National Homebrew Club Ireland

Brewing Discussions => Kit Brewing => Topic started by: LordEoin on June 05, 2013, 03:22:40 AM

Title: How to Kit Hack (an intermediate guide)
Post by: LordEoin on June 05, 2013, 03:22:40 AM
Rigtio, so I figured it was time I started putting together a guide on kithacking.
Similar to how the other guides started, it is a work in progress.
It's simple and easy to follow, encouraging noobs to start hacking their kits.
Any and all feedback is welcome, and I'll modify the original post with any great suggestions.
I've also got photos etc to add, and I'll add a section about designing recipes on BrewMate.
More resources and links will be added too.
If it turns out to be a useful guide, it can be stickied with the beginner's guide later on.


BEFORE READING
This guide assumes that you are already familiar with kit brewing.
If not, make sure to check out the Beginners' Guide (http://nationalhomebrewclub.com/forum/index.php/topic,669.0.html) and maybe get a few brews down to get a taste for standard kits before changing them.
You might like them the way they are, and if you don't know what the original tastes like you won't know what your hack contributed to the kit.
A lot of the stuff in here is just based on my own personal prefenence and experience, some other stuff is based on popular/best practice. Do whatever's convenient and suits your taste.
In this guide I recommend Coopers' kits just because they're the kits I most like to hack. They're easy to get and are very consitant.

WHAT IS KIT HACKING?
Kits are carefully put together to achieve a specific and reliable result.
The manufacturer designs the recipe, selects the right grains and mashes them, selects the right hops and does the boils, then dehydrates it all into the familiar goop. Then they throw in a pack of yeast (http://nationalhomebrewclub.com/forum/index.php/topic,660.0.html), usually generic Ale yeast to make brewing as simple as possible.
Usually you just need to dilute it, add more sugar, pitch the yeast, then set and forget for a week or two.
Once you deviate from the recipe, you're Kit Hacking/Modding.


WHY KIT HACK?
Don't you get tired of the same result from your favorite kit? Is it mising a certain 'something' that you tasted in a craft beer you tasted at some stage?
Kit Hacking will allow you to tailor the end result exactly as you want it.


WHAT CAN I CHANGE?
The bitterness, flavor, aroma, colour, head, strength.. Whatever you want to change!


HOW?
By adding speciality grains, fermentables (http://nationalhomebrewclub.com/forum/index.php/topic,681.0.html), hops, different yeast (http://nationalhomebrewclub.com/forum/index.php/topic,660.0.html), etc


IS IT DIFFICULT?
Nope!


DO I NEED MORE EQUIPMENT?
Who doesn't like buying more equipment? Boys-Toys FTW!
If you really don't want to buy more stuff, you can still kit hack with stuff from around your kitchen.
One investment I would recommend though is a couple of muslin bags. They're only about 60cent each.
Otherwise, some simple equipment would be a large pot (5L plus) and a seive or collander.
(http://i615.photobucket.com/albums/tt234/eoinlayton/Beer/05062013551_zpsda9fcbdd.jpg)


WHAT DO THE DIFFERENT INGREDIENTS DO?
Grains : Diffferent grains will make the beer fresher, with better head retention, lovely colours.
Hops: Hops will add bitterness, flavor and aroma to your beer.
Yeast (http://nationalhomebrewclub.com/forum/index.php/topic,660.0.html): The style of the beer will usually be determined by the style of yeast. Also add flavor from phenols (http://www.winning-homebrew.com/phenolic-flavors.html) and esters (http://www.winning-homebrew.com/esters.html).
Sugars (http://nationalhomebrewclub.com/forum/index.php/topic,681.0.html): Add more alcohol, and more flavors, affect body,  depending on the type of sugar.
Temperature: Different yeasts will give behave differently at different temperatures.


DO I NEED TO CHANGE ALL THE THINGS?
No, just change the ones you want.


