Mr Flame got a beer kit at Christmas....we've used it a couple times to mix up a batch. made some more today....omg, the smell was divine!! It was a amber lager type, german inspired thingy (we use the mixes you can buy, and mox and match and add our own stuff). We added honey to this one for extra fermentation.
It will be ready to try in about 3 weeks to a month.
Anyone else make beer?
I've been brewing for over 20 years. One thing, watch the honey as it can give the beer a "cidery" flavor, not very "beerish" tasting. Make sure you measure the gravity of the wort so you have an idea of the potential alcohol content so you dont go too high and kill the yeast. I prefer to use more grain rather than just add a fementable.
I never use extracts anymore.
Here's a recipie I use, it produces 5 gallons of beer, or 2 cases; 15 lbs of 2 row pale malt + 1lb of crystal malt, crushed. Do the hot water starch conversion, using about 6-7 gallons of water total (you'll need a book to tell how if you dont know how, but it's REALLY worth it). Add Cascade hops, 2oz during the boil (wort), 2oz at the very end. Let the "end" hops steep for 1/2 an hour. Cool with a wort chiller to prevent chill haze. Pitch with a pre-packaged yeast, the kind where you break an internal bulb to start the yeast. These seem to have a high alcohol tolerance, say 8% or so, and work quite well.
Do a 2 stage fermentation. Make damn sure the fermentation is done, lots of fermentables in this beer. Give it a week at 65-75 degrees. min. Bottle when it's "run out" and let it bottle condition for about a month, maybe more.
This beer is seriously good, like Newcastle only with balls, big balls.