I've never brewed a "kit", but dang Northern Brewer

[passedpawn]

I get the NB catalogs. What a pleasure they are. I have the greatest respect for them because of this simple thing.

So, I've never brewed a kit. I've never even seen one, so I'm not sure what to expect. But this Christmas I'm getting one from NB just to try it. The Caribou Slobber looks cool.

Do they make 10g kits?

 

[Yooper]

Do they make 10g kits?

Yes. You just click "2" when you order.

I've actually done a couple of NB kits, and have been very pleased with them. I haven't done caribou slobber, but I've done quite a few others and have no complaints at all!

 

[passedpawn]

Do they come with yeast? Are the hops pellets or whole leaf?

 

[Yooper]

Do they come with yeast? Are the hops pellets or whole leaf?

You are so cute. You bring out the inner smart ass in me, and I'll try to refrain!

The yeast is a choice below the kit, so you can choose the yeast strains chosen (with appropriate charges) or not. There isn't a discount to buy yeast with the kit, though, so you can use the yeast of your choice if yours isn't one of the "suggested" strains.

The hops have all been pellets- but I"m not sure if that's just because that was available in those varieties or because it's their policy.

 

[sikkingj]

Do they come with yeast? Are the hops pellets or whole leaf?

You have to buy the yeast separate, but they come with pellet hops...

I've brewed at least three of their kits and enJoyed all three beers (inn keeper, caribou slobber and dead ringer - my favorite). I'd like to try their black IPA, it sound interesting.

 

[Billy-Klubb]

I did the Lord Fatbottom, Broken Spear, and Dead Ringer. very pleased with all of them.

 

[passedpawn]

You are so cute. You bring out the inner smart ass in me, and I'll try to refrain!

The yeast is a choice below the kit, so you can choose the yeast strains chosen (with appropriate charges) or not. There isn't a discount to buy yeast with the kit, though, so you can use the yeast of your choice if yours isn't one of the "suggested" strains.

The hops have all been pellets- but I"m not sure if that's just because that was available in those varieties or because it's their policy.

I feel like I set myself for a joke, but I don't see it.

Anyhoo, they don't list any yeast with the item in the catalog, but they do have these neat labels they sell for it. I'm not interested in bottling it, so I'll pass on those. Nice touch tho.

 

[Yooper]

I feel like I set myself for a joke, but I don't see it.

Anyhoo, they don't list any yeast with the item in the catalog, but they do have these neat labels they sell for it. I'm not interested in bottling it, so I'll pass on those. Nice touch tho.

Oh, you're still looking at the catalogue! Well, when you go to their website, the recipe has choices under it so you'll see why I was given you some **** about it!

 

[Airplanedoc]

All the kits I have tried from there have been excellent. You usually get to choose between dry or smack pack yeast. Sometimes a 3rd option if there is a wyeast seasonal release that matches that particular kit.

 

[hillhousesawdustco]

Sure sign of hbt addiction when you ask questions about a homebrew website...and don't just go to the website to find out!

I'm a big NB fan. I've gotten at least a dozen lots from there and have been very pleased w the results.

 

[Rbeckett]

Passed.
I have done a few kits while I am building my machine and so far I only have one complaint and it is minor. I would like a little more head retention but that is just me and possibly how I did the kits. It only happened once so it is a minor issue either way. I have used Midwest and Austin as well and never got a bad kit from either one.
Wheelchair Bob

 

[Rev2010]

I've done a few NB kits and one thing I will say is they are always enjoyable and reliable. I think they are especially great for newer brewers and experienced brewers looking to wet their feet in a style they've never tried. You will make a great enjoyable beer but can then branch from there to tweak it to make it yours and even better. I just don't like their grain crush, but I've long since got my own mill.


Rev.

 

[passedpawn]

I've done a few NB kits and one thing I will say is they are always enjoyable and reliable. I think they are especially great for newer brewers and experienced brewers looking to wet their feet in a style they've never tried. You will make a great enjoyable beer but can then branch from there to tweak it to make it yours and even better. I just don't like their grain crush, but I've long since got my own mill.


Rev.

I've got my own mill. Do they mill it by default, or do you select that when you buy the kit? I'd just as soon mill it myself.

 

[spkguitar]

It's one of the options when you order the all-grain version of the kit; crushed or unmilled.

 

[msa8967]

You have the choice of having the grains milled or unmilled.

http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/caribou-slobber-all-grain-kit.html

One nice thing NB does is put their recipes/ingredients for each kit on their website under additional information. I usually look at the ingredients and decide if I need to add a small additional amount of a specialty grain to see if I want to increase body, head retention or adjust the hop profile prior to brewing. I have enjoyed brewing their kits and have had good success with them.

http://www.northernbrewer.com/documentation/allgrain/AG-CaribouSlobber.pdf

 

[jrb03]

I brew 2.5 gallon batches. Do the grains come mixed in the same bag or separated? I've wanted to try several of their kits, but don't know if I can split them.

 

[Rev2010]

I brew 2.5 gallon batches. Do the grains come mixed in the same bag or separated? I've wanted to try several of their kits, but don't know if I can split them.

I haven't used a kit of theirs for a while but I seem to recall everything coming mixed into one grain bag - not separated. But I believe you can leave a note with your order so you can ask them to keep the grains separate I'd suppose.


