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Cheers! I had thought the whisky flavour was coming off the raw sugar as well. Nice insight on te brown sugar and good for me to keep in mind when I get round to trying it.

@@homebrewrepublic1993 👍😎🍺

Wow. Cheers for the very generous comment!

Cheers @xjamis My wife love interior design. Its a decal that was stuck on the wall over the paint. If you happen to be in NZ..... yourdecalshop.co.nz/products/world-map-wall-decal?_pos=1&_sid=eaeba0784&_ss=r&variant=42476018237689

Hi @diannewojcik502! Thanks for checking out our vid. Much appreciated. I haven't personally brewed the Strawberry and Pear cider kit. According to the specification on Mangrovejack.com the colour is meant to be pink, so sounds a little unusual. Couple of thoughts: Colour may be influenced by how you are bottling e.g. if you are not cold crashing, racking off or taking additional actions to aid clarity. There could be some sediment in your colour which may make it appear slightly darker or cloudy. I would also always check the best before date of a kit. This may be a factor. For the carbonation you mentioned that you used 1 sugar drop per 500ml bottle. I would have a look at the instructions on the sugar drops. Most drops are designed for 1 drop to a 330-375ml bottle and 2 drops in a 750ml bottle. This may be the reason that you have had a lower than ideal level of carbonation. If some bottles seem to have more carbonation than others I would check the seals on your swing top bottles. If it helps not every brew will always work out but overall kit brewing is a great way to make good brews and I hope you get a better outcome that you enjoy with the next brew. Hope that helps.

@@homebrewrepublic1993 thank you very much for your quick response. I have been making wine from kis for many years, and hey have always turned out well. I bought this kit in March with a best before date of June. The swing caps were placed securely on the bottles, and I used just 1/2 of he sweetener for Off Dry. I did no use any exra enhancer kit, and had he correct SG all he way. I am considering asking for a replacement from WineKitz.

@@diannewojcik502 Sounds like you have in hand. I'm actually brewing my first ever wine from kit now. I have a pinot Noir in the clearing stages and I am going to do a Sav Blanc next. I'm using Wine Expert. Any advice you would offer me?

Hey, Thanks for the support. We really appreciate the feedback. We had heard people say that the US was a lot more focussed on grain based approaches. To a degree this is something that is happening in NZ too, and was a big part of why we committed ourselves to kit brewing.

@@homebrewrepublic1993 👍😎🍺

The upside is there is always brew swaps!

Hi Jane. I would leave them. Most kits are published with a best-before date that tends to be 1-2 years from production. You are probably best to leave the kits you found. Cheers, Russell

Thanks and fair comments. Agree - changing ingredients especially malt extract to enhancer can change the colour and body composition of the beer significantly and the addition of additional hops can significantly change the flavour profile. Definitely some food for thought if I do this brew again.

Thanks Neo. Working on the volume piece.

@@homebrewrepublic1993 did you make the video in a basement - lots of echo.

@@diannewojcik502 Thanks - appreciate the comment. Working on the sound piece. We are about to move to a professional mic set. Cheers, Russell

Did you see the additional clip in the middle? I made a second one off the cuff that came out at 8.5%ABV - That one was a bit more drink with caution ;)

Hi @raycharlie8872. There are a few things in your comment. I'm a little cautious when advising about fermentation odours as people can have different interpretations of smell. Some general guidance: Some yeast strains will produce unique flavours during fermentation that can be interpreted as 'off' including a sulfur smell. This does not neccessarily incidate that there is an infection or anything else wrong. However, if the sulfur smell is excessively strong or persists long after fermentation has completed, or if it's accompanied by other off-flavors or unusual visual signs (like strange film or colors on top of the brew), it might indicate a problem, such as contamination or stressed yeast. What I would suggest is taking a taste test from a trial jar and looking taking a visual check of the surface of your brew. If there are no other conerns I would let the fermentation keep going.

50 - 100g of maltodextrin may help

Thanks Andy, can I add that to any brew e.g. an IPA ?

