Satchel Kits - Irish Stout Homebrew Review
Whether for ease or just getting into the craft, a homebrewer really can’t deny the convenience of a kit. It’s a great way to get an idea of recipes and the process needed to create consistent and great beers. Seeing the ingredients go from a pile of grain and hops to the final bubbly product is the best way to learn, and sometimes the simplicity of it is just what a brewer needs to get going after a break.
To try a new brew and to get back into the swing of brewing, we ordered an Irish Stout kit from Satchel Kits. We’ve used their kits before and have found ourselves very pleased with the final product, so we returned to brew a style we haven’t brewed and one we think is the perfect accompaniment to March and the fresh spring.
The kit includes the following ingredients and items to brew this Irish Stout:
28.4 oz. Grain mix containing malted and flaked barley and some sort of dark malt (possibly chocolate or black malt)
0.42 oz. East Kent Golding hops
2 grams of ale yeast
2 packets of sanitizer
0.95 oz. Priming sugar (corn sugar)
Grain steeping bag
One thing I’ve mentioned about Satchel Kits before is that their kits come with everything required to make the beer, including the priming sugar and sanitizer often missing from other kits. This makes it a great starter kit or a great kit for anyone looking for a complete recipe while trying a new variety.
The brewing process is also laid out quite clearly on Satchel’s website. This recipe started with mashing the 28.4 ounces of grain in 4 quarts of water at 150℉ for one hour before sparging with 3 quarts of water at 170℉. We then proceeded to the boil, where we dropped the 0.42 ounces of East Kent Golding hops at the start of the boil and let the baby beer bubble for an hour. We then removed the beer from heat and cooled it in an ice bath down to 70-75℉ when we pitched the yeast and set it to ferment for two weeks.
After two weeks we added our priming sugar (0.95 oz. boiled in 1 cup water for five minutes) and we bottled it, yielding ten bottles total. We then waited another two weeks before we popped those tops and gave it a try.
Luckily for us, this beer finished right before St. Patrick’s Day. Here are our first impressions of it.
First Impressions:
On the Eyes--Pours dark and completely opaque, and is topped with a milk chocolate head that maintains decently.
On the Nose--Malty with notes of chocolate—dark and milk—promising a little bitterness and a balancing sweetness. This Irish stout smells quite European, and very much like an Irish stout.
On the Palate--Malty! As a good Irish stout should be, with the flavor leaning more toward the malted barley with a touch of dark chocolate at the dry finish. It coats the mouth nicely and the bitter chocolate lingers through the finish, but not oppressively. It has a medium body and a smooth mouthfeel, though I would be curious to see how smooth it is coming out of a nitro keg.
Food Pairings: Meat and potatoes, baby. Shepherd’s pie, a wonderful Irish beef stew, or a decadent chocolate dessert.
Final Thoughts:
Overall, Satchel Kits’ Irish Stout is easy to make and fun to drink. It is an accurate interpretation of an Irish stout. It has the sessionable ABV (about 5% ABV according to Satchel kits), and the malty backbone to make it the perfect drink to welcome spring or to celebrate the Irish. It has notes of chocolate and a wonderfully dry finish. What more could a homebrewer ask for?
If you’re looking to try a new style, or are looking for a kit to help you get started, give Satchel Kits’ Irish Stout a try. It comes with all the ingredients you need to rock n roll. We are certainly pleased with it.
Cheers!
Mr. Brew