jimw86,s out of date Brew Buddy Bitter kit club

[colgilbec]

Starting this thread on behalf of everyone that has received the out of date Brew Buddy Bitter Kits kindly sent from jimw86.
Lets see what we can come up with,from start to finish[hopefully] .
How did you do yours?,lets go!!!.

[Roy]

Still waiting to receive mine... But going to use hops for the first time. Cascade and EKG. Possibly with honey.

[potatoes]

Hi there,

Got mine, Sitting behind me now. Was going to try nottingham yeast as I read on John Palmers how to brew, that dried yeast can expire. Since these are out of date already, probably best to change.

I was thinking about hops, but isnt the kit already hopped? Adding hops might make it too bitter? Instead I was going to try grain tea bag, prior to adding the kit.

My idea was:
10 litres of water
250 grms Crystal Malt in a tea bag 30mins at 65-70 degrees

Then add
1 KG of Light LME- Bring to boil 30 mins

Then add
1 Can of Out-of-date goodness brew buddy- Boil 5 Mins

Combine with water to make 20 litres.
Add Nottingham yeast.

Bottle after 2 weeks.

These are just randon ideas from a novice so brewer. So any thoughts or suggestions are welcome!
Potatoes

[Old splot]

I've received mine, but just waiting for an empty fv and keg. So I best get drinking to free up the latter!

I haven't experimented with my kits too much so far but feel this is a perfect opportunity. Perhapse during emptying my keg some real inspiration might come to me. A visit to my lhbs might help.

Will return with ideas.

Thanks jim!

[legion]

Hi there,
I was thinking about hops, but isnt the kit already hopped? Adding hops might make it too bitter?

Hops have to be boiled for a long time to extract the bitterness, you can make a hop tea to add flavor or dry hop to add aroma.

[potatoes]

Hops have to be boiled for a long time to extract the bitterness, you can make a hop tea to add flavor or dry hop to add aroma.[/quote]


Could you recommend a hops tea to add to the brew buddy bitter kit?

[EramusBlack]

I have both of mine and plan to start one as soon as I get back from Munich - off for work - and beer

I too am interested in suggestions for hops to add. I've just completed one of these kits and it's ok, but was looking for a variation.

[Roy]

Would you people recommend usng light or medium spraymalt? Change the yeast as kit is out of date or keep it?

here's my ingredients:

1x brew buddy bitter kit
1kg of spraymalt light or dark, to be decided
40g Cascade hops steeped in a percolaor for 30 mins
1x jar of clear honey, boiled to sanitise
May change the yeast as kit is out of date...

[Roy]

My brew shop is out of light spraymalt so will have too use medium I guess...

[dedken]

Change the yeast as kit is out of date or keep it?

You can use the kit yeast. My kit was dated to the end of Oct 2009 and the yeast went off really well, almost immediately in fact, after I'd stirred it in.

[dedken]

Here comes the next brew!
Judging by the taste of my last one (straight from thge fv as I bottled), I may have slightly over-bittered the kit by using too much EKG. This time I cut down on the bittering hops but increased the flavouring and finishing hops... as follows

4 litres water - 60 min boil (not including time to reach 100C which was probably 10mins.
60m - 10g Target
20m - 10g Target, 10g Fuggles
10m - 10g Fuggles, 350g honey

1 tin Oct2009 Brewbuddy Bitter.
1kg Geordie BKE (because I only had the time to visit Wilko's)
Yeast - Danstar Nottingham.

Tipped half the BKE into dry fv, poured warmed tin of malt on top and filled empty can - stirred. Strained in hopped hot water/honey stuff. Thrashed to within an inch of it's life with paddle. Added remainder of BKE and topped up with the rest of my campden treated cold water. Given such a thrashing the froth alone was 200mm deep and came right to the head of my fv. Didn't have time to rehdyrate the yeast as the instructions suggest, so pitched on the top @ 22C and gently mixed in. Heater in - go!

edit... forgot to mention OG 1045

[Roy]

Would you people recommend usng light or medium spraymalt? Change the yeast as kit is out of date or keep it?

here's my ingredients:

1x brew buddy bitter kit
1kg of spraymalt light or dark, to be decided
40g Cascade hops steeped in a percolaor for 30 mins
1x jar of clear honey, boiled to sanitise
May change the yeast as kit is out of date...

Made this at the weekend. Tasted it when checking the hydro reading [about 1040] and was put off. Tried it again yesterday and it's totally turning into something decent! Looking forward to bottling and getting the next one on the go. Just need some more bottles now!

[potatoes]

Sounds good dedken, let us know how it tastes out the FV. Might give this one a go myself!!!

[dedken]

Sure I will do... BTW I can recommend the use of Danstar Nottingham - it's gone off like an explosion in my fv, trying to force it's way out of the lid.
Also should mention in my 'recipe' that I typed the wrong timing for the finishing hops -should have typed 10m not 50m! I'll go back and edit that now...

As a further experiment I may rack this brew (haven't racked one before - normally I go straight from fv to bottle) and dry hop another 10g Fuggles for a few days.

[potatoes]

As a further experiment I may rack this brew (haven't racked one before - normally I go straight from fv to bottle) and dry hop another 10g Fuggles for a few days.

The Nottingham is really good. It also cleared really well when I used it last too. Far better than the Windsor. People seem to rave about it on here a bit.

This free beer kit has made you go crazy with experimentation, aye? I have never racked as I dont own a glass carboy. Also I read somewhere, that adding a small amount of sugar when rack is a good idea. It starts fermentation again so that the small amount of air between the beer and lid of carboy is Co2 rather than oxygen. Thoughts?