RIGHT... WHERE DO I START?
A good place to start is with the yeast (http://nationalhomebrewclub.com/forum/index.php/topic,660.0.html).
For example, the Coopers wheatbeer kit comes with an ale yeast, so it makes a wheat ale. Let's be honest, although it is really nice and refreshing, it's pretty bland...

kithack1, yeast
So, to change this Wheat Ale into a Weissbier (eg Erdinger), we just need to change the yeast.
I like WB-06, it's cheap and chearful. But you can get a variety of other yeasts, including some very specific liquid strains from manufacturers like White Labs.

kithack2, yeast
Another easy hack with yeast is using a lager yeast in a stout kit.
Just remember, that you need to ferment at the temperature ranges for the yeast you choose.


OK, THAT WAS EASY! WHAT NEXT? HOPS?
Adding hops is a great way to make your beer taste and smell better.
There are many ways to add hops to your brew, like steeping, dryhopping, boiling.
Here's a sweet page to show different hops for different styles: http://byo.com/resources/hops (http://byo.com/resources/hops)
And a wikipedia page of varieties: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_hop_varieties (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_hop_varieties)

kithack3, hop steep
Steeping hops is a simple, cheap and efective hack. If you can make a cup of tea, you can step hops.
Grab a Coopers' Australian Pale Ale kit, a pack of Cascade and a pack of Amarillo.
Before mixing everything up, boil a liter of water and put it in a saucepan.
Add 25grams of Cascade and 25grams of Amarillo, and let it sit and brew like a cup of tea.
Half an hour steeping should be fine, and strain/seive the liquid into your wort.
They're American hops, so if you want to you can use an American yeast like US-05 too.

kithack4, Dryhop
Dryhopping adds aroma to your beer.
Grab a Coopers' English Bitter Kit, and to match it lets choose an english hop. Fuggles goes really well.
Make your kit as usual, and let it ferment away.
Once the bulk of fermentation is over and the krausen thins out, put 30grams of fuggles into a muslin bag and throw it in.
It will float, so you can weigh the bag down with some sterile marbles or something similar if you want.
The bag will avoid a mess of hop matter and won't get in the way at bottling time.
If you normally transfer your beer to a secondary FV, just bang it in then.
Give it a weekor two to get all the delicate aromas into your beer, then bottle as normal.

kithack5, hop boil
Boiling your hops for different amounts of time will give different results.
About 45-60 minutes for bitterness, 20ish for flavor, 5ish for aroma.
Here's a handy graph I stole off google at some stage:
(http://hbd.org/discus/messages/43688/46323.jpg)
Grab yourself a Cooper's Irish Stout kit, a pack of fuggles and a pack of East Kent Goldings.
This is prety similar to the steep, but you'll keep the water on a light boil for the whole time.
The smallest volume of water that I comfortalby do this is 3liters (in a 5L pot), with the lid on if i'm doing long boils.
(http://i615.photobucket.com/albums/tt234/eoinlayton/Beer/05062013560_zps07f3cd81.jpg)
Bring the 3L water to a boil and add 30grams East kent goldings to boil for 45 minutes.
With 15 minutes left, add 15 grams of Fuggles.
With 10 minutes left, add another 10 grams of Fuggles.
The last minute is a good time to add your sugar/extract to disolve it.
Strain/seive the liquid into your FV with your topup water.
(http://i615.photobucket.com/albums/tt234/eoinlayton/Beer/05062013562_zps179c2d90.jpg)


RIGHT.. AND WHAT ABOUT GRAINS?
Different grains will do different thing. For example Carapils or Crystal will add freshness and help with head retention, biscuit grain will give a biscuity taste, chocolate will give a chocolate roastiness and darker color, etc.
The handy thing about these 3 grains, and the reason I mention them specifically, is because they (along with any other grains that no longer contain enzymes) just need to be steeped and do not need to be mashed. They can even be soaked overnight in cold water. You just want get their goodness into the water.
If you get whole grains, you'll need to crush them. I put them into a ziplock bag and smash the shit out of them with a beer bottle (because I have no rolling pin).
(http://i615.photobucket.com/albums/tt234/eoinlayton/Beer/05062013552_zps918301b9.jpg)
Once your steep is done remove the grains and let the juice drip out (don't squeeze the juice out as it can bring unwanted bitternes), bring the steep to the boil to sterilize it. You can start hop boils in it if you want and your house will smell amazing, although SWMBO might not agre.

