Kits Frequently Asked Questions - Midwest Homebrewing and Winemking Supplies

Our recipes were developed over a period of trial and error. Each of our recipes fits loosely within the accepted style guidelines. Some of our kits are what we call "clones" and are designed to approximate commercially popular beer styles. We also have a line of kits we call the "20 minute boil" kits. They are designed without specialty grains and use hopped malt extract so they can be whipped up in half the time of our other kits. These kits are great for brewers that enjoy drinking homebrewed beer but do not have a lot of spare time to devote to its labors.

All of our kits come complete with all the ingredients necessary down to the priming sugar. This includes; malt extract (liquid in most cases), specialty grains (if appropriate), hops, yeast (usually dried but all kits can be upgraded to liquid for a few dollars more), a muslin bag, priming sugar, and detailed instructions.

top

How does making beer from canned kits compare with our kits?

While it is true that canned kits are capable of producing decent homebrewed beer, generally speaking, they cannot compete with our kits or kits that a brewer would design for his/herself. There are several reasons for this. Canned kits often come hopped which limits the control the brewer has on the end result of their beer. They generally do not include specialty grains, which serve to improve the complexity and depth of a beer's character. The ingredients in canned kits can sometimes lack the consistent freshness that you can get from our kits. We can make this statement based on the fact that all of our beer ingredients turn over weekly so you are assured the highest quality ingredients available.

top

Why do some kits call for corn or table sugar?

Corn sugar and table sugar (sucrose) are cheap fermentable sugars that produce alcohol without rendering the cloying residual sweetness of malt extract. There use in quantities of 30-40% will produce a beer with a considerably lighter body than one brewed strictly with malt sugars. Any canned kits, and the body of the beer they produce, can be improved upon greatly by substituting the corn sugar with malt extract, either dried or liquid.

top