James Blond Ale, mystery bottle

[beerboar]

just got a bruphoria James blond ale (spuer quick delivery and service from THC) https://www.thehomebrewcompany.ie/james-blonde-ale-40-pints-36-kg-p-2527.html
anyway in it there is a little bottle marked 'A'
has anyone done this kit before and can you tell me what it is. i assume it is hop oils but just wanted to be sure.

cheers
J

[beerboar]

it is def hop oil. brew is on but was surprised they did not just explain what it was. overall pretty disappointed with the instructions.

[DEMPSEY]

Use the "write a review" on the HBC site about the instructions. It does not say anywhere on the instructions  when to add the oil

[LordEoin]

i find hope extracts disappointing all the way through.
overpriced, moderate shelflife, unspecified aromas, bad instructions.
The only hop extract i thought was worth buying the isomerized hop extract.
You just need to figure our the quantity, and the rest id all good.

[The Homebrew Company]

Hi,

Just seen this thread. The bottle is just labelled A as we put allot of effort in developing these kits and don't want to copied as has happened with a lot of our new products lately. The instructions clearly state when the liquid is to be added. It is not Hop oil as these can be much hit and miss. If there are any other questions on these kits please do not hesitate to ask. We think they are very good quality.

Shane

[LordEoin]

If there are any other questions on these kits please do not hesitate to ask.

What's in A?

[The Homebrew Company]

the bitterness 

[Greg2013]

the bitterness 

An unidentified label of unknown contents that is being added to  brew to a be ingested ? Why can you not just say A is isomerised hop extract or whatever it is and leave it at that ? I understand you do not want to be copied but to counter that you are asking your customers to use and ingest a product and you won't tell them what it is.

[Damien M]

I feel a Shop Bashing coming on! 

They don't say whats in the Malt either... Should we question that?

These are prebuilt recipes that people want for the convenience not the contents!

If you wanna know whats in it, make it yourself............... Hang on a sec.......... Get my own ingredients Brew my own beer. I think I'm on to something!

[beerboar]

no shop basing from me. HBC is the best. I have been always happy with their service and the way in which they conduct their business.

it just didn't seem ok to have a mystery bottle. it was clear in the instructions when to use the bottle and from that and the taste of it I assumed it was the bittering hops. I have no interest in knowing what types of hops are used, as you says kits for convenience not competition, but i do want to know that my beer is Malt, Hops, Water and yeast. there was two tins of LME it was clear what they were. I don't expect to know what malt is used, but i t is nice to know what you are putting in. the dry hops (three pellet tea bags) was clearly market as hops.
if this was my first brew i would have been a lot more confused about the process of brewing.
like i say no shop basing at all just confusion and questions about their labeling decision and how that reflects upon their product.

I wish i had time to write a full review. maybe in the new year i will have time to review stuff and be in with a shot of getting free products to review ;-) plus i fecked up the brew a bit as i was distracted by a toddler. I forgot to mix the LME and boiling water so ended up with a really low OG. after which i poured half into another bucket so my plastic paddle could reach the bottom and mix it all up. was worried about contamination as my hand touched it a few times. but it seems to be fermenting away fine. two weeks now. put in the dry hops last night so hopefully keg it on friday. 

[Damien M]

no shop basing from me. HBC is the best. I have been always happy with their service and the way in which they conduct their business.

+1 

My comment was not directed at any individual comment rather the collective trend of where the discussion was going.

Your concern about the detail of the instructions is valid

[Greg2013]

No shop bashing from me either,beerboar said it perfectly,we know what the malt extract is but we don't need to know what type of malt extract,we know what are the hops etc,but to have an unidentified bottle of liquid in the middle of all that is not ok, i mean if that were your local grocery shop would that be allowed ?

1)They don't say whats in the Malt either... Should we question that?

2)These are prebuilt recipes that people want for the convenience not the contents!

3)If you wanna know whats in it, make it yourself............... Hang on a sec.......... Get my own ingredients Brew my own beer. I think I'm on to something!

That makes no sense at all,1)Yes you should question the quality and source of the malt ,2)For the convenience not the contents,really ?3)That's just nonsense,you should always know what your raw materials are even if they are pre combined like these packs.

Also not solely directed at HBC but all vendors that sell products with poor labelling,labelling and identification of ingredients is every bit as important as quality of those ingredients.

[Damien M]

1. Your dead on! Quality is everything and HBC are first rate!
2. Really? Really!
3 Fair Nuf! Not every body wants to. Each to their own!

[LordEoin]

the bitterness 

good enough for me
but it might be less confusing to label it 'bittering agent' or something similar instead of 'A'