Now What?

[Robbo2234]

Hi all,

I have done a few Kit and Kilo brews and have added some Hop tea bags

What is the next step? where do i go from her



Thanks

 

[barls]

start adding grain, even if its just 100-300g at first. it makes a difference.
the next step after that is partial mashing or extract beers.

 

[Punkal]

+1 to what barls said some HB stores even have steeping kits with grain and hops in them making it even easier...

 

[Bubba]

Hi There, sounds like you are ready for extract.
Ditch the kits and start using LME, your own choice of hops bolied, steeped grain, good malts and a specialty yeast. Start off simple and adapt to your tastes, there are a lot of simple extract recipes here. Use a good, well known yeast like US-05 for ales, good simple hops like Cascade for flavour/aroma and POR or a high alpha hop for bittering (again I use POR and Cascade mainly in ales), and then start experimenting.
Good luck and let us know what you try.

 

[J Grimmer]

+1 to what bubba said, and do lots of reading and research into the process, and may see if you lhbs does a AG demo.

Jan.

 

[Camo1234]

I would suggest ordering a fresh wort kit off Craft Brewer and trying that... All you need to do is pour it into your fermenter and add some quality yeast and maybe dry hop and you are away... This will give you a taste of what can be achieved when you move away from K&K.... You will never turn back!

Depending on where you live, Ross is offering $10 discounted postage for March or a free yeast if you pickup (Brisbane). (No affiliation... Just really like their service!)

Extract is definitely your next step.. very easy but make sure you research well before jumping in and plan your brew and write down all the steps.

 

[DU99]

you could get a stepping kit,which has grain's and hop's..all you need is stockpot..

http://preview13.awardspace.com/brewz2you.com.au/?page_id=4&category=8

 

[whitegoose]

When I was where you are now at, the next step I took was steeping some specialty grain. For example, make a pale ale kit but add 300g of steeped carapils, or 200g of light crystal or something. It's really simple, adds a little something to your brew, and introduces you to using grain. Read up on how to steep grain though, you don't just chuck the grains into your brew or anything like that.

After I did that for a couple of brews I moved on to extract brewing... the kits you use are already bittered and flavoured with hops and hop extract. Tins of extract are very similar but have no bittering or hop flavouring so you have to do it all yourself with adding hops at various stage throughout the boil (and still add some steeped grain as well). Extract brewing gives you HEAPS more control over how your beer will turn out, but is a lot more involved. If/when you get there, make sure you track down ianh's spreadsheet on this forum - it is awesome for designing extract recipes.

 

[mwd]

I would suggest ordering a fresh wort kit off Craft Brewer and trying that... All you need to do is pour it into your fermenter and add some quality yeast and maybe dry hop and you are away... This will give you a taste of what can be achieved when you move away from K&K.... You will never turn back!

Depending on where you live, Ross is offering $10 discounted postage for March or a free yeast if you pickup (Brisbane). (No affiliation... Just really like their service!)

Extract is definitely your next step.. very easy but make sure you research well before jumping in and plan your brew and write down all the steps.

Ha Ha a big +1 on that a FWK will spoil you for making Kits for life they make kit beers seem very one dimensional (boring). FWK's are a good bit more expensive but still cheap compared to premium shop beer.

The ladder up is started with steeping grains, adding hops to all extract to all grain.

If most brewers started out with Fresh Wort Kits I think the can manafacturers would be in trouble

 

[bum]

When I was where you are now at, the next step I took was steeping some specialty grain. For example, make a pale ale kit but add 300g of steeped carapils, or 200g of light crystal or something. It's really simple, adds a little something to your brew, and introduces you to using grain. Read up on how to steep grain though, you don't just chuck the grains into your brew or anything like that.

After I did that for a couple of brews I moved on to extract brewing... the kits you use are already bittered and flavoured with hops and hop extract. Tins of extract are very similar but have no bittering or hop flavouring so you have to do it all yourself with adding hops at various stage throughout the boil (and still add some steeped grain as well). Extract brewing gives you HEAPS more control over how your beer will turn out, but is a lot more involved. If/when you get there, make sure you track down ianh's spreadsheet on this forum - it is awesome for designing extract recipes.

