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Can you Purchase a $13 beer kit from Amazon and actually make good beer?

You never know what you are going to find on Amazon. Not that long ago, I came across a sale on beer kits. MoreBeer was clearing out their entire selection of kits from their Amazon store.


I looked through the selection of kits and chose the cheapest one I could find. The UK Jester Single Hop Experiment. The total came to $13.84 with tax.

Unfortunately the final product was not very good. This has everything to do with the age of the ingredients in the kit. This had definitely been sitting around in an Amazon warehouse for a very long time.

I did try to correct the flavor issue by dry hopping this in the keg with Nugget, Sterling and Magnum hops. That worked for a short period of time before the flavor faded and I was left with a flat tasting product that was fine if you are just in to drinking beer. But nothing special if you are looking for good beer.

If you would like to try this kit for yourself you can purchase it directly from MoreBeer here. The full recipe for this is available directly from MoreBeer on the same page.

*MoreBeer operates under the name Homebrewers Outpost on Amazon.

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Epidemic Sound
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Brewing a Belgian Wit (V. 2.5) with WLP500

I have been on a quest to clone Hoegaarden for more than a year. It’s my favorite Summer beer and one that I would really like to make my house beer. The one that I always have on hand. My first attempt was a tasteless extract version that missed the mark. Version 2.0 came about a month later when I made my first attempt at a partial mash version. By the time I brewed this version (2.5) partial mashing was gone and it was all grain.


Changing to all grain doesn’t mean you can’t still make mistakes. Too much coriander. Yeast that is too old. Not using enough orange zest. All contributed to an end product that is no where close to tasting like Hoegaarden.

Since this brew, I have upgraded to creating starters for all brew days. Version 3 of this beer is coming. I’ll be changing out the flaked wheat for German wheat and adding some acid malt. 4 Oz. of orange zest instead of 2. Hopefully that creates a well rounded beer.

Till that brew is ready, here is the recipe I used for version 2.5. The download link is at the bottom.

Recipe Details

Batch Size Boil Time IBU SRM Est. OG Est. FG ABV
5.5 gal 90 min 44.6 IBUs 3.1 SRM 1.046 1.008 4.9 %
Actuals 1.047 1.01 4.9 %

Fermentables

Name Amount %
Pilsner (2 Row) UK 4.5 lbs 45
Wheat, Flaked 4 lbs 40
Oats, Flaked 1 lbs 10
Munich Malt 8 oz 5

Hops

Name Amount Time Use Form Alpha %
Hallertauer Mittelfrueh 1 oz 60 min Boil Pellet 4
Sterling 1 oz 60 min Boil Pellet 7.5

Miscs

Name Amount Time Use Type
Orange Zest 2.00 oz 10 min Boil Flavor
Chamomile Tea Bags 3.00 Items 10 min Boil Other
Coriander Seed 1.00 oz 10 min Boil Spice

Yeast

Name Lab Attenuation Temperature
Trappist Ale (WLP500) White Labs 78% 65°F - 72°F

Mash

Step Temperature Time
Mash In 150°F 90 min

Fermentation

Step Time Temperature
Primary 4 days 67°F
Secondary 10 days 67°F
Aging 30 days 65°F

Download

Download this recipe's BeerXML file

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Music By:
Nicolai Heidlas
Real Ride
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Tormund’s Finest Ale Tasting and Review – An Irish Red Rye

Brewing with rye and roasted barley was a gamble. I had never brewed with either grain till now. It was a gamble that paid off. The roasted barley added a pleasant smoky/toasted aroma and flavor. Adding the rye provided a slight fruity flavor that is a compliment to the malty backbone.

I liked this one enough that it is going to make it in to the regular rotation.


The full brew day video for this beer is located here.

Tasting Notes

  • Color and Appearance
    • Reddish Brown
    • Clear
    • Good smooth/creamy head retention
    • No visible carbonation
  • Aroma
    • Toasty, roasty.
    • Medium malt
    • Smoky
  • Flavor
    • No detectable alcohol
    • No hop flavor
    • Fruity, smoky, toasty
    • Medium malt
  • Mouth Feel
    • Low astringency
    • Medium body
    • Low carbonation
    • Medium finish

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Find this beer on Untappd
https://untappd.com/b/brewing-around-the-realm-tormund-s-finest-ale/2593225

Music:
Origins
Jahzar
https://www.jamendo.com/artist/348998/jahzzar

Brewing an Irish Inspired Red Rye Ale – Tormund’s Finest Ale

This recipe is a combination of several different ones. I started with a standard Irish red ale recipe from BYO Magazine. That gave me a good idea what malt I would be looking for. I knew I wanted to try something other than 2-row or pilsner malt. Settling on Maris Otter I had to figure out how much Rye to add. Bear Republic brews Hop Rod Rye with 18% Rye. I had a target ABV and rough percents. I plugged everything in to the recipe calculator. Made adjustments as needed. The result is Tormund’s Finest Ale.

The hops for this recipe are the ones I had on hand. They are also the ones that will be going into the next All-Grain batch of Highgarden Wit

Recipe Details

Batch Size Boil Time IBU SRM Est. OG Est. FG ABV
6 gal 60 min 31.6 IBUs 18.0 SRM 1.055 1.015 5.2 %
Actuals 1.058 1.01 6.3 %

Fermentables

Name Amount %
Pale Malt, Maris Otter 10.5 lbs 73.04
Rye Malt 3 lbs 20.87
Roasted Barley 8 oz 3.48
Caramel/Crystal Malt - 90L 6 oz 2.61

Hops

Name Amount Time Use Form Alpha %
Hallertauer Mittelfrueh 0.5 oz 60 min First Wort Pellet 4
Sterling 0.5 oz 60 min First Wort Pellet 7.5
Hallertauer Mittelfrueh 0.5 oz 20 min Boil Pellet 4
Sterling 0.5 oz 20 min Boil Pellet 7.5

Miscs

Name Amount Time Use Type
Gypsum (Calcium Sulfate) 2.00 tsp 60 min Mash Water Agent
Whirlfloc Tablet 1.00 Items 15 min Boil Fining

Yeast

Name Lab Attenuation Temperature
Irish Ale Yeast (WLP004) White Labs 72% 65°F - 68°F

Mash

Step Temperature Time
Mash In 153°F 60 min

Fermentation

Step Time Temperature
Primary 14 days 67°F
Aging 30 days 65°F

Download

Download this recipe's BeerXML file

Music:
Origins
Jahzar
https://www.jamendo.com/artist/348998/jahzzar