AHS $20 kits end April 3

[Wakadaka]

saw a topic discussing when it ended. I figure a lot of you guys got the e-mail already, but a heads up isn't going to hurt anyone

 

[Teromous]

I wish AHS would display the recipe like NB does. It would make it easier to tell what you were buying. Thanks for the heads up.

 

[Dome555]

The recipe and a review section would be nice but I suppose for twenty bucks it'll still make beer. Thanks for the post, I had either not received or disregarded the email.

 

[SD-SLIM]

AHS does have a review section...just scroll down to the bottom of the page of the beer you are looking to buy and there is a section for comments...I only know this because I purchased the Belgian Golden Ale All Grain Kit and it sucked, so I was really motivated to comment!

 

[PirateBrewer]

AHS does have a review section...just scroll down to the bottom of the page of the beer you are looking to buy and there is a section for comments...I only know this because I purchased the Belgian Golden Ale All Grain Kit and it sucked, so I was really motivated to comment!

Haha oh no! I bought the mini mash on Sunday...it hasn't arrived yet...any ideas on how you think it can be improved?

 

[Dome555]

AHS does have a review section...just scroll down to the bottom of the page of the beer you are looking to buy and there is a section for comments...I only know this because I purchased the Belgian Golden Ale All Grain Kit and it sucked, so I was really motivated to comment!

Well I'll be, there sure is. One of these days I'm going to figure this whole 'reading' thing out and then I'll be unstoppable. Not many actual comments there but certainly can't hold AHS responsible for that. Thanks for the advice on the belgian.

 

[Teromous]

Yeah, the comments section is great. I wish more people would post about the kits they get. It's especially helpful to hear from people who comment on the commercial clones, to see how close they are.

I still want a recipe .pdf or something I receive the recipe with the kits so it shouldn't be hard to put them online for viewing.

 

[PirateBrewer]

The recipe and a review section would be nice but I suppose for twenty bucks it'll still make beer. Thanks for the post, I had either not received or disregarded the email.

Totally off topic and not to get into a discussion about it but I noticed you're from Centereach...I'm originally from Holbrook and go back all the time because my family and friends are pretty much all still there!

 

[Wakadaka]

I don't think they want you to be able to just take their recipes without buying their kits.

I just ordered 2 more for 20 dollars, and i have already made 3 kits from them, which have all been good. I don't know about the 20 dollar kits because they dont have any reviews because they are a limited time thing, but i can't see them being any less tasty

What was wrong with the belgian?

 

[SD-SLIM]

Piratbrewer...I felt it was the hops and honey that didnt work together...I would switch to Willamette Hops and possibly substitute the cheap bottle of honey they send you with something you like...but in the end the first sip was great, it was just the aftertaste that prevented me from enjoying this beer.

 

[Teromous]

Yeah I understand that they don't want people taking their recipes. I wonder why NB doesn't mind and AHS does. I did notice that they do list the grains and hops in the description though, along with the OG/ABV which is nice. The continuity bothers me though, because some won't list what hops, etc. Also, I was looking at buying their $20 oktoberfest kit, but can't figure out if it's different from their other oktoberfest. The grainbill mentions that the $20 kit has 9lb base and 1lb specialty. The other one for $33 says 10.75lb base and 1lb specialty. Both of them mention an OG of 1.054 / 5.1% ABV. I would think that an extra 1.75lb of base grain would give you an extra 0.009 or so. Just some irregularities that make me question what I'm actually getting.

 

[Madman_Joe]

Sometimes I also wonder about actual versus real value. But let’s talk about value: I never purchase kits; I always craft recipes on my own, or spend time tweaking other recipes before I do them. Yet I found added value in the $20 kits, beyond the price. My LHBS is anything but local--two counties away, and due to my work, I can only get there on Saturdays. I love my LHBS, I support them, and I actively encourage others to do the same. But the convenience of having these things ready to go at my doorstep seemed like an appealing change of pace. Less planning, less driving. What if I forget something? Aaaaaaaaaaaargh! (It’s happened before, in the middle of a brew session). Instead, I'm looking forward to crushing, mashing in and boom! Wort ready to go earlier in the day on the weekend. If this works out well, they may have earned a new customer…but the flavor has to be there. I’m expecting a step above mass produced beer, but don’t expect to hit the same mark as with my own recipes.

I don’t fault AHS for wanting to keep critical elements of the recipes proprietary. If NB is open source and that works, good for them. It is an Apple versus Linux approach; both are valid models. Just remember, in some instances, knowledge is not power, but money. If you want a recipe, craft it yourself from scratch or do the research on someone else's, and tweak it to make it 'yer own. That’s what I usually do, one way or another. And that isn't what a kit is all about, IMHO.

Best,

MMJ

 

[Chris1272]

With kits always make sure you know what you are getting and the price of the ingredients if you put it together yourself. Sunday I put in an order from AHS and wanted to get ingredients for a heffe. I saw this one for 20 bucks.
http://www.austinhomebrew.com/product_info.php?cPath=178_452_638&products_id=12904
uppon looking at the ingredients there is 6 pounds of base malt(Red Wheat) 4 pounds of German Pils. and 1 ounce of hops. I already have the heffe yeast at the house. so to see how much im saving I put together the same grain bill a la carte and found that it came out to be about $1.50 cheaper if I buy the grain and not the kit. This seems to be true for a lot of all grain kits but with extract being more expensive the kits are a better deal. Just examine what you are buying and make an informed decision.

 

[CoalCracker]

Ordered a Wit recipe on Monday. Still hasn't shipped yet which is weird. Usually they are quick about it. If it doesn't ship today, they will get an email.

 

[PirateBrewer]

Ordered a Wit recipe on Monday. Still hasn't shipped yet which is weird. Usually they are quick about it. If it doesn't ship today, they will get an email.

I'm sure they are really backlogged with all of the orders they probably received because of the sale. I ordered my stuff on Saturday (3/26) and it still hasn't been shipped yet. I know I gave them a slew of new business by telling some homebrew friends about their sale.

 

[ntempleton]

I just ordered three. My girlfriend is very interested in my brewing, but wanted to start with the basics. We made an extract batch on the stove on Monday and she loved it. These 3 kits should keep her busy for awhile, and as an added bonus, she's making the beer.

 

[mrk00k]

Piratbrewer...I felt it was the hops and honey that didnt work together...I would switch to Willamette Hops and possibly substitute the cheap bottle of honey they send you with something you like...but in the end the first sip was great, it was just the aftertaste that prevented me from enjoying this beer.

Uhh, I got this kit and there was no honey in it. Maybe you're thinking of a different kit?

 

[SD-SLIM]

Yeah...I got one hell of a retraction, I mislabeled the keg...it was there honey blonde ale, didnt even think too much about it because I brewed this for my lovely assistant...today we kegged the Belgian and I realized the mistake! Sorry Everyone