Nice surprise in a kit

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SteveM

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I have not really used kits much in a few years. Most of my brewing is done more or less the way your grandmother did her cooking and baking: I go into my LHBS, look over what he was, pick up some of this and some of that and make up my batch when I get home. I've done things this way for so long and for so many batches that it always works for me.

However, this time around, the pickings were slim for hops (surprise). No Amarillo, only a little Cascade and Centennial, some other odds and ends. I figured, let me try a kit out and see what that brings me. I picked up a California Imperial Pale Ale kit from the shelf and asked what hops it came with. We opened it up and it had FOUR full ounces of Columbus. Whoa!

This will work out nicely for me. I've heard of some hops substitutions in kits so this was an unexpected and pleasant surprise. Those who have not used kits in a while might want to think about this option.
 
Until recently buying extract kits from the LHBS was a good way to save money on hops, some of the kits that were already put together were only $25 and would have 5 or 6 oz of hops and 2 cans of extract. So totally worth it as they were using prices pre hop increase when putting the things together, the only problem I could think of was, how long have these been sitting if this stuff is this cheap?

Anyway a month or two ago the LHBS got an increase in price from the suppliers and passed the cost on to us consumers.
 
I completely agree with kit pricing. After individually pricing out LME,Steeping grains,Yeast and hops i can save on average 10$ by purchasing the kit vs. assembling my own. I also noticed my LHBS has a much faster turn over of kits then they do of LME cans(very dusty).
 
I completely agree with kit pricing. After individually pricing out LME,Steeping grains,Yeast and hops i can save on average 10$ by purchasing the kit vs. assembling my own. I also noticed my LHBS has a much faster turn over of kits then they do of LME cans(very dusty).

Not to knock LHBS but I have yet to find one near me that can match the prices I get from some of the online places. And thats with shipping! I have fallen for Austin Homebrew as of late, but Northern has never done me wrong either. But anyhow, yes the kits seem to save you money in any event!:rockin:
 
Not to knock LHBS but I have yet to find one near me that can match the prices I get from some of the online places. And thats with shipping! I have fallen for Austin Homebrew as of late, but Northern has never done me wrong either. But anyhow, yes the kits seem to save you money in any event!:rockin:

I have the opposite experience. My LHBS hop prices are a couple bucks better than Northern Brewer, and because of that, I buy all my malt from them too. (Malt prices are only slightly higher then Northern Brewer)

Sometimes I really love where I live.
 
I have done that kit, its very awesome, cept i did it with 4 ounces of chinooks, which seem to be substituted by the columbus (got the kit back in November). it came out just like arrogant bastard, to the T. I have now let it age for about 5 months and the hop bite has subsided substantially, and its turning very smooth, a nice kit.
 
Hey, as SteveCaaster observed, this was not about the cost of the kits (a nice digression, thank you), it was about the hops in it. There is about zero chance of seeing four ounces of Columbus (or Chinook) in my LHBS until fall.
 
I have the opposite experience. My LHBS hop prices are a couple bucks better than Northern Brewer, and because of that, I buy all my malt from them too. (Malt prices are only slightly higher then Northern Brewer)

Sometimes I really love where I live.

What HBS do you go to in the Waltham vicinity? I've been to the one in Woburn and doubt I'll go back as the staff seem disinterested in helping customers. The one in Cambridge is OK, though not the most convenient location, Cambridge was not designed for cars to actually get to or from it.
 
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