# RJS BrewHouse Kits



## masta

In this month's newsletter you saw that George is now stocking the RJ Spagnols BrewHouse beer kits. This product is different than the concentrated Winexpert Barons kits many of have made.
The RJ Spagnols BrewHouse kitsdo make* 6 gallons* of beer and therefore you should use a *7.9 gal primary* and not a 6.5 gal and of course you need an 6 gal carboy.


The RJS BrewHouse kits are made using a true all grain process and no adjuncts or additives, sugars or malt extract are used.Thekit contains 15L of wort that is made with less water during processing and has a SG of 1.070-1.080. The sweet wort is not concentrated after it has been boiled with the correct amount of hops added. With no vacuum concentration the product is free from browning which is called 'The Maillard Process'. 


The wort is adjusted to a lower pH with food grade phosphoric acid for stability during it's ~9 month shelf life. The wort included in the kit is adjusted with potassium bicarbonate and water by the user to bring the pH andspecific gravity back into the proper range before fermentation. Also included in the kit is the correct amount of corn sugar (dextrose) for priming the beer before bottling.


The phosphoric acid used is the same food acid that makes Coca-Cola™ and other soft drinks tangy. Before adjusting the wort has a higher pH than Coke and roughly half the acidity of orange juice. Potassium bicarbonate is nothing more than baking soda (sodium bicarbonate)without the sodium.


RJS also provides tested recipes and other techniques on it's websiteon how to modify the kits into a beer that is truly special or suits your personal taste. You have many options when using this product and this time the manufacturer actually encourages you to experiment with their product!


http://www.thebrewhouse.com/index.htm


I have one kit in process now and right out of the gate I chose to modify it from the original with less water and different yeast. I did this because I had a liquid yeast (White Labs Dry English Ale #WLP007) at the house I needed to use. The kit I used is the "Pale Ale" and on advice from the RJS website I added only 4L of water to make 5gals of Old English Ale. The Dry English Ale yeast has a higher attenuation and should work well with the higher starting SG since I used only 4L of water. 


I hope this helps folks understand a bit more about this product and I look forward to making many more of these kits in the future.



*Edited by: masta *


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## grapeman

Those do sound like they are made well with a lot of thought. It would be interesting to see how these would compare with the Brewer's Best kits and all-mash beers. Maybe you or Smurfe can do one of each sometime of the same type and write up a comparison. There are certainly positive aspects to all three.


Thanks for sharing this.


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## Dean

I've done a lot of these kits, and if I was to compare between all grain, DME/LME and Adjuncts, and BH Kits, I'd put them right after all grain.

You really are buying liquid wort, and you can add your own adjuncts and do a boil if you choose, or if you are a wine maker and don't want to do a boil, the stuff in the kit will make excellent true to style beer. I would recommend that you replace the standard dry yeast it comes with and use a liquid yeast. The coopers yeast that it comes with is actually quite good in both the pale ale and the red ale, but for all the others a change in yeast will make a huge difference.

The Pilsner is a cross beetween Czechvar and Urquell and is one of my favorites. The Mexican Cerveza, with Wyeast 2112 California Lager makes a beer so close to Corona you'll be amazed. All in all, this a great product.


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## masta

Thanks Dean and as always I do appreciated your sharing of experience and knowledge.







I agree the change to liquid yeast for most styles will make a big difference which is why I normally do this myself. This is also recommended by RJS to make a beer true to style.


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## txclifton

I just got the Cervesa kit from George today. Reading thru the instructions it asks for a 10 gallon primary. wow.... I see masta says I don't really need it.

Also, it mentions yeast nutrient. I didn't get any. Do you suspect it's missing or just not included. It doesn't give the obligatory statement of (if included).

I'm hoping for the best. I normally make wine and the last 2 beer kits I've done have ended with a bad aftertaste. I have discovered that I think beer requires a more strict schedule than my wine making.

Any advice would be great.

*Edited by: txclifton *


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## smurfe

Wow, a SG of 1.070-1.080 That is a big beer. There would be no need to boil as the boil is to concentrate the wort to hit your target SG. Most beers I do are in the 1.054 range or so. I just looked at their site. You must be doing the Winterfest Ale. That is a big beer. I notice the others SG are within style. 


The guys are spot on about the yeast to. If you want to make a beer to style, get a vial or two of the proper White Labs yeast or the comparable smack pack of Wyeast. If you get the Wyeast, I recommend to get the Activator packs and not the Propagator packs unless you can make a starter. I also recommend 2 vials of the White Labs per kit unless you can make a starter as well. Starters allow the cell count to build to an appropriate level to decrease lag time to start fermentation, reduce chance if infection and allow proper attenuation to reach the proper FG. 


If anyone needs a suggestion on which yeast might be appropriate, let me know. I have numerous style guideline books that list the yeast strain deemed most appropriate for particular styles.


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## uavwmn

Dean, does George sell the wyeast 2112? Because I cannot find it online.


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## masta

George doesn't currently carry liquid yeast but any retailer who carries the Wyeast brand should have this in stock or be able to get it.


If you send me a PM with your address I am sure I can help you find a retailer close by that has it.


