Cream Ale Extract Kit w/ Specialty Grains

Used the extract kit, nailed the OG and nailed the ABV but this beer left a LOT to be desired, even as a cream ale. I've ordered quite a few extract kits at this point(i made this account just to leave this review) and this was before me and my wife's least favorite. We even tried some vanilla extract to help kick it up and its just not there for us. Bummer.

Used the Wyeast 1056 and went two weeks in primary before bottling. Carbonation is perfect after 3 weeks and this is an extremely tasty and easy drinking brew. ABV finished just below 5% so you can enjoy a few!

Came out just like I hoped it would. Clean taste. The kit was great.

This is hands down one of the most drