Kit recommendations?

[quixoticgeek]

I am looking into starting off a new beer kit and am looking for some recommendations. I would like something hopy, light, and summery, my hope being to brew up a batch for the summer evenings.

Does anyone have any good suggestions on kits they have tried, or even kits to avoid?

Thanks

Julia

[jimjamjamie0]

Hi

I would probaly recomend thomas coopers ipa, or for something lighter coopers australian pale ale, both done with malt.


jamie

[scottmoss]

I recommend a Fixby Gold, just got mine conditioning and it already tastes fantastic!

[mandyandnick]

Have you done any Woodfordes kits in the past?

If you have got on OK with them (or have never tried one before) then Great Eastern is very like what you were after. It is an all-malt (2 can) kit.

Some forum members have had stuck fermentations with Woodfordes kits and so I think they wouldn't reccomend them, but I've got on well with the ones I've done. IIRC there was a spate of this a few months ago - anyone know if it was batch related?

The other advantage is that they're available anywhere worth buying your HBS kits from!

Nick.

[At. Ailbhe's Brewery]

Some forum members have had stuck fermentations with Woodfordes kits and so I think they wouldn't reccomend them, but I've got on well with the ones I've done.

My Wherry stuck, but a few stirs will get over that, and rouse it again.

No biggie.

[barl_fire]

I recommend a Fixby Gold, just got mine conditioning and it already tastes fantastic!

seconded! Fit's the OPs requirements perfectly I'd say. Mine's coming up to four weeks in keg conditioning this weekend and it's the best homebrew kit I've ever tasted. As good as anything you'll get in a pub. Gonna get stuck in proper tommorrow night, can't wait! Is it just me or does anybody else find Fixby Gold has a buttery almost butterscotch flavour to it, bloody lovely stuff. I can see me doing many of these

[vacant]

Midas Touch. Best kit I ever did. Expensive but then it is a 3.6Kg kit so 20% more ingredients than a 3Kg.

[colgilbec]

Brupaks Fixby Gold with added Muntons hopped spraymalt 500grms excellent drink,i think it does have a slight butterscotch taste as well.
Got Muntons premium Gold Midas Touch just bottled,so waiting!!!.
Another classic is Brupaks Colne Valley Bitter,cant praise this enough,definately one to add to the collection.
I am on the lookout for any recs for a good Brown Ale kit,something similar to Newcastle Brown?
Trouble is i start comparing the beers i,ve got ,to see which is the best and nearly allways end off cross eyed such is life.

[Cheshire-cheese]

Brupaks Linthwait Light is worth considering

[barl_fire]

Brupaks Fixby Gold with added Muntons hopped spraymalt 500grms excellent drink,i think it does have a slight butterscotch taste as well.
Got Muntons premium Gold Midas Touch just bottled,so waiting!!!.
Another classic is Brupaks Colne Valley Bitter,cant praise this enough,definately one to add to the collection.
I am on the lookout for any recs for a good Brown Ale kit,something similar to Newcastle Brown?
Trouble is i start comparing the beers i,ve got ,to see which is the best and nearly allways end off cross eyed such is life.

That's how I plan to do my next Fixby Gold, saw it mentioned in a review on Brew it yourself, and thought mmmm that kit plus extra alcohol, gotta be good!

I'm on a quest for a Newcastle type kit too, what I've come up with so far from here and elsewhere is that the Brewmaker Northumberland ale although okay isn't anything like the real stuff and that Samsons Newkie is horrible. Blackbag on here reckons Black Rock Nut Brown Ale with 1kg BKE 2 month bottled is the closest he's come it. I'm planning this plus a 15 min Fuggles tea bag. I think the trick is not to use too much spraymalt as Newcastle is relatively thin anyway. I might add an extra bit of brewing sugar to mine to get it to 4.7%.

Also I've noticed a few places still stock the John Bull brown ale and heard good reports but not sure how close to Newcastle Brown it is though, so it'll be Black Rock first for me

There's a Brewcraft Newcastle Brown Ale kit from New Zealand I'd like to get me hands on as it's supposed to be very good, however I'm yet to find a stockist in the UK

[At. Ailbhe's Brewery]

What do ye make to the Coopers' IPA? The green one?

[Lillywhite]

Brupaks Linthwait Light is worth considering

+1

[micromaniac]

Have you done any Woodfordes kits in the past?

If you have got on OK with them (or have never tried one before) then Great Eastern is very like what you were after. It is an all-malt (2 can) kit.

Some forum members have had stuck fermentations with Woodfordes kits and so I think they wouldn't reccomend them, but I've got on well with the ones I've done. IIRC there was a spate of this a few months ago - anyone know if it was batch related?

The other advantage is that they're available anywhere worth buying your HBS kits from!

Nick.

just getting to the end of my 2nd eastern ale and its bostin , nice and hoppy with a long lasting head . only got 2 of the woodfords kits left to try .and the eastern is me fav ..........so far anyway

[jimjamjamie0]

What do ye make to the Coopers' IPA? The green one?

I added to it 500g of pale dried malt extract and a kilo of glucose, turned out very well after 6 week condition