Kit Recipie Ideas

[Mantis]

I am going to put a Brewcraft kit consisting of 2 tins of Malt Shovel pale ale , water and yeast. So a prehopped all malt brew. I am wondering if adding say 300 - 500g of dextrose might help it or should I just go with the kit instructions?? :beer:

 

[Mantis]

Forget the question. Read hbkitreviews about this one and the general opinion is that its crap. So will do a Coopers sparklin ale kit instead and try to find a way to use the MS pale ale tins.
bedtime

 

[boingk]

Use them both in a batch to 22L as per usual, plus add some specialty grain to it as well as some hopping for a bit more flavour and you'll be fine.

I even turned a Tooheys Draught kit into something drinkable, so you should be able to do the same with the MS eh?

 

[new2brew]

hmmm....has anyone else wondered why the malt shovel kit is only half the size for the same price?

its not like its twice as good or anything

 

[Mantis]

Use them both in a batch to 22L as per usual, plus add some specialty grain to it as well as some hopping for a bit more flavour and you'll be fine.

I even turned a Tooheys Draught kit into something drinkable, so you should be able to do the same with the MS eh?

Thanks boingk, I will try something with them for sure but not now. I am not up to the grain thing so maybe this could be a time to try, a blessing in disguise maybe.
Just bottled the first brew and cleaned out the fermenter and am going to try a Sovereign Draught from the Ballarat HBS.
I also have two Coopers larger tins which came with the starter kits that need some thought
Now to the kitchen to mix up the brew

 

[boingk]

Not bad mantis, you seem to be well on the way! Using grain is pretty easy - just put it in a saucepan of boiling water and let it soak for 20 minutes or so. After that strain the grains out and pour the remaining liquid into the fermenter before topping with water. Rinse the spent grain with hot water to extract the last of the malty goodness, and you're done.

Good luck with the brewing!

 

[new2brew]

Thanks boingk, I will try something with them for sure but not now. I am not up to the grain thing so maybe this could be a time to try, a blessing in disguise maybe.
Just bottled the first brew and cleaned out the fermenter and am going to try a Sovereign Draught from the Ballarat HBS.
I also have two Coopers larger tins which came with the starter kits that need some thought
Now to the kitchen to mix up the brew

boil the larger kit with your fermentables and about 3l of water for 30 minutes on a rolling boil (not too high as to burn the malt) and add 15g of saaz hops.
after the 30 minutes, turn off and add another 5g of the saaz hops, cool and put in the fermenter.
Pitch yeast at correct temp and away you go. The saaz with smoothe out the coopers kit a treat.

 

[Mantis]

boil the larger kit with your fermentables and about 3l of water for 30 minutes on a rolling boil (not too high as to burn the malt) and add 15g of saaz hops.
after the 30 minutes, turn off and add another 5g of the saaz hops, cool and put in the fermenter.
Pitch yeast at correct temp and away you go. The saaz with smoothe out the coopers kit a treat.

Thanks n2b, I will give your suggestion a go for sure. Q. What is the reason for boiling the kit and fermentables? I have just done this with the Sovereign draught because thats what the HBS instructions said but am not sure what it acheives. The instructions did say to skim off any scum from the boil which I did.

Now I have to cool the fermenter down from 36 deg after adding the boil and topping up to 21 lt, so I can pitch the yeast. Got it sealed and sitting outside on the front veranda in the breeze.

 

[new2brew]

for no other reason i boil the kit and fermentables together to ensure that the frementables are clean. The kit is made under sterile/clean consitions because they are wet, yet I cant be sure about the fermantables because they are dry.

its to take the "human" element out of the equation....for want of a better term

 

[Mantis]

for no other reason i boil the kit and fermentables together to ensure that the frementables are clean. The kit is made under sterile/clean consitions because they are wet, yet I cant be sure about the fermantables because they are dry.

its to take the "human" element out of the equation....for want of a better term

yep, that make sense thanks