kithack6, caprapils
I add about 200g carapils to almost every brew to help with head retention. It's quite light in color and flavor.
You can soak it overnight in about 2Liters of water if you want, but I generally steep it for 30 minutes in water at about 65C.
It's easiest if you put it into a muslin bag and dunk it every now and then, like a teabag.
(http://i615.photobucket.com/albums/tt234/eoinlayton/Beer/05062013556_zpsbaa899e1.jpg)

kithack7, chocolate grain
I love chocolate grain, but it's not to everyone's liking. GO into tesco and grab a double chocolate stout to see if you like it, and if you do, add about 150g to a stout, IPA or English Bitter. Just remember that it will darken up your beer too.
Another bonus is that you can add it to your coffee beans in the morning.. yum.


WHAT STUFF CAN I USE FROM THE KITCHEN
If there's a particular flavor that you like, try it out.
Treacle, molasses, coriander, orange, pepper, ginger, whatever you like.
The world is your oyster (you can even add oysters). Go mad!

kithack7, Treacle
Some dirty savages like the taste of treacle and add it with gusto to their stout kits.
If you're a dirty savage you might like to add 500g dark DME, 300g dextrose and 300g treacle to an Irish Stout kit.

kithack8, Toucan (two cans)
Some folks will use 2 kit cans to double the hops and grains, or to get something from one kit into another.
Just grab 2 kits that you think would go well together and brew them up in one batch.
The Irish Stout/Australian Pale Ale Toucan is supposed to be quite good.


HOW DO I CALCULATE THE KIT'S BITTERNESS BEFORE HACKING?
Many kits will have a description of the contents' colour and bitterness.
For example, here's the description of Coopers' Australian Pale Ale:
Weight - 1.7kg, Colour - 90EBC, Bitterness - 340IBU
It's important to remember that this is the colour and bitterness of the goop in the can, not the resulting beer. (a 340IBU beer would put skin on your teeth)
To get the bitterness of the brew you need to use the following maths:
Kit IBU x volume in Liters / Brew volume = Brewed IBU
So for the APA kit to 23 liters, we get:
(340X1.7)/23=25 IBU before fermentation
The same calculation can be used for the EBC (darkness)
However, Coopers say that between 10 and 30 percent of the bitterness may be lost in fermentation, which corresponds with the IBU calculated on this recipe designer (http://aussiehomebrewer.com/topic/29655-kit-and-extract-beer-spreadsheet/page-20) (18.5 IBU)


WHAT SOFTWARE IS OUT THERE TO HELP ME?
Here are some of the bits and pieces that I use.
Kit & Extract Beer Designer - http://aussiehomebrewer.com/topic/29655-kit-and-extract-beer-spreadsheet/page-20 (http://aussiehomebrewer.com/topic/29655-kit-and-extract-beer-spreadsheet/page-20) - Excel Based Spreadsheet with presaved Coopers' Kits
Brewmate - http://www.brewmate.net/ (http://www.brewmate.net/) - Free but basic brewing tool.
BeerSmith - http://beersmith.com/ (http://beersmith.com/) - More advanced brewing tool, not free.

More to come as I get more time :)
Title: Re: How to Kit Hack (an intermediate guide)
Post by: Garry on June 05, 2013, 07:53:07 AM
A+  :)

Title: Re: How to Kit Hack (an intermediate guide)
Post by: Garry on June 05, 2013, 02:35:13 PM
I don't know if this would count as a hack but I've seen on Copper's forum, people using 2 kits (or even 3) in the same batch to give them an all malt batch with more hop goodness. I haven't tried it myself but if I got the kits cheap enough I'd give it a bash.
Title: Re: How to Kit Hack (an intermediate guide)
Post by: ColinC on June 05, 2013, 05:33:23 PM
Excellent write-up as always Lord Eoin. Well done!
Title: Re: How to Kit Hack (an intermediate guide)
Post by: LordEoin on June 07, 2013, 11:29:10 AM
No bothers folks, it was a long time coming, but I just didn't have time.
It's about 60% complete for now.

@Garry - yeah, I think they call it a Toucan. The Toucan APA/Irish Stout is supposed to be quite good.
It's just like adding 1.7kg LME, but with extra hopg, grains, etc.
or this Three-can (+1kg sugar) Russian Imperial Stout (http://www.coopers.com.au/the-brewers-guild/how-to-brew/strong/russian-imperial-stout) (costly brew)
Title: Re: How to Kit Hack (an intermediate guide)
Post by: Garry on June 07, 2013, 11:59:11 AM
Quote from: LordEoin on June 07, 2013, 11:29:10 AM

Three-can (+1kg sugar) Russian Imperial Stout (http://www.coopers.com.au/the-brewers-guild/how-to-brew/strong/russian-imperial-stout) (costly brew)


That would put hair on your chest  :o 


It's costly alright, you wouldn't be filling an oak barrel with it?
Title: Re: How to Kit Hack (an intermediate guide)
Post by: Bart on June 13, 2013, 03:32:45 PM
Quote from: LordEoin on June 07, 2013, 11:29:10 AM
or this Three-can (+1kg sugar) Russian Imperial Stout (http://www.coopers.com.au/the-brewers-guild/how-to-brew/strong/russian-imperial-stout) (costly brew)
That sounds like something I drunk while in Estonia! That's def my next brew.
Title: Re: How to Kit Hack (an intermediate guide)
Post by: LordEoin on June 24, 2013, 01:30:29 PM
Gotta love those Estonians  ;D
Title: Re: How to Kit Hack (an intermediate guide)
Post by: Kerrybrewer on July 06, 2013, 07:57:46 PM
Great guide, thanks for the effort it took to put it down here Eoin,



Paul
Title: Re: How to Kit Hack (an intermediate guide)
Post by: LordEoin on July 07, 2013, 06:31:16 AM
No worries. I hope there was something useful in there for you.
Title: Re: How to Kit Hack (an intermediate guide)
Post by: AJ_Rowley on October 16, 2013, 11:22:35 AM
Excellent guide cheers
Title: Re: How to Kit Hack (an intermediate guide)
Post by: LordEoin on October 16, 2013, 01:34:13 PM
You're welcome. I hope one of the hacks suits your taste :)
Title: Re: How to Kit Hack (an intermediate guide)
Post by: fishjam45 (Colin) on January 31, 2014, 08:58:27 PM
LordEoin . . .I'm thinking of doing a kit hack on Coopers Irish Stout. 1 - Because I havent brewed a stout yet and 2 - I want to spread my "brewing" wings a little and do something new like using grains. 
I've read up through a few threads here and like the sound of doing a Coopers Irish Stout with chocolate grain, 1kg DME and 250grm Demerara (for the craic) and dry hopped with Fuggles. Hows that sound?

