So I knowingly bought a kit that was 10 months old, for 10 bucks even, thinking I'd just replace the yeast. It was cheap and didn't want to walk away from it. So after googling old extract, I've learned that extract darkens over time. The retailer had 3 more kits I could buy for the same price and expiry and I'm thinking 'cheap beer' that might not be much worst that a regular beer kit. So please give me feedback on what I'm thinking;
I bought the real ale kit. I was thinking of dry hopping with just pumpkin spice and flavouring as a pumpkin beer. I figure if the beer itself has a negative characteristics, that would cover it up. Having never used pumpkin spices, but always wanting to, I'd like to know how much to add? I also have a can of pumpkin extract I could boil and add, but roasting in the oven is too much mess. I brew a bundle of beers in one day, and I want to keep this experiment simple if I can. Can I just add the pumpkin and spices to the fermenter after boiling? Or best to just go with the spices? And how much spices? and should it just be a dry hop? Plan on doing it to 5 gallons with dextrose.
Ok, second kit was a stout. And since I've never done one, I though I'd just buy some steeping grains to freshen up. Roasted barley? Chocolate? What should I use and how much? 5 gallons, with dextrose.
And finally they had two coopers bitters. I was just going to add the two to the fermenter without dextrose and make to 6 gallons. I've heard that turns out better than the standard kit anyways so that's my simple plan.
All three experiments would use Nottingham yeast.
I'm proceeding with the assumption that this isn't optimal, but then neither were a lot of my brews so far and I still drank them. My tastes have gravitated towards extract and steeping, but if it's OK beer (as in like most typical kits), then please let me know how I could make the best of it.
Thanks
I bought the real ale kit. I was thinking of dry hopping with just pumpkin spice and flavouring as a pumpkin beer. I figure if the beer itself has a negative characteristics, that would cover it up. Having never used pumpkin spices, but always wanting to, I'd like to know how much to add? I also have a can of pumpkin extract I could boil and add, but roasting in the oven is too much mess. I brew a bundle of beers in one day, and I want to keep this experiment simple if I can. Can I just add the pumpkin and spices to the fermenter after boiling? Or best to just go with the spices? And how much spices? and should it just be a dry hop? Plan on doing it to 5 gallons with dextrose.
Ok, second kit was a stout. And since I've never done one, I though I'd just buy some steeping grains to freshen up. Roasted barley? Chocolate? What should I use and how much? 5 gallons, with dextrose.
And finally they had two coopers bitters. I was just going to add the two to the fermenter without dextrose and make to 6 gallons. I've heard that turns out better than the standard kit anyways so that's my simple plan.
All three experiments would use Nottingham yeast.
I'm proceeding with the assumption that this isn't optimal, but then neither were a lot of my brews so far and I still drank them. My tastes have gravitated towards extract and steeping, but if it's OK beer (as in like most typical kits), then please let me know how I could make the best of it.
Thanks