Fair call on the head retention. I think I even said in my brew review for the Golden that I didn't feel head retention was the best for that kit. I found the head retention on the IPA a lot better. And the description that comes for the IPA notes the use of wheat malt for improved head. Suggestion from @AndyThom is fair - Maltodextrin can help foam stability. Will also add to the body of the brew. It's a non fermentable starch that is tasteless. If you use Maltodextrin I would add it when you mix your wurt - you can disolved some in a cup of boiling water first. Good guidance again with Andy on the amount - potentially consider the lower end of the range for your first go.

Thanks Russel, so if I do an IPA next add 50g maltodextrin dissolved in hot water to the brew barrel before topping up to 23 litres yeah? Graeme :-)

Or would you say the IPA doesn't need it?

Thanks for watching @jjmedlycott To make sure we're on the same page, the kit comes with a packet of sweetner and a packet of flavouring. The sweetner is optional - you can add all (sweet finish), none (dry finish) or half (off-dry). I didn't find the difference in sweetness was massive. For the flavouring I've not heard of adding part of the packet. If you did only add part I would suggest it would start to reduce the strength of the specific flavour. My suggestion would be to start with the full packet, which is what the instructions intend. When you try the brew you will get a sense of the flavour as intended and you could always play with the variables in future brews to find the combination you like best. Maybe not a really specific answer but hope it helps. Cheers, Russell

That's great, thank you! @@homebrewrepublic1993

Hi Steve, Please believe me - I've got the feedback. Need to upgrade my approach to videos starting with the audio. Just a heads up Its about 2-3 months from the time I start recording a video until I publish it (remembering that there is 2 weeks to ferment and then I generally wait around 8 weeks until I review). I'll do what I can in the meantime to improve the audio in the editing software. It will be around 2 months until you see content come through with recording on new mics.

Hey @Jay - agree. It's one of my favourite MJ kits. I haven't ever tried to mix and match with the craft series kits but there is no reason why you can't. With some caution (for different reasons) I would suggest a max of 200gm including the hops that come with the kit, which is 50gm. If you want to be safe start with an increment of an additional 30-50 grams and see how you go/work up from there. Agree on the Galaxy especially. The other NZ Hop that would potentially work really well is Motueka. Cheers!

Thanks Russ, I’ll put an order through soon 👍

@@jaybellanzgmail never a problem dude!

Fair comments. You make an interesting point that I didn't really cover in the vid that infections of various types can change the equation completely.

@@homebrewrepublic1993 a good beer that's old will be way better than a fresh beer with an infection. My point in the original comment is that beers do keep for almost decades in my experience.

Cheers again on the comment. Will be picking up on the audio. Out of curiosity what did you use to introduce the chocolate to the brew?

On the Brick Road comment...... Watch this space!

This was a recipe from my local HB shop plus my other simple notes. 1.7kg Morgan’s Dockside Stout 1.5kg Roasted Dark Malt Yeast: Morgans Premium English Ale Yeast Pitching Temp: 26C Fermenting Temp: 20C Starting Gravity: 1.042 FG: 1.008 Bottled 11/03/2023 I am not a huge stout fanatic and don't know if I would try again. Chocolate on the nose but subtle on the taste. @@homebrewrepublic1993

not too sure but it looks like my copy paste and bold took out the line. Samuel Willards Creme De Cacao 50ml

Feedback is a gift, never an insult. Cheers for the comment. I'll look at how I can balance and improve the audio.

No probs Jay. Hope you guys enjoy!

Hey Russ, we put down this apple cider brew last Monday with the addition of 4kgs of Feijoas, I put the fermenter in the fridge with an Inkbird controller and heat pad and have maintained a steady 22 degrees C, I took a OSG and it was 1060, the air lock has been going crazy this week, I took a reading yesterday as the airlock has stopped bubbling and it’s reading 1009, I’ve taken another reading today and it’s 1008, do you think the fermenting has just about stopped and go to cold crashing? I was just surprised how quickly it’s fermented (6 days)!