Would http://www.homebrewwest.ie/chocolate-malt-800-ebc---crushed-500g-3531-p.asp (http://www.homebrewwest.ie/chocolate-malt-800-ebc---crushed-500g-3531-p.asp) be the right malt to use? 
150 Grammes?
From what I see from that link they come crushed so what do i do with them next?
Title: Re: How to Kit Hack (an intermediate guide)
Post by: LordEoin on January 31, 2014, 11:04:21 PM
That sounds like a good recipe.
Buy a muslin bag too (only about 60cent as far as I remember).
put the grain in the bag, then pour about 2liters of hot water over it and let it steep for about 30 minutes. Dunk it every now and then like a teabag
remove the bag, let the water drip out, dont squeeze, dump the grain.
bring the dark grainy water to a boil and use it as the boiling water when putting everything into the FV.
Title: Re: How to Kit Hack (an intermediate guide)
Post by: fishjam45 (Colin) on January 31, 2014, 11:26:32 PM
Thanks LordEoin!
Wow that seems pretty easy! I presume 150grm should be enough to give a chocolate kick?
Murphys law I go to buy it this evening from HBW and they are out of stock . . .
Title: Re: How to Kit Hack (an intermediate guide)
Post by: Ciderhead on February 01, 2014, 01:18:42 AM
You need to find a friendly local Homebrewer who has some whole (always) and will mill it for you :)


Title: Re: How to Kit Hack (an intermediate guide)
Post by: fishjam45 (Colin) on February 01, 2014, 09:33:49 PM
Quote from: CH on February 01, 2014, 01:18:42 AM
You need to find a friendly local Homebrewer who has some whole (always) and will mill it for you :)

Now where would I find one of them?  :)
Title: Re: How to Kit Hack (an intermediate guide)
Post by: benji on February 01, 2014, 11:41:02 PM
homebrew company do crushed grain   https://www.thehomebrewcompany.ie/grain-crushed-grain-c-69_231.html
Title: Re: How to Kit Hack (an intermediate guide)
Post by: LordEoin on February 03, 2014, 10:25:25 AM
https://www.thehomebrewcompany.ie/grain-crushed-grain-c-69_231.html
http://www.homebrewwest.ie/brupaks-crushed-grains-290-c.asp
http://www.geterbrewed.com/hops-grain

all three of the bigboys do crushed grain.

(waits for comments about freshness and blah blah blah)
Title: Re: How to Kit Hack (an intermediate guide)
Post by: fishjam45 (Colin) on February 06, 2014, 10:43:53 PM
I did get some crushed grain but I wont be using it til the end of February. Wheres the best place to store it in the meantime?
Title: Re: How to Kit Hack (an intermediate guide)
Post by: Garry on February 06, 2014, 11:48:31 PM
I store mine in the freezer to be sure. If you don't have room in the freezer, use an air tight container in a cool place. 
Title: Re: How to Kit Hack (an intermediate guide)
Post by: Ciderhead on February 06, 2014, 11:52:00 PM
Blah, blah , blah, lasts 3 months, blah, vs 12 months uncrushed, blah stale bread blah, fresh blah


Title: Re: How to Kit Hack (an intermediate guide)
Post by: LordEoin on February 07, 2014, 05:48:04 PM
you mean citra?

try 1 can LME + either a hop steep or dryhop 20g of each - to 20L
Title: Re: How to Kit Hack (an intermediate guide)
Post by: LordEoin on February 08, 2014, 08:12:35 PM
2 cans would end up at about 7% at 23liters and leave some residual sweetness. It'll work fine, if that's what you're going for
Title: Re: How to Kit Hack (an intermediate guide)
Post by: sub82 on February 08, 2014, 08:53:42 PM
Very comprehensive piece - really interesting!
Title: Re: How to Kit Hack (an intermediate guide)
Post by: lampie on March 03, 2014, 05:57:32 PM
Nice thread and good reading material.. Will give it a go in the future :).


coopers has some (hacks) recipes on their site :) http://www.coopers.com.au/#/diy-beer/beer-recipes/overview/
Title: Re: How to Kit Hack (an intermediate guide)
Post by: LordEoin on March 03, 2014, 06:01:07 PM
yup, they're quite good too :)
Title: Re: How to Kit Hack (an intermediate guide)
Post by: Kevin O'Roundwood on February 07, 2015, 12:42:59 PM
Only just found this hidden deep in the bowels of the forum - any chance we could get this pinned to the first page??

