1st AG

[lethaldog]

I used to add the water to the grain but i switched once just to see and it works better for me and tends to mix in better with no cold spots, its only technique and they both work but i just find it easier, i have also heard alot of brewers say the same thing which is why i tried it in the first place, as far as the dust thing goes i think you will find there to be less dust when adding to the water ( rather than adding water to the grain), the initial grain pour ( when i added water after) used to put dust everywhere, no such problems now

[warra48]

I used to add the water to the grain but i switched once just to see and it works better for me and tends to mix in better with no cold spots, its only technique and they both work but i just find it easier, i have also heard alot of brewers say the same thing which is why i tried it in the first place, as far as the dust thing goes i think you will find there to be less dust when adding to the water ( rather than adding water to the grain), the initial grain pour ( when i added water after) used to put dust everywhere, no such problems now

Like so many things in home brewing, different things work well for different brewers. If it works for you, go for it. I guess we shouldn't be afraid to experiment. Be open to new ideas.

[beerdrinker]

I reckon all k&k/extract brewers should try an AG beer or do a fresh wort kit to see how superior this type of brewing is. If i had done a fresh wort kit when i started brewing id of gone AG a hella of a lot sooner

[Kevnlis]

I have had a few beers made from supposed "fresh" wort kits and have not been impressed. They were not much if any better than a decent K&K brew, and no where near on par with my AG brews! Part of the reason could have been the use of dried saf yeasts to ferment them, and the fact that temperature control was in a fridge with a mechanised temperature controller rather than digital.

[beerdrinker]

Good point Kev, i tasted a couple from the HB shop which were pretty tasty! would be a shame for someone to judge AG beer going by a poorly made one,then never progress.

[Kevnlis]

All three styles I tried were from the same producer, and were fermented by the same person. I can not speak for fresh wort kits in general of course.

The first was an Amarillo Pale Ale which was fermented with US-05 and tasted not much like any of the Amarillo ales I have produced. I assume this was because it had been hopped with a different vintage of the crop, not their fault. But it was quite thin and had none of the fresh malt flavours you hope to find in an AG brew.

The second was a Wheat Beer fermented with WB-06. From memory he fermented fairly warm to get good esters, which was accomplished but unfortunately did not suit the beer. It did not taste like any wheat beer I had ever had, and in fact did not taste like much at all.

The third was a Draught and I do not remember what yeast was used to ferment it. I do believe it was a very good Draught beer, completely flavourless like the previous two.

I have debated parting with the $40 they charge for the things to do one with a liquid yeast and a proper Fridgemate, but am afraid to waste the yeast. I would be interested to speak with the brewer to find out exactly what goes into the wort, whether it is an all malt wort with real hop additions. My guess is they use ceral extract or cane sugar for a large part of the fermentables and add hop extracts for the bittering and aroma components. As unfortunately do most of the large breweries

None the less I would love to hear of peoples experiences with these fresh wort packs. I think it is the way of the future and I take a great interest in it personally. If anyone has done one and been happy please let me know what it was and what you did.

[drsmurto]

I reckon all k&k/extract brewers should try an AG beer or do a fresh wort kit to see how superior this type of brewing is. If i had done a fresh wort kit when i started brewing id of gone AG a hella of a lot sooner

Poorly made K&Ks are bad, i agree, but so is a poorly made AG. A well crafted kit with added spec grains, fresh hops and a good yeast can be pretty good. And as far as the darker styles go, its not as easy to pick kits from AGs. Kit beers have won comps against AG beers in the past, i know cos i have done so. There is also a thread on AHB atm in one of the case swap threads (cant recall which one but its not SA) in which they were all crowing about how good one blokes beer was and all requested the recipe only for it to turn out to be kit based. They were mainly AG brewers and gob smacked.

My mates are kit brewers and i always taste their beers and will not stop doing so. Some of them produce average beer, others produce stuff i could drink all night and feel privileged doing so. Each to their own.

Sorry for the rant but i dont want ppl to be scared away from this site - we have a lot of kit brewers here and i like to think they add to the site and are not inferior because they dont brew AG. Dont take this as a personal attack beerdrinker, i just think we all need to be reminded occasionally that we are a diverse brewing community here to help each other, not shit can each others brewing habits.....not everyone has the time, money or inclination to take on the obsession/hobby that is AG brewing.

Cheers and beers
DrSmurto

[warra48]

....not everyone has the time, money or inclination to take on the obsession/hobby that is AG brewing.
Cheers and beers
DrSmurto

And that's why K&K brewers will always outnumber the AG or E+G brewers, and good luck to them. Each to their own.
I am retired, and can afford the time to put into AG brewing. I have a brew on the boil at present, on which I starter at 9 AM this morning. I am about to immersion chill it, and it is now 5PM!It is my first experience of decoction brewing, and it takes a helluva lot of time to do. Clearly this is not for everyone.
Hope it is worth the effort!
Even a single infusion AG mash, sparge, and boil will take at least 4 hours plus, and it takes a certain amount of obsession to spend that time on a brew, when you can do the K&K inside about ½ hour.

[Kevnlis]

Sorry if it sounded like I was "shit canning" K&K brewers. All of my friends and family are K&K brewers, as was I when I first started... for many years. In fact I did two K&K brews just the other day

I think the strength of this site is that it welcomes all brewers, be they first time, or experienced AG. I do not intend to alienate anyone, nor do I want to scare people off fresh wort kits. My aim is to give an opinion and share my experience so that as a community we can ALL become more well educated.

[beerdrinker]

I dont mean to "shitcan" anyone, Ag does take all day to %$#&^% brew,at least 4 hrs,but i believe it to be superior especially in the lighter styles(k&k stouts are awesome) Drank a tcb wetpac american ale the other day and it would beat most megaswill to my tastes. I think you have to be a bit obsessed to brew AG

[lethaldog]

I must be totally obsessed then

I used to think the same thing about AG brewers untill i tried my first one and now there is no turning back but thats just me

[Kevnlis]

I must be totally obsessed then

I used to think the same thing about AG brewers untill i tried my first one and now there is no turning back but thats just me

+1

[rwh]

I've got all the equipment and knowledge to do AG brews, but rarely get the time to do one. I brew the entire range from K&K through AE to AG. For me, it's about learning the techniques and the theory; I suppose you could say that the journey is an end in itself for me. Because I apply the knowledge that I gained through working towards AG to my kit brews, they turn out much better, they keep my kegs full, and my friends happy. My carefully crafted AG brews are a step above, but they do demonstrate the law of diminishing returns quite ably.

BTW, my Monteith's Black clone came out to die for!

[lethaldog]

Pity your links dont

[rwh]

Fixed.

[warra48]

I must be totally obsessed then

I used to think the same thing about AG brewers untill i tried my first one and now there is no turning back but thats just me

+2

[Tipsy]

I must have been a shit K & K brewer, they tasted ok but nothing like my AGs

Tipsy
All Grain Elitest

[beerdrinker]

I must have been a shit K & K brewer

same here

[Kevnlis]

I think you guys may have misread what was typed?

[Trough Lolly]

I must have been a shit K & K brewer

same here

I certainly was...I recall making my first batch; a Coopers Draught kit and a kilo of dex. I couldn't work out why it didn't taste like Crown Lager!
I couldn't toss it out because I'd made it myself, but if I was going to a barbie, I'd upgrade and take a dozen VB since it tasted better....

Cheers,
TL