no boil prehopped beer kits

[fluketamer]

hi dollarstore welcome to the thread i have corrupted another brewer into kit beer. the all grainers must be fuming. glad you joined the site more members is always good and im happy if my thread resulted in you signing up. my few attempts at mead have been far below sub par if you can make palatable mead you could definitely reconstitute wort and add yeast to it and make beer like rish says below if you are making mead you can make these kits.

hey rish hows the bavaria yeast doing so far my m10 pilsner is still kicking away and the kreusen is just starting to fall a little .

btw on the other thread we have figured out that these are definitely mangrove jack kits which seem to be very high quality . my hopes for these making good beer definitely jumped up a notch.
for example rish your abc wheat kits is the same as.....
https://mangrovejacks.com/collectio.../mangrove-jacks-craft-series-wheat-beer-pouch
it matches exactly dont know if this helps as all the info is the same but interesting none the less.
now you can search for mj craft series bavarian wheat and you will get some reviews and discussion regarding your kit. kool

cheers

 

[fluketamer]

for example heres a youtube review of your exact kit

 

[Rish]

hey rish hows the bavaria yeast doing

Constant bubbles and smells really good. Looking forward to trying this one.

abc wheat kits is the same as..

Yep! That's it. Good to know!

 

[Wrendelar]

Just went to purchase these ABC beer kits and they want $25 shipping for 1 item or 4 items. Seems a bit steep for what you get. Maybe it’s just the purist in me.

 

[fluketamer]

its free shipping over 40$ another great deal.
so yes it looks like you would have to invest 40 and get 4 kits to get the free shipping otherwise the deal doesnt work out economically.

it only makes sense if you get the free shipping . you could also get a cider kit for 20 and two beer kits for ten each if you dont want to risk getting all this kit beer.

 

[Wrendelar]

its free shipping over 40$ another great deal.
so yes it looks like you would have to invest 40 and get 4 kits to get the free shipping otherwise the deal doesnt work out economically.

it only makes sense if you get the free shipping . you could also get a cider kit for 20 and two beer kits for ten each if you dont want to risk getting all this kit beer.

Okay yeah I see now … had to add an additional item to get it over 40 the 4 kits came out to $39.80. So I took your advice and tried 3 beer kits and 1 cider kit. 2 pale ale, 1 lager and 1 apple cider.

Thanks for the tip!

 

[Noah0504]

In 2010(ish) my dad and I got our homebrewing start with Mr. Beer kits. We quickly advanced to AG brewing. Because of limited space, I mostly did BIAB method, but was brewing 2.5 and 5 gallon batches.

Eventually life happened, and I stopped brewing for 5 or so years. Some of the equipment I has sat in a hot, dirty garage most of the time, so when I finally told myself I was going to get back into things, I actually just ordered a couple of Mr. Beer kits again. I've been using the Mr. Beer HMEs as bases for the first few batches I've done and they've been turning out great.

I'll eventually move back up to BIAB, but for some spring/summer lawn mower beers, I'll probably still keep some of the Mr. Beer refills/recipes in the pipeline.

 

[Bobby_M]

hi dollarstore welcome to the thread i have corrupted another brewer into kit beer. the all grainers must be fuming.

Fuming? Only if you forced me to drink it.

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

 

[fluketamer]

wrendalar - kool are these the first prehopped kits you have made. im sorry i forgot to mention you only have to get over the 40$ mark they sell other stuff for a buck to meet the threshold./ the first time i ordered 4 kits and to get over the hump i added a 25 cent demijohn cap. the second round i added wine yeast for a buck. you dont need to get a whole extra kit but now you have a lot of beer i hope you have a lot of drinking buddies or a forgiving liver . lol.

noah mr beer kits are a whole nnother thread . bobby M prolly hates those too. lol. the small tins of extract are light on the grain and prolly not worth it. the 5 gallon kits from the same company (diybeer / coopers) are better but expensive unless on clearacne . the fermentor (LBK) is a thing of beauty.

lbk benefits
1 its got a wide mouth to easily access all areas for cleaning.
2its got this genius airlock which is a little less open then an open fermenter vessel. ( the haters hate this cause there's no airlock). a seal is formed by having the co2 run out the threads in the cap of the lbk. condensation in the threads creates essentially an air/ water barrier similar to an airlock.
3 its tinted to keep light out.
4 its light plastic and small 2.25 gallons. you can do small 2 gallon stove top biab batches/ experiments.
5 its got a spigot
6 its got a yeast trap below the spigot to collect the cake .
7 its very low profile. this is perhaps the biggest plus. you can cold crash it in a regular kitchen fridge. you can brew lagers in a 1.7 cu ft dorm fridge with just a 20 dollar ink bird.

