Zwan05
Active Member
so ive done my first brew and im looking into what to do next. I want to do a fruity beer. only being my second brew it needs to be an extract kit. any suggestions? all i know of are coopers kits.
different extract kits
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I would recommend looking at the following sites for a kit that meets your needs:
http://www.austinhomebrew.com/
http://www.midwestsupplies.com/
http://www.northernbrewer.com/
Almost everyone on this site has ordered from one or more of the companies including their kits and has had great success. I believe Austin has the largest selection and has a ton of clone recipes for extract brewers. I love IPAs so I have not ventured into fruity beers, but I am sure others have. If you see one the looks interesting, try searching for it on this site, you may find some reviews.
Good luck and let us know what you went with and how it turned out.
http://www.austinhomebrew.com/
http://www.midwestsupplies.com/
http://www.northernbrewer.com/
Almost everyone on this site has ordered from one or more of the companies including their kits and has had great success. I believe Austin has the largest selection and has a ton of clone recipes for extract brewers. I love IPAs so I have not ventured into fruity beers, but I am sure others have. If you see one the looks interesting, try searching for it on this site, you may find some reviews.
Good luck and let us know what you went with and how it turned out.
Zwan05
Active Member
ok so if i go with austin which sounds awesome with all their clone kits would itbe the same as making a coopers kit? whats mini mash? there are all these extra add ons i have no idea what they are ha
Austin Homebrew carries canned kits like Coopers, but their clone kits come in extract, mini-mash (partial mash) and all grain. With the extract kit, you'll have to steep the specialty grains before adding the extract to water. Instructions are included in the kit. Mini-mash requires mashing a portion of the fermentables. I've never done this so I don't know how detailed the instructions are but if they're anything like the AG's which I've done, then you'll need to have a little bit of knowledge of how to mash and sparge.
BigB
Well-Known Member
The mini mashes are very similar to the steeping process. In fact, some people use the terms interchangeably... but I'm not going to go down the technical road. I would strongly suggest you get one of those extract kits from those sites. The instructions are very detailed and you will learn quite a bit in the process. Those extract kits will almost assuredly come with specialty grains which will give your beer better body and depth of flavor. Try it... It takes slightly longer but is easy and is a lot of fun!
EDIT: Besides, if you have any questions about it when you get the kit... Anyone here will be happy to help. I would just stay away from all grain for now... get your bearings first.
EDIT: Besides, if you have any questions about it when you get the kit... Anyone here will be happy to help. I would just stay away from all grain for now... get your bearings first.
For your second one, definitely go extract. You will have several options when you choose the one you want. I will try to help with the options, but I am sure others will chime in.
For kit option select extract.
For yeast option, you can select the dry option if you want to save some money or the liquid if you want to splurge. If you are going with a fruity beer, I would recommend the dry option - the flavors imparted by a liquid yeast would most likely be masked by the fruit flavor.
For yeast fuel, this is an additive the promotes yeast growth. You are OK select No
Cold Pack - no regardless of what you choose for the yeast.
Priming sugar - yes, you will need this for bottling
Alcohol boost - this is up to you if you want a stronger beer get it.
Caps - yes if you need them
You don't need to anything additional. Everything would be in the kit.
For kit option select extract.
For yeast option, you can select the dry option if you want to save some money or the liquid if you want to splurge. If you are going with a fruity beer, I would recommend the dry option - the flavors imparted by a liquid yeast would most likely be masked by the fruit flavor.
For yeast fuel, this is an additive the promotes yeast growth. You are OK select No
Cold Pack - no regardless of what you choose for the yeast.
Priming sugar - yes, you will need this for bottling
Alcohol boost - this is up to you if you want a stronger beer get it.
Caps - yes if you need them
You don't need to anything additional. Everything would be in the kit.
homebrewer_99
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You didn't mention what your first brew was.
Did it come out good? If it was a lighter beer, versus a stout, why not just brew it again and add fruit to it?
By brewing the same beer twice in a row you can "prove out" your process. Besides, you should make sure you have a good beer to add fruit to...
Did it come out good? If it was a lighter beer, versus a stout, why not just brew it again and add fruit to it?
By brewing the same beer twice in a row you can "prove out" your process. Besides, you should make sure you have a good beer to add fruit to...
I'm a newb at this. My first one was an extract kit from homebrewers.com. I plan on doing extracts till I gain some more knowledge before I step up to AG..
The kits do come with great instructions for the actual brew...for fermentation, bottling, conditiong etc..I would highly recommend taking advice from the guys on here above the quick fix instructions.
good luck!
The kits do come with great instructions for the actual brew...for fermentation, bottling, conditiong etc..I would highly recommend taking advice from the guys on here above the quick fix instructions.
good luck!
Zwan05
Active Member
my first brew was a coopers Australian pale ale. still bottled waiting on carbonation. i figure in the mean time why not get another one going. ive decided to go with AHS peace ale or peach wheat. Which should i go with? Also regardless or what i chose i saw under their pumpkin ale people just throw in fruit while boiling? is this the best time to put extra fruit in or what?
With it being only your second brew i would recomend something like thishttp://www.northernbrewer.com/brewing/brewing-ingredients/flavorings/beer-fruit/raspberry-natural-extract.html if you want to do a fruit beer instead of adding friut to the secondary, you can add this to taste at bottling and would be easier untill you develop your process.
Well, me too! But some people love wheat beers with fruit, so you could choose whichever sounds good to you.
The austinhomebrew kits come with great instructions, so you can feel confident that you are choosing something in your ability. You'll need a big pot, like you'd use for a big pot of soup or spaghetti, and some way to sanitize all of your equipment. Otherwise, every thing you need will be in the kit.
