Thoughts on Northern Brewer kits?

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SkiGladys

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I was looking at some of hte Northern Brewer kits and they appeared to be pretty good, but I don't have any experience with them.
Anybody had any real bad (or really good) experiences with the recipes they use for their kits?
 
I avoid kits, but I did help a friend brew a NB kit. Beer tasted good, everything was well packed and well labeled. No problems at all.
 
Bought a scotch ale and a stout kit from them and they were very nice. I have a couple other favorite suppliers but I wouldn't hesitate to buy from Northern again.
 
Why do you avoid kits?

Generating my own recipe is half the fun of homebrewing. I don't use recipes from books or online, either. It's not that my own recipes taste better, but they're mine.

Yes, I know that when it comes to something like a Hefe, my recipe isn't really any different than the others out there, but don't burst my bubble, okay? :ban:
 
Generating my own recipe is half the fun of homebrewing. I don't use recipes from books or online, either. It's not that my own recipes taste better, but they're mine.

Yes, I know that when it comes to something like a Hefe, my recipe isn't really any different than the others out there, but don't burst my bubble, okay? :ban:

I'm the same way. My first few beers were kits, just to get the hang of it. After that, I switched to building my own beers. I started by taking others recipes and tweaking them to my own liking. Three batches later, I switched to all-grain, bought Designing Great Beers, and haven't touched another person's recipe since then (other than Edwort's Apfelwein). I am starting to branch out though these days. I'd like to try what other homebrewers are doing.
 
That's why I don't buy the kits. But since I am fairly new, I like to start with a proven recipe and then do something to change it to make it mine.
I have been looking at the Northern Brewer recipes recently to decide if I want to use them as a base recipe to start from.
Sounds like no one has had a bad result with their kits.
 
... haven't touched another person's recipe since then (other than Edwort's Apfelwein). I am starting to branch out though these days. I'd like to try what other homebrewers are doing.

Apfelwein's such a simple recipe, it's hard to change it. Whoops. I've got a modified version fermenting now, ask me how it comes out in a few weeks.

I agree fully on trying what other homebrewers are doing. I like to read other people's recipes; it gives me inspiration. A thread here recently inspired me to try to brew a banana beer for the springtime... but nothing like the banana beer that started the thread.

The big dilemma for me has been sharing recipes... Right now I'm drinking a really unique beer that's only ever had five gallons brewed, and well, if I share it, then I will no longer be the only one who's ever brewed it. Such a dilemma.... :drunk:

Yeah, I'd cave to pressure. I'm too much of an open-source geek to keep my secrets secret. And my current unique beer? California Common made with Cherrywood smoked malt. I call it Steampunk Ale, and it rocks.
 
I've tried a few of the NB kits and they are good... pretty standard.


As far as 'making it your own' .... I tend to buy some specialty grains and steep them for 30 minutes or so. ... or if you can get some fruit extract and add it when you pitch the yeast. You get the additional unique flavor and a quarter of the time of an all grain brew.
 
As far as 'making it your own' .... I tend to buy some specialty grains and steep them for 30 minutes or so. ... or if you can get some fruit extract and add it when you pitch the yeast. You get the additional unique flavor and a quarter of the time of an all grain brew.

Making your own recipes and going all-grain are entirely different issues. The NB kit I brewed with had steeped grains, and many suppliers provide all-grain kits. On the other hand, you can make some very original beer using extract. The real question is "Would you rather replicate someone else's success, or create something new yourself?" Neither method is better than the other; it's a personality thing.
 
Apfelwein's such a simple recipe, it's hard to change it. Whoops. I've got a modified version fermenting now, ask me how it comes out in a few weeks.

I agree fully on trying what other homebrewers are doing. I like to read other people's recipes; it gives me inspiration. A thread here recently inspired me to try to brew a banana beer for the springtime... but nothing like the banana beer that started the thread.

The big dilemma for me has been sharing recipes... Right now I'm drinking a really unique beer that's only ever had five gallons brewed, and well, if I share it, then I will no longer be the only one who's ever brewed it. Such a dilemma.... :drunk:

Yeah, I'd cave to pressure. I'm too much of an open-source geek to keep my secrets secret. And my current unique beer? California Common made with Cherrywood smoked malt. I call it Steampunk Ale, and it rocks.

There was a time when I thought like that too. I would get offended when I heard about people entering another persons brew in a competition and winning. I'm still not to fond of it. If you design the recipe, you should at least get credit for it.

But as far as someone brewing my recipes....go for it. If I think it's good enough to post, then I want to share it with people. I guess if someone WAS to enter it in a competition and win....it means I know what I'm doing. I've never actually entered a contest myself though. I don't need a judge to tell me my beer is good. Plus, most of my beers aren't to style 100% anyways.
 