@@jaybellanzgmail Based on that OG and current gravity reading that's 6.83%. NICE! In this case I would look for gravity to be stable for 3 days, before you cold crash. I say three days as there is a lot of additional sugars in the brew and there may be a slow tail. You want 3 days of gravity at a constant reading before you cold crash. If you cold crash before fermentation is fully complete you will stop fermentation prematurely and risk over-carbonation once bottled. Hope that helps.

Interesting comment. What do you mean by smells bad?

I think there is a lot of personal preference in here. These would be some thoughts based on my preferences: The Juicy Session IPA has a big juicy flavour, so it can carry the extra malt character that comes from the MJ light liquid malt extract, without the feeling that the malt character is too much or out of balance. It also gives it a little more body and a smoother mouthfeel. Liquid Brewing Sugar will give you a lighter body and pull back on the malt character. I haven't used this combination but I would suspect the juicy character would become more of a feature. Dextrose will be similar to above but with a slight sweet tinge. If you go to the effort of a craft series I feel the kits are wasted on destrose. Where the (any of the IPAs in the craft series range) IPAs are concerned I would always go the light LME. Hope that helps you out!

Amazing insight, thank you Russel. I've been put off of the malt due to how overpowering it was in the lucky goat brew I did. With my next brews I really want to limit that flavour, so liquid brewing sugar it is for me. Thanks again

If you weren't going to use Light LME then, for me the Liquid brewing sugar would be my second choice. But dextrose would also be fine and others may have a different view based on preferences. One thing I would call out is that I don't think the MJ light LME is a good paring with the Lucky Goat which I think you are referring to. And that this gives the impression the Light LME is overpowering. Its not overpowering when used in kits that can balance the strength of its flavour. The Lucky Goat has a very delicate flavour profile. The Juicy Session has a big bold flavour profile. Hope that helps you out.

@homebrewrepublic1993 thanks again Russel I've gone with the liquid brewing sugar, brew day Tomorrow!

Way too kind Sir. IPA and Pale Ale down now - catch you in a couple of weeks.

Thanks @AndrewHague14. I appreciate that people watch and get value! Let me think about that. I am a little cautious as I'm not sure it's apples for apples. What I mean by that is if there was XX beer on the shelf in a supermarket and you could also buy XX beer as a beer kit, I think its fair to compare the store bought and the home brewed. I am happy, and I did in this review compare the brew to general store bought styles. which I think is fair to do. I want to keep evolving the brew reviews and one of the things on my mind was replica brews. For example there was some discussion around a post on a recipe for Emerson's 1812 Pale Ale.

I remember you like your hopped beers - I definitely preferred the hopped version of this brew. How did your last brew go - good result? And how much hops did you end up using in dry hop?

@@homebrewrepublic1993 I had about 60g of cascade left over from another brew and chucked it in, came out nice :-)

@@graemeglasgow4596 I think 60grams is a good volume for these kits. And the Cascade would have worked mint. Nice!

@@homebrewrepublic1993 Just ordered the golden ale :-)

Interesting comment and fair call. I went and checked the Juicy Session ingredients and they do indeed have a fruit concentrate in them, which I didn't pick up previously. And to your point I checked some other kits which don't. One thing I've learned though, is that beauty is in the eye of the brew holder. Single Hop Citra isn't one I've made it to yet which sounds good on your comments. Cheers.