Title: How to Kit Hack (an intermediate guide)
Post by: pob on February 07, 2015, 03:52:43 PM
Quote from: Kevin Roundwood on February 07, 2015, 12:42:59 PM
Only just found this hidden deep in the bowels of the forum - any chance we could get this pinned to the first page??

For this and other interesting articles on how to brew, ingredients, equipment, DIY gear, please see our new & improved BrewWiki on the NHC website
http://www.nationalhomebrewclub.com/wordpress/
Title: Re: How to Kit Hack (an intermediate guide)
Post by: Kevin O'Roundwood on February 07, 2015, 04:49:17 PM
Class - fair play lads!
Title: Re: How to Kit Hack (an intermediate guide)
Post by: JayMc on April 01, 2015, 01:15:14 PM
Great read LordEoin, I'll definitely be trying this next. I'm dying to put caramel into something.

But what's the difference between a kit with a load of hacks and extract brewing?
Title: Re: How to Kit Hack (an intermediate guide)
Post by: LordEoin on April 01, 2015, 02:16:38 PM
basically with extract you put all the flavors in while kit hacks start with a base style and improve/change the end result.
brewday wise, the main difference is that with extract you'll need to do your hour hop boil for bitterness while hacking focuses more on the late hop additions, other ingredients and steeping grain.
I'm not sure if you mean caramel malt or just caramel, but go for it :)
Title: Re: How to Kit Hack (an intermediate guide)
Post by: oinkely on April 01, 2015, 03:05:26 PM
Hi LordEoin,

A quick question on your addition of 200gm of Carapils to every kit.

Does it add to the gravity of the beer?  and if yes, by how much?

I might give that a go on my next IPA kit.

thanks
Title: Re: How to Kit Hack (an intermediate guide)
Post by: irish_goat on April 01, 2015, 03:35:54 PM
Quote from: oinkely on April 01, 2015, 03:05:26 PM
Hi LordEoin,

A quick question on your addition of 200gm of Carapils to every kit.

Does it add to the gravity of the beer?  and if yes, by how much?

I might give that a go on my next IPA kit.

thanks

You're talking about 0.02% extra ABV for 200g of Carapils. The whole idea is it adds mouthfeel and body without adding much fermentables.
Title: Re: How to Kit Hack (an intermediate guide)
Post by: LordEoin on April 01, 2015, 03:43:53 PM
Yeah, it's better to just think of them as an added bonus ;)
But if you want to see the difference each addition makes to the beer try something like brewmate (http://www.brewmate.net/)
Title: Re: How to Kit Hack (an intermediate guide)
Post by: JayMc on April 02, 2015, 10:39:07 AM
Quote from: LordEoin on April 01, 2015, 02:16:38 PM

I'm not sure if you mean caramel malt or just caramel, but go for it :)

I meant actual caramel, like a caramel sauce, I suppose I'll be using some type of caramel malt as well. It'll be going into an american style pale ale.
Title: Re: How to Kit Hack (an intermediate guide)
Post by: LordEoin on April 02, 2015, 11:30:22 AM
just remember that the caramel will ferment out and probably taste very different without the sugar.
Also, you're probably going to be introducing fat from butter and cream.
Title: Re: How to Kit Hack (an intermediate guide)
Post by: oinkely on April 02, 2015, 04:21:01 PM
Thanks folks

every day is a learning day

Yeah, it's better to just think of them as an added bonus ;)
But if you want to see the difference each addition makes to the beer try something like brewmate (http://www.brewmate.net/)
[/quote]
Title: Re: How to Kit Hack (an intermediate guide)
Post by: Greg2013 on October 10, 2015, 09:29:37 PM
Just getting back into one can kits and a bit of partial mashing and i have a couple questions.

1)I have a one can kit and i add say 200gr Crystal 60 to it,do i still need to add carapils for head retention or is the crystal enough ?

