Ordering Recipe Kits

I wanted to order a recipe kit from AustinHomeBrew and when I went to do so it has all of these extras such as: additional yeast, an ice pack, yeast fuel, an alcohol boost, and priming sugar. I can guess as to what the alcohol boost does. They recommend a certain yeast for this, is it going to be worth the extra $6? Would I want the extract or the mini mash as this will be my first brew attempt, I guess I would want the mini mash correct? Just wondering. Thanks guys.

Exactly what he said- except I never get the yeast fuel. I get the kit, dry yeast (unless I especially have a particular reason to pick the liquid), and I would recommend picking the extract option. The extract option DOES come with steeping grains. The PM version is not impossible for you to do, but it adds more steps, more temperatures, more equipment, etc.

Right now, you can learn the process easier by doing the extract method. They have very clear step by step instructions and you'll find it will get easier and easier. Then, step up to PM. The PM kit I got from them was still only a partial boil, though, not a full boil.

Lorena

Exactly what she said - except I never get the dry yeast. Basically it all comes down to personal preference I guess. I like the liquid yeast because I get quicker start times (I'm lazy, I don't make starters), and because I gave often heard that your beer is more consistent with the liquid yeast. I don't have enough experience to back that up, just going with what I've ready here.

What type of recipe are you brewing? depending on the type of beer, a general purpose dry yeast such as nottingham or safale us-56 may be just as good, cheaper, and easier to use than liquid.

I just saw in your other post that you are brewing a fat tire clone and the liquid yeast option is white labs wlp001. this is the same strain of yeast as safale us -56 (also refered to as Chico ale yeast), so there should be no difference between the results with either one. personally, I stopped using liquid yeasts becuase I find dry yeasts to work well for my purposes and I find them to be easier to use. If you start getting into brewing some different styles of beers (for example belgium ales) you might need a specific strain of yeast that is not available in dry form, and that is when you would really need a liquid yeast.

Thanks for all the help!

For a first time brewer I would recommend the dry yeast option, it's just easier when you're starting out. After a few brews, try a liquid yeast and see if it makes a difference for you.

I always get the ice pack, but only because it takes about a week for AHS packages to get to me since I'm in NE. I've never gotten the yeast fuel or alcohol boost.

Wolf said:

Exactly what she said - except I never get the dry yeast. Basically it all comes down to personal preference I guess. I like the liquid yeast because I get quicker start times (I'm lazy, I don't make starters), and because I gave often heard that your beer is more consistent with the liquid yeast. I don't have enough experience to back that up, just going with what I've ready here.

Click to expand...

Others.. please chime in if I'm wrong but I think Wolf has it backwards. Dry yeast comes with multiples-more yeast cells than you'd get in any liquid yeast and therefore it will reduce lag time. In fact, with liquid yeast I believe it almost requires you to make a starter. Dry yeast really only needs a starter if your OG is way high.

I've always used dry yeast with no starter and get lag times of less than 10 hours. What is your typical lag using a non-startered liquid?

I order a lot of kits from AHS. I always order the mini-mash kit and those include steeping grains. Steeping grains is fairly simple. From there website:

Choose Extract for the most common method of home brewing. Mini-Mash requires additional steeping time and requires a grain bag (not included, but comes with the AHS Equipement kits or available in our online catalog). All grain brewing method requires additional equipment to convert the grains to fermentable sugars & techniques available in most brewing books.

Are you sure that the extract kit also include steeping grains?

Bobby_M said:

Others.. please chime in if I'm wrong but I think Wolf has it backwards. Dry yeast comes with multiples-more yeast cells than you'd get in any liquid yeast and therefore it will reduce lag time. In fact, with liquid yeast I believe it almost requires you to make a starter. Dry yeast really only needs a starter if your OG is way high.

I've always used dry yeast with no starter and get lag times of less than 10 hours. What is your typical lag using a non-startered liquid?

Click to expand...

I've used mostly dry and have good fermentation starts; usually some bubbles with ten or twelve hours, full activity within 24. You're right in that a packet of dry yeast has a lot more yeast cells in it than a vial or a smack-pack, something that it took a while for me to understand. I prefer dry for simplicity and cost, and yeasts like Nottingham and Safale US-56 work very cleanly. Liquid yeast has more value, IMHO, when the yeast profile becomes a key element of the beer; so far, all my beers have been pretty yeast-neutral by design.

Drunk Monkey said:

I order a lot of kits from AHS. I always order the mini-mash kit and those include steeping grains. Steeping grains is fairly simple. From there website:

Choose Extract for the most common method of home brewing. Mini-Mash requires additional steeping time and requires a grain bag (not included, but comes with the AHS Equipement kits or available in our online catalog). All grain brewing method requires additional equipment to convert the grains to fermentable sugars & techniques available in most brewing books.

Are you sure that the extract kit also include steeping grains?

Click to expand...

Yes, indeed it does. The mini-mash comes with grains, too, but there is 2-row in there and the grain and the 2-row are mashed. The extract comes with steeping grains. In fact, the Fat Tire kit comes with biscuit malt, crystal, victory malt, and munich malt and instructions say to steep in 2.5 gallons of water at 155 for 15 minutes. The Pete's Wicked Ale mini-mash (I didn't order a PM in Fat Tire, so this is just to compare) comes with vienna malt, crystal, chocolate and 2-row. And it's mashed (steeped) for 45 minutes. The instructions do note to strictly maintian the temperature for the mini-mash. Not much difference, true. But for simplicity's sake, the extract kits are a bit easier for the first time. I did get a bit of starch haze when I did the PM, as I did not maintain the temperature well at all. (I since bought an Igloo cooler MLT).

Any extract kit I've ever used has come with steeping grains. Brewer's Best kits, and the kits from AHS.

Lorena

Good to know, thanks. Just ordered 3 kits from them yesterday, all mini-mashes though.

Once I have the yeast, should I store it in my fridge until I use it?

Yes, that's the best way to store it.

Lorena