Kits vs. Piecemeal

[Logan]

I'm sure this has been asked and I tried searching to no avail.

Is there any reason to buy piecemeal for extract brewing? I'm planning my 2nd batch and I shopped around on Midwest and it looks like I'm just better off buying the kits price wise. Are there any pitfalls to this?

 

[Arneba28]

yeah, you have no extra ingredients when you come to making your own recipes!!

 

[Beerlord]

Buying a kit is easier and usually a little cheaper, but you dont' have much room to mess around with stuff. 13 years fo brewing i never used a kit or anybody else reciepe with out changing somthign.

 

[Revvy]

A lot of kits contain LME....I've started recalculating some of the kit recipe sheets for the ones that I like, but replacing it with DME instead. Additionally if I buy my specialty grains from my lhbs, then they are ground fresh while I'm standing there. Who knows how long ago the grains were crushed for the kit? It could have been sitting on the store shelf for several months. Also the yeast I buy comes out of the fridge as opposed to sitting at room temperature in the box...Plus I can alter the type of yeast to use if I want.

Those are some things to consider.

 

[Dean Palmer]

Buying a kit can be a good value, if you know what you are getting, and what it is worth. I took a new brewer to the shop a few weeks ago and the kit was cheaper than buying the ingredients separately, but that is not always the case.

Chances are that buying your ingredients separately will be cheaper, and sometimes fresher. Old extract is one reason for "extract twang" that some people bring up at times. Fresh ingredients make good beer, extract or grain.

 

[malkore]

kits are a great way to get your feet wet, and establish some experience with 'known good' recipe formulations.

 

[Poindexter]

Kits are nice because it is hard to screw anything up.

When you find a shop that is selling LME out of a drum that turns over weekly, you are getting fresh extract.

I honestly like Munton's Pale Ale Kit, though I use Nottingham Yellow yeast in it. It was my first batch, I think I have made it three times total now. Actually, I have several compliments on this kit. I guess my process is OK and I have been getting fresh ones.

Now that I am PM brewing I tend to just buy all the specialty grains, and then base malt out to the capacity of my system, and then enough LME to cover the rest of the grain bill.


When you get bored with kits will hook you up with some mroe recipes.

 

[niquejim]

I'm sure this has been asked and I tried searching to no avail.

Is there any reason to buy piecemeal for extract brewing? I'm planning my 2nd batch and I shopped around on Midwest and it looks like I'm just better off buying the kits price wise. Are there any pitfalls to this?

For your second batch (you've got the brewing bug) it's not necessary to make your own. So start researching recipes and post your ideas here. Most will be kind and recommend changes and others will rip it apart. Take it in stride and you are on your way to great beer

 

[david_42]

No problems in buying kits. I still buy clone kits for beers that look interesting, but aren't available locally.