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Date: 18 Aug 2006 03:54:01
From: Planet_Man
Subject: Your input on my second home brew kit/recipe......Thanks
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I want your input on my second home brew kit/recipe. Actually its not
really my 2nd home brew ever but my 2nd brew after several years on no
home brew action. Anyway, I purchased and brewed up an American pale
ale kit and some liquid yeast from grapeandgrainery.com. I'm very
pleased, I'm a fan of this style and this kit delivered. However,
being one who likes to tinker with success, I wonder if I can do
better. Primarily, I think I'm looking for more hop aroma. I'm
wondering about dry hopping. The kit came with some steeping grains, a
can of Alexanders liquid extract and some DME. I can't help but wonder
if using only liquid malt extract would be tastier for my next batch.
Also, I want to try some whole hops or maybe some plugs. I did not use
it last brew but, my 36 qt. kettle has a spigot, and I want to try it
and maybe not have it get clogged up with detritus. Whole hops in mesh
bags? I use a 2 stage all glass equipment kit. Thanks for your input.
This beer is yummy.
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Date: 18 Aug 2006 14:59:41
From: John 'Shaggy' Kolesar
Subject: Re: Your input on my second home brew kit/recipe......Thanks
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On 18 Aug 2006 03:54:01 -0700, <travelzilla@yahoo.com > wrote:
> I want your input on my second home brew kit/recipe. Actually its not
> really my 2nd home brew ever but my 2nd brew after several years on no
> home brew action. Anyway, I purchased and brewed up an American pale
> ale kit and some liquid yeast from grapeandgrainery.com. I'm very
> pleased, I'm a fan of this style and this kit delivered. However,
> being one who likes to tinker with success, I wonder if I can do
> better. Primarily, I think I'm looking for more hop aroma. I'm
> wondering about dry hopping.
Dry hopping is a good way of getting more aroma. Just throw some hops
into your secondary fermenter.
> The kit came with some steeping grains, a
> can of Alexanders liquid extract and some DME. I can't help but wonder
> if using only liquid malt extract would be tastier for my next batch.
There shouldn't be much difference between using liquid extract plus some
DME versus using an equivalent amount of all liquid extract. Usually
the steeping grains are used to add flavor to the beer, IE make it
tastier. "Tastier" is a subjective term though. You can certainly try it
with just LME to see if you like it better that way.
> Also, I want to try some whole hops or maybe some plugs. I did not use
> it last brew but, my 36 qt. kettle has a spigot, and I want to try it
> and maybe not have it get clogged up with detritus. Whole hops in mesh
> bags? I use a 2 stage all glass equipment kit. Thanks for your input.
> This beer is yummy.
Does your spigot have some sort of strainer or screen on the inside of it
to trap the hops, or is it just a straight pass-through spigot?
John.
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Date: 18 Aug 2006 05:41:31
From: Jeff
Subject: Re: Your input on my second home brew kit/recipe......Thanks
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Planet_Man wrote:
> better. Primarily, I think I'm looking for more hop aroma. I'm
> wondering about dry hopping.
Dry hopping will probably give you what you want, or you could also put
in an additional late addition of hops. Personally, I don't use a hop
bag - just whole (or plug) hops. Hardly any will make it through the
racking cane by the time it gets in the bottling bucket, so it's really
not an issue.
For the spigot on your kettle, you could just put a new stainless steel
scrubby over it. Ideally, a bazooka or something like that would be
best. I don't have a spigot on mine, I just use a 2 quart plastic
pitcher to pull out the boiled and cooled wort, and then pour it
through a colander that sits in my funnel which is stuck in the carboy.
The hops set up a natural filter bed and it works pretty well.
>> The kit came with some steeping grains, a
> can of Alexanders liquid extract and some DME. I can't help but wonder
> if using only liquid malt extract would be tastier for my next batch.
I don't think DME vs LME matters very much. The steeping of different
(or more) grains would probably be your best way of modifying the malt
profile.
> Also, I want to try some whole hops or maybe some plugs. I did not use
Yes, they are a lot easier to deal with than pellet for me - just
depends on how you go about it.
> and maybe not have it get clogged up with detritus. Whole hops in mesh
> bags? I use a 2 stage all glass equipment kit. Thanks for your input.
You could do that. Mostly it's personal preference.
--Jeff
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Date: 18 Aug 2006 14:37:02
From: Ave
Subject: Re: Your input on my second home brew kit/recipe......Thanks
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"Planet_Man" <travelzilla@yahoo.com > wrote in message
news:1155898441.676763.170520@74g2000cwt.googlegroups.com...
>I want your input on my second home brew kit/recipe. Actually its not
> really my 2nd home brew ever but my 2nd brew after several years on no
> home brew action. Anyway, I purchased and brewed up an American pale
> ale kit and some liquid yeast from >grapeandgrainery.com.
I've checked prices on web HBS's and found "grapeandgrainery.com to be the
most expensive, they even go so far as to charge $26.19 for J. Palmer's
book "How to Brew" which full retail costs $19.95 and is available almost
anywhere for much less.
Unless you are getting great customer service, I would go elsewhere.
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