Goliath HANOVER ALTBIER by Voosher @ 15, Jul 2005
This is a beauty. A really simple kit that gives a really authentic Alt. Best with the right yeast - I used Wyeast 1007 - and utterly brilliant if you put it on a base of Munich malt. Any time is ALTtime.

Grumpys REPUBLICAN DARK ALE by Voosher @ 08, May 2005
This is a wonderful drop for those looking for something between most commercial dark ales and a stout. The roasted note is quite pronounced intially but mellows wonderfully over a couple of months. One to cuddle up to on a chilly winter evening. Recommend Wyeast 1028 and for something a litte different, Wyeast 1007.

Goliath INDIA PALE ALE by Voosher @ 28, Jan 2005
IPA's should be BIG, BOLD and BITTER. This finishes things off nicely, but make the right start. A good amount of grain makes it less than simple to handle, but it yields good results. Good colour, nice Goldings aroma. Personally, I think you need to do it properly and give it a big base, and no kit on the market, not even the kit IPA's come close. If you can, get a can of extract and run it up to 40 IBU's with Target or Goldings, Wyeast 1028 and you'll have a great IPA with this to finish.

Grumpys DOUBLE HOP PALE ALE by Voosher @ 28, Jan 2005
This is an Aussie Pale Ale, so step right up and compare it to the best popular Australian Pale Ale, the Green masterpiece from Coopers. If you like the Coopers, it gives you something to think about. Hops. It has them in magnificent abundance. Early, they are almost overpowering, and best left to hopheads. Give it about 6 weeks in the bottle, and you've got an Aussie Pale Ale with a balance of sweetness and bitterness. Choose a good yeast. Recultured Coopers is a good start. Then liquid. Mmmm.

Grumpys BOSTON CREAM by Voosher @ 28, Jan 2005
This is a wonderful ale. Clever and balanced citrusy refreshment. Initially there is strong grapefruit on the palate which in itself is wonderfully refreshing. Let the brew age however, and it becomes a great beer with a range of fantastic flavours. Grumpy's standard issue is with a Safale S-33, which makes it easy and great value for effort. 2 yeasts to recommend. The Wyeast 1056 emphasises the citrus, and the Wyeast 1272 balances the citrus with soft fruitiness. Either result is a winner.

Coopers Dark Ale by Voosher @ 16, Jan 2005
As a base kit it's fine. With the standard yeast I recommend adding malt only as the kit yeast tastes dry. Have also made this using Wyeast 1056 with 750g liquid malt and 500g dextrose which produced a good dry dark ale. My favourite was a bit of an accident. Added 1.25kg Dark malt and brewed with recultured Coopers ale yeast. It's closer to a stout, but it is smooth as silk with wonderful roasted malt characteristics at 6 months and getting better all the time. Surprising scope with this kit.

Coopers Real Ale by Voosher @ 16, Jan 2005
This was my staple for ages. Coopers Real Ale, 1kg liquid malt, recultured Coopers yeast, 30g Goldings hops boiled for 10 mins. A good round beer for quaffing but still with character. The standard yeast makes it a bit dry for a Real Ale, however. It is one of the few well bittered (30 IBU approx) widely available kits. Makes a good base for many variations.

Coopers Australian Pale Ale by Voosher @ 16, Jan 2005
The kit recommends Coopers Brew Enhancer 2 as an addition and without too much help it gets close to the real thing. I haven't made it with the standard yeast, but pitching two sachets would improve it. I brewed it with BE2 and recultured Cooper's yeast and at two months it was good, but lacking body compared to the genuine article. A second run with an additional 500g of liquid malt made it very very close to the real thing. For this reason I give it a 4 instead of a 3.

Tooheys Draught by Voosher @ 16, Jan 2005
Toohey's draft with 500g liquid malt, 750g Dextrose, 250g Corn syrup and the standard yeast is still insipid until about 3 months. Then it improves to barely fair. However, it improves greatly with good yeast. Recultured Cooper's yeast makes a big difference. Second big improver was a fistful of aromatic hops. Have tried Cascade and Goldings from 15g to 60g and depending on personal preference for hops makes a big difference. The kit alone gets a 2, but with help it's capable of 4 star brews.

Tooheys Real Ale by Voosher @ 16, Jan 2005
I have brewed this twice, but it follows the limitations of most Toohey's kits. The extract is not bad but the woefully inadequate supply of yeast with Toohey's kits (5g) it makes for poor beers without plenty of time in the bottle. First was the Toohey's can and 1kg of liquid malt. At 3 mths it was drinkable but only as a quaffer after the tastebuds had already died. Second time around added 500g Coopers Dark malt, 500g Invert sugar and 2 sachets of the yeast. Not a bad dark ale at 3 mths.