I don't need a judge to tell me my beer is good. Plus, most of my beers aren't to style 100% anyways.

I've got no interest in competitions. I brew to drink good beer, and don't even consider style guidelines. Since tastes vary, I don't even really care too much if my friends like my beer. My wife and I are the only two judges that count...
 
my second brew was a Northern Brewer Irish Red turned out great I found their directions better then my first one which was a Brewers Best
 
i guess you could call me a NB fan, i've brewed two of there kits, there scottish 60, and american amber ale. both turned out great aside from my mess ups of learning how to brew on them. i would order another kit from them in a heartbeat, they are all well labeled and have fairly good instructions, of course you'd want to look on here for specific advise tho.
 
My first two (and only two ) batches so far have been BB kits. My first brew was the American Amber and it turned out ok. I think my fermenting temps were a little on the high side and my Amber acquired a bit of a cidery taste to it. Other than that, I think it was great. My second brew was a BB Kolsch. At first I thought it was bad, but some extended aging (about 8-10 weeks) in the bottle and it is now excellent. A friend of mine knows people that have won contests with the BB kits.

BB kits have well written instructions and you can't go wrong if you follow them. Be sure the supplier you buy the kit from has a good turnover of stock because I think freshness of ingredients is very important with kits like this...
 
Northern Brewer is top notch... When I first started out on extract kits I made plenty from NB and have always been satisfied with the service. I don't have a local homebrew shop in my town which forces me to order online all the time.. You will not be disappointed from NB, Midwest, Brewmaster Warehouse, Morebeer etc...

good luck
 
if it wasnt for them i would have never got into brewing
 
Northern Brewer is an A+ place to buy from. There shipping is always fast and I can bank on when my orders arrive every time. There all grain kits aren't bad either.
 
The kits from NB that I purchased have all turned out fine, although they are the only kits I have ever used.
 
I just put in an order with NorthernBrewer for an entire brewing kit and 3 extract ale ingredient kits. Everything came at the same time from Fedex. The Wyeast was in an envelope with reusable cold packs (other retailers charge extra for that). The yeast pack rose within minutes and worked excellently in primary fermentation (small airlock activity with a few hours, significant airlock activity within 14 hours)

The kits I ordered:
NB Dunkelweizen (wyeast 3638 instead of 3068)
NB Honeyweizen (wyeast 1010)
NB Witbier (wyeast 3944)

The dunkel is 7 days into primary, I'll report back in 5 weeks. Good luck!
 
prepare to buy extra hops. every recipe i've gotten from them only comes w a single ounce of hops. overall you get what you pay for.
 
prepare to buy extra hops. every recipe i've gotten from them only comes w a single ounce of hops. overall you get what you pay for.

WTF?? That's rather an odd statement.

Many recipes only call for 1 oz of hops. Out of the three kits I've gotten from NB, two have had 2 oz hops, (one bittering add and one flavor/aroma add), and the weizen had 1 oz hops.

In addition, every kit on their webpage has a link at the bottom to the kit contents, where it specifically lists everything in the kit, including hops, so you should never have been surprised.

Not all beer is supposed to be "triple-hopped" with "over a pound of hops!" :drunk:
 
WTF?? That's rather an odd statement.
Not all beer is supposed to be "triple-hopped" with "over a pound of hops!" :drunk:

whoa, way to take it personally buddy, do you work for NB or something? how is that statement odd? 6 lb of extract usually overpowers a single ouce of hops. when i buy recipes from the LHBS it typically has 2 ounces for very similar kits. get over it...

the oud bruin which i got from them had only an ounce which was perfect for a super low hopped beer. others i've recieved the small amount of hops just didn't cut it. i'll stick w/ my local guys. hate to say it but if you're trying to steer clear of giving your money to big companies than you should look elsewhere than NB.
 
whoa, way to take it personally buddy, do you work for NB or something? how is that statement odd? 6 lb of extract usually overpowers a single ouce of hops. when i buy recipes from the LHBS it typically has 2 ounces for very similar kits. get over it...

the oud bruin which i got from them had only an ounce which was perfect for a super low hopped beer. others i've recieved the small amount of hops just didn't cut it. i'll stick w/ my local guys. hate to say it but if you're trying to steer clear of giving your money to big companies than you should look elsewhere than NB.

I'm not taking it personally, I just find it odd that you are going by weight of hops alone. To say that 6 lb of extract overpowers a single oz of hops makes no sense....are you talking about 13% AA hops, or 3% AA hops? Are you talking about light, medium, wheat, or dark extract?

I'm just saying that it's not all about the quantity, it's about the balance.

And no, I don't work for them, and I DO believe in keeping it local. NB is 5 minutes out of my way on my way home from work :mug:.
 
prepare to buy extra hops. every recipe i've gotten from them only comes w a single ounce of hops. overall you get what you pay for.

