'Flash Brewing'? This looks interesting!

[mac_1103]

But isn't all dry malt extract boiled (and whirlpooled?) and then dried?

I don't think so:
"...malt extracts are produced in a 500-bbl state-of-the-art brewhouse, the second largest in Wisconsin. After lautering, the wort is gently vacuum evaporated to maintain its rich, full flavor and lessen color development..."
Briess CBW

 

[CascadesBrewer]

I don't think so:
"...malt extracts are produced in a 500-bbl state-of-the-art brewhouse, the second largest in Wisconsin. After lautering, the wort is gently vacuum evaporated to maintain its rich, full flavor and lessen color development..."
Briess CBW

Hmmm....they also say:

Briess CBW® malt extracts get all of their color and flavor from base and specialty malts, never through additional boiling.

It seems odd that MoreBeer could have batches of a custom wort created for each recipe then have it dried and still sell it for a reasonable price. Maybe they plan to do enough volume to make this work though.

 

[mac_1103]

It seems odd that MoreBeer could have batches of a custom wort created for each recipe then have it dried and still sell it for a reasonable price.

I don't know. Williams introduced their own line of (partially) pre-boild LME a little while back. The selling point being that you can do a 30 minute boil instead of 60. Eight style-specific varieties. Maybe custom malt extract production isn't as expensive as we might assume?

 

[Jmspears]

Saw it. I think it is a net positive for the hobby because it makes brewing more accessible but it’s definitely not for me. I love the process too much.

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

FWIW, MoreBeer's site shows "out of stock" for two (FBKIT1005, FBKIT1010) of the kits this morning.

 

[Somesaymybeerisdrinkable]

The one downside for me is the time of year I would want to use one of these kits is also a time I would worry about the heat these would be exposed to during shipping.

 

[Kris.J]

The one downside for me is the time of year I would want to use one of these kits is also a time I would worry about the heat these would be exposed to during shipping.

Why is that? Yeast is dry in these kits, and hops will be ok in the box for a couple few days.

Even with liquid yeast that's been really abused, it might not be as bad as we fear:
https://brulosophy.com/2020/09/07/i...rature-has-on-double-ipa-exbeeriment-results/

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

The one downside for me is the time of year I would want to use one of these kits is also a time I would worry about the heat these would be exposed to during shipping.

My experience, over 5+ years of ordering/brewing in the summer, is that dry yeast, hop pellets, and DME ship fine in the summer.

Are you concerned about the "hop shot" bittering product? If so, maybe check with MoreBeer directly? They did spend a number of years in R&D for these kits.

 

[Kris.J]

Saw it. I think it is a net positive for the hobby because it makes brewing more accessible but it’s definitely not for me. I love the process too much.

I love the process too - however I have an annual lakeside guys' weekend coming up 2 August, I've promised to bring a fresh 5 gallon keg of something, and I've been getting my ass kicked at work!

The 'I Heart IPA' Flash Brewing kit will arrive Tuesday & I will let 'er rip that evening after work. Should be a great test - all my buddies are Bell's fans too.

 

[agentbud]

Saw it. I think it is a net positive for the hobby because it makes brewing more accessible but it’s definitely not for me. I love the process too much.

Me too! I can see the positive side for some, but for me I'd miss hanging out around the brew kettle for a few hours with friends and some cold ones.

 

[Bassman2003]

Let us know what you think of the finished beer!

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

Did Bell's discontinue (again) selling kits at their online general store? They used to sell "select hops" as well (which they stated were the same hops that they used for brewing 2-H). I brewed a number of times with Centennial "Select Hops" - it made a difference. And cryo hops will have a slightly different flavor profile as well.

I would anticipate that the MoreBeer kit will taste like a Centennial single hop IPA (there are a number of craft examples available). I doubt it will taste 'the same as' 2-H.

The 'I Heart IPA' Flash Brewing kit will arrive Tuesday & I will let 'er rip that evening after work. Should be a great test - all my buddies are Bell's fans too.

