Chas & Lee's Brewing Project

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• ABV: 4.5%
• 40 pints
• Our Rating: 3 stars ***

According to the notes on the package, “Muntons Gold range kits combine premium brewing malt and choicest hops to allow you to brew the very finest traditional beers. Follow our simple instructions and you will brew beers of the very highest quality - quality that complies with the fifteenth century German purity law, The Reinheitsgebot.”

Muntons - Gold - India Pale Ale

I selected IPA for my first taste of the Muntons “Gold” range, mostly because I fancied going for a stronger pint. Muntons Gold IPA has instructions for two strengths of brew. The “Troops Tipple” produces an ale of 4.5% ABV and an “Upper Rank’s Revserve” of 6%. The stronger brew is achieved by simply adding an extra 1Kg of brewing sugar to the mix and so, because I fancied a strong ale, this was the method I followed.

I don’t think I managed to achieve a brew of 6% as the fermentation slowed practically to a halt after three days of vigorous initial activity. The hydrometer reading indicated there was more work to be done so I added a little more yeast in the hope of getting it going again. After racking the final gravity was 1011. The original gravity had been 1048 so we were looking at 5.3% ABV. The brew was eventually transferred to the barrel seventeen days after starting fermentation.

Verdict: I advise anyone brewing this and probably any other Muntons Gold range to give it some extra time conditioning, at least a month extra. After only one month I was surprised at how uninteresting it was, it seemed quite plain, no particular character to speak of, I wasn’t particularly happy. Naturally I left it alone and drank something else until several weeks had passed. As with so many brews we have made, it seems that leaving it a bit longer will have a very positive effect. An excellent most refreshing pint.