Rev.

 

[hillhousesawdustco]

It is all jn one bag.

I have tweaked almost all the kits I've gotten...always adding more hops or more 2row or a lb of Munich or honey or.....gotta make it your own, right!?

 

[mforsman]

I don't always have time to dig through recipes here / books / crafting my own. For some it's easy, for me it's not. So when that time hits I go to Northern Brewer. Whether I order from them (and have many times) or take their recipes to my LHBS I have always been fairly pleased.

 

[Grannyknot]

I have a friend who won't brew anything besides the NB kits.
Won't even come up with his own recipes. He just likes the NB kits that much.
He has always had great success with them and yes, the caribou slobber is a good kit.

 

[ed5388]

You have to buy the yeast separate, but they come with pellet hops...

I've brewed at least three of their kits and enJoyed all three beers (inn keeper, caribou slobber and dead ringer - my favorite). I'd like to try their black IPA, it sound interesting.

I brewed the NB black ipa kit recently and it came out amazing!! Also brewed dead ringer which was awesome but I actually prefer the black ipa! I definitely recommend it! Went with wlp001 for my yeast choice.

 

[passedpawn]

I brewed the NB black ipa kit recently and it came out amazing!! Also brewed dead ringer which was awesome but I actually prefer the black ipa! I definitely recommend it! Went with wlp001 for my yeast choice.

I already make a ton of IPA's, so I'm going to pass on that. I've got 2 IPAs and 2 pale ales fermenting right now.

I've been making a 2-hearted clone for a while now. There's a recipe on this site somewhere I think I nabbed. It's really, really good if you can find centennial.

I think I'll get a kit for a beer style I don't normally make. An amber or a brown would be just right. Maybe even a mild.

 

[stratslinger]

I brewed up a few of their kits when I was still doing extract, and they all turned out very good quality beers. I recently brewed up the SS Minnow Mild, based on the recipe listed on their site, but not their actual kit. I'm not super crazy about how that one turned out, but I think that's more down to the style than the recipe (or the kit, had I gone with it).

The one thing that keeps me from going with any of their AG kits is that everything seems sized for 5 gallons exactly, which doesn't exaclty leave a whole lot of room for kettle or fermenter loss. For folks who've used their AG kits, am I reading that right, or am I missing something? Also, what kind of efficiency are they assuming with the amounts of grains they ship with the kits?

 

[HBngNOK]

Do they come with yeast? Are the hops pellets or whole leaf?

Yes, (usually) a choice of liquid or dry, and the hops are pellets.

 

[AmandaK]

I would say that the Saison de Noel is a good choice for a kit from NB. You should check it out, Passed.

I've done a handful of kits from them and have always been impressed with the quality. I've done the Innkeeper, the Saison de Noel, that PM Tripel and others I can't remember. But they were all good.

 

[passedpawn]

I would say that the Saison de Noel is a good choice for a kit from NB. You should check it out, Passed.

I've done a handful of kits from them and have always been impressed with the quality. I've done the Innkeeper, the Saison de Noel, that PM Tripel and others I can't remember. But they were all good.

I just floated a keg of saison. Woof. I'm spent on that flavor. I used a Wyeast 3724/3711 blend, fermented at 85-90, and it came out very horsey and fruity, just what I was looking for but too much of a good thing has me yearning for a balanced beer, like an amber. Thanks for the suggestion.

 

[Yooper]

I already make a ton of IPA's, so I'm going to pass on that. I've got 2 IPAs and 2 pale ales fermenting right now.

I've been making a 2-hearted clone for a while now. There's a recipe on this site somewhere I think I nabbed. It's really, really good if you can find centennial.

I think I'll get a kit for a beer style I don't normally make. An amber or a brown would be just right. Maybe even a mild.

I make a ton of IPAs myself, and feel very confident of my ability with that style. But one of the NB kits I bought was the Irish Draught. That is something I didn't feel confident about making my own recipe for, and it worked out great. I would definitely try any of their kits, though.

Everyone I talked to (including my Texas neighbors) who made the Caribou Slobber from the NB kit loved it. My Texas neighbors, who travel to Austin once a month, still order all their recipe kits from Northern Brewer (they brew only from kits). I told them to stop into AHS, and they might, but they love their NB kits so much that they don't want to change.

 

[Brulosopher]

FYI- they still deliver by Pony Express. Sorry, no COD

 

[solbes]

Their Caribou Slobber (Moose Drool) kit is quite good. Also their St Paul Porter recipe is fantastic. DeadRinger with slight hop modifications and Bells yeast makes a spot on 2H IPA. Lately I've been tempted by their Surly Furious clone (8.5 oz of dry hop!!!). With that one you don't save anything by buying ingredients separate.

I started out ordering my supplies from NB or MW loosely (sometimes very loosely) based on NB's recipes. Gives you a good place to start with new styles that you haven't brewed before. Now its much easier to make your own recipes from scratch. I am very lucky to live in a town with both Northern Brewer and Midwest Supplies just down the road.

 

[gingerdawg]

I think I'll get a kit for a beer style I don't normally make. An amber or a brown would be just right. Maybe even a mild.

There American Amber is a good recipe. I have brewed it a few times, and it is even better when I add a Cascade dry hop. I have dry hopped it with my home grown cascades, and it is great fresh.