February 20, 2013
Review: Brewing with the Demon
You would think that a review such as this would be easy to write. I mean really, these are extract beer recipes, how complex can they be? There in lays the problem, there is no complexity! There really aren’t a lot of details to discuss and talk about! The brewing is simple and it has easy to follow instructions that make the whole process quick and easy, so I could pretty much end it right here and tell you to come back once the beer has conditioned and I’ve had my first taste. BUT, I think that I can ramble on about a few points and attempt to keep your interest!
If you’re familiar at all with the brewing of Mr. Beer extracts then there will be no challenges or surprises with using BrewDemon. Add water to the pot, bring water to a boil, remove from heat, stir in hopped malt extract (HME) and Liquid Brew Enhancer or Unhopped Malt Extract (UME) or a second can of HME (for Signature recipes) to create the wort, add cold water to fermenter then add wort to fermenter and top off with more water, check temp to make sure you can pitch yeast and you guessed it pitch the yeast! Then its a waiting game, and as Tom Petty said, “The waiting is the hardest part.” But lets back up just a bit shall we? This whole process applies to not just the 2 gallon recipes but also the 6 gallon recipes that BrewDemon offers! In less then a hour, the same amount of time it takes to brew 2 gallons of beer, you can brew enough beer to fill approximately 64 – 12 oz bottles of a devilishly good beer! That’s a lot of beer! And we aren’t talking your basic run of the mill Budweiser or Miller or Coors caliber here! This is home brewed beer in all it’s goodness! IPA, Pilsner, Witbier, or Oatmeal Stout! All quick, easy and good!
I brewed both the 2 gallon and the 6 gallon versions of the BrewDemon Wild Spirit IPA. I wanted to brew both to be able to compare the process of brewing the 6 gallon batch with the process of brewing the 2 gallon batch, but also to make sure that the two different sizes are consistent in taste, body and all other aspects that characterize the recipe. I was actually surprised that the process was just as easy for the 6 gallon recipe as it was for the 2 gallon one. The hardest part was carrying 6 gallons of soon to be beer down my basement steps to my fermenting closet!
Now the 2 gallon recipe again had no surprises but the difference here was that I was using BrewDemon’s 2 gallon Conical Fermenter instead of my 6.5 gallon Brewers Best bucket. As mentioned in my review of the conical, being able to see the wort in the fermenter and the action of the optional “bubbler” airlock is a real bonus. The other thing that I really liked was being able to see the trub collecting at the bottom. Is this a big deal? No, but it does let you know how your brew is progressing and for new brewers it’s just another way to see activity and know that something is happening!
I brewed the 6 gallon batch first and like I said previously it was as easy and quick to whip up as the 2 gallon batch. 2 days later the 2 gallon batch was fermenting as well. On both batches I followed the directions as closely as possible to make sure I was consistent with what the baseline of these recipes would be for most people. I did let them go a little longer then the 7 days recommended by BrewDemon only because I was checking the Specific Gravity (SG) readings on both batches and bottled them once I got 2 consistent Final Gravity (FG) readings on both which happened on the same day!
**2 Gallon (Original Gravity) OG 1.047 – FG 1.012 = ABV 4.6%
**6 Gallon (Original Gravity) OG 1.044 – FG 1.010 = ABV 4.4%
(** These were my readings, which were slightly different from what BrewDemon’s suggested 4.2% ABV)
Bottling with both batches was pretty simple using the bottling wand that was included in the Signature kit and it made quick work of the job for both batches. I bottle primed the 1 quart bottles according to the BrewDemon direction (2.5 teaspoons) and used my regular 1/2 teaspoon of table sugar in my 12 oz bottles. Everything went smoothly with no problems!
Clean up of the BrewDemon Fermenter was easy, The design and size of the top opening made reaching in and making sure everything was wiped clean a no hassle proposition and the color and lack or unneeded molded design made me feel confident that it was as clean as it could be.
I really liked the experience of brewing with the BrewDemon Fermenter. Like I said before being able to see what was going on with the brew both with the bubbler and being able to look in or perv the wort as it moved closer and closer to beer was great. The fermenter works and feels like a good piece of brewing equipment not just something that you can just happen to brew beer in. There is nothing cheap about the Fermenter.
So, the beer is brewed, bottled and now it is conditioned and I’ve had the opportunity to try a couple
of bottles from both batches of beer. Closing my eyes, I cannot tell which beer came from which batch! This shows that the recipe is consistent and if you choose to do the 6 gallon batch because you wanted more of a good thing you would not be disappointed!
The Wild Spirit IPA is a good beer, it has a good hop character that you can definitely notice but it is still smooth and worthy of the IPA style. To make sure that it wasn’t just me being proud of having brewed a good beer I took a 1 quart bottle to my home brew club meeting so others who really know their beer and brewing could taste it. The consensus was that it is a good solid beer and very drinkable with no noticeable extract twang. Someone asked if there were english hops in the brew because it had a good distinct hop flavor to it. Another test, although less critical was serving it to my 83 yr old father who was pleasantly surprised at how good it was and actually had a second beer when he usually stops at just one.
So Bottom line here is that BrewDemon has a good solid product that can produce very good beer without a lot of time or effort! The equipment that the provide to
brew it is superior to other small batch systems that are available and in many ways easier to get started with and grow with.
Looking online at several home brewing websites there really seems to be a trend toward small batch brewing that is quick and easy, but also gives the ability and options to be creative and let move toward more complex brewing processes and recipes. I really feel that BrewDemon gets that and it prepared to help their customers as they grow in their brewing. The company is still young and still struggling to get a foothold in the market but once they do, watch out!