Expensive top of the range kit from Canada. As it is only concentrated to 7.5 Litres this adds considerably to the shipping costs which goes some way to explain the high price.
These kits are traditionally brewed (i.e Mashed and Boiled) then concentrated, so compared to kits that are blended from concentrated extracts and hopped with isomerised extract there should be a significant step up in quality.
(Pics to follow)
The kit consists of a cardboard box containing the bag of hopped wort, and a ziplock bag with the instructions, a 7g sachet of dried yeast, 15g of bentonite, and a packet of T-90 Saaz Pellets.
The kit instructions are actually reasonably good and are well written, as with practically all kits this is intended to be fermented at ale temperatures so I can only assume that an ale yeast is provided. The other assumption in the kits is that you will be using a carboy for 'secondary' fermentation. At least the time-scales are realistic and actually tell you it will be 6-8 Weeks before you can enjoy you beer.
Making the kit is simplicity itself
Sanitise all equipment, prepare 17L of brewing water (ie dechlorinate if required)
1) mix the bentonite with a couple of litres of warm/hot water to form a slurry in the FV
2) Carefully prise the lid off the bag of extract and pour onto the bentonite slurry (If you can do this without spraying some over the floor you are better than me)
3) Top up to 23L with cold water . . . doing this from a height generates lots of foam.
4) add the bag of Saaz pellets and stir
5) Add yeast allow to ferment to 1.020
6) syphon into your secondary fermenter minimising splashing, and allow to finish fermenting
7) Bottle (adding Priming Sugar) and leave in warm for 2 weeks
8) move to cold for 2 weeks . . . then start to enjoy . . . They do say it will taste better after a month or more.
Following my usual practice that Instructions are for wimps, and 'best practice' I did things a little differently.
I had found a Wyeast Propagator Pack of Dutch lager yeast at the back of the fridge from 2008, so decided to use that if it took off, which to my surprise it did, and fermented out very well in a 5L starter, which sat in the fridge for a couple of weeks before I decided to brew it. As I'm using a liquid yeast I am going to reuse it, so I ditched the bentonite as I'll fine later in the process.
Couple of things I found disappointing, firstly was than when I prised the lid of the bag I found a thin film of mould on the outside of the spout (Not an issue as I had sanitised the bag with a 70% alcohol wash), the worse thing was after opening the 'sticky' bag of Saaz hops . . . one good sniff told me to bin them as they were very 'cheesy' . . . . so I made a hop tea up using 15g of Saaz from the freezer
Further Progress to Follow.
These kits are traditionally brewed (i.e Mashed and Boiled) then concentrated, so compared to kits that are blended from concentrated extracts and hopped with isomerised extract there should be a significant step up in quality.
(Pics to follow)
The kit consists of a cardboard box containing the bag of hopped wort, and a ziplock bag with the instructions, a 7g sachet of dried yeast, 15g of bentonite, and a packet of T-90 Saaz Pellets.
The kit instructions are actually reasonably good and are well written, as with practically all kits this is intended to be fermented at ale temperatures so I can only assume that an ale yeast is provided. The other assumption in the kits is that you will be using a carboy for 'secondary' fermentation. At least the time-scales are realistic and actually tell you it will be 6-8 Weeks before you can enjoy you beer.
Making the kit is simplicity itself
Sanitise all equipment, prepare 17L of brewing water (ie dechlorinate if required)
1) mix the bentonite with a couple of litres of warm/hot water to form a slurry in the FV
2) Carefully prise the lid off the bag of extract and pour onto the bentonite slurry (If you can do this without spraying some over the floor you are better than me)
3) Top up to 23L with cold water . . . doing this from a height generates lots of foam.
4) add the bag of Saaz pellets and stir
5) Add yeast allow to ferment to 1.020
6) syphon into your secondary fermenter minimising splashing, and allow to finish fermenting
7) Bottle (adding Priming Sugar) and leave in warm for 2 weeks
8) move to cold for 2 weeks . . . then start to enjoy . . . They do say it will taste better after a month or more.
Following my usual practice that Instructions are for wimps, and 'best practice' I did things a little differently.
I had found a Wyeast Propagator Pack of Dutch lager yeast at the back of the fridge from 2008, so decided to use that if it took off, which to my surprise it did, and fermented out very well in a 5L starter, which sat in the fridge for a couple of weeks before I decided to brew it. As I'm using a liquid yeast I am going to reuse it, so I ditched the bentonite as I'll fine later in the process.
Couple of things I found disappointing, firstly was than when I prised the lid of the bag I found a thin film of mould on the outside of the spout (Not an issue as I had sanitised the bag with a 70% alcohol wash), the worse thing was after opening the 'sticky' bag of Saaz hops . . . one good sniff told me to bin them as they were very 'cheesy' . . . . so I made a hop tea up using 15g of Saaz from the freezer
Further Progress to Follow.