Austin Homebrew - Difference between "Gold Seal" Extract Kits and others

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Boston Brewer

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Does anyone know the difference between these kits, and other kits which simply have an "extract" option?

The Gold Seal kits note that they are especially designed for beginners (that's me), but the only difference that is easily discernable is that there is no option to select a type of yeast.

Does anyone else know what, if any, differences there are?

Thanks,
Matt
 
We should send them an email because I've wondered the same thing. Odd that they don't describe the differences.

I assumed like you, its that you have no option to change anything. It's exact to what the recipe calls for, instead of giving you the option to change yeasts or make it a mini-mash..etc
 
I have done two types of kits from AHS. The gold seal is a little more for the beginner. It only comes with dry yeast and the one I got had a beer kit add pack. I have both instructions right here and those are the only differences I see. Both have steeping grains. The other kit are the type found here

http://www.austinhomebrew.com/index.php?cPath=178_452_42

I like these more than the gold seal. They aren't any harder to make the gold seal is just more mistake proof.
 
I think the gold seal kits come with a dry yeast and a yeast activator. They want to make sure beginners, like me, get a good ferment on their first beers.

I posted a pic of the kit I just made this weekend, here's a link to it:

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=42627


www.austinhomebrew.com makes some great kits. My SNPA is smelling great in the primary right now.
 
I had been wondering about this myself. Got a trappist dubell gold seal kit on the way along with a carboy so I'll know latter this week.
 
Ok I have done 6 or 7 AHS kits... 5 extract options and 2 mini mashes. The mini mashes turn out a lot better and are in no way any harder to do. I wish I started off doing the mini mash kits. If you can keep water at 155 for 45 min and then boil water for 60 min then you can do a mini mash. Peace
 
kingjam said:
Ok I have done 6 or 7 AHS kits... 5 extract options and 2 mini mashes. The mini mashes turn out a lot better and are in no way any harder to do. I wish I started off doing the mini mash kits. If you can keep water at 155 for 45 min and then boil water for 60 min then you can do a mini mash. Peace

I was only planning to do partial boils in a 5 gallon pot...could I do a mini-mash using such a small kettle? Sorry if that is ignorant... :D
 
No not at all..... good question....They want you to do a 2.5 gal. boil .....however I always do a full boil because I think the beer turns out better...but 2.5 gal will work fine
 
kingjam said:
No not at all good question....They want you to do a 2.5 gal. boil .....however I always do a full boil because I think the beer turns out better...but 2.5 gal will work fine

Yeah...I've heard that, but I don't really have a means of cooling a full 5 gallon boil quickly. Just ice water in the sink/bathtub for me... :(
 
Crap, I just placed an order for an AHS pumpkin ale extract kit. I wish I knew that all you needed for a mini-mash was to keep the temp at 155. I thought you needed more equipment when all you need is time? Ah well...:p
 
BigNick73 said:
yup sure is.


No. It is not simply corn sugar. Who told you that? Just curious.

It is a different type of corn sugar with a very high maltose and glucose content. You will not acheive the same results just using corn sugar.
 
Benny Blanco said:
Crap, I just placed an order for an AHS pumpkin ale extract kit. I wish I knew that all you needed for a mini-mash was to keep the temp at 155. I thought you needed more equipment when all you need is time? Ah well...:p

You're going to love the pumpkin ale! I got this a couple of months ago from AHS, and it is my favorite so far. I only put in 2 small cans of pumpkin puree that I got from the grocery store. I really can't identify a pumpkin flavor when I drink it, so you may want to put a little more than that in. I just didn't want an overpowering pumpkin flavor.... it turned out real nice-the spices come through and it has a beautiful orange hue.
 
Austinhomebrew said:
No. It is not simply corn sugar. Who told you that? Just curious.

It is a different type of corn sugar with a very high maltose and glucose content. You will not acheive the same results just using corn sugar.

As the proverbial horse's mouth, can you answer my original question and explain the differences between your kits?

Thanks!
 
The Gold Seal kits are made for beginners to eliminate the problems many beginners have.

1. The price is lower than our regular kits. I wanted the kits to be similar in price to the canned kits that are available but the Gold Seal kits will taste much better.
2. The powdered add pack in the kit keeps the batch light in color, adds body, and has yeast hulls included to make sure there is a healthy fermentation.
3. I have kept the recipes simple and I didn't push the boundries of the style so it would be enjoyed by the beginners friends who are scared of homebrew.
4. I used dry yeast for the ease of use and to make sure the batch starts fermenting without having to do a starter.
5. I eliminated as many options as possible because I wanted the only decision to make is "what type of beer do I want".
6. These kits are a gateway kit to move canned kit people into real beer kits.
I have customers that think that the real kits would be too complicated. This makes the transition easy.
 
Austinhomebrew said:
The Gold Seal kits are made for beginners to eliminate the problems many beginners have.

