beer kits...

kip · 12-04-2008, 04:30 AM

Just curious if anyone else is using thebrewhouse.com beer kits? I've had a fair amount of luck with them in getting a good finished product and am not quite ready/supplied to go from scratch. Is anyone aware of a widely available alternative all grain kit I could try? The stuff in the cans tastes like ass so I'll pass on that....

Kip

FlyGuy · 12-04-2008, 06:25 AM

The BrewHouse kits are fantastic. They are, in fact, an all grain kit (no sugars or other additives like the cheaper kits).

Do a search and you will find tons of recent threads with all sorts of praise for the kits. IMO, the only people who are critical of them are the people that have never tried them (do you really want to follow their advice????).

If you search FlyGuy and Brewhouse you should be able to find some of my praise for the kits, including some recipe hacks and suggested brewing techniques. I also mention a guy in my homebrew club that took an MCAB medal from a beer made with one of these kits. I bet he beat out a LOT of all grain brewers to get it, too!

Memorex88 · 12-04-2008, 12:13 PM

I've been using Brew house for years and you get a great beer from these kits. Right now I'm making a Brew House Winterfest Ale.

These kits are night and day difference from the cans. You really get a wonderful beer from them!

B-rad · 12-04-2008, 12:29 PM

Try a festa brew kit.. I make these and the Brewhouse.. both good but Festa brew is much better IMO..

Memorex88 · 12-04-2008, 12:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by B-rad

Try a festa brew kit.. I make these and the Brewhouse.. both good but Festa brew is much better IMO..

Is there a website for Festa?

Memorex88 · 12-04-2008, 12:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Memorex88

Is there a website for Festa?

I found it! I'll look into this with my local supplier.

Festa Brew

.

FlyGuy · 12-04-2008, 01:56 PM

I do both FestaBrew and BrewHouse kits. I like the quality of both, but always end up gravitating to the Brewhouse kits because they are easy to modify (e.g., you can use less top-up water to increase the gravity, or you can do a steep of grains in the top-up water before adding it to the fermenter, or you can boil some hops in the steep, etc.).

FestaBrew kits are nice, but they are 23L of pre-made wort, so there isn't that top-up water to play with. You can still do all the things I mention above, but it isn't nearly as convenient.

B-rad · 12-04-2008, 04:11 PM

Yeah I dont modify the kits any (yet).. so I am going by just following the directions.. Im just speaking for myself but I dont think I will ever buy a brewhouse kit again as long as Festa Brew is availiable to me.....

I have had a bad experience lately too though.. the last two brewhouse kits I bought were expired.. I told my LHBS and he said it wouldnt matter (nice way to say your not getting a free kit).. and my new LHBS has Festa Brew..

I really dont like the expired kits at all and Im thinking this may be the reason...they taste ok but.. well... for example... I cant taste any honey in the honey blonde.. Im thinking this may have to do with it being expired.... and they have a real strong taste.. kind nof yeasty I guess....

B-rad · 12-04-2008, 04:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Memorex88

I found it! I'll look into this with my local supplier.

Festa Brew

.

That is actually not the Festa Brew site.. but someone who can supply it.. The main site is..

Magnotta::Festa Brew::Home

FlyGuy · 12-04-2008, 04:17 PM

You definitely don't want to use expired kits. Your LHBS clerk lied to you -- it makes a huge difference. I won't even buy a kit if it is more than 3 or 4 months old. If you are using expired BrewHouse kits, I can tell you from experience that a fresh kit tastes MUCH better. You should give one a try again (the Dark Munich Lager, Pale Ale, and IPA kits are outstanding, in particular).