Refil Questions

[breez33]

Hi everyone, I was just given a Brewdemon Craft Kit Plus and I have a question about the different recipes. I am brand new to brewing so I apologize if my questions are simplistic. Must I use the refils that brewdemon sells or can I get refils from other places that will work with my kit? Why can't I use refils for other versions of the brewdemon series? I understand refils for the 6 gallon will be measured precisely for that, but why can't I use refils for the other 2 gallon models? For example I see the "signature" 2 gallon series has a stout refill but the "craft kit plus" does not have a stout.

[RickBeer]

Welcome.

You can ferment anything you want to in the fermenter, as long as you don't exceed the capacity of the fermenter.

I don't buy Brewdemon's products, but you are misunderstanding the terminology on their site. Craft Series is a can of refill, a can of "liquid brewing sugar", and sanitizer. Craft Series Plus replaces the can of "liquid brewing sugar" with unhopped malt extract. In short, higher quality end result. The Signature Series simply takes two cans of refill, no liquid brewing sugar or unhoppped malt extract. As such, they cost the most.

Summarized on this page: https://www.brewdemon.com/refills

[breez33]

That make more sense. Thanks for the clarification! I assume I can also by refils from other companies? Do you have any good suggestions?

[natural320]

exactly. any 2 gallon recipe, be it from their branded products or not, can be used. what are you looking to brew? I know that I would be willing to throw together a quick recipe for you (if you don't want to be "stuck" with pre-fab things that don't strike your fancy) that would use readily available ingredients. also, do you have a LHBS (local home brew shop) or would you be buying your stuff online?

*edit* I keep forgetting that most people here don't know me yet! but I have been brewing for 8 years, and I promise not to steer you wrong

[breez33]

exactly. any 2 gallon recipe, be it from their branded products or not, can be used. what are you looking to brew? I know that I would be willing to throw together a quick recipe for you (if you don't want to be "stuck" with pre-fab things that don't strike your fancy) that would use readily available ingredients. also, do you have a LHBS (local home brew shop) or would you be buying your stuff online?

*edit* I keep forgetting that most people here don't know me yet! but I have been brewing for 8 years, and I promise not to steer you wrong

Wow, thanks! I like stouts, porters and pale ales. I would love to have some recipe suggestions!! I live just outside NYC so I'm sure there is a LHBS nearby.

[RickBeer]

That make more sense. Thanks for the clarification! I assume I can also by refils from other companies? Do you have any good suggestions?

Anything meant anything.

Refills (sp) from any company that makes 2 gallon batches would work fine. Mr. Beer would be the main competitor, in fact much of what Brewdemon now sells is very similar / the same as what Mr. Beer stopped selling in 2012. The new Mr. Beer refills, especially the Craft Series and Seasonals, are quite good. Their Deluxe refills, which include a packet of LME, are also good.

In comparing Mr. Beer and Brewdemon, pay attention to the weight of the malt extract in the can(s) they provide. You want to be comparing apples to apples. Mr. Beer base refills are 1.87 pounds, plus a packet of booster (like the sugar solution from Brewdemon). A packet of LME (Deluxe refills) makes that 2.42 pounds (no more booster). Craft refills are generally 2.86 pounds. Seasonals are 4.3 pounds or so. Brewdemon's Craft Series is a 1.21 pound can, with a can of 11.3 ounces of the liquid brew enhancer (which should be similar to the Mr. Beer packet of booster). Their Craft Series Plus is the same can plus 1.21 pounds of LME. And their Signature Series is two 1.21 pound cans for 2.42 pounds total.

In short, you're getting more malt extract in the Mr. Beer products. In comparing the old Mr. Beer products from 2012 with the new Mr. Beer products, their is not a comparison. I have not brewed any of the Brewdemon products, but some of them are said to be the exact same as the old Mr. Beer products, I assume some / many of them are not the same also.

There are also cans of HME available from other companies like Munton's, Cooper's (owner of Mr. Beer), etc. Many of those are meant for bigger fermenters and require the addition of sugar (not great idea) or unhopped malt extract.

Once you get competent at brewing with canned products, you can consider recipes where you work with liquid or dry malt extract, steeped grains, and hops - and use the fermenter for those also.

[breez33]

Thank you Rick. I will definitely start with prepackaged stuff at first.