.
the problems with lbk

1its got this genius airlock that lacks a bubbler you cant see it bubble you cant record beer porn. its essentially an open fv. if you cold crash there's is the potential of sucking o2 back into the fermenter..
2 its tinted you cant see into it well to watch yeast do the floaty dance and record more beer porn. see above
3 its plastic - scratches scratches scratches. the infection will come eventually. also its small you cant do anything bigger than 2.25 gallons with only one lbk
4 the spigot can trap bugs

i love my lbk
i have 2.25 gallons of ahs mexican pilsner in the lbk right now DA resting at 70 degrees right now . its partial mash biab, it may taste better than the abc pilsner no boil kit that i threw on last Wednesday but it took me over 4 hours to brew.

if you have two lbks you can do split batches with 5 gallon kits. theres a great sale at abc where you get 1.8kg which is exactly two mr beer tins. they are selling for 10 buck and forty $ free shipping threshold. if you are making mrbeer kits get these instead at 10 bucks for almost 4 lbs of malt it cant be beat.

bobby m - welcome . have you ever fermented a prehopped kit before. these aren't your daddys kits anymore. the days of buying a can of 2 year old muntons that's been sitting on a 75 degree hardware store shelf are a long time ago.

yo kat -

 

[mashdar]

Does a $10 pack make 1 gallon?

 

[Wolfbayte]

Those kits are good for a start, but the beer obtained from them cannot be compared in quality to AG or BIAB

I don't want to be "that guy," but BIAB is AG.

 

[mac_1103]

Does a $10 pack make 1 gallon?

Six gallons actually (23 liters). But you have to add some extra fermentables - sugar, DME, etc.

I don't want to be "that guy," but BIAB is AG.

Somebody else was already "that guy." A week ago.

 

[Somesaymybeerisdrinkable]

I don't want to be "that guy," but BIAB is AG.

I already was that guy.

First off BIAB is all grain, unless I have been doing it wrong.

 

[mashdar]

Six gallons actually (23 liters). But you have to add some extra fermentables - sugar, DME, etc.

Oh, interesting. Re the hopped extract, is there much aroma, or is it better for a malt-forward beer? (edit: does anyone steep grain w these?)

What's the point vs regular extract brewing? Avoid equipment needs for boil/chill and save time?

 

[Somesaymybeerisdrinkable]

I am not convinced these kits will make beer as good as AG or extract with steeping grains, however I am giving them a try. If the cider I am fermenting now is as good as what I make with apple juice I will be happy.

Also one of the main reasons I am in this hobby is I like to try things myself. Some say you should not use bread flour, I agree but I'm still going to try it. American Wheat Beer - Hazy Cheapskate - Miraculix forbidden Ale

 

[mashdar]

Also one of the main reasons I am in this hobby is I like to try things myself.

Oh, totally. "don't yuck my yum" applies. It's like cooking or wood working. Everyone has different preferences, budgets, equipment, and ambitions.

I'm just curious what the upsides are for those that use this stuff - to me, trying different hops is part of what I enjoy. (edit: so it would have to be pretty convenient to surrender that; but maybe it is super fast & convenient?)

 

[Noah0504]

What's the point vs regular extract brewing? Avoid equipment needs for boil/chill and save time?

I think it's ease and accessibility. "Just add water!" It doesn't get any easier than that. You can make drinkable beer with them, and that's all that some people want. There are always different levels to a hobby, and these make the barrier to entry very low.

They can also be spruced up with steeping grains or extra hop additions.

