Hello,
I have been doing festa brew for about a year now and a co-worker pointed me to this site. Great forum!! I have been tweeking my methodology a little and enjoy the beer making. Originally from CB but now live in Beaver Bank. I'm now bottling in 1 liter bottles and have hopes to move to the keg system this spring.
Cheers,
Chris
New Brewer here....
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fellbeast
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mikeorr
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Re: New Brewer here....
Welcome! 
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akr71
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Re: New Brewer here....
Andy
"Now son, you don't want to drink beer. That's for Daddies, and kids with fake IDs." - Homer J. Simpson
"Now son, you don't want to drink beer. That's for Daddies, and kids with fake IDs." - Homer J. Simpson
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GuingesRock
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Re: New Brewer here....
Hello!
-Mark
2nd place, Canadian Brewer of the Year, 2015
101 awards won for beers designed and brewed.
Cicerone Program - Certified Beer Server
2nd place, Canadian Brewer of the Year, 2015
101 awards won for beers designed and brewed.
Cicerone Program - Certified Beer Server
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mr x
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Re: New Brewer here....
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At Alexander Keith's we follow the recipes first developed by the great brewmaster to the absolute letter. 
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LiverDance
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Re: New Brewer here....
Chris, I believe I may know you from my day job working for a land develpment company 
"Twenty years ago — a time, by the way, that hops such as Simcoe and Citra were already being developed, but weren’t about to find immediate popularity — there wasn’t a brewer on earth who would have gone to the annual Hop Growers of American convention and said, “I’m going to have a beer that we make 4,000 barrels of, one time a year. It flies off the shelf at damn near $20 a six-pack, and you know what it smells like? It smells like your cat ate your weed and then pissed in the Christmas tree.” - Bell’s Brewery Director of Operations John Mallet on the scent of their popular Hopslam.
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redoubt
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bluenose
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Keith
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Re: New Brewer here....
Welcome! We have a good number from Sackville\BB area. I think we need a Sackville get together.
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Tony L
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Re: New Brewer here....
Welcome. Nothing wrong with making Festa kits. If I had had those type way back then, who knows, I might never had taken up the craft.
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LeafMan66_67
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erslar00
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Re: New Brewer here....
Welcome!!
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chalmers
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Mac_Brew
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Re: New Brewer here....
I am also new and curious if folks have an opinion on the Festa Brew vs. the Brew House kits? I have used the Brew House so far and I am pleased. Thanks.
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LiverDance
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Re: New Brewer here....
you will be more pleased with the festa brew kits IMOMac_Brew wrote:I am also new and curious if folks have an opinion on the Festa Brew vs. the Brew House kits? I have used the Brew House so far and I am pleased. Thanks.
"Twenty years ago — a time, by the way, that hops such as Simcoe and Citra were already being developed, but weren’t about to find immediate popularity — there wasn’t a brewer on earth who would have gone to the annual Hop Growers of American convention and said, “I’m going to have a beer that we make 4,000 barrels of, one time a year. It flies off the shelf at damn near $20 a six-pack, and you know what it smells like? It smells like your cat ate your weed and then pissed in the Christmas tree.” - Bell’s Brewery Director of Operations John Mallet on the scent of their popular Hopslam.
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jtmwhyte
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Re: New Brewer here....
Festa Brew kits are great. I've made them off and on between all grain batches to keep stocks up and they are every bit as good as many of the all grain beers I've had
Nova Prime Taproom
Tap 1: Festa Brew Scotch Ale
Tap 2:
"Fill with mingled cream and amber,
I will drain that glass again.
Such hilarious visions clamber
Through the chamber of my brain -
Quaintest thoughts - queerist fancies
Come to life and fade away;
What care I how time advances?
I am drinking ale today." ~ Poe
Tap 1: Festa Brew Scotch Ale
Tap 2:
"Fill with mingled cream and amber,
I will drain that glass again.
Such hilarious visions clamber
Through the chamber of my brain -
Quaintest thoughts - queerist fancies
Come to life and fade away;
What care I how time advances?
I am drinking ale today." ~ Poe
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bluenose
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Re: New Brewer here....
Festa kits use better yeast, but brewhouse kits are easier to hack because they are lower volume... with BH kits try something as simple as adding a little less water than the directions call for, and using a decent yeast appropriate to the style. You won't regret it.LiverDance wrote:you will be more pleased with the festa brew kits IMOMac_Brew wrote:I am also new and curious if folks have an opinion on the Festa Brew vs. the Brew House kits? I have used the Brew House so far and I am pleased. Thanks.
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Woody
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Re: New Brewer here....
Like the guys say Festa Brew kits use a yeast specific for the style where as Brew House use Coopers yeast for everything including a Munich Dark Lager. I've had good luck with both when I did kits but tossing the coopers yeast and getting a better one is a good idea. Not allot of selection for additional yeast in Truro at Water and Wine. They leave them at room temperature on the shelf and don't have allot of options. If you use coopers yeast and top up the Brew House kits with the 8l of water use a blow off tube as it is a work horse yeast.Mac_Brew wrote:I am also new and curious if folks have an opinion on the Festa Brew vs. the Brew House kits? I have used the Brew House so far and I am pleased. Thanks.
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adams81
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Re: New Brewer here....
Fiesta brews got me hooked, then Brew house kits let me hack a bit. While the festas were slightly better tasting I think it was hacking the brew house kits that really got me into brewing IMO
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chalmers
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Re: New Brewer here....
Some good points here on both wort kit options.
Things to keep in mind with either:
- Freshness is key. I'm not sure if they have an expiry or "born-on" date, but the younger the better.
- Yeast: Nice that the Festa Brews will contain a pack of yeast for that approximate style, but either one can be swapped out for a favourite liquid yeast (which will have a born-on date), as it will have been at room temperature for months.
- Brewhouse are more easily hackable, though you could always dedicate part of the full volume Festa Brew kit to starters (run off two or three 2L bottles worth), and make up the volume with steeped grain wort. And I've heard of folks boiling the Festa Brews and hopping it again for a different experience all together!
Things to keep in mind with either:
- Freshness is key. I'm not sure if they have an expiry or "born-on" date, but the younger the better.
- Yeast: Nice that the Festa Brews will contain a pack of yeast for that approximate style, but either one can be swapped out for a favourite liquid yeast (which will have a born-on date), as it will have been at room temperature for months.
- Brewhouse are more easily hackable, though you could always dedicate part of the full volume Festa Brew kit to starters (run off two or three 2L bottles worth), and make up the volume with steeped grain wort. And I've heard of folks boiling the Festa Brews and hopping it again for a different experience all together!
Co-author of Atlantic Canada Beer Blog
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Mac_Brew
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Re: New Brewer here....
Thanks for the insight. Think I will try a festa brew next. For an oatmeal stout, what yeast should I use?
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chalmers
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Re: New Brewer here....
American style: US-05 (Safale dry), 1056 (Wyeast liquid), WLP001 (White labs liquid).Mac_Brew wrote:Thanks for the insight. Think I will try a festa brew next. For an oatmeal stout, what yeast should I use?
English style: S-04, 1318, WLP005 or WLP013.
Everwood carries the Safale and White labs, NG the Wyeast.
Co-author of Atlantic Canada Beer Blog
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inthejunction
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Re: New Brewer here....
Welcome aboard Chris and your welcome for the referral!
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