them but felt I just wanted to take another step. I started doing a couple of extract brews and even though it adds an extra hour or so to brew day you get to control the amount and type of hops added to the beer.
This then unfortunately/fortunately led to partial mashing. And honestly, this is not difficult.
I'm not doing AG yet but it will happen one day. :beerbang:

Anyway, welcome to the obsession. Its a lot of fun.

Cheers
Scott

 

[darkhorse]

Just want to agree...

Kits and bits are a good learning stage for how different things affect the taste (type of hops / yeast / malt additions) without having to worry about variability in the mashing procedures...

Did a small mash once due to equipment contraints (5L) and it came out OK but was really just to prove I knew how to do it. If I ever get the equipment I may do mashes (at least partials) more often but for now kits and bits are effective.

PS I am not at this point "refining" any recipes... every brew is a different style so I can drink 4-5 styles in a sitting. I just keep a mental note of what is different (addition / technique / resultant flavour) and whether I liked that difference). I should probably start to make notes based on this before I start to overload the memory banks!!

I just suggest you be creative / openminded.

 

[Hubby]

Hi all ... I recently found this site and I must say I'm very impressed :beer:

There are some very good reasons people stick with kits and still produce a quality brew. Also, there is a quantum leap from buying a kit off the shelf at the supermarket and using the supplied yeast ... to making your own using using unhopped extracts or DME, liquid yeasts, hops, adjuncts, specialty grains etc.

Research and trial and error are important - there is no reason that you can't produce a quality brew using kits. I'd recommend reading any publications from Palmer, Papazian, Strachan, Kunath, Miller etc. I think I was lucky with my early brewing as I met someone who was keener than me. I changed my methods very soon after my first brew and have not looked back.

I've just come back to brewing after a 3 yr absence (long story) and I'm about to brew up my first larger. I'm pretty well set up and have only tried a partial mash once with good results. I will eventually try a AG, but extracts will see me through until I can afford the time to make / buy extra equipment.

I know I've crapped on but ... yes, I put my hand up to being a kit brewer and I'm damn proud of it :chug: Although, I do have AG envy

 

[Uncle Fester]

Definatley still KK, but always bastardise it, hey sometimes other people can stomach it too!

Getting into liquid yeasts, they make a big difference. Still working on finding time for the next monster.

[post="117136"][/post]​

"Bastardisation" is a bit of a harsh term for the 4 or whatever kilos you put in the sugar monster!

BTW, was it worth it?, or did you distill it?


M

 

[Screwtop]

Snow Gun,

I have been home brewing on and off for the past 40 years. Each time giving up because I considered the beer that I was turning out to be substandard and not worth drinking. I discovered Ag and partial brewing 18 months ago and was amazed at the quality of the beer and so took it up again. As for the forum consisting of hard core brewers, that may be how it seems to the newcomer, I certainly felt this when I first joined. As I began to discover this fascinating world of craft brewing I began to understand the reasons behind this. The initial taste of a homebrewed beer that sucessfully alters your established view of "homebrew" is a memorable moment.

Some of the fantastic brews I have sampled over the past 12 months have been made from kits and partials as well as AG. The improvement in home brewed beer to my mind is largely due to the sharing of knowledge from forums such as this improving brewing methods, and also greater availability of ingredients and yeasts also due to increased demand in the market place from craft brewers who network using forums such as this.

I don't consider that I have yet made a great beer, I have tasted some great beers made by craft brewers in my area and simply work toward improving my beers. The best beer I have produced to date was a partial, a Kilkenny clone from Grumpy's. At present I have a partial, a kit and my first AG waiting for me at home. These were made prior to leaving home for work commitments in North QLD. After suffering megaswill here for 5 weeks I can't wait to get home to try these. They will be judged and either made again with refinements or forgotten depending on the results.

Boiling it down, I think you will find many kit brewers on this site. However all of us, Kit, Kit and Can, Partial and AG will seem a little "Hard Core". Because we craft brewers are most likely a little obsessed with producing the best beer we can. The limits of this hobby are ever expanding, with the availability of paraphenalia (beer porn) increasing every day. Still, many produce great beer with the most basic of equipment.

It is my opinion that it is not possible to produce a great beer from a kit by simply following the directions on the can. By taking the advice found on this forum it is possible to produce a great beer using a kit. Using aditions, fermenting at the correct temperature and using good yeast will do it.

Those who don't use the advice of the forum and produce standard home brew will soon drop out, so you see this leaves only the "Hard Core".

Go to it Snow Gun, make good beer that you will enjoy from whatever you choose, and work on improving your beer. But be warned you too may become obsessed and a "Hard Core" brewer.

 

[Steve]

Nice Screwtop....nice :beer:
Cheers
Steve

 

[Snow Gun]

Well, there's some great replies in there. I really like the community feel here at AHB. I actually also hang out at another forum where there is a good community atmosphere too - common shared interest.