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## smurfe

uavwmn said:


> Dean, does George sell the wyeast 2112? Because I cannot find it online.




Masta beat me to the punch as I have been busy actually making yeast starters today. You should be able to find the Wyeast 2112 at any brew shop that sell the Wyeastproduct. It is a very common/popular strain.You can also use the White Labs WLP810 as it is the same strain, different company. 


Feel free to PM me as well and I can assist you on where to buy from. If you can't obtain at a local brew shop try to order form a place fairly close and pay extra for the ice pack option to keep the yeast cool during transit. Also make sure to order the Activator pack and not the Propagator pack of Wyeast products unless you have the stuff to make a starter. If you use the White Labs products (my personal choice)you can simply order 2 vials and just dump them in without making a starter or make a starter from one vial. 


Also, don't be intimidated about making a starter. it is really easy and fairly cheap. What you do is get some light dried malt extract, mix about a cup of it in a liter of water and boil it for about 15 minutes. You then pour it into a sanitized jar or jug, add the yeast, shake it up a little to add O2 and put a piece of sanitized foil over the opening of the container. Give it a shake/swirl ever now and then and let it work for a day or two. The you can just dump the starter into the work when ready to ferment. 


Here is a pic of my first starter I made todayusing my stir-plate. It has a magnetic bar in the flask that stirs the wort to oxygenate and stimulate faster yeast propagation. You don't need a stir-plate though. It was just a fun and cheap home project I made from an online tutorial.


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## Wade E

Very cool. Can you explain how that magnetic stirrer works and if possible post link on how to make it. I have some of those rare earth magnets would those work?


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## smurfe

wade said:


> Very cool. Can you explain how that magnetic stirrer works and if possible post link on how to make it. I have some of those rare earth magnets would those work?




Wade, here is the link to the tutorial for the Stir Plate I built. Basically the way it works is there is a rare earth magnet on a computer fan in the stir plate. The stir bar is a magnet. You drop the sanitized bar in the wort and the magnetic field spins the bar in the solution and creates a vortex that stirs the wort aerating it to create a healthy habitat for yeast propagation. 




http://onebeer.net/sp_howto.shtml


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## Wade E

Cool, Bookmarked for future but read through and seems easy enough.


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## grapeman

Man smurfe, you are really into this brewing aren't you!? You have or are getting ALL the gadgets. How on earth do you drink all that beer and see to drive to work???? LOL


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## smurfe

appleman said:


> Man smurfe, you are really into this brewing aren't you!? You have or are getting ALL the gadgets. How on earth do you drink all that beer and see to drive to work???? LOL




Well, it goes a lot faster than one thinks plus I have plenty of help around here. I can't believe the difference the stir plate has made in the starter as well. It is amazing how much propagation has occurred in less than a day. I started this starter yesterday at around noon. This morning at 7:00 is is exploding. Wish I could show the motion in the flask. This is a White Labs WLP002 English Ale Yeast which is going to go into an all grain Sweet Stout this afternoon. I think I am going to hunt down some White Labs Liquid Wine Yeast the next batch I do and give it a try.


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## Wade E

Im almost there Smurf, I have all my stuff, just have to get the supplies to make my MLT manifold. Then it will be off to my LHBS for grains!


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## uavwmn

Dean, can you provide me with a couple of websites for purchasing the liquid yeast for these kits? Thank you~


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## uavwmn

Masta, I live in southern AZ. There is a brew shop in Tucson, AZ but they do not carry the liquid yeast.
Is there a web site I can go to to order this for my beer? Thank you for your help.


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## Dean

http://morebeer.com and http://www.northernbrewer.com both sell online yeast with cold packs.


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## Wade E

Smurf, I bought most of the stuff to do my manifold today. I had bought a 38 qrt cooler without the spigot since no one seemed to have on e with around here. It was a little tricky figuring out to do this properly but have the ball valve assembly installed now with no leaks and had some fun re-drilling a SS fender washer since I could find was a big SS washer with a 1/4" hole in it, glad i have lots of tools cause i pulled of this trick with a bi-metal holesaw. All I have to do is buy a length of 1/2" copper piping and do the slots and a little soldering.Ill post a pic when Im done.


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## smurfe

Fantastic! I look forward to seeing your progress!


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## masta

Dean said:


> http://morebeer.com and http://www.northernbrewer.com both sell online yeast with cold packs.




Links don't seem to be working:


http://morebeer.com/and http://www.northernbrewer.com/


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## uavwmn

Masta, what do you use to clean and sanitize your beer equipment?


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## uavwmn

Appleman, do I use a cleaner and sanitizer for beer equipment as I do with wine? Or is there a beer cleaner/sanitizer I can use that does both?


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## masta

uavwmn said:


> Masta, what do you use to clean and sanitize your beer equipment?




I have been using C-Brite to clean and K-meta to sanitize. I know everyone says K-meta isn't strong enough for beer but I have never had a problem yet. I am very careful cleaning everything until it is spotless so this helps avoid problems.


I also use plenty of hot (150-165 F) water to rinse everything and I know from working in the pharmaceutical industry for 20 years thathot water is a very efficient cleaner with water soluble products.