[natural320]

cool! I'm about to head to lunch, but here is an APA that will make your head spin because it is so easy and better than your average beer
what to buy (feel free to buy more so you can brew more!) :
1 x 3 lb bag of LIGHT Dried Malt Extract (DME) (might also be called "golden" depending on manufacturer).
1 x 1 lb AMBER dme (could be called sparkling amber too)
1 x Safale US-05 dry yeast
1 x 1 oz of Centennial pellet hops
1 x 1 oz of Cascade pellet hops

how big is your pot/kettle btw??? I will continue this recipe once I know that info. it is important

[RickBeer]

For a new brewer, in my opinion that's a bit of a stretch to try...

[natural320]

nah!
while I would never say DON'T use a pre fab hopped extract, heck, I made multiple batches like that starting out, I honestly enjoyed the process more using a multi step recipe...and, in my case, I enjoyed the final beer more than most of the HME based ones.

here's all you need to do breez:
I will assume you have. at the least, an 8 qt (so 2 gallons) pot for this.
put a gallon and half of water in there and turn on your burner
as it is heating, stir in the full 1 pound of amber, and 2 of the 3 pounds of light dme (seal and store the rest for another batch). it will take a bit of mixing, but you will eventually get all the clumps out and have a beautiful wort in your kettle
keep an eye on the pot because you don't want it to foam up and spill out making a huge mess!
once it comes to a boil, add 1/4 oz of the centennial hops (just toss 'em in) and start a 30 minute timer (you are doing a partial boil, but that is perfectly ok for using extracts)
with 20 minutes left, add 1/2 oz of the cascade hops
with 10 minutes left, another 1/4 of the centennial
with 7 left, another 1/4 of cascade
take the remaining hops and put them in a ziplock bag and store them in the freezer

timer goes off...flames goes out...boom. dun-dadda!

doing small batches that you need to top off anyway, here is a speed chilling method: use ice! put a bunch of ice cubes in the bottom of the demon, then pour the wort on top. it will immediately drop down to a good level. probably even under 100 degrees. use more cold water and ice to fill the demon up to about 2.5 gallons (it can handle it). if the temperature is between 60 and 70 degrees, you are ready to pitch yeast.

simply use a whisk (trying not to hit the sides of the demon to prevent scratching) to aerate your wort for like 30 seconds, then sprinkle in the yeast. let it sit for about 10-15 minutes, with the lid on, to rehydrate. then whisk again for another 45 seconds or so, put the lid on. then walk away for 11 days. no touchy! leave it in a spot that is cool enough to keep the wort under 72 and above 60 degrees. US-05 is awesome, and it can handle anything in that range. just keep it as consistent as possible.

after those 11 days are up, there is a 99% chance everything has been done and over for days, and that is a good thing. now, remember the leftover hops? go get 'em, and dump them all in to dry hop for 3 days. most will settle out, but if they don't, no worries. a little fermentation schmutz in the bottle won't hurt anything.

then (after 14 days total at this point) go ahead and bottle with priming sugar. let those sit another 2 weeks in a relatively warm area. then put them in the fridge for another 2 weeks (ideal), but I know you will be antsy so give a bottle at least 3-4 days in the fridge for the CO2 to be absorbed. trust me here. and if you can wait for a week instead, it will be all the better

oh, the vital stats on your EZ Breez-Y APA 2.5 gallon batch are that it is 6% abv with 40-45 ish IBUs

it might seem like a lot on your screen, but that is basically the whole thing soup to nuts...I think you can handle it!

[BlackDuck]

Nice write up. Well written instructions. Can I add/ask one thing though? Do you sanitize that whisk before putting it into the brew demon to aerate? If not, it's a good practice to get into.

Other than that, looks like a pretty good recipe, and quite easy to make.

[natural320]

Can I add/ask one thing though? Do you sanitize that whisk before putting it into the brew demon to aerate?

most definitely! good catch

@Breez you should pick up a bottle of Star San or something along that line for this very purpose. you should also sanitize the demon prior to adding the wort as well (and the bottles later on of course)

[RickBeer]

To each their own. I recommend 3 - 4 for a new brewer to get the best results, 3 weeks fermenting and 4 weeks carbonating and conditioning at 70 or above. Then 3 days in the fridge. I'm sure the OP will do what he feels comfortable with.

[breez33]

Thanks everybody! I will do a batch or two of prepackaged and than will try this recipe Natural. I love a challenge!

[breez33]

As far as conditioning, I read that I can choose to condition in the fridge the whole time. This won't work as well? Assuming you guys will say warm conditioning is much better, Where do you recommend?