Tweaking Kits

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Ruudspark

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Just a general comment but I've read lots of threads on brewing beer kits, I find it a bit like the Honda bike site I'm on too. Everyone one seems to know better that Honda or Muntons (here) that 'Dave' from Doncaster knows how to fuel a bike better than the multimillion company Honda after spending x amount of pounds on research for a world market. On here I find the same, I'm sure a bit of golden syrup may slightly change a brew but can i ask an honest question? Does it really make that much difference? I've made quite a few kits recently as standard, and to be honest all been perfectly great?
 
There's no right answer. I rarely make kits now bit if I do I tweak them, to suit my tastes and for the fun of meddling.

But, a tin or pouch of hopped extract lacks things. Fresh malt, and fresh hops. If you add those, the beer should be better. And you can improve in the yeast too, in many cases.

That said, a kit can make a very nice beer, and there's no need to mess. Some need tweaking more than others. Some come with hops to add, because some styles benefit. Some kits without hops would benefit too.
 
Just a general comment but I've read lots of threads on brewing beer kits, I find it a bit like the Honda bike site I'm on too. Everyone one seems to know better that Honda or Muntons (here) that 'Dave' from Doncaster knows how to fuel a bike better than the multimillion company Honda after spending x amount of pounds on research for a world market. On here I find the same, I'm sure a bit of golden syrup may slightly change a brew but can i ask an honest question? Does it really make that much difference? I've made quite a few kits recently as standard, and to be honest all been perfectly great?

Your examples are pretty different.

The way I see it is like this: you want spaghetti Bolognese (this is our pint). There's many ways to get there, and many different levels of result.
You can pay to eat in a restaurant (pint in a pub).
You can buy a jar of dolmio and some dry pasta (cheap 1 can kit with brewing sugar).
You can get your dolmio but add some supermarket mince, some chopped onion and herbs and fresh pasta (expensive 1 or 2 can kit with hops, malt extract and good quality yeast - or maybe a pimped up cheap kit).
You can make the pasta from scratch, make the sauce from scratch, add top quality butcher shop mince and veg and some freshly picked herbs and expensive hard cheese (all grain).

My point is you choose the level you want to brew at, if you are happy with the kits then there's no need to mess with them. If you want to customise them or freshen them up then that's up to you too. The difference is the taste of your home brew is highly subjective whereas the performance of a motorbike is completely objective and measurable.
 
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