B&M kits

[DavieC]

Managed to get 2 more real ale kit's at weekend. Did a partial mash with them yesterday, and it's now bubbling away in the beer fridge. Added 2lbs maris otter, and a pound of crystal, 2 kit's, supplied dextrose, and a cml ale yeast, and a few first gold hop's sg of 1044 made to 25l. Let's see what comes out of the bucket in 15 day's.

How did the IPA turn out that you made upto 20ltrs.Was the 500 g light spray malt sufficient to stretch the kit?.I've got one to do,prob in a few weeks and was going to follow your lead.

 

[BridgeBrew]

It turned out great. With the addition of 500g of light spray malt. Really nice, light refreshing ipa. It wasnt a strong beer, but had good mouth feel, and good body. If i could source these kit's in the future i think i would do them exactly the same. A very good quantity of LME for a small batch brew, but 6 percent doesnt appeal to me. I must admit i was a bit dubious, but brewed to 20l it had an sg of 1040 ish. Would really like to try one in a partial mash, or brewed to 25l with a kit, and kilo.

 

[DavieC]

Cheers Bridgebrew, I'll do the extra 500g spraymalt as I appreciate the taste but not necessarily the strength, having to get up for work everyday favours lower abv! Did you use the yeast supplied in the kit ? Thanks for the advice...

 

[BridgeBrew]

Yep used the supplied kit yeast, which i re hydrated before pitching, took off like a bullet. I used the kit yeast on the 1st real ale i brewed, and it did nothing hardly, just a couple of bubble after 24hr's, so threw a cml ale yeast in, and hey presto fermentation within 8 hour's. Good luck :)

 

[Frogbrew]

Did you stretch out the real ale kit BridgeBrew as well or just the IPA? I ask as I've two real ale kits ready to go.

 

[BridgeBrew]

No didnt stretch the real ale kit's, doubled up on them, added 500g of medium spray malt, used cml ale yeast (the kit yeast didnt start) made 2 kit's to 20l, fermented for 15 day's in primary, dry hopped with the kit hop's for the last 5 day's. The real ale kit's only have about 900g of LME. The ipa has 1300g of LME. Most 25L kit's only contain 1500g of LME.

 

[Frogbrew]

For anyone doing the t&l lager kit I suggest you leave the sweetener sachet out or just add half of it. I left it out completely the first time (forgot to add it) and it was better than the one I've just tried with the full pack added, way too sweet.

 

[Mavroz]

Was in the Range yesterday and still no beer kits the same as were on sale in B&M. Will email later as I was trying they would be in there in November.

 

[Mavroz]

Ok, so i am told, they have been dispatched from Uk warehouses with the aim of being in store very late November, early December.

 

[unforgiven]

For anyone doing the t&l lager kit I suggest you leave the sweetener sachet out or just add half of it. I left it out completely the first time (forgot to add it) and it was better than the one I've just tried with the full pack added, way too sweet.

good to know

 

[Frogbrew]

I do hope they get some of the IPA kits in, up there with the best kit I've ever done, and I've done alot

 

[halfhorse]

Bottled the Tequila and Lime Lager last weekend and popped it in the airing cupboard for a week at 25c. Took it out yesterday and put it into the garage - it was already crystal clear. However, went to take a look today and it's no longer clear, in fact it has, what seems to be, a rather nasty haze. Have I done something wrong and will the haze clear in its own good time?

This cleared quite quickly and is now crystal clear again. I haven't drunk lager and lime for about 40 years but this has turned out to be light, refreshing and very drinkable. More of a summer drink than a winter one but I'm not complaining. Will probably drop into B&M to see if they have any left.

 

[DavieC]

This cleared quite quickly and is now crystal clear again. I haven't drunk lager and lime for about 40 years but this has turned out to be light, refreshing and very drinkable. More of a summer drink than a winter one but I'm not complaining. Will probably drop into B&M to see if they have any left.

Hi ,did you add the supplied sweetener to this kit? I've got one to do and some folks have said it's too sweet with it in so best to leave it out? Any advice based on your brew?ta

 

[Drunkula]

Had a few of the IPAs that were aged 3 months and they'd lost everything good about them. One was kit sugar the other spraymalt instead. Initially the sugar one was much better and nicely fruity but the malt one killed the hops. Now the hops have died in both the sugar one is pretty dead and the spraymalt one is nicer because it's more like a traditional pint. So get 'em down you within 3 to 5 weeks.

 

[Dutto]

Had a few of the IPAs that were aged 3 months and they'd lost everything good about them. ................ So get 'em down you within 3 to 5 weeks.

That's weird!

The history of IPA was that it was brewed for export to India and therefore had to retain its taste and body for well over three months; which is why it was always brewed with a "high" ABV of up to 8% and a lot of hops.

Here's Wikipedia's take on an IPA ...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/India_pale_ale

Please click on the "cellar" word in the link "... once brewed it was intended to cellar two years." The photograph shows a wine cellar but beer cellars in pubs were very similar back in the day!

Nostalgia isn't what it used to be!

 

[Frogbrew]

I tried with sweetener and without, my next t&l lager will get just half the sachet as the one with all came out too sweet for me. Personal taste but I recommend just half.

 

[halfhorse]

Hi ,did you add the supplied sweetener to this kit? I've got one to do and some folks have said it's too sweet with it in so best to leave it out? Any advice based on your brew?ta

Yes, I did the kit as per the instructions and I’m enjoying it. It doesn’t seem to be too sweet for me.

 

[BridgeBrew]

I have found this with most IPA kit's i have done. The most obvious one is the Cooper's Bootmaker. I am drinking my 2nd Bootmaker at the moment, it's been conditioning for 10 day's, but taste's and smell's divine. The 1st Bootmaker i did i sampled at 10 day's, and it was lovely, so thinking it's gonna improve with age left it for a month, and it was nowhere near as good as when it was new. It had lost all it's hop aroma, and tasted slightly to bitter. Done load's of simply IPA's, and the same apply's. Drink em young. Got a milk stout saved for xmas, it's been kegged for 2 month's. Hope that's nice.

Had a few of the IPAs that were aged 3 months and they'd lost everything good about them. One was kit sugar the other spraymalt instead. Initially the sugar one was much better and nicely fruity but the malt one killed the hops. Now the hops have died in both the sugar one is pretty dead and the spraymalt one is nicer because it's more like a traditional pint. So get 'em down you within 3 to 5 weeks.

 

[terrym]

Please click on the "cellar" word in the link "... once brewed it was intended to cellar two years." The photograph shows a wine cellar but beer cellars in pubs were very similar back in the day!

One of the biggest beer cellars outside of a brewery must have been the store under the original St Pancras station built by the Midland Railway to store beer brought down from Burton, and used until 1964.
This store now forms the main concourse under the new International station platforms. If the whole of the new concourse was entirely devoted to storing beer, that's a lot of barrels.
More here including a picture which clearly shows the original columns used to support the original platforms and now been given a new life supporting the new platforms. Apparently column spacing was determined by the dimensions of a beer barrel.
https://stpancras.com/about-us/history/station-design

 

[parpot]

Went in to my local Range today. Plenty of the 40pint kits of Tequila & Lime, Premium Lager & Bitter but no IPA, not even a label for it on the shelf!