Comparing brew ingredients and products - which do you prefer?

[theimp]

The first 2 beers I ever made were from the ready to go worts (festa brew) And they came out really good.

The most recent ready to go batch was a brew house wort where you add water and yeast and I can't wait to try that it even tasted good flat!

I've just finished brewing 2 coopers lager extract kits and the results so far are not very impressive, the taste is a bit off but I am going to clear and filter it and put in a keg, hopefully that will sort it out.

Now I'm reading a lot of people here who do all grain from scratch and being able to make your own recipe or make something totally different from what you can get from the store sounds excellent.

But how much works is involved? and how much more equipment or room for equipment do you need to do it?

I also wanted to know, which method do people here prefer?
Worts, Cans, or From scratch ?

And if you use Worts or Kits, which brand do you prefer?

 

[Pappers_]

Imp, for your question about all-grain brewing, take a look in the all-grain subforum here, especially in the sticky threads, you'll find a ton of info.

I'm not sure what you are referring to when you say 'ready to go worts' - I wonder if its a Canadian thing not available here in the USA? In any case, if you get a good quality extract kit, you can make very good beers with that.

 

[theimp]

Imp, for your question about all-grain brewing, take a look in the all-grain subforum here, especially in the sticky threads, you'll find a ton of info.

I'm not sure what you are referring to when you say 'ready to go worts' - I wonder if its a Canadian thing not available here in the USA? In any case, if you get a good quality extract kit, you can make very good beers with that.

Will do that for sure and see what I can find out. I've read a bit about it before and it looks like there is a lot more to learn. But that will make it more interesting I suppose.

Festa Brew for example is a 23 litre box, it is a brewers wort. Basically you buy the box, take it home, clean a fermenter out, pull off the cap and fill the fermenter then sprinkle yeast over the top. Not much work involved and quick to do.

I should have called it "brewers wort" not "ready to go wort" but it is ready to go in theory.

Do you have a brand of extract kit you prefer?

 

[makomachine]

I made great beer from extract - northern brewer, Morebeer, etc. I make great beer with all grain now. That's the great thing about this hobby - You can start simple and dive into the process and get more advanced as you learn. Some people never feel the need to go all grain and that's perfectly acceptable. I love the process and contol it gives me - plus it's magical to turn malted grain, hops, yeast, and water into beer!

I will say this - I learned a ton about the process in my extract days that have made my all grain beers better.

 

[theimp]

I made great beer from extract - northern brewer, Morebeer, etc. I make great beer with all grain now. That's the great thing about this hobby - You caN start simple and dive into the process and get more advanced as you learn. Some people never feel the need to go all grain and that's perfectly acceptable. I love the process and contol it gives me - plus it's magical to turn malted grain, hops, yeast, and water into beer!

I will say this - I learned a ton about the process in my extract days that have made my all grain beers better.

I think all grain will probably be my next step just because I like to try different beers/styles etc.

Would also like to make a batch of beer from scratch just to know all the details about what goes into it. Also want to try making some kind of fruit beer, can't really do that with kits

 

[makomachine]

I think all grain will probably be my next step just because I like to try different beers/styles etc.

Would also like to make a batch of beer from scratch just to know all the details about what goes into it. Also want to try making some kind of fruit beer, can't really do that with kits

You can definitely make a fruit beer with an extract kit - don't let that hold you back! Pick up a cream ale kit or stout kit (depending on what direction you are going with the fruit beer) and add your fruit or puree per the instructions of the recipe. Check out the fruit beers recipe section to get you some proven ideas in that area.

 

[TopherM]

theimp,

+1 to your next step being extract batches. You have not yet done any of the brewing process, just fermentation. Fermentation is a very necessary skill, but brewing is where the magic happens! Even your posts above show that you don't quite know what you are getting into when it comes to the brewing process.

Extract batches WILL allow you to try different beers/styles in a forgiving format that will produce good beer while you get the process down. And YES, you can easily make fruit beer with extract kits.

My advise would be to do at least 2-3 extract kits before you jump into all-grain. Get the brewing process to where it is automatic and robotic, and then when you do go all-grain you will enjoy it much much more and make really subperb beers.

Check out all of the varieties, clones, AND fruit beers at Austin Homebrew:

http://www.austinhomebrew.com/index.php?cPath=178_452

 

[theimp]

You can definitely make a fruit beer with an extract kit - don't let that hold you back! Pick up a cream ale kit or stout kit (depending on what direction you are going with the fruit beer) and add your fruit or puree per the instructions of the recipe. Check out the fruit beers recipe section to get you some proven ideas in that area.

Yeah that might work out nicely! I've found some beer flavourings you can get aswell. I'm still fairly new to brewing, only done about 36 gallons so far all using the easy to do kits/boxes etc.

When I have this down I might have to start looking into it more and getting more into the brewing side of things.

 

[theimp]

theimp,

+1 to your next step being extract batches. You have not yet done any of the brewing process, just fermentation. Fermentation is a very necessary skill, but brewing is where the magic happens! Even your posts above show that you don't quite know what you are getting into when it comes to the brewing process.

