anyone tried Bru-Mix?

[Evan]

Has anyone tried on of those Bru-Mix Pale cans you can buy at Sobey's? I have read a few reviews online and was thinking I'd give it a shot, mind you this being my first beer (I have only made wine so far) and do not want near 60 bottles of horse piss.
thanks
Ev

[LiverDance]

I would skip the bru-mix and grab a festa brew from Noble Grape, I think there is around 6-8 different styles. It doesn't get any easy than a festa kit and the beer turns out really well.

[akr71]

I would skip the bru-mix and grab a festa brew from Noble Grape, I think there is around 6-8 different styles. It doesn't get any easy than a festa kit and the beer turns out really well.

I agree - you get what you pay for with beer kits. The Festabrew (& Brewhouse, IMO) are really easy and really make a good beer. Its a few extra dollars well spent.

Of course, it might be a fun experiment if a bunch of us picked up a bru-mix or other lower-end kit and see how we can doctor it & what we can turn it into.

[whisle pig]

A Brew-Mix comp.......??????

[Jmac00]

I've actually made a couple batches and they turned out decent. First one i did i used brown sugar and i found that turned out good. Next one i added honey...also decent. It turns out comparible to the BMC drinkers so when those types come over and want to try your 'brew', they won't be turned off right away. But for 8 bucks and a bit of time....i plan to make many more batches and throw the entire thing in a keg and take to a party for those parties and ppl that just want a cheap drunk...and not delicious beer you spent all afternoon brewing (for you all grain guys).

[derek]

I've only once made a Bru-mix, because a friend found a can when cleaning out an apartment after the tennant moved out. I was making kit beers at the time (pre-Festabrew), and it was technically as good as any I was making (though NA Pales are not to my style). But I second the idea of just using whole worts, like FestaBrew - it's significantly more expensive than a Bru-mix, but way simpler.

[Evan]

yea I have an info sheet on the Festabrew varieties, from noble grape and it looks awesome. mind you I am on a tight budget but that shouldn't stop me from brewing a good beer. mind you once I have a little experience under my belt I think doctoring a Bru-Mix kit would be a riot.

[Jimmy]

If you go to noble grape for a festa brew kit, be sure to ask for the brewnosers discount!

[LiverDance]

Good point Jimmy, the discount will certainly help. They may still also have the stamp program there where you get your 11th free or something like that, I think this counts for festabrews and NG kits.

[KMcK]

The stamp program has been discontinued. (Steve at Quinpool had all his blank cards confiscated.) They will honour the ones that are still out there, though.

[Jimmy]

Good point Jimmy, the discount will certainly help. They may still also have the stamp program there where you get your 11th free or something like that, I think this counts for festabrews and NG kits.

Yeah, they still do the card program, but they won't let you get the brewnosers discount and the stamp card together.

[Jimmy]

The stamp program has been discontinued. (Steve at Quinpool had all his blank cards confiscated.) They will honour the ones that are still out there, though.

I didn't know that. I was just told a couple weeks ago I could only do one or the other.

[NASH]

I made a TON of beer with that crap in the late '70's! It's basically awful however it made a decent pint when using 2 cans boiled in a couple gallons of water with a handful of hops and a 1/2 lb of table sugar

[Evan]

Thanks Jimmy! thats defiantly a good little piece of information! I will have to check it out next time I am in the City! is it just one location that honors it or all?

[ratchet]

all of the Noble Grapes will give you the discount... but they are not interconnected (IE: you'll have to get set-up at each store you go to)

Just be sure to tell them you're a Brewnoser.


That being said, my store of choice is Quinpool Rd.

[LiverDance]

Agreed. The best store for Beer is Quinpool handsdown.

[chalmers]

I don't know where the Quinpool Handsdown location is, but I like the one across from SuperStore on Quinpool. We have successfully got Steve on the beer train, after being a wino forever.
I've got a stamp card that I haven't used in months since going all-grain. It has 2 stamps on it. I will start the bidding for it at $2. Any takers?

[JEH]

I usually go to the bayers lake location because ive gotten to know one of the guys there and he can be generous. What makes the Quinpool one better?
As for the kit beer, I started out making two festa brew kits and pretty much immediately stopped making wine and making only beer.
For christmas someone gave me a newcastle brown ale can kit, so i steeped some chocolate malt and boiled that with the kit, a can-add-a kit, and a cup of brown sugar. I can let you know if adding these things helped at all after the weekend!

[KMcK]

I don't know where the Quinpool Handsdown location is, but I like the one across from SuperStore on Quinpool.

Have you ever been to the Club Rightaway?

[LiverDance]

I like Quinpool cause I've got to know Steve quite well and trust him when putting together an all grain recipe, I brew with him as well. They finally got some guys in Bayers Lake that are interested in beer so that's a bonus for sure. That's my usual stop now that i'm not working downtown anymore.

[XmonikerX]

are any of the festa brew kits taste any good? Be good for when i have buddies over who don't really care what they drink. (Schooner, Guinness, etc.)

[akr71]

are any of the festa brew kits taste any good? Be good for when i have buddies over who don't really care what they drink. (Schooner, Guinness, etc.)

I've only tried the Oatmeal Stout, which I thought was quite tasty. That was over 2 years ago tho' & was my last kit before going all-grain.

[XmonikerX]

maybe ill give one a try after i brew my next batch, since i already have the ingredients.
i skipped the kit stage, i just brew extract with grains.

[brewbucket]

are any of the festa brew kits taste any good? Be good for when i have buddies over who don't really care what they drink. (Schooner, Guinness, etc.)

I only tried festa brew "blond ale" and I was not impressed. I had better luck with various 1.5 kg kits

[Garak]

The festabrew kits are stupid easy and make really good beer. We kegged the blonde lager last weekend and everyone loved it. The keg didn't last long. We bottled the wheat beer a few months ago and everyone enjoyed that one too. So we have two more batches that we are kegging tomorrow.

They are great party beers as you don't mind a keg or two of it disappearing at a party where there isn't much work involved. We had a ball last weekend, our first keg party, we all shared a young blonde