Your Favorite Kits

[ZooBrew]

Ok, I've been homebrewing for several months now and have tryed several kits from various HB stores around the country. Here are my favorite kits that I've brewed and try to keep on hand.

#1 WILLIAMS HOMEBREW SUPPLY-HONEY CREAM ALE, nice mellow ale that I need to brew two batches of this so I don't run out. Haven't kegged this one yet.

#2 AUSTIN HOMEBREW SUPPLY-BECK'S BIER CLONE, doesn't quite taste like Beck's to me but better with more body and slightly sweeter. Excellent kegged.

#3 COOPER'S-SPARKLING ALE, much better than the original without the sharp finish. Better aged.

#4 MR BEER-WEST COAST PALE ALE, best brewed with their PALE EXPORT UME for a good full body. Too bad it can only be brewed 2 gal at a whack.

#5 COOPER'S-LAGER, Excellent kegged and does well with adding a pound of honey.

#6 MORE BEER-JOHN PLISE'S MUNICH HELLES, flavorful great first beer of the night and maybe the second and third. Kegs well.

#7 COOPER'S EUROPEAN LAGER, Supposed to age 12 weeks but is excellent at 6. I'll kegged the next batch of this one.

These are the one's that I repeat. I've tryed others that I won't mention.

Have any of you KIT HOMEBREWERS any favorites that you do over again?

 

[ZOG]

my favorite kits so far were both from midwest supply.

My first batch ever, Midwest's Red Lager!!

And their European Pilsner was great as well.

 

[MoRoToRiUm]

Have you ever tried Northern Brewer? I've had some great beers and the kits are relatively cheap (I still do extract). Might be worth a try.

 

[ArcaneXor]

I really love the Austin Homebrew Belgian White Ale. I add a handful of instant oatmeal to the mini-mash, and steep a bag or two of chamomile tea as knockout addition. It's delightful!

 

[NJTomatoguy]

Mild Brown- Extract | MoreBeer

Very good, in my opinion.

 

[Rubberband]

AHS Belgium Pale Ale - it is a good beer. Nice malt body, hint of clove, wheat and fruity sour. It is so good that I am having difficulty saving a few long term test of age for improvement. It was my first batch an I gave away about half the batch and everyone things I am a genius.

The Brewers Best Hefeweizen that is bottle conditioning is also very good. I have only tasted my gravity samples but are very good. It can't be this easy can it?

 

[Nurmey]

I've made several recipes that we've repeated but out of the 80 or so kits we've done we've rarely repeated any.

The kits that come to mind as a "definitely do again" are AHS Chocolate Raspberry Stout and AHS Ommegang. Can't say enough good things about these two kits.

 

[postman]

AHS - Liberty Ale Clone

 

[bsay]

Kits I'd do again W/O modifications:

AHS Cream Ale - Just your basic extract cream ale, and a sure crowd pleaser.
Midwest Supplies "Flat Tire" - Father-in-law says it tastes better than the real thing.
Midwest Supplies PM Boston Red Ale - It isn't red, but it sure is good!

 

[darkestdays]

My friend and I did the Brewer's Best Hopnog kit and it was probably the best one we've done so far. Good stuff!

It was released around the holidays, but I'm sure you could still find them if so inclined.

 

[GNBrews]

my favorite kits so far were both from midwest supply.

My first batch ever, Midwest's Red Lager!!

And their European Pilsner was great as well.

My first batch was the Red Lager too..it's excellent! My favorite though is the Octane IPA from Midwest.

 

[ZooBrew]

Wow! I had thought this thread was headed for obscurity but the responses from yesterday gave it new life. I had wanted to get some ideas for trying some new kits.

It looks like Austin Homebrew Supply has a lot of favorable mention. I was thinking about the Grolsch clone from them.

Perhaps a 'Rate the Beer kits' thread could be started.

 

[Hanr3]

So far my favorite is Wind River Brewing Company "Old World Pilsner".
WindRiver Light Lager Kits

 

[ZooBrew]

I'd never heard of Wind River before and their kits look interesting. Their 'chart' is quite helpful, too. I'm thinking of ordering the 'Spirit of St. Louis Lager' kit. Thanks; I'm getting a lot of good ideas.

 

[kendrid]

Wind River is interesting. The pricing is good and they use steeping grains. I may just order a kit from them for batch #3.

 

[TexasStu]

I've been brewing mostly Coopers so far, although I have made an AHS Belguim White (Blue Moon clone) because the wife actually would drink it (that's the plan, anyways!)
The Coopers Lager is far better than I originally thought it would be.
My first batch I couldn't help but mess with it and added (1 oz. too much) a cascade dry hop (2oz.) but it turned out spectacular (IMHO) and I am trying not to guzzle it all down.
So far I am very impressed with Coopers (as a session beer) and I would recommend others try it as well.
I have a Coopers Irish stout sitting in a secondary and just started an IPA and Sparkling Ale which I intend on kegging. I just took advantage of a sale at makebeer.com and stocked up on light malt (liquid) extract for $5 off ($7.99/ea.) as well as another irish stout and the IPA (also on sale!)
Made two batches yesterday. It may not be AG but they are GOOD!