Extract batches WILL allow you to try different beers/styles in a forgiving format that will produce good beer while you get the process down. And YES, you can easily make fruit beer with extract kits.

My advise would be to do at least 2-3 extract kits before you jump into all-grain. Get the brewing process to where it is automatic and robotic, and then when you do go all-grain you will enjoy it much much more and make really subperb beers.

Check out all of the varieties, clones, AND fruit beers at Austin Homebrew:

http://www.austinhomebrew.com/index.php?cPath=178_452

Thanks for the tips!

You are totally right, I started with 3 or 4 wort kits, which were basically into the fermenter and add the yeast.

Lessons learnt: Cleaning (still fine tuning this every batch) And keeping the beer at the right temp while it ferments.

Then the brew house ones were adding water and getting the temps right which was a step up.

Lesson learnt: Getting the temperature perfect before adding yeast to the wort, using a combination of hot and cold to get it perfect

Then the most recent was Coopers blonde lager extract/concentrate kit

Lessons learnt: Measuring ingredients, few more cleaning tricks, getting a hot batch of ingredients back to desired temp quickly.

So it has been a process learning more things as I go. Next I am going to learn how to keg now I have a kegerator. Then maybe do a few more extract kits and move onto all grain when I'm ready.

I'm guessing everyone who gets to the all grain stage prefers this method from what everyone is saying?

 

[TopherM]

I'm guessing everyone who gets to the all grain stage prefers this method from what everyone is saying?

I am just about to keg my 3rd all-grain batch, but I didn't get into all-grain until I had 13 extract batches under my belt.

Do I perfer all-grain to extract, well sure, but that doesn't mean everyone should skip extract brewing and go straight to all-grain.

It is kinda like math in school. Would you skip straight from Algebra to Calculous? Could it be done, probably, but it is much better to first learn the FOUNDATIONS of triganomatry and geometry, which then make the advanced concepts of calculous easier to learn.

Same thing in brewing. Can you jump straight into all-grain? Sure, but then you have to learn the basic concepts and the advanced concepts all at the same time. Why not do a few extract batches, get the basic concepts down, then only have to learn the advanced concepts once you start all-grain.

That's what I'd recommend. Take it slow and easy and build on everything you learn so that you are not frustrated with having to know everything about everything on your first batch.

 

[theimp]

I am just about to keg my 3rd all-grain batch, but I didn't get into all-grain until I had 13 extract batches under my belt.

Do I perfer all-grain to extract, well sure, but that doesn't mean everyone should skip extract brewing and go straight to all-grain.

It is kinda like math in school. Would you skip straight from Algebra to Calculous? Could it be done, probably, but it is much better to first learn the FOUNDATIONS of triganomatry and geometry, which then make the advanced concepts of calculous easier to learn.

Same thing in brewing. Can you jump straight into all-grain? Sure, but then you have to learn the basic concepts and the advanced concepts all at the same time. Why not do a few extract batches, get the basic concepts down, then only have to learn the advanced concepts once you start all-grain.

That's what I'd recommend. Take it slow and easy and build on everything you learn so that you are not frustrated with having to know everything about everything on your first batch.

Good points. I've probably barely scratched the surface of the process with the kits I have used. Not going to rush into going too far too soon

 

[shuckit]

I've found the 'brew house' bags to be decent and easy but overall not that interesting flavor wise, even with the addition of crystal malts and multiple hop additions. Once I even forgot to put the little packet of ph balancer in the wort and the lack of this little pack made the beer undrinkable. After that episode I didn't feel like the 'brew house' kits were that fresh, it seemed they were best designed to sit on a shelf for a while.

Then I went to sourcing LME, it's expensive in canada, I can order from the states and get it shipped up north cheaper than buying local. Brewing with LME from scratch gives you more flexibility and it gets you more involved in the boiling process. Now I find myself stuffing as much LME, crystal malt and hops into my little brew pot(s) as I can. The extract kits from the major online brewshops in the states are a great way to go from 'brew house' bags or Coopers cans to more intensive extract brewing without a lot of error since MoreBeer and the like include every ingredient you'll need for brew day in their kits.

I've got a keg in the garage ready to get converted into a boil pot and once I find a deal on a propane burner I will be trying all grain BIAB.

 

[unionrdr]

You can mix different extracts LME or DME,with hops to make different ales. Cooper's cans included. You can go to my profile,& look up the recipe for my Sunset Gold APA. That's a good example of what I'm talking about.
I came up with a recipe to make a summer ale out of the cooper's OS lager can & a few other things for my wife to brew up. We'll see how that one goes,as it's a bit more ambitious.

 

[cmoon]

Just wanted to chime in with what everyone else is saying here. A lot of new brewers want to jump right to all-grain without realizing how many steps need to be mastered before all-grain can really be done effectively. They also don't often realize that you can make GREAT beer with extract.