1. The price is lower than our regular kits. I wanted the kits to be similar in price to the canned kits that are available but the Gold Seal kits will taste much better.
2. The powdered add pack in the kit keeps the batch light in color, adds body, and has yeast hulls included to make sure there is a healthy fermentation.
3. I have kept the recipes simple and I didn't push the boundries of the style so it would be enjoyed by the beginners friends who are scared of homebrew.
4. I used dry yeast for the ease of use and to make sure the batch starts fermenting without having to do a starter.
5. I eliminated as many options as possible because I wanted the only decision to make is "what type of beer do I want".
6. These kits are a gateway kit to move canned kit people into real beer kits.
I have customers that think that the real kits would be too complicated. This makes the transition easy.

Awesome. Thanks! Received your American Brown Ale kit yesterday and planning my first brew this weekend!
 
Forrest,

Just a thought (you're in the business and I'm not, so take this with a grain of salt): you may want to rename the kits so that it's clear that it's for beginners and it's more foolproof than the other kits. "Gold Seal" sounds like some kind of premium upgrade.

Also...what are yeast hulls?
 
Evan! said:
Forrest,

Just a thought (you're in the business and I'm not, so take this with a grain of salt): you may want to rename the kits so that it's clear that it's for beginners and it's more foolproof than the other kits. "Gold Seal" sounds like some kind of premium upgrade.

Also...what are yeast hulls?


Thanks for the suggestion. It was very hard to come up with a name that wasn't already taken. I think I just need more info on the kits.

Yeast hulls are the outer shells of dead yeast that act as a yeast nutrient. Servomyces is a popular form of yeast hulls infused with zinc.
 
Huh...never knew that. I just use that yeast nutrient stuff that looks like sea salt. Is that yeast hulls?

I'd be curious to know how they separate the outer shells from the dead yeast...
 
Austinhomebrew said:
No. It is not simply corn sugar. Who told you that? Just curious.

It is a different type of corn sugar with a very high maltose and glucose content. You will not acheive the same results just using corn sugar.

Maltodextrin, or a is it your own blend? Just wondering really.. I use dextrose for a lot of things, not for brewing..
 
Austinhomebrew said:
Thanks for the suggestion. It was very hard to come up with a name that wasn't already taken. I think I just need more info on the kits.

Yeast hulls are the outer shells of dead yeast that act as a yeast nutrient. Servomyces is a popular form of yeast hulls infused with zinc.

I just want to say that I love your store! I live in TX, but not within easy driving distance of Austin. I do live close enough to drive to a LHBS but I'd rather pay the $6.99 shipping because your kits are put together so well. Plus, I always receive my order the day after you ship it.

I was a little concerned about purchasing from you at first because you are in-state, and I thought I'd be fully taxed on everything. But from the orders I have received, it looks like all ingredients are considered "grocery" so they don't get the 8.25% tax. Am I correct?
 
Evan! said:
Huh...never knew that. I just use that yeast nutrient stuff that looks like sea salt. Is that yeast hulls?

I'd be curious to know how they separate the outer shells from the dead yeast...

The yeast nutrient you are referring to is Diamonium Phosphate. It is a chemical that is one type of yeast nutrient.

Yeast Hull are tan colored powder. I am not sure how they remove the carcass but it works better than Diamonium Phosphate.
 
El_Borracho said:
Maltodextrin, or a is it your own blend? Just wondering really.. I use dextrose for a lot of things, not for brewing..

There is a difference between Maltodextrin (not fermentable, used to add body only) and a high maltose corn sugar (extremely fermentable and concentrated, used to add alcohol only).
 
bayoubabsy said:
I just want to say that I love your store! I live in TX, but not within easy driving distance of Austin. I do live close enough to drive to a LHBS but I'd rather pay the $6.99 shipping because your kits are put together so well. Plus, I always receive my order the day after you ship it.

I was a little concerned about purchasing from you at first because you are in-state, and I thought I'd be fully taxed on everything. But from the orders I have received, it looks like all ingredients are considered "grocery" so they don't get the 8.25% tax. Am I correct?


Thanks for the props, spread the word. You are correct on the tax issue.
 
Yeast hulls are removed from the yeast with a "Yeast Gin". In 1890, Jebodiah Brewton patented his yeast gin, and it could be seen in production use on the sprawling yeast farms of the great plains states. Unfortunately, during the 1930's the U.S suffered through the "Husk Bowl" period, with many crops damaged irreparably by the swirling storms of yeast hulls, or "husks", and the yeast gin fell into disuse :)
 
brewitnow said:
Yeast hulls are removed from the yeast with a "Yeast Gin". In 1890, Jebodiah Brewton patented his yeast gin, and it could be seen in production use on the sprawling yeast farms of the great plains states. Unfortunately, during the 1930's the U.S suffered through the "Husk Bowl" period, with many crops damaged irreparably by the swirling storms of yeast hulls, or "husks", and the yeast gin fell into disuse :)

My great grandma used to be a yeast farmer. They used to call her house "Hull House".
 
FWIW ... I live in Austin and go to AHS weekly... and those guys rock. Helpful and fairly priced. That is where I get all of my gear. They have some recipes that are not on the web site that rock as well.

Great people.

T
Brewing in Texas
 
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