2)I have a shed load of pale and pilsner malts,as well as crystal 60 and chocolate malt,can i use these to supplement the one can kit and not bother with the sugar/dme additions,and if so is there anything in particular i need to watch out for to ensure a good brew ? :)

Basically i have a load of whole grains here i want to use up,i don't have the energy or time to do all full ag brewdays,i want to use as much as possible of what i have in stock and not have to go out buying more fermentables. :)
Title: Re: How to Kit Hack (an intermediate guide)
Post by: johnrm on October 10, 2015, 09:47:54 PM
 Pale and pils will need mashing
Title: Re: How to Kit Hack (an intermediate guide)
Post by: LordEoin on October 11, 2015, 11:57:29 PM
1) Crystal should be enough
2) Mash at about 66C. about 2.5 times the water to grain. eg. 2kg grain: 5liters water. Sparge out at 75C.
Title: Re: How to Kit Hack (an intermediate guide)
Post by: FDBinashui on June 07, 2020, 10:29:00 AM
Hi Folks,
Just getting back into brewing after a few years hiatus.
I'm going to start off with kits and then move to extract and hopefully all grain at some point.

On kit hacking - I'm thinking of a treacle stout.

At what point is it best to add the treacle - should I do that along with the initial boiling water, or add it to secondary?.

All suggestions welcome.

Thanks
Title: Re: How to Kit Hack (an intermediate guide)
Post by: mick02 on June 08, 2020, 11:54:17 AM
Quote from: FDBinashui on June 07, 2020, 10:29:00 AMHi Folks,
Just getting back into brewing after a few years hiatus.
I'm going to start off with kits and then move to extract and hopefully all grain at some point.

On kit hacking - I'm thinking of a treacle stout.

At what point is it best to add the treacle - should I do that along with the initial boiling water, or add it to secondary?.

All suggestions welcome.

Thanks


I've never used treacle but when using candi sugar I would add it at high krausen, about a day or so into fermentation when the yeast are at their most active. Temp control is a must though as you'll have to control the yeast otherwise you're going to have all sorts of off flavours. Good luck with the brew
Title: Re: How to Kit Hack (an intermediate guide)
Post by: FDBinashui on June 08, 2020, 03:37:13 PM
Quote from: mick02 on June 08, 2020, 11:54:17 AM
Quote from: FDBinashui on June 07, 2020, 10:29:00 AMHi Folks,
Just getting back into brewing after a few years hiatus.
I'm going to start off with kits and then move to extract and hopefully all grain at some point.

On kit hacking - I'm thinking of a treacle stout.

At what point is it best to add the treacle - should I do that along with the initial boiling water, or add it to secondary?.

All suggestions welcome.

Thanks


I've never used treacle but when using candi sugar I would add it at high krausen, about a day or so into fermentation when the yeast are at their most active. Temp control is a must though as you'll have to control the yeast otherwise you're going to have all sorts of off flavours. Good luck with the brew

Thanks for that. Is there a reason you wouldn't do it as part of the initial process (e.g. before i pitch the yeast)?.

Also - and I may be a bit ahead of myself but would a coffee treacle stout be any way decent or am I going way outside of the wheelhouse?.
Could use either beans or grinds, would more than likely use a hop bag if adding to the fermenter, but wondering is there any good in adding in with the malt as part of the initial process, maybe along with the treacle before I add the water even?

Title: Re: How to Kit Hack (an intermediate guide)
Post by: mick02 on June 08, 2020, 05:16:35 PM
Adding the treacle at high krausen ensures the yeast is in optimal condition to attack the simple sugars in the treacle. This is just my experience with candi sugar but I'd imagine that it's the same with treacle. Regarding coffee treacle stout, that's a matter of taste. I am certainly not going to tell you not to try! Let me know how it finishes up though.
Title: Re: How to Kit Hack (an intermediate guide)
Post by: LordEoin on June 11, 2020, 10:17:53 PM
sounds gross to me, but horses for courses.
If i was going to make it I'd brew up a liter of strong coffee, dissolve the treacle in it and use it to rinse out the kit can goop.