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## Wade E

I know they sell PBW (Powdered Brewers Wash) which is a cleaning product for beer equipment which was developed for Coors Brewing Co. It has been rumoured that OxyClean is the same thing. It is not a sanitizer, nor is One Step.

*Edited by: wade *


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## grapeman

I do the same as Masta only I use B-brite instead of C-brite. The C-brite is supposed to be better, but for the few batches I do, the B-brite works fine for me and I already have it for the wine.


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## uavwmn

Dean, ty for the websites. Hate to stray from George, but I would like to try the liquid yeast in my next batch of beer.


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## Dean

I don't think George would mind too much as liquid yeasts are hard to deal with. They must be fresh, must be kept refrigerated, they should be shipped with cold packs, and if you don't have much of a market for them, they go bad quickly too.


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## smurfe

wade said:


> I know they sell PBW (Powdered Brewers Wash) which is a cleaning product for beer equipment which was developed for Coors Brewing Co. It has been rumoured that OxyClean is the same thing. It is not a sanitizer, nor is One Step.




I really believe they are different products. PBW is alkali based where Oxi Clean is oxygen based. I use both products. PBW cleans better but Oxi Clean does a good job as well and is a darn shot cheaper. I use the PBW after about every 10 boils in my boil pot to remove the stone build up. It takes it off without scrubbing. Oxi Clean won't.


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## Wade E

Thanks for the info. I read that on a beer forum as wasnt sure Hence the Rumoured.


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## Wade E

Started my Brew House Cream Ale today in a 7.9 gallon fermenting bucket even though they say to use a bigger 1. We'll see what happens and Im ready to install a blow off tube if need be. I have a second keg now and thats where this kit will end up when finished.


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## smurfe

I have my Pilsner here. Will probably be next weekend before I can start is as I am waiting for the yeast I ordered for it to come in. I am going to actually try a dry yeast on this kit. I am going with a Fermentis Saflager S-23 after reading a ton of good reports on the Fermentis dry yeasts. I didn't have a White Labs Lager yeast in the fridge and don't have a LHBS and I didn't feel like driving 4 hours to Houston to buy a tube of yeast. 


I started to order some from the online retailer I normally get beer supplies from but after reading numerous positive posts on the Fermentis yeasts, I will give them a shot. I bought a few of the varieties that are actually comparable to liquid yeasts I have on hand so I can compare apples to apples. 


I will add that the directions for this kit are not correct for the beer style. This is a lager beer but the directions are for an ale kit. I guess they just use generic directions. If I made this kit per the directions I will not have a Pilsner beer. The yeast packet is not marked with what type yeast it is. I am assuming it is actually an ale yeast. I really thought that the info on their website (which is excellent) would be the same as in the box. So a note to those just getting into beer. Look at the website for further info before you start your kit or as always, throw up your questions here and we will be glad to step you through it. 


I only state this for those that order a lager kit and expect it to be anything comparable to those you buy at the store like the Pilsner, Cerveza (seems very popular), and the ones that actually have Lager in their names. You will need additional equipment like a fridge to lager in or a basement that stays pretty cool as lagers ferment at much lower temps (determined by yeast strain) than an ale. You can make a lager at 60-65 degrees though by using a particular yeast strain though (California Lager). I can't wait to see how these kits compare to my actual all grain batches. *Edited by: smurfe *


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## uavwmn

smurfe,are the new beer kits George has out the "no boil" kits? I would like to try the "Winterfest" kit.

PS. Per your recommendation I made a second batch of the irish stout with liquid yeast. HUGE difference in body and flavor!!! Thank you~


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## smurfe

uavwmn said:


> smurfe,are the new beer kits George has out the "no boil" kits? I would like to try the "Winterfest" kit.
> 
> PS. Per your recommendation I made a second batch of the irish stout with liquid yeast. HUGE difference in body and flavor!!! Thank you~




Good deal, glad I could help you out. I actually used a dry yeast on my last batch of Dry Stout (Fermentis Safale S-04) that came out great. It is basically, if not the same yeast strain as the White Labs WLP002 English Ale yeast. I am a convert to this brand if it take an English ale or American ale yeast. Most of my lagers will use their brand to unless I want to use a White Labs Cerveza yeast which is a great lager yeast. White Labs and Wyeast are great products though and if you have access to them and use them correctlyyou won't go wrong.


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## uavwmn

smurfe,where can I find the BeerCalculation Program??


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## smurfe

uavwmn said:


> smurfe,where can I find the BeerCalculation Program??




I use Beersmith.


http://www.beersmith.com/


You can download a trial version of it. There are others that are popular as well such as Pro Mash and Beer Tools. I tried these as well and then chose and bought the full version of Beersmith mainly due to the customer support and continued upgrades. Pro Mash isn't upgraded anymore and Beer Tools, while a nice program coincides with their website and is not as versatile as Beersmith. Overall Beersmith and Pro Mash is the most widely used programs I have noticed used by brewers. I consider a software program vital to consistent brewing as beer is so much more versatile and inconsistent compared to wine making.


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