 

[Somesaymybeerisdrinkable]

Oh, totally. "don't yuck my yum" applies. It's like cooking or wood working. Everyone has different preferences, budgets, equipment, and ambitions.

I'm just curious what the upsides are for those that use this stuff - to me, trying different hops is part of what I enjoy. (edit: so it would have to be pretty convenient to surrender that; but maybe it is super fast & convenient?)

I agree with you about trying different hops. I currently have over 4.5 lbs of hops (at least 20 varieties) in my freezer.

I will defer to others that regularly brew with this stuff for your question about HME vs. DEM/LME, my reason is these kits were cheep. Also some of them come with extra hops for dry hopping.

 

[mac_1103]

What's the point vs regular extract brewing? Avoid equipment needs for boil/chill and save time?

That, and $10 for six gallons of beer when they're on a sale like this.

 

[Somesaymybeerisdrinkable]

Kit brewing might be more popular than I thought, I found this article when search for HME that says it is a $9 billion industry. Hopped Malt Extract Global Market Report 2023

 

[fluketamer]

a ton going on here ill try to answer everything from my experience


mashdar - no 10 dollars is for 6 gallons ! 6 gallons ! 6 gallons! holy fkuc . but hold on. dont look at it like that. its 1.8kg of lme. for 10 dollars

wait what that cant be. no it cant. this is very unusual these kits avg 25 dollars or more usually. plus exorbitant shipping cause they come in metal cans most of the time. this is some freak sale that is a game changer.
also very importantly all these kits are designed to be used with 1 kilo of brewing sugar to make up 6 gallons. many people make them up to 5 gallons to up the abv
you choice of what sugars to add varies and i will soon be starting a thread about that, so this six gallons will cost you 10 bucks. plus 1 kilo of fermentable dextrose about 6 dollars or dme about 12 i guess depending on availability sales your stock etc. if you want to add a couple bucks worth of hops thats your prerogative. total generally 5 gallons 22 dollars. when not on sale the kits are still under forty for 5 gallons

so if it makes decent extract beer for 40 dollars a keg in a 30 min brew day im good.
some kits have intense aroma. you must remember this is highly concentrated wort designed to be diluted to 5-6 gallons the hop concentrations in some kits can be very high to get to the right amount at 6 gallons. depends on style of kit. you can steep whatever grains you want i definitely steep a pound of chocolate malt when i do my stout kits but it adds steeping time to the brew day which is fine its short to begin with. i steep carapils in my lagers when i have time . you can add hops to anything you want at any time.

the main point for me with these kits is time read above posts.
somesaymybeer.... - the only difference between this kit and steeping extract with grains is...nothing. let me explain
imagine you had at your disposal a state of the art multimillion dollar white coat lab sanitary brewery with all access to any grains hops etc. then you make the technically perfect wort with decoction schedule recirc fly sparge hop additions ice cold rapid chilling etc etc shiny like breaking bad episode where he gets the lab under the laundromat. now you make that prefect wort crystal clear filtered ready for yeast and instead of pitching you concentrate it down with some sort of low heat evaporation or something to get an ultraconcentrated wort you can at any time add water and yeast and viola you have beer
thats what these kits are.
i cant get near that in my kitchen. i agree with the trying things especially if it results in more kits brewers who i can bs with. if you make a kit correctly then make biab and its better and more value time and money wise to you go ahead. you do you. i just think there are people here afraid to try it because they got the old i was there and never went back mantra.
mashdar back to hops real quick you can dry hop to your hearts desire you can add boiled hop teas to your kits also its a little more tricky but nothing like trying to get a clear wort from milled grains.
it doesnt make sense that these kits are not as good as extract with grains cause it is extract with grains especially if you add steeping grains.