Sounds like the styles of beer you are brewing only calling for one ounce of hops. I have ordered many kits from N.B. any many other places that come with appropriate amount of hops for the style. If you look at the kit inventory sheet and it will tell you what is in the kit.


To each their own but N.B. has done me or many others no wrong :mug:
 
I have my eye on their kriek. I'd be interested if anyone here has brewed it.


I have brewed it, it is an awesome, excellent recipe. It was one of the first beers I made that was actually impressive to myself and others. My advice is to leave it alone and in the low 60s as much as possible. Let it age 6-9 months, and you WILL be rewarded.
 
I have brewed it, it is an awesome, excellent recipe. It was one of the first beers I made that was actually impressive to myself and others. My advice is to leave it alone and in the low 60s as much as possible. Let it age 6-9 months, and you WILL be rewarded.

Great news, thanks. I will have to pick it up and let it sit through the winter months after I brew it.

I haven't bought a NB kit, but I have purchased lots of equipment from NB. They have some hard to find fittings and good prices. Their shipping has been quick and the service has been top notch.
 
I like NB as well, but has anyone brewed the winter warmer (not spiced.) I'd like to know how that turned out.
 
wow...diff recipes call for different things, but ignorance is bliss i suppose
whoa, way to take it personally buddy, do you work for NB or something? how is that statement odd? 6 lb of extract usually overpowers a single ouce of hops. when i buy recipes from the LHBS it typically has 2 ounces for very similar kits. get over it...

the oud bruin which i got from them had only an ounce which was perfect for a super low hopped beer. others i've recieved the small amount of hops just didn't cut it. i'll stick w/ my local guys. hate to say it but if you're trying to steer clear of giving your money to big companies than you should look elsewhere than NB.
 
I love NB! Their recipe kits come with the appropriate amount of hops according to style - (Comparing their kits to others like AHS and Midwest) I bought my deluxe starter kit from them to.

My NB Irish red is 10 days in the bottle and mellowing nicely. It was overly hoppy/bitter on the finish at bottling day, but the bitterness is now toned down and blending smoothly into the beer. I'll leave it be now till three weeks have past, but I couldn't resist a preview. The Irish Red comes with 2 oz of hops.

Northern Brewer's service is top-notch. I am a newbie brewer, but I have ordered plenty of things online before. NB ships stuff right now, right away, no waiting.

Just ordered a Honey Brown from them to be ready for the fall.

I also want to try some kits from AHS and Midwest, as I hear good things about them.

I actually plan to stay an extract brewer. I have other hobbies that take up time and space, and extract brewing seems a good way for me to enjoy this hobby.
Pez.
 
I love NB! Their recipe kits come with the appropriate amount of hops according to style - (Comparing their kits to others like AHS and Midwest) I bought my deluxe starter kit from them to.

My NB Irish red is 10 days in the bottle and mellowing nicely. It was overly hoppy/bitter on the finish at bottling day, but the bitterness is now toned down and blending smoothly into the beer. I'll leave it be now till three weeks have past, but I couldn't resist a preview. The Irish Red comes with 2 oz of hops.

Northern Brewer's service is top-notch. I am a newbie brewer, but I have ordered plenty of things online before. NB ships stuff right now, right away, no waiting.

Just ordered a Honey Brown from them to be ready for the fall.

I also want to try some kits from AHS and Midwest, as I hear good things about them.

I actually plan to stay an extract brewer. I have other hobbies that take up time and space, and extract brewing seems a good way for me to enjoy this hobby.
Pez.

That will change. When you find beers you can't do because it can't be done right in extract, you'll want to switch. If not for the type of beers, just for the simple fact that the beers you make are 100% customizable once you get into all-grain.

I know people who have been brewing for 20 years though and they're still doing extract. Nothing wrong with it. I think people get into all-grain because they assume it will make their beer better. But, if you can't make a good extract beer, your all-grain won't be much different.
 
That will change. When you find beers you can't do because it can't be done right in extract, you'll want to switch. If not for the type of beers, just for the simple fact that the beers you make are 100% customizable once you get into all-grain.

I know people who have been brewing for 20 years though and they're still doing extract. Nothing wrong with it. I think people get into all-grain because they assume it will make their beer better. But, if you can't make a good extract beer, your all-grain won't be much different.

I know what you are saying, but at least that's the plan.:D

I also agree with you about getting your basic skills down. I am a gun collecor and shooter. I'm amazed at the amount of people who think that buying fancy equipment/scopes/laser range finders, etc...will make them better shooters.......
 
Agreed. I actually work with a guy who claims he's a shooter. He's 5'3" and can barely lift the $6k 50cal he bought. I watched him shoot it and almost died laughing.
 
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