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BrewProject

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I am a beginner and have my first brew fermenting now.

I used a John Bull American Beer to start. Just an all-in-one can, yeast even included.

Now I've been reading some and see that some of you experts do all your ingredients separately and some even go to more extremes with the whole mash thing and saving/washing your yeast (concepts i do not totally grasp at this point, but someday i will)

in the meantime, i plan on a few more brews using a kit. might try adding some jalepeno's or flavored extract to the secondary, etc..., but thats it for now.

however, looking at the AustinHomeBrew site i see they have their own extract kits for beers such as Shiner Bock, New Castle and Killians Irish Red.

what type kits are these? are they all inclusive? just boil and add to the primary? does the yeast come with it? or do you choose the yeast from their page on these kits?

here's an example:
http://www.austinhomebrew.com/product_info.php?cPath=178_21_46_43_257&products_id=1118

thanks
 
You will have to select the yeast that you want to use. But if you are very far from there you should go with the dry yeast with the heat an ice pack for the liquid yeast may or may not keep the yeast cool.
 
highwayman said:
You will have to select the yeast that you want to use. But if you are very far from there you should go with the dry yeast with the heat an ice pack for the liquid yeast may or may not keep the yeast cool.
Click to expand...

i'm in DFW, so not too far.

i can do the dry yeast for now, until i get more advanced.

is the beer kit liquid or dry? do i just boil it and then ferment?
 
They are 'all-inclusive', but different in that:

1. They add specialty grains, which require you to use a grain bag or a strainer (or a length of nylon stocking!) to do a 'mini-mash'. It adds a bit of extra time to your brew session, but it is not hard to do and will add more flavor to your brew. Plus, with that extra time, you can open and drink another brew!:cross: They're sure to include just how to do this in their directions. If not, there's plenty of info right here on the Forum. Just ask or do a search!:)

2. They usually include dry yeast, but offer your choice of liquid yeast - in case you want to 'kick it up a notch'. Eventually, you'll probably want to graduate to a liquid yeast. Again, it adds variety and differences to the flavor of your brew.

The other items aren't needed, IMHO. Okay, maybe the ice pack if you order liquid yeast and if you live far away from A.H.B. and if you're experiencing extremely hot (90oF +) weather!
 
Quibble, but not technically a "mini-mash," is it? It's just steeping, there's no mashing (starch conversion) going on. Or am I still a noobie tool?
 
Rhoobarb said:
They are 'all-inclusive', but different in that:

1. They add specialty grains, which require you to use a grain bag or a strainer (or a length of nylon stocking!) to do a 'mini-mash'. It adds a bit of extra time to your brew session, but it is not hard to do and will add more flavor to your brew. Plus, with that extra time, you can open and drink another brew!:cross: They're sure to include just how to do this in their directions. If not, there's plenty of info right here on the Forum. Just ask or do a search!:)

2. They usually include dry yeast, but offer your choice of liquid yeast - in case you want to 'kick it up a notch'. Eventually, you'll probably want to graduate to a liquid yeast. Again, it adds variety and differences to the flavor of your brew.

The other items aren't needed, IMHO. Okay, maybe the ice pack if you order liquid yeast and if you live far away from A.H.B. and if you're experiencing extremely hot (90oF +) weather!
Click to expand...

thanks for the input Rhoobarb, i will probably order one in the near future.

might have more questions for you guys too... :confused:
 
the_bird said:
Quibble, but not technically a "mini-mash," is it? It's just steeping, there's no mashing (starch conversion) going on. Or am I still a noobie tool?
Click to expand...

True. But the 'act' or step is similar, so it gets that tag by a lot of people.:)
 
so these kits just require a steep (or soaking) rather than the whole mash thing that i don't totally understand yet, correct?
 
