The Wal-Mart Challenge

[BlackHat]

Over a few homebrews, one of my fellow brewers propositioned me with the Wal-Mart Challenge. If anything, it has got me thinking, so I thought I would share it with the community.

The idea behind the Wal-Mart Challenge is to pick a big box retailer, such as Wal-Mart, Target, CostCo, etc., and make a beer from ingredients and equipment found solely at that store. I can't imagine any beer brewed in that manner as tasting very good, but I'm going to attempt the challenge. Getting a good extract from anything will be challenging, as well as a good source of bitterness.

 

[Revvy]

Uh you're WAAAAYYYY late, and it's not called the Walmart challenge, it's called the GAP Challenge...

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f12/gap-grocery-produce-beer-experiment-69313/

Been there, burned that....


(actually those of us who maintian that thread would like it if you posted stuff to that one, to keep everything together....)

 

[IrregularPulse]

Geesh Revvy, way to smash his dreams!
Oh and here is an actual LINK.

 

[Evan!]

watch out, rev's got a bag full of Snark and he's not afraid to use it.

 

[Bokonon]

I'll take the costco challenge:
http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11315382&whse=BC&Ne=4000000&eCat=BC|3605|79162|79163&N=4035114&Mo=4&No=3&Nr=P_CatalogName:BC&cat=79163&Ns=P_Price|1||P_SignDesc1&lang=en-US&Sp=C&hierPath=3605*79162*79163*&topnav=

 

[EdWort]

I'll take the costco challenge:
http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11315382&whse=BC&Ne=4000000&eCat=BC|3605|79162|79163&N=4035114&Mo=4&No=3&Nr=P_CatalogName:BC&cat=79163&Ns=P_Price|1||P_SignDesc1&lang=en-US&Sp=C&hierPath=3605*79162*79163*&topnav=

And we have a winner!!!!

Personally, I'll stick to water, malt, hops & yeast.

 

[Revvy]

I'll take the costco challenge:
Costco - India Pale Ale Beer Recipe Kit

And we have a winner!!!!

Personally, I'll stick to water, malt, hops & yeast.

Brewcraft kits in COstco now??????

That means they might even have the deadguy kits there????

Which may mean pacman yeast.


But that is cheating according to GAP rules...

But the brewcradt starter kit at 99 bucks is better than what I got back then for 150...

http://www.costco.com/Browse/Produc...en-US&Sp=C&hierPath=3605*79162*79163*&topnav=

 

[Bokonon]

Brewcraft kits in COstco now??????

That means they might even have the deadguy kits there????

Which may mean pacman yeast.


But that is cheating according to GAP rules...

I think they might be online only. I don't remember seeing these the last time I was at costco

 

[luvmy40]

Harbor Freight is selling Mr. Beer and refills.
Does that qualify as brewing tools?

 

[remilard]

But that is cheating according to GAP rules...

But not cheating according the the OP's rules. You are the one who insisted that his idea was no different from the previous.

 

[BlackHat]

I was not aware of the GaP Challenge. The (currently) 17 pages of posts should definitely give me a leg up on my competition. I haven't finished going through the thread yet, but it looks like my friend's challenge is slightly different. He specified a big box retailer such as Wal-Mart (we don't have a CostCo around here), which means no grocery stores and he went a step further to say that the equipment must come from Wal-Mart as well. True, most Wal-Marts anymore have a grocery section, but I have yet to find one that has as good of a grocery section as a store that doesn't also sell televisions, shoes, and kitchen sinks. I would think you'd be hard-pressed to find equipment at a grocery store, although the 5 gallon filtered water jugs should make decent fermenters.

Not that that's enough to start a new thread, but at least now I have a resource. Thanks

 

[uglygoat]

my idea of the walmart challenge is to see what merchandise i can slip past the self check out register... wrong thread?

 

[BlackHat]

Heh. With unmanned self checkouts and the exits guarded by 90 year old men in wheel chairs, I'm not sure if you can call that a challenge.....



.... but yes. This is the wrong thread.

 

[Evan!]

MY idea of the walmart challenge is: going to WalMart on a Saturday afternoon and making it out of the redneck hordes in one piece.

I've done it once or twice before, but it's not for the faint of heart.

 

[eriktlupus]

wallyworld shouldn't pose to much of a problem as far as ingredients+equipment. paint dept for buckets/lids, housewares for a kettle, grits and barley(have to malt yourself) from grocery and herbs citrus to make a gruit like bittering agent.







and no i'm not gonna do it either

 

[BlackHat]

wallyworld shouldn't pose to much of a problem as far as ingredients+equipment. paint dept for buckets/lids

This could end up being an incredibly newb question, but would a bucket from the paint department be safe for brewing? I used one from Home Depot once and when I went to rack the beer to a secondary it had a white skin on the surface. An actual skin. I didn't dump the beer (mostly out of curiosity), but I got a very strong band-aid flavor to the point where I can't finish a bottle. No one else seems to be able to pick up on it though.

I plan on using a 5-gallon plastic jug that they sell to be used with the Culligan machine that dispenses RO water. I already have a cheapo kettle from WalMart I use to heat up sparge water and I plan on simply using diluted bleach as a sanitizer.

 

[eriktlupus]

most buckets are manu'ed by one or two companies and they just stamp on a customers name. i'd think as long as you use just the whites and clean before use it'd be okay.... i've used the water bottles and they work just get the beer out quick, they are a #3 recycle code and as such are gas permeable. ie when the fermentation pressures drop oxygen can and will permeate thru the plastic and into your beer.

 

[Yunus]

Uh you're WAAAAYYYY late, and it's not called the Walmart challenge, it's called the GAP Challenge...

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f12/gap-grocery-produce-beer-experiment-69313/

Been there, burned that....


(actually those of us who maintian that thread would like it if you posted stuff to that one, to keep everything together....)

How about a real GAP challenge. Brew with ingredients you find or purchase from

Shop clothes for women, men, maternity, baby, and kids at gap.com. | Gap

 

[T-Hops]

You can buy Carnation Malted Milk which is wheat flour and malted barley extract. Good luck.

 

[Zymurgrafi]

Oh I had something else in mind all together. I was thinking W@lmart challange, how long can you go without shopping there?

It has been a few years for me and my life is vastly improved for it!

I aim to never set foot in the sh!thole again nor give them my money!

 

[andyb0527]

Oh I had something else in mind all together. I was thinking W@lmart challange, how long can you go without shopping there?

It has been a few years for me and my life is vastly improved for it!

I aim to never set foot in the sh!thole again nor give them my money!

Amen brotha

 

[s3n8]

Second that... Its been many years. I hope to keep the streak alive for many more.

 

[BooneDocks]

Ah, you gotta love the Wal-Mart haters

 

[Homercidal]

Ah, I still shop there, but I have started buying more locally now if I can. I remember when they used to advertise that they support America, and were proud of the fact that they sold American made products. No longer, and shame on them.

But, anyway, this thread is about the brewing, and I can say that I have NO interest in trying to brew with ingredients bought only at Walmart and their ilk. I dont' get to brew enough from the supply store!

 

[shaundesjardins]

Oh I had something else in mind all together. I was thinking W@lmart challange, how long can you go without shopping there?

It has been a few years for me and my life is vastly improved for it!

I aim to never set foot in the sh!thole again nor give them my money!

Amen to that.

 

[shaundesjardins]

Amen brotha

HA HA HA I didn't see your post before I posted.