Extra Purchased Materials

I went a little crazy on Tuesday of last week at a trip to Mountain Homebrew and Supply in Kirkland, WA. On my lunch break I was able to make it down to Kirkland in back without taking extra time. There is got a recipe kit, 48 12-oz bottles and a bag of 100 bottle caps. The beer I decided on, much resembles the all-time Seattle are classic, Mac & Jack's African Amber. Most everyone from Seattle has either tried or heard of Mac & Jack's African Amber, and is personally one of my favorite beers. Amber Ales are a part of the Pale Ale arena of beers. They are known for their malty caramel profiles, but have a lower hop level than most traditional Pale Ales. It was not surprising to here that the Outback Amber from Mountain Homebrew was their most popular beer kit. I actually had already found the recipe for this beer online, so when I went into Mountain Homebrew I had my mind set on it, so when I heard it was their best seller, the decision was easy. So i purchased the kit for $42.99. That's right the kit was only $42.99 for ingredients to make around 48 beers! Sounds pretty good to me. Here is what is included in the kit.

Outback Amber Recipe Kit

- 3.3 lb (1.5kg) Jar of Cooper's Light Malt Extract
- 3 lbs. (1.4 kgs) Amber Dry Malt
- 8oz. (224 grams) Crystal 40L & 2oz (56grams) crystal 135-165L
- 1/2 oz (14 grams) Chinook Hops
- 2oz (56grams) Willamette Hops (in 2 28oz bags)

What was not included

- Vile of White Labs WLP001 (California Ale) Yeast
- 1 Package of Irish Moss
- 1 Package of Gypsum
- Priming Sugar (Corn Sugar)


The ingredients that were not included, are not included because the wet yeast (recommended) needs to be refrigerated separately, and the gypsum, Irish Moss, and Priming Sugar you will use more than for just this batch. So, after all the shopping at Mountain Homebrew my total cost for the Recipe Package, extra ingredients, 100 bottle caps, and 48 12-oz bottles, was $102.58. I know that sounds like a lot of money for 1 batch of beer, but look at it this way. You will reuse the bottles for every batch, granted you don't break any, I have extra Irish Moss, Gypsum, and priming sugar for my next batches. The bottle caps were only $4, so that wasnt a huge expense. So, essentially what we were looking at is around $50 for 48 12-oz beers. As far as micro brews go, I like the sound of that price. As far as if the taste will be worth that, it all depends on Salim and I's abilities. We will find out in a couple weeks. The next step, finding the right pot.....on to Outdoor Emporium!

Check out Mountain Homebrew and Supply at:
http://mountainhomebrew.com/