I've dropped a link below. It's from the Mangrove Jacks website and has their suggested final gravity - while they vary by kit they are all under 1.010. However, while some of my finals have been under 1.010 I have never been as low as what MJ suggest. The two suggestions I would give you: 1. Don't focus on the final gravity in terms of hitting a target. Look for consistency in the FG over 3-4 days to signal the end of fermentation. 2. If in doubt leave in the fermenter for another 24-48 hours and keep testing. (will never do the brew harm to have a little longer in the fermenter). I'm assuming at this point that you have been fermenting in the recommended temperature range. If this is the case one thing you can do is give the fermenter a gentle shake/swirl to aggravate the yeast cake on the bottom. This may bring some life back into fermentation. If you do this test gravity for the next two days. Consistency = finished, change = there may be a little more. In summary - the biggest piece of advice is not to focus on the recommended final target. Rather look to ensure that fermentation is finished, wherever it ends up. Hope that helps. help.mangrovejacks.com/hc/en-us/articles/360005436958-What-should-my-SG-Reading-be-?_gl=1*5rvzay*_ga_DX8CS9RVJL*MTY5NTQ2NDcxNC4xMi4wLjE2OTU0NjQ3MTQuNjAuMC4w

@homebrewrepublic1993 how good cheers for such an in depth response

Thank you Sir. And enjoy - sounds like the brew made it to your house.

The cold crashing and the temperature control with the fridge make a massive difference. Let me know if you want any help, happy to share how I put mine together.

Also I've made a couple more of the Pilsener and one of the brews was with the brew enhancer which has come out mint. Looks like you were going to use the brew enhancer with that kit - enjoy.

@@homebrewrepublic1993 Got the pilsner started today, sitting at 22C in the water bath. Still looking for an old fridge but I might just stick it outside to cold crash in the meantime :-)

I normally get a little lower on LME - often around 1.008 or 1.009. But sounds like it is what it is. I think you started on 1.042 from memory. If that's correct you pulled in 4.2%. Enjoy the brew!

@@homebrewrepublic1993 Yup about 4%, might try this pilsner next :-)

@@graemeglasgow4596 If you do I would suggest using the Black Rock Ultra Light Liquid Malt Extract or the Liquid Brewing Sugar. I'd say you would get a better result with one of these two. But overall a very nice brew. Enjoy.

Of course. I tend to talk about bottling as that is what I normally do. But the same as you would with any other extract kit or grain brewing approach, you can transfer to keg.

Nice! Liquid Malt Extract can ferment a little slower than something like Dextrose. Also your final gravity will likely be slightly higher than what you would get with dextrose. Just go off when your FG is stable for a few days. Cheers, Russell

@@homebrewrepublic1993 Thanks mate 🙂

@@homebrewrepublic1993 Checked it today 1.012. If the same tomorrow I'll rack it.

@@graemeglasgow4596 Couple of quick questions - what was your starting SG? 1.012 seems a little high. Try giving your fermenter a little 'shake' to lift any yeast of the bottom and aggravate it. You said that you pitched on Sunday which is only five days ago. I assume you're using the factory yeast - the lower end of temp tolerance on the instructions is 18deg which is prob around about where you have been fermenting if you are ambient without heating. I would probably encourage you to let it sit in the fermenter until 10-14 days - even if your gravity readings are suggesting ferm has finished.

@@homebrewrepublic1993 It started at 1.040. Stopped bubbling after 2 days. Checked the abv after 4 days and it was 1.012. I've tried a gentle shake to try waken it up a couple of times. Yup, just the standard yeast that came with it. I've been holding it steady at 21C in a water bath. I hopped it yesterday and it woke up for a few hours but stopped again. Checked it today (day 6) and it's still 1.012. Is it ok to leave it with the hops in till 10-14 days? Thanks Graeme ;-)

Cheers @AndyThom. Agree - I really liked some of the back-stories talking about how the commercial brewers are consuming the products.

Agree - they're great kits! Have you seen the new fresh wort kits they launched last week?

@Home Brew Republic Yes, I was sent one from Black Rock to review. I was sent the IPA. It was probably the quickest brew I've ever done. Used the US-05 that came with it. I'm going to dry hop with Cascade and Galaxy.

@@dbarbz2089 Looking forward to getting my first one on as well!

Both brews were done with the same kit - The Mangrove Jacks Czech Pils. On the taste test I don't think the yeast made the difference (although it has in other brews). For me it came down to the additional ingredient for fermentation.