 

[winzerz]

to date have only done kits from Midwest

well packaged and fresh grains and extracts

I do only live about an hour and a half from AHBS

gonna take a trip up there soon

 

[Natron008]

My friend and I did the Brewer's Best Hopnog kit and it was probably the best one we've done so far. Good stuff!

It was released around the holidays, but I'm sure you could still find them if so inclined.

I second that emotion. We did one of those and dry-hopped it with some Simcoe. It turned out to be one of the best APA's I've ever had.

 

[iamjonsharp]

Mr. Beer's Sticky Wicket Oatmeal Stout is pricey, but you can't beat getting a delicious oatmeal stout into the fermentor within 30 min....

 

[zacster]

The only kit I'm repeating at this point is the AHS Stone Ruination IPA clone. It was one of my favorites from Stone and the batch I made myself was spectacularly good. I just received another kit from AHS yesterday, but I'll have to hold off on this until the lager that I also ordered is done first. I'll run out of cold weather to do the lager. As it is, it was 65 degrees in NYC yesterday.

 

[Mutilated1]

I really like Cooper's Lager a lot. And Cooper's draught.

Also, Cooper's Canadian Blonde made with 2#s rice syrup solids and fermented cold with S-23 makes a wiked lawnmower.

 

[Giggler461]

I'm a big fan of morebeer.com I really like their kits. I especially like the porter, which I've brewed three times.

 

[brewNdrink]

I really like Cooper's Lager a lot. And Cooper's draught.

Also, Cooper's Canadian Blonde made with 2#s rice syrup solids and fermented cold with S-23 makes a wiked lawnmower.

Do you use the original Coopers ale yeast that comes with the kit for the lager? Or do you use different yeast and ferment cold? I've been wondering how the Coopers Lager was. Which beer would you say it sort of tastes like?

Thanks

PS.

My favorties are the Coopers Pilsner and the Coopers Mexican Cerveza. Beautiful for the warmer months. Coopers Stout for the winter. I haven't found a simple ale kit that I like. A cream ale would be nice.

 

[FxdGrMind]

Currently finishing my first brew. An Alt Bier from Healthcrafts in Oly WA. It gets better every day and I'll be brewing it again No Doubt!.

The Heff wasn't that good and I haven't tried my M&J recipie from the web yet. It's still seasoning and I'm waiting for the hops to settle out so I'm not picking hops out of my teeth.

 

[AFAJ Brew Guy]

I really like AHS, when it come to freshness or the LME as well as the just the overall design of the kit you really cant go wrong. That and Forrest and the rest of his crew run a top notch company.

 

[ISLAGI]

My and SWMBOs favorite to date was Brewer's Best Robust Porter. Dark and beautiful with great mouthfeel and smooth finish

 

[cheeseshark]

A great extract kit that I have done more than once is Morebeer's American Amber... Easy, tasty, crowd pleaser.

 

[Notnice]

So far im liking the midwest oatmeal stout. Its not done yet but it smells like heaven and hydro samples have been great.

 

[jgardner6]

Austin HomeBrew Kits

 

[ZooBrew]

I just bottled and kegged (2 1/2gal Korny) an AUSTIN HOMEBREWING SUPPLY, BECK'S BIER CLONE. Think I'm gonna put this one at the top of my original favorites list.

 

[Halaster]

Kits I'd do again W/O modifications:

Midwest Supplies "Flat Tire" - Father-in-law says it tastes better than the real thing.

I broke out my Flat Tire clone and put it next to the Fat Tire and had guests at a party taste test it. Mine was a little darker, but all the guests thought mine was the Fat Tire due to it having more flavor. I received this kit again at Christmas from my wife and just bottled it last week. Can't wait to drink it again.

 

[Mutilated1]

Do you use the original Coopers ale yeast that comes with the kit for the lager? Or do you use different yeast and ferment cold? I've been wondering how the Coopers Lager was. Which beer would you say it sort of tastes like?

Thanks

PS.

My favorties are the Coopers Pilsner and the Coopers Mexican Cerveza. Beautiful for the warmer months. Coopers Stout for the winter. I haven't found a simple ale kit that I like. A cream ale would be nice.

I have used the Cooper's Ale yeast, but I use Lager yeast when I make their kits now.

 

[Irish1225]

i like brewer's best kits. everything i've ordered off internet HBS's had been another recipe with some modifications...so no experience with online supply kits, "per say"

 

[rico567]

Have only brewed about 20 batches so far, all from Midwest....because I haven't had any reason to go elsewhere. I'd say we've enjoyed most of them a lot, so I'll just list the ones I've ordered twice

Amarillo Ale
Hank's Hefeweizen
Power Pack Porter
Scottish Export 80/-