Customer Reviews

Solid beer, but does not taste like Fat Tire Review by Boozehound

Rating

This is a solid, if understated, pale ale. I've only brewed this kit twice, but neither batch had the wholesome flavor profile that I've comet o enjoy in bottles of Fat Tire. (I've actually found FT to be rather bland when served on tap.)

My 2nd batch was EXCELLENT, as I turned this kit into a "Honey ApriHop Ale." I found that, by adding lots of honey and some hops at the end of the boil, then boiled apricots + liquor to the secondary, you create an awesome clone of the Dogfishead summer Aprihop.

Conclusion: If you're looking for a mild, kind of bland pale ale palate from which to concoct your own recipe, this kit is perfect. But if you're expecting a great Fat Tire clone, you'll need to look elsewhere.

Cheers.



(Posted on 1/28/12)

good, but not a Fatty Review by schematix

I bought 2 kits with the liquid yeast to make a 10-gallon batch for my first ever home brew.

I made some changes to the supplied recipe and procedure to compensate for my equipment capabilities. I have a 15G BoilerMaker so I could do a full wort boil instead of the assumed partial boil. Since my utilization would be higher I only used 1.5oz (instead of 2oz) of the Perle bittering hops. I also added half the LME as a late addition at 15 mins BKO.

I pitched the yeast into 75F wort. The fermenter was kept in a room that was always between 67-71F degrees. Within 8 hours it was bubbling. At 22 hours it had built massive kraussen and was bubbling right up through the airlock! After 3 days the bubbling subsided considerably, and continued to bubble regularly for about 6 days. Since I didn't buy any carboys I let the beer primary for 20 days then racked to kegs.

As of this writing the beer has been in kegs for 6 days and is reaching acceptable carbonation. The flavor of the beer is quite good already, although it’s not Fat Tire. The body is a little on the light side (finished at 1.012) and the biscuity malt flavor that Fat tire is known for is not readily apparent. I think this is due to it being too hoppy. After I made the batch I found that real Fat Tire is 18.5 IBU, while I calculated this beer to be around 35 IBU. Next time I would reduce the hops even further.

Overall it’s a tasty brew. If you like amber style beers you’ll be happy with this. 4/5 stars.
(Posted on 8/18/11)

Won Gold Review by Jeff

Rating

The kit just earned me a gold at our quarterly club competition for Wort City Brewers in Wilmington, NC. (Posted on 7/2/11)

great stuff Review by jeff

Rating

my wife and i are both origanal tire fans and this went down great. it was also my first batch moving to kegging and it all went great. the wife already told me to order more. (Posted on 6/29/11)

Phat tyre goes fast..... Review by Ron

Rating

Great amber colored beer that reminds me of summers in Colorado. Seeing that many thought it was too bitter, I added the first round of hops at 45 minutes rather than 60. The result? An easy drinking 'malty/biscuity beer that everyone loves. (Posted on 5/18/11)

HMMMMMM! Review by Snotty

Rating

I love this beer. I love all types of beers but Ambers are usually my favorite and this one delivers. Every sip I take I can't help but go HMMMMMMM! If you are a fan of ambers you will be a fan of this beer. (Posted on 5/17/11)

miracle beer Review by Matthew

I'd ordered this kit and got busy and let it sit for probably a year and a half. Wanting to get back into brewing, I reordered the hops, but used all the original (now old) ingredients. I brewed using the dry yeast (sprinkled). Everything seemed to be going against me to make a good beer. However, the outcome was quite different. Non-beer drinkers who tried it, loved it. I personally enjoyed the floral and slightly spicy aroma. The abv also surprised me; I didn't pay attention to the OG, and was pleasantly surprised. I bottled in 22oz bottles and 1 was sufficient! Don't know how it compares to the real Phat Tyre, but will definitely brew again. Excited to see what fresh ingredients and liquid yeast will do! (Posted on 4/21/11)

Good overall amber kit Review by Robert

Rating

I brewed this using the dry yeast. It tuner out well, but as others have commented it's not fat tire. It is a decent amber though. It is not as good as the first Fat Tire clone I made from a competitor. But like I said, it makes a good amber anyway. (Posted on 4/7/11)

Excellent brew! Review by DJ in Va

Rating

My two sons and decided at Christmas that we wanted to start brewing and selected this kit as our first brew. We have our second batch in bottles carbonating and the third in the primary now and this batch is about gone. This batch of Phat Tyre was sampled by twenty or so of our family and friends and every single one rated this as a winner. Our fourth kit is on it's way and there are a couple more that we want to try but I'm sure we will be back for more Phat Tyre before too long. Northern Brewer has been very helpful in getting our little home brewery off the ground. It's a fun hobby and it's fun to share with friends. Kind of like catching a sweet trout on a fly you tied. Very satisfying! (Posted on 4/5/11)

Not exaclty the same as Fat Tire but an awesome brew! Review by Tony

Rating

I really, really like this beer. Definitely my favorite of 5 different home brews I have done so far. Nice and hoppy and full of texture. Love it! (Posted on 1/10/11)