Yeah, this all seems like good advice to me. Reflects my own progress pretty closely too (except for ianh's spreadsheet, never used that but everyone says good things).

I'd advise you to think about not using the steeping kits recommended above. They generally have the stalest ingredients known to man. Buy some fresh stuff from your local LHBS (if they're any good) or from one of the sponsors above.

 

[DU99]

Bum..that's a little uncalled for "They generally have the stalest ingredients known to man"..How many would know to make one "local LHBS"..and that's the OFF TOPIC part..robbo2234 buy a freshwort kit from the above sponsors..you can't go wrong..or just go straight to allgrain..sponors above will help you..and where you from..

 

[Lord Raja Goomba I]

+1.

Make sure spec grains are milled, so you get the best use from them (hey, I did it when I started K&K). Easily the biggest jump in quality is going from tins to unhopped goo.

Start researching yeast, and select a yeast that works with a style of beer you like and the temp range you are able to ferment at (i.e. don't use Nottingham when Qld suddenly decides to be so humid that no aircon will work properly, hence overtemp brew. Ruined two brews doing this).

Or go AG. If I had my time again, I'd have jumped extract brewing, since most of the hardest bits were in AG anyway.

If you live near a good LHBS (especially if you are in Brisbane and can get over to Capalaba to Craftbrewer), they'll fix you up with all the advice in the world (and a few tries of their brews - that they now have FWK for).

Goomba

 

[pimpsqueak]

+1 for the Fresh Wort Kits. Dead easy and I reckon compared to the cost of ingredients for a tasty extract brew they're a bargain.

(My shopping cart currently has $49 worth of ingredients, not including hops. With the current postage discount you can't go wrong.)

 

[Robbo2234]

Thanks guys,

I will have a go at the fresh wort kits and talk to my LHBS.

Thanks all!

 

[bum]

Bum..that's a little uncalled for "They generally have the stalest ingredients known to man"..How many would know to make one "local LHBS"..and that's the OFF TOPIC part..

Speedie...?

I'd have thought it was pretty much beyond dispute that these kits that sit on the shelf in clear bags for as long as it takes for them to sell would provide nothing but stale ingredients. I guess not. Enjoy my apologies and your fresh as fresh can be beers.

 

[pimpsqueak]

Thanks guys,

I will have a go at the fresh wort kits and talk to my LHBS.

Thanks all!

Or just scroll up to the top of the page and click on Craftbrewer (unless they happen to be your LHBS).

 

[homebrewkid]

yes i have put this on my "to do" list moving away from kits in the next few weeks

 

[gjn200]

My 'timeline' if it's a help:

Supermarket kits with boxed sugars
Kits with my own sugars and malts
Kits with my own sugars and malts and different yeasts
Fresh wort - kegging system - where I am now
Extract kits (TCB)
Extract and my own grains/hops/yeast


G.

 

[going down a hill]

I put my 8th beer on last night. It was Neill's Centenarillo Ale. This was a great learning extract beer to do. It took me a while to get the whole beer down because there are a couple more steps involved in extract than standard k&k. I had to organise my time more with the steeping the grain and boil times of grain and malt/hop combo. Getting the Nottingham yeast to the right temp to pitch into the cooled wort took longer than sprinkling in dry yeast to the wort.

I used 300g of crystal malt grain, it's stated somewhere in the thread.

The beer is doing its thing at the moment and smelling like no beer I have made so far. This recipe is a good one to aim for, not super complex but its involved enough to keep you on your toes.


http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum/inde...showtopic=35657
http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum/inde...&recipe=867

 

[Shifter]

gdh - you won't be disappointed, this is an excellent beer and one I have made now on several occasions. Can even take a wee bit of dry hopping if you like that extra hoppy flavour - 20g of Cascade french pressed or just bunged in when fermentation slows down. But, I would do it as directed the first time to get the experience of brewing a great beer.