NEVER EVER EVER BOIL THESE KITS
also the recommended 2.2 lbs of dextrose will yield a beer with 35 percent corn sugar . thats the downfall of these kits that much sugar will only work in a lager or crappy pilsner. they made them this way for uniformity. adjust accordingly!
see other posts

hi noah plus plus plus what noah said thanks noah


4 lbs of hops so jealous i have like 1/2 a pound and constantly catalog even though they are always alphabetically listed in my fridge. just so i can look at them frequently. i would set up a tent by your hop fridge and sell viewing tickets. lol
hi mac yeah 10 bucks is irresistible . they usually more generally 25 dollars plus shipping.
a very quick side about ag vs biab. when biab first came out it was often compared to traditional ag brewing without a grain bag. i think thats why some people still say ag vs biab at least thats my case.

i hope this thread doesnt devolve into a ag vs can kit thread. so far so good.


generally when something has 9 billion dollar following theres something there. and imagine how competitive that market must be. beer can kit companies dont make ***** products anymore. kits are a european australian canadian non american thing. thanks for looking it up

thanks everyone brew on

 

[mashdar]

I wonder if there are pro breweries using HME for one reason or another? Surely that $8.4B isn't all homebrew, unless theres a big HME homebrew culture we're not in contact with? (China? India?)

edit: that report is a little iffy. It seems like a bad translation, possibly written by someone with surface level understanding of the market.

 

[fluketamer]

Its not pros it’s home brewers. It’s Europe (mostly U.K. ), Australia im almost sure that’s coopers and coopers is mr beer parent company. And also Canada

here In the us it’s mr beer users accounting for a lot of that. I think. I also think that a lot of mr beer brewers start and stay very simple they don’t advance to the point of reading these threads. No way to tell except lurking on the mr beer blogs and YouTube vids. I have.
now I also think there are a bunch of closeted no boil kit brewers here like I was and like I have drawn out here that account for part of that 9 billion. It’s hard to admit you enjoy no boil beer in the states. It’s very similar to saying you enjoy bmc. Which almost got you banned here in the past or at least looked down on.
these kits are so much better than commercial swill. I had a Kona ale last night. 3 sips and down the drain. The aroma was like wet clay or unscented kitty litter. Never mind the heavy adjunct taste corn or rice or both but tons of it like no malt balance. like those weird named eastern euro beers. Like zwieckxie or something . Wtf.

 

[mac_1103]

$9B strains credulity regardless of what one thinks of the quality of the beer that these kits make. A-B InBev gross revenue was $57B in 2022.

 

[Somesaymybeerisdrinkable]

I wonder if there are pro breweries using HME for one reason or another? Surely that $8.4B isn't all homebrew, unless theres a big HME homebrew culture we're not in contact with? (China? India?)

edit: that report is a little iffy. It seems like a bad translation, possibly written by someone with surface level understanding of the market.

This like most financial reports was likely written by AI.

I am suspicious of this report too it seems like it combined numbers from companies that make hop extract (Hopsteiner) and malt extract (Briess), and calling it all hopped malt extract.

 

[mashdar]

This like most financial reports was likely written by AI.

I am suspicious of this report too it seems like it combined numbers from companies that make hop extract (Hopsteiner) and malt extract (Briess), and calling it all hopped malt extract.

I dug around and high end estimate for coopers revenue is $300M, muntons $125M, briess $110M, etc. The available numbers were not reliable and varied widely. That's total, so coopers is mostly beer, briess is mostly malt, etc.

The global malted barley market is ~$13B.

 

[fluketamer]

a little off topic but
yeah the article looks extreme . but prehopped kit brewing is more popular than most on here think. mashdar i do know that muntons almost exclusively does kits. coopers has a huge distribution for commercial beer in Australia also so much of that 300 is commercial but i also know that coopers holds a much larger share of the can kit market than Muntons so likely a huge chunk of that 300 million (def more than muntons 110) is from can kits. its a big industry with real standards and repeatability and a large international following. that was kind of my point.

getting back to my prehopped pilsner kit that is churning away,

split batch 1 at 57 degrees with diamond's lager yeast slurry still has kreusen, looks cloudy and blew off a bunch of sulfur

batch 2 with the kit yeast which said it was workhorse ale yeast at 69 deg dropped its kreusen is clearing and smells malty

both will be kegged i stopped bottling back in January

i am going to follow kit advice and dry hop on day 7. i am trying to decide whether to just throw the hops in or put them in a sack.

brew on

 

[corkybstewart]

No.

 

[fluketamer]

the kit yeast which claims to be workhorse seems to be performing well its already at 1020 after only 4 days . started at 1044 dry hopping likely tomorow.