Austin Homebrew

I was looking at the "our versions of commercial beers" section at Austin Homebrew, and I ran across a few that I was interested in. My questions are:

1) Am i taking an expensive and unnecessary shortcut by ordering one of their packages?

2) Is there a way to see what exactly is included in the package? They list generic info like "1 lbs. Specialty Grains", and they don't list any info on the hops.

3) I am leaning towards their malt extract Stone IPA clone. Has anyone tried it? Results?

Thanks in advance.

here's my thoughts...

1) no, AHS makes good products

2) you'll get the exact ingredients when you order it

3) very good IPA and a very nice copy of the original.

hope that helps

I believe you can email for exact ingredients if you're curious on specifics for one. AHS just has accumulated a lot of recipes and doesn't want to just post them all for any other store to duplicate. I've uniformly heard good things about them, though, and they seem to be cheaper than buying the components separately. I've ordered a couple, but the first one is still bottle conditioning. Tasted good in samples, though.

I have brewed one of their clones (Shiner Bock) and it turned out great. You probably pay a bit more by purchasing the kit vs. buying the ingredients seperately. However, I think it is relatively small and I consider it payment for their service and recipe. You only need to buy it once and then you'll have the recipe.

I have never been disappointed with one of their clone kits. For the beers I can make direct comparisons, they are spot on. The prices are about the same as building a kit yourself, unless you are buying in bulk.

Check this out:
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f36/stone-ipa-clone-comparison-you-pick-real-one-33213/

The clone Ed made was from AHS. It is a long thread, but I think the conclusion was that it is a very good clone.

BKmyWAY said:

I was looking at the "our versions of commercial beers" section at Austin Homebrew, and I ran across a few that I was interested in. My questions are:

1) Am i taking an expensive and unnecessary shortcut by ordering one of their packages?

2) Is there a way to see what exactly is included in the package? They list generic info like "1 lbs. Specialty Grains", and they don't list any info on the hops.

3) I am leaning towards their malt extract Stone IPA clone. Has anyone tried it? Results?

Thanks in advance.

Click to expand...

We base the price by the ingredients. It is not more expensive to order the kit.

When the kit arrives you will be able to see exactly what is included. We don't hide the recipe from you like some stores. The recipe sheet has the recipe and the ingredients are clearly labeled.

The Stone IPA kit is extremely popular. It is right on target.

Forrest
Austin Homebrew Supply

I have never made a kit from AHS that wasn't a great beer. As Forrest said above, the price is the based by the ingredients, so the price is fine. The clones that I have done are spot on as well. The other kits taste great too!

Anyone try the cream ale kit? I am trying to decide whether to do that next or Edwort's Pale Ale.

Sold....I just thought I would do some pseudo homework before buying.

Thanks!

I've brewed several BECKS clones and a DUVEL clone. I think the BECKS clone is a tad sweeter (to me) but just the way I like it. The DUVEL clone is right on the target and tastes great out of the keg (I even spent another 8 bucks on a bottle to compare). The ingredient bill is not any cheaper buying individually from them.

These clone kits are great platforms for experimentation. Let's face it, when you buy beer from the store, you are compromizing on someone else's formulation. If you think about it, there is something in the taste you'd change. That's why there are so many variations of beer available to buy. What other beverage (or food product for that matter) has as many different 'mutations' offered for sale.

Now there's a topic for discussion.

There's a section on AHS to look at the kit reviews. Took me about 6 months before I noticed it on the site. I encourage everyone to write reviews as they make them. Makes my decision easier!

Richie said:

Anyone try the cream ale kit? I am trying to decide whether to do that next or Edwort's Pale Ale.

Click to expand...

I have not tried the cream ale kit yet. However if you are referring to Ed's haus pale ale that is a excellent beer. I and my SWMBO can not keep out of it. I need to get it brew again soon!

As I said. READ THE COMMENTS!!! It saves a lot of time.

For example, comments on Cream Ale:

Comment on Wednesday 15 April, 2009
Cream ale has been a favorite of mine ever since my early days with Cooper's kits. This batch was my first foray into kegging. It took a bit to carbonate but once I had it down it was a great beer. Cream Ale always seems easy to go down easy for those new to homebrews. My parents came to visit right after I tapped it and I couldn't keep my father away from the keg. Friends all gave it high marks too. It is excellent as a daily drink; flavorful but not overpowering by any stretch. The hops are well balanced with the body of the beer. I'll be filling another keg with this soon. There is nothing like coming home from work and pouring a pint into a frosty mug on the way in from the garage.
Comment on Monday 08 December, 2008
One of the best beers I've made yet. The creamy aftertaste was great! I will be brewing this one more often.
Comment on Friday 03 October, 2008
I brewed this for my wife, thinking that I wouldn't like it much since I'm a hophead. My wife loved it, I loved it, everyone who tasted it loved it, and it was gone in a week! This is a simple crowd pleaser that I will be making more of.
Comment on Sunday 21 October, 2007
Awesome! I added 2 tablespoons of vanilla when I kegged it. Great flavor and the subtle vanilla after-taste is outstanding. Non-beer drinkers were asking for more; so it didn't last long. :-(
Comment on Tuesday 18 September, 2007
Having drank the Morebeer version, lightly malted, this one overwhelmed me with its full body.
Comment on
A nice easy to drink beer. This would be a good one to serve to first time homebrew drinkers.

mosquitocontrol said:

There's a section on AHS to look at the kit reviews. Took me about 6 months before I noticed it on the site. I encourage everyone to write reviews as they make them. Makes my decision easier!

Click to expand...

For many beers, there aren't many comments, and it makes me wonder whether the reviews are representative. So yeah, it would be nice if they were written more often.

My real peeve though is when someone posts a comment too soon. I've even see a few "I haven't bottled it yet, but it tastes good in the fermenter." Ugh.

Yes, I feel your pain. That's why once I found that section I've tried to make it a point to post reviews on kits I've gotten. I encourage more people to do so!

mosquitocontrol said:

There's a section on AHS to look at the kit reviews. Took me about 6 months before I noticed it on the site. I encourage everyone to write reviews as they make them. Makes my decision easier!

Click to expand...

I just found this section, thanks for the heads up.

3rd beer I ever made was the AHS partial mash clone of Stone IPA and it was very close. I've been meaning to make the AG version. Thanks for reminding me

I'd highly recommend their kits, I've always been impressed.