Description

Dark Rock Limited Edition Autumn Equinox – All Grain Kit

Dark Rock Limited Edition Autumn Equinox is a fresh New England style hazy pale ale packed with hoppy fruit flavours. A light malty aroma and subtle malt flavours are provided by the addition of naked oats, and wheat malt. A tropical fruit zestiness punches through from Idaho 7, Citra, and Nectaron hops, to give a refreshing, clean final taste with a smooth creamy mouthfeel. This is an easy drinking, simple NEIPA to chill out with on a crisp clear day. This kit produces 40 pints at 5% ABV.

Limited Edition Series

Only small batches of these beers are produced and are produced and are made available for a limited period to commemorate special occasions, or to try out new flavours. Each kit contains the highest quality malts and a premium yeast. Only the freshest hops are selected and they are supplied vacuum packed in light-proof foil pouches. A sachet of Pure Brew is included to ensure you produce a commercial quality beer. Please provide feedback on your experience and you may see these kits launched as a permanent addition to the Dark Rock beer kit range.

What Makes Dark Rock All Grain Beer Kits So Special?

Dark Rock All Grain Beer Kits provide everything you need to make a superb ale.  All-grain brewing is a rewarding process, which puts you in full control of your brewing. It takes a little longer than making a standard beer kit or partial mash but the results are absolutely stunning. All-grain mash brewing is great fun and really allows you to develop the necessary skills to master your craft. Commercial quality malt and hops are used in each kit and the emphasis is on freshness. Dark Rock’s all-Grain Mash Kits represent fantastic value too. Every recipe has been thoroughly researched and perfected to deliver the best taste possible. You only buy the exact amount of ingredients you need so there is no waste. Unlike making up your own recipe you will not have leftover quantities. With all-grain brewing, it is important not to keep stocks of grains and particularly hops at home for long periods. The quality deteriorates quickly. Therefore, it does not make sense to buy larger quantities of grains and hops than you actually need. Dark Rock All-Grain Kits are weighed to the precise quantities you need for each brew, so you can be assured of the freshest ingredients and superb value. Hops are stored in temperature controlled rooms and vacuum packed immediately upon opening. This ensures the optimum quality of your brew.

What’s Included?

• 5.4Kg Malt Grains
• Hop Pellets
• Pure Brew (water treatment and nutrient)
• Fermenter / keg ID sticker
• Full instructions

Allergy Advice: May include barley and other cereals, containing gluten

Specifications

• Makes: 40 pints / 5 gallons
• ABV Approx: 5%
• Bitterness: 25 IBU
• Colour: 9 EBC
• Target Original Gravity: 1050 (approx)
• Target Finishing Gravity: 1012 (approx)
• Fermentation time: 10-14 days approx
• Conditioning time: 4 weeks minimum (it will mature further if left longer)

Ingredients

Malts: Extra Pale, Naked Oats, Wheat Malt (5.4Kg)
Hops: Citra, Nectaron & Idaho 7 (225g)
Yeast: Premium Beer Yeast
Extras: Pure Brew

What Equipment Do You Need?

Basic beer making equipment (5g fermenter, airlock, syphon tube with sediment trap, hydrometer, Suresan sanitiser, bottles or barrel). These are available under the starter kit section on this website. You will also need specialist equipment to make all grain beers. The process involves three stages. The first stage is mashing. Your mash equipment will need to maintain the grains and water at a constant temperature for an hour (usually 66C). This is important as only slight variations in temperature can affect the taste of the final beer. The second part of the process is sparging. This involves rinsing the grains with water slightly hotter than the mash (77C). Finally, the wort will need to be boiled for around 70 minutes and then cooled to fermentation temperature as fast as possible. From this point, the fermentation process is similar to standard kits.  There are numerous techniques equipment styles that can be used to make full mash beers. In the past, the most basic method used was a floating mash tun and insulated ice box. Alternatively, a Pico style Electrim Bin was used. Whilst these are still available, there are now easy to use all-grain brewing systems available. The initial cost is higher but these systems are superb and allow you to achieve bang on results every time. They also cut down the time that you have to be present during the process. All grain systems are so effective that most commercial breweries use them for testing experimental recipes prior to full-blown scale-ups. The Grainfather brewing system is highly recommended. The system can be expanded as your skills develop, to include conical temperature controlled fermenters, sparge water heaters, and even an integrated Glycol Chiller to ensure precise temperatures down to 4 degrees centigrade (useful for lager production and summer brewing). A wide range of all-grain brewing equipment is available on our website and we are always available to offer advice.

Tips

A sachet of Pure Brew is included with this kit in order to achieve a commercial quality. Pure Brew is a professional beer enhancer. It feeds the yeast with essential nutrients, which supercharge the fermentation and support yeast development (even in limited oxygen conditions). Pure Brew also treats brewing water to eliminate problems caused by Chlorine and Chloramine (which can create a medicinal or as it is sometimes referred to, a “homebrew” taste) The condition of brewing water is critical to achieving optimum results but this important area is often overlooked. By using Pure Brew, you can effectively and easily condition brewing water, and maximise effective fermentation. We strongly recommend using Pure Brew with all of your beers to improve their quality.

You could consider investing in a metal hop spider to effectively manage hop additions into the boiling process. The hop spider would sit inside your boiler and allow you to drop hops into the boil in a controlled way. Hop Spiders allow hops to boil with more free flow space around them. They are easily cleaned and can be re-used over and over again. They also prevent hop sediment (known as trub) from clogging up pumping systems when using all in one brewing equipment.