The trick with steeping, as outlined by my Local Home Brew Store guy, is toss them in a bag/stocking and put them in 1-2 gallons of water preheated to 150 degrees. Just keep the temp there for 15-20ish min. Then dump the water into your brew pot. Maybe rinse the grains again and dump that water into the brewpot. All you are doing is making a tea so to speak. You just want the grains to get wet enough and hot enough to pull the flavor out of them. :D If you go too hot tho you will start pulling undesired flavors out though. Tannins. It's the flavor of the husk of the grains not the grains themselves. Don't stress tho, with a small amount of grains you won't get many tannins if you boil the crap out of them anyhow, at least not enough to ruin a beer. You might not even taste them at all :) It's just a good habit to get into in case you are interested in eventually doing a mini mash or maybe even going all grain. ;)
 
You sound pretty uninformed. No offense, we all start there. Anyway, you should do some helpful and interesting reading before you do anything else. Pick up How to Brew or The Joy of Homebrewing or read www.howtobrew.com. This will be more efficient than asking everything here, and then you can ask more specific questions.
 
I must agree on doing a little book reading. Palmer's "How to Brew" is one of the best designed and most clearly written books on the subject. The first chapter will get you started with extracts, not just how, but why. I ran across his book after 5 years of brewing and found it very useful.

There is nothing better than a good read to help you figure out what questions to ask.

And Austinhomebrew's clone kits are not only complete, they are amazingly on target.
 
They are also great to work with. All the LME comes in a handy plastic bucket for easy dumping, and the specialty grains come in a presealed grain bag ready to toss in the pot.
 
I have read the initial chapters of Palmers book. Obviously I have more to learn.

I was really just trying to find out about the AHB kits...

thanks
 
I've ordered a few kits from AHS. Great supplier.

The basic "extract" kit comes with hops, LME and steeping grains. Don't worry about trying to find a bag for the grains as they supply one (hell, they even ship the grains IN the bag). Some kits don't have the specialty steeping grains (like their Texas Blonde), but most do. You have to select what sort of yeast you want as they offer White Labs and Wyeast liquid yeasts and a full assortment of dried yeast.

Directions will tell you everything you need to know.

I've brewed, or helped a friend brew, their American Wheat, Double IPA, Cannoball Stout and Texas Blonde kits. The Double IPA is complicated (for an extract recipe) with 8 oz's of hops and different addition timing. However, it's nothing that a noob like me and you can't handle.
 
Fatabbot said:
I've ordered a few kits from AHS. Great supplier.

The basic "extract" kit comes with hops, LME and steeping grains. Don't worry about trying to find a bag for the grains as they supply one (hell, they even ship the grains IN the bag). Some kits don't have the specialty steeping grains (like their Texas Blonde), but most do. You have to select what sort of yeast you want as they offer White Labs and Wyeast liquid yeasts and a full assortment of dried yeast.

Directions will tell you everything you need to know.

I've brewed, or helped a friend brew, their American Wheat, Double IPA, Cannoball Stout and Texas Blonde kits. The Double IPA is complicated (for an extract recipe) with 8 oz's of hops and different addition timing. However, it's nothing that a noob like me and you can't handle.
Click to expand...

cool, thanks man. that's exactly the information i was seeking.. :mug:
 
I'm very happy with AHS and their kits. I have a Fat Tire Clone ready to bottle, and it tasted GREAT in the primary! I'm going to bottle it from secondary some time this week. The directions are crystal clear, they answer questions by phone if you have a problem (my problem was just my own stupidity) and the kits taste great.

Some kits have dry malt extract and liquid malt extract, depending on recipe. It's all set for you, with directions, so don't worry about that. The steeping grains are in the bag, as someone else mentioned. For a first (or 30th) time, it's a great place to start.

good luck, and welcome to the most addicting hobby in the world.

Lorena
 
lorenae said:
I'm very happy with AHS and their kits. I have a Fat Tire Clone ready to bottle, and it tasted GREAT in the primary! I'm going to bottle it from secondary some time this week. The directions are crystal clear, they answer questions by phone if you have a problem (my problem was just my own stupidity) and the kits taste great.

Some kits have dry malt extract and liquid malt extract, depending on recipe. It's all set for you, with directions, so don't worry about that. The steeping grains are in the bag, as someone else mentioned. For a first (or 30th) time, it's a great place to start.

good luck, and welcome to the most addicting hobby in the world.

Lorena
Click to expand...

thanks Lorena for the comments and the welcome...
 

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