As a couple of you have alluded to, the internet has become a great place for the exchange of information. In the old days home brewers may meet up with a couple of their mates over a brew, discuss things and share experiences. Now it can be done all over the world.

In hindsight the title probably wasn't the best, possibly should have been Kit Brewers / AG or something, but I can't be bothered changing it now

I actually posted just to have a bit of a chat and get to know some of you guys (are there many girls here??)

I appreciate what you all have to say and the willingness to share information. I hope I can help out soon.

What I really wanna know is how the hell do you drink all of your beers? I drink about a case a week (commercial beer) at the moment, can probably see that going up when mine is ready, but I couldn't fathom drinking too much more.....

Cheers
SG

 

[Boozy the clown]

Mandrakar,

Yeah it was worth, that beer came out very nice. Think that was due to the yeast, low temps and long ferment time. I sent a bottle off to Ross for an unbiased 2nd opinion, he gave it a big thumbs up too.

I'm just looking for the time to make another bigger monster...

 

[Trough Lolly]

[snip]
What I really wanna know is how the hell do you drink all of your beers? I drink about a case a week (commercial beer) at the moment, can probably see that going up when mine is ready, but I couldn't fathom drinking too much more.....

Cheers
SG

[post="117225"][/post]​

G'day Snow Gun, welcome to the forum...
I'd like to have enough time to drink a case a week! Sheesh, that'd probably put me in hospital!! I've got 8 kegs but it's pretty rare that they're all full at any one time - I like to do a brew and let it condition or lager for a while before I tap it. It's like wine in a way - don't drink the current vintage, let it mature a bit and then enjoy a much more flavoursome result.

There's nothing wrong with kits - not that you said there was anyway - but like many other AG brewers here, it's how I started - and gave up...I hated the thin, dry, crap that I used to brew and never took it to parties - I always plumped for a six pack of VB to get me through the night. It wasn't until I got on the 'net that I learned where I was going wrong - a can of kit beer and a kilo of dextrose doesn't necessarily make a great beer - so I ventured down the path of hop teabags, steeping grains and using non-kit yeast.

The interest in making full flavoured clones of my favourite beers was well and truly underway! I then joined the local brewclub, had my first taste of all grain beer - a porter from a former Nationals titleholder and the interest fully graduated into an obsession. As I've said before, I'm a brewing tragic!! I get as much enjoyment out of making beer as I do drinking it!

Cheers,
TL

 

[Steve]

Snow - have to admit since I now make my own my consumption has increased. I too used to drink a case a week, now I drink a batch a week :blink:
Soon you'll have a stockpile of a few batches, hot summers day, sitting outside, you'll soon get the hang of it!

Cheers
Steve

P.S. Another good tip is to save 3 or 4 longnecks of each brew. Stick them away in a cupboard/spare room out of sight (these are called my vault beers). Leave them for as long as you can and then on a special occasion i.e. Birthday Party etc etc invite all your family/mates around and open the vault!!!!!

 

[Uncle Fester]

Mandrakar,

Yeah it was worth, that beer came out very nice. Think that was due to the yeast, low temps and long ferment time. I sent a bottle off to Ross for an unbiased 2nd opinion, he gave it a big thumbs up too.

I'm just looking for the time to make another bigger monster...

[post="117228"][/post]​

Cool. I will keenly watch the news for the reports. h34r:

 

[Screwtop]

I'm with Steve.

I also have a vault. I do 4 tallies out of every batch and hide them away in the "Vault". Beer changes markedly over time. Different brews change in differing ways. I have some now that are 4 months old and still improving. Some change drastically, I used a liquid Strong Belgian yeast in a Coopers Sparkling Kit & Can, simply because the yeast I recultured from a Coopers bottle didn't smell to great and I had a split of the Belgian yeast in the fridge. That thing morphed from horrid at bottling to something special after 6 weeks. At bottling some would have tossed it, it was as though the Coopers Style and Belgian yeast flavours just would not work, but maturation changed that. Can't wait to see how it has changed after another 5 weeks when I get home.

 

[Snow Gun]

yeh, I already have plans for the vault, but I'm actually gonna have 2 vaults now.....

I have the first bottle from both of my bottled brews set aside. I will now put the next 4 botles into another crate.

Sometimes the first bottle may not be the best, but it's the sentimental (sedimental ) bottle for me

I reckon over the next couple of months I will have a few more bottles to add to the collection.....

I just don't wanna rush into my first brew and polish it off so I'm gonna drag it out as long as I can. I reckon I'll be having my first 10-20 beers from my first brew at 19-20 days in the bottle. That still leaves me the rest to brew for another couple of weeks...... and by then I'll have another couple of brews ready for the 'early test' prior to the old 6 week best test......