Kit review: Milestone Olde Home Wrecker

[derbyowl]

Excellent strong 'Winter Ale' 3kg kit :clap: sorry I dont do the sg or strength measurements. I just brew it, bottle it and drink it :lol: :drink:

This is very much an ale rather than a best bitter

Was ready to drink after about 2 months after being bottled.

Cost for 40 pint kits around £18.00 worth every penny.

 

[Wez]

Nice one D.O

Do you follow the kit instructions to the letter or do you incorporate some of your own changes to the brewing method?

 

[derbyowl]

Nice one D.O

Do you follow the kit instructions to the letter or do you incorporate some of your own changes to the brewing method?

How I brew me has sort of evolved. I only use all Malt kits and I tend to leave it in the bucket a little longer than the kit instructions say ( I never take any measurements ). Next I bottle the brew in 2 litre pop bottles ( with a heaped teaspoon of sugar ) and leave for at least 6 weeks.

Finally I always decant the beer into a jug before pouring into a glass.

I know that in ag home brew terms I am a bit of a 'bodger' and I would never expect to win any prizes.but it works for me and my non brewing mates are very impressed. :

ps Another variant I have done is to mix a 1.5kg bitter kit with a 1.5kg lager kit this has also worked well.

I can see the shaking of the ag heads now :lol:

 

[Wez]

Homebrew is about doing what works for you :thumb:

 

[Aleman]

I happen to know a (now) Pro brewer who won the kit section at Sutton a couple of years back with a brew made from a 2 year out of date boots kit . . . the 'usual' winner of the section never entered again

 

[Wez]

A lesson for us all there Aleman :)

 

[MEB]

Don't worry about it mate. I get all sorts of stick cos i won't use protofloc tablets or finings in my beer. I won't put anything in my beer that i can't eat raw. I do take sg readings though
I made a great all malt kit ONCE. Muntons old english bitter, to which i added 1kg dextrose AND 1kg of improver stuff. It was undrinkable for 6 weeks but after that it was great. I loved it, don't really care what other people think of my brews. If they don't like it they don't get anymore. I brew for me-no one else.

So if my beers are flat as a witches tit and hazy as something that is really hazy i don't care if it tastes great and is really strong. But thats why i brew my own beer. I can't get ESB or anything like that over here so i have to brew my own.

I'm all in for what it does and how well it works, ultimately if it works well i don't give a flying fcuk what it looks like. Bit like the wife really. :lol:

Good on ya matey :thumb:

 

[percival]

i used to make kit beers too and never made the step to AG. I was always happy with the results tho sometimes i added extra hops, and i always waited longer than the kits advised before drinking it. If it works for you then it works and there really isn't any argument about it. I stopped making beer cos of of barrel woes and bottling boredom, nothing to do with product quality. i like seeing diversity on this forum so goodonya!

 

[derbyowl]

Thanks for the encouragement chaps, Any suggestions on good quality beer kits that you have used would be greatly appreciated.

 

[MEB]

Most of the All Malt kits are pretty good nowadays. It would really help to get yourself a packet of S04 yeast and use that instead of the yeast that is provided. The yeast should come out of a fridge in the Homebrew store and be put straight into your fridge at home untill ready to pitch.
Make sure you sanitise EVERYTHING that comes in contact with the beer and make sure that everything you sanitise is well rinsed after sanitising.

But most of all, enjoy it. Brewing is meant to be fun and should be. :

 

[percival]

i used to buy kits that were made reasonably locally if possible. thinking being that those who prepared the kits prolly paid some attention to the local water and realised that kit brewers prolly wouldn't do so. if i was doing it again i think i would continue in that vein and avoid the uber cheap kits, play with adding hops and enjoy it.

 

[BrewStew]

play with adding hops? that's basically extract brewing mate.... only one step away from AG.... go on... you know you want to :lol:

 

[Wez]

When I was kit brewing I used to enjoy Muntons Smugglers Ale - always turned out a nice pint - i'd prime with spray malt rather than sugar.

 

[percival]

Hehe BS, i prolly would have made the next step to AG if i didn't get fed up with bottle washing, barrel problems AND had the budget for the gear.