The awesome part about going from extract to partial mash to all grain is that every process you learn along the way is important. I spent my first year brewing extract and made some great beers along the way.

I'll make the obvious recommendation here and suggest reading How To Brew ASAP. Should at least give you a sense of where you are and what you want to accomplish.

 

[theimp]

I've found the 'brew house' bags to be decent and easy but overall not that interesting flavor wise, even with the addition of crystal malts and multiple hop additions. Once I even forgot to put the little packet of ph balancer in the wort and the lack of this little pack made the beer undrinkable. After that episode I didn't feel like the 'brew house' kits were that fresh, it seemed they were best designed to sit on a shelf for a while.

Then I went to sourcing LME, it's expensive in canada, I can order from the states and get it shipped up north cheaper than buying local. Brewing with LME from scratch gives you more flexibility and it gets you more involved in the boiling process. Now I find myself stuffing as much LME, crystal malt and hops into my little brew pot(s) as I can. The extract kits from the major online brewshops in the states are a great way to go from 'brew house' bags or Coopers cans to more intensive extract brewing without a lot of error since MoreBeer and the like include every ingredient you'll need for brew day in their kits.

I've got a keg in the garage ready to get converted into a boil pot and once I find a deal on a propane burner I will be trying all grain BIAB.

Oh yeah I almost forgot about the PH Balancer that came with it, I made sure that was in there! It tastes real good at the moment though, it is flat being cleared in a secondary. Had a little sample from the wine thief and it tastes like a decent light beer.

More beer looks like a good shop, austin home brew don't ship to Canada from what I read. Just been bookmarking a lot of shops and sites for kits etc. Will have to compare them all.

I think I will give myself a few more tries with different concentrates/worts and then when I feel comfortable (not too far from that now) I will try a LME kit and then maybe go all grain.

I would like to make some money back on the equipment I've bought first aswell before buying more

 

[theimp]

You can mix different extracts LME or DME,with hops to make different ales. Cooper's cans included. You can go to my profile,& look up the recipe for my Sunset Gold APA. That's a good example of what I'm talking about.
I came up with a recipe to make a summer ale out of the cooper's OS lager can & a few other things for my wife to brew up. We'll see how that one goes,as it's a bit more ambitious.

That sounds good, I do like the idea of mixing/tweaking things a bit to get the perfect flavour. Will have a look at your recipe and see what you done for sure.

Just wanted to chime in with what everyone else is saying here. A lot of new brewers want to jump right to all-grain without realizing how many steps need to be mastered before all-grain can really be done effectively. They also don't often realize that you can make GREAT beer with extract.

The awesome part about going from extract to partial mash to all grain is that every process you learn along the way is important. I spent my first year brewing extract and made some great beers along the way.

I'll make the obvious recommendation here and suggest reading How To Brew ASAP. Should at least give you a sense of where you are and what you want to accomplish.

Thanks for the tips! I'm not going to rush anything, I already learnt from my first batch that being patient and not rushing and doing the research is a big part of the process.

I'm not even at a year doing it yet I don't think. I'm just wondering what methods and products people prefer. Or even which company they prefer for buying their stuff from.

 

[unionrdr]

I've ordered from Amazon & Midwest with fantastic results! They both use Fed-Ex,they're on time or early by a day or two on average,ime.
Good quality stuff,& fresh ingredients too. You'll like dealing with them. I got my German crystal & pewter steins on amazon as well. The pic is in my gallery.

 

[theimp]

I've ordered from Amazon & Midwest with fantastic results! They both use Fed-Ex,they're on time or early by a day or two on average,ime.
Good quality stuff,& fresh ingredients too. You'll like dealing with them. I got my German crystal & pewter steins on amazon as well. The pic is in my gallery.

Amazon is out for me unfortunately, they only have Coopers kits and a couple extracts for Canada, may aswell get them from the brew store and save on shipping.

No ingredients or anything like that on there.

Wish they would ship everything on amazon.com to Canada

 

[unionrdr]

Did you look at Midwest supplies? they're in Minnesota.

 

[theimp]

Did you look at Midwest supplies? they're in Minnesota.

Looks like they do! Thanks for the suggestion. My bookmarks are getting full pretty quickly lol

EDIT that, they use some special service for shipping to Canada, might work ok though.

 

[unionrdr]

I'm glad I finally found one! I figured they should,since they can just cross the lake,or truck around the side,since they're pretty close. Good stuff at good prices,& Fed-Ex to boot. Should be good for you.

 

[shuckit]

Wish they would ship everything on amazon.com to Canada

Slightly Off Topic: Don't get me started on shipping & Canada.

I travel to the States frequently and if I've planned ahead I will have something shipped to my destination and then bring it over the boarder in my bag. I always wonder what goes through the TSA agent's mind when they open my bag to find 12lbs of dry LME in plastic bags. Let's just say they test it before sending my bag along.

Back on Topic: If you are feeling up for it, try steeping some crystal malts in your brewpot before starting your 'brew bag' boil. That can add some depth to the wort.