It's well known that DME-based 'clone' recipes can come close, but are generally 'not the same as' the all grain equivalent.

This kit is not an attempt at a 'clone' recipe.

Brewed properly, the kit will likely make a good Centennial "Single Hop" IPA.

eta: And one more thing. Having enjoyed a Bell's 2-H over the years, I find it has a slightly different flavor has it ages in the bottle. A 1 month old bottle is not the same as a 3 month old bottle. Both are enjoyable. Which one is "better" is a likely personal choice.

 

[Somesaymybeerisdrinkable]

Why is that? Yeast is dry in these kits, and hops will be ok in the box for a couple few days.

Even with liquid yeast that's been really abused, it might not be as bad as we fear:

Are you concerned about the "hop shot" bittering product? If so, maybe check with MoreBeer directly? They did spend a number of years in R&D for these kits.

It would probably be fine but with the temperatures we had in Texas last year I could imagine the package sitting in the back of a 150° truck for more than a day. Even otherwise stable ingredients will degrade when exposed to high temperatures for long periods.

Again it probably is not a big concern but if the beer turns out bad shipping conditions could be a factor.

 

[mac_1103]

It's well known that DME-based 'clone' recipes can come close, but are generally 'not the same as' the all grain equivalent.

This kit is not an attempt at a 'clone' recipe.

Brewed properly, the kit will likely make a good Centennial "Single Hop" IPA.

I just wonder if the flash kit is a good "clone" of the conventional DME kit. Just noticed that the estimated ABV and IBU are quite different.

 

[IrondaleBrewing]

When I've seen people in Australia and the UK (and I think maybe the Grain to Glass guys in Canada) use these sorts of kits I've always wondered how they turn out, so curiosity got the better of me and I ordered the Citra Session Pale Ale kit.

To give it the best chance of success (and because why not) I'm planning to use my fermentation chamber, cold crash, and do a closed transfer to a keg, but other than that I'll just follow the instructions and see how it comes out.

I do mostly all grain nowadays but still do an extract batch here and there to experiment, and as others have said if this is a super quick way to crank out a beer and the results are decent, or at least are on par with typical extract brewing and is a lot faster, to me it's just another tool in the toolbox.

I'll report back on the results and hope the others trying will do so as well!

 

[Jmspears]

When I've seen people in Australia and the UK (and I think maybe the Grain to Glass guys in Canada) use these sorts of kits I've always wondered how they turn out, so curiosity got the better of me and I ordered the Citra Session Pale Ale kit.

To give it the best chance of success (and because why not) I'm planning to use my fermentation chamber, cold crash, and do a closed transfer to a keg, but other than that I'll just follow the instructions and see how it comes out.

I do mostly all grain nowadays but still do an extract batch here and there to experiment, and as others have said if this is a super quick way to crank out a beer and the results are decent, or at least are on par with typical extract brewing and is a lot faster, to me it's just another tool in the toolbox.

I'll report back on the results and hope the others trying will do so as well!

I’ve seen some of your YouTube videos. Will you post a video review?

 

[mac_1103]

When I've seen people in Australia and the UK (and I think maybe the Grain to Glass guys in Canada) use these sorts of kits I've always wondered how they turn out

I'm not sure that the Flash Brewing kits really are those sorts of kits. And ISTM that if these aren't a pretty substantial improvement over pre-hopped LME then they will be an epic fail at this price point.

 

[Bassman2003]

The largest hurdle for really nice beer I see is the "flash Yeast". They are forced to include yeast that can handle room temps+ which might just be meh. A little bit of temp control, a nice strain and good cold side practice might make a world of difference. But then you are close to the normal DME kits which defeats some of the purpose. So I guess it all has its place.

 

[IrondaleBrewing]

I’ve seen some of your YouTube videos. Will you post a video review?

Yep, definitely will! Thanks for asking. I'm planning on doing a "kit to glass" video with an overview of the kit, showing the process, and a tasting. I also used this as an excuse to order a 5 gallon Oxebar keg since I currently only have 2.5 gallon Torpedo kegs.

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

It would probably be fine but with the temperatures we had in Texas last year I could imagine the package sitting in the back of a 150° truck for more than a day. Even otherwise stable ingredients will degrade when exposed to high temperatures for long periods.

Looks like the concern would apply to shipping many brewing ingredients (in general) and isn't specific these types of kits.

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

The largest hurdle for really nice beer I see is the "flash Yeast".

The yeast strain / product is certainly an unknown.

Balance that with their statement that they spent a number of years on research and development.

Over in /r/homebrewing in a recent topic (link) on one of the internet brewing machines, some one opined that "I don't think these [internet enabled brewing machine] companies are reading the room very well".

With regard to the new MoreBeer kits, it feels like they "read the room" well and created a product that shortens brew day and makes it harder to fail on the "five priorities" of brewing.

Will it succeed? I think it will. But as always, "Time will tell".

 

[Bassman2003]

It was easier in the old days because there was not craft beer everywhere. Now, the resultant beer needs to taste good for folks to buy more flash kits. Or they will go to the beer store after the experiment. Folks are picky even if they give minimal effort.

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

It was easier in the old days because there was not craft beer everywhere. Now, the resultant beer needs to taste good for folks to buy more flash kits. Or they will go to the beer store after the experiment. Folks are picky even if they give minimal effort.

All part of "reading the room". And, like I said earlier ...

... "Time will tell".

 

[rmchair]

It seems like they would need to keep the kit cost down to around half that of buying beer.
I think the 2.5 gallon batch size would be much better for this model.

 

[mac_1103]

they would need to keep the kit cost down to around half that of buying beer

Ah, but buying which beer? The blonde ale kit works out to about $0.80 for a twelve ounce beer when you figure that you're not going to get a full five gallons. Current price for a 12-pack of Sam Adams Summer Ale at my local grocery store just happens to be almost exactly twice that per bottle. OTOH If I'm just looking for a cheap buzz I could get a 30-pack of PBR for the same price as the 12-pack of Sam.

 

[CascadesBrewer]

With regard to the new MoreBeer kits, it feels like they "read the room" well and created a product that shortens brew day and makes it harder to fail on the "five priorities" of brewing.

I agree. The kits are reasonably priced for a full 5 gal batch (vs $20 for a 5L recipe pack). The equipment kit (while it seems a little expensive vs just getting the full starter kit) sets up somebody with a quality fermenter that can be used if the person moves on to extract or all-grain brewing.

Though as I think about it, I would still recommend somebody spend the $160 on the "Deluxe Home Brewing Kit" from MoreBeer which comes with one recipe kit (vs around $120 for the Flash equipment and a recipe pack). I do wish the Deluxe kit came with the 7 gal Fermonster vs the 6 gal one. Brewing one of their extract kits as a partial boil is really not that much effort, but it does at least feel like you are brewing a beer. You could even just toss in a Flash Brewing recipe kit as your first batch before the extract kit.

 

[elf_brewery]

Just pondering... Does a 50lb bag of dark DME have less "fermentable sugar" than a 50lb bag of the lightest DME available? Is it significant enough to buy light DME and then add specialty malts?

 

[mac_1103]

Does a 50lb bag of dark DME have less "fermentable sugar" than a 50lb bag of the lightest DME available?

I believe that Briess claims 75% fermentability for all of their extracts.

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

Just pondering... Does a 50lb bag of dark DME have less "fermentable sugar" than a 50lb bag of the lightest DME available?

Not enough details (and probably the wrong topic) to ponder along with you. Maybe open a new topic and provide details on recipe(s) you are considering?

 

[mashdar]

Do you still need to de-chlorinate the water? I don't know if the relevant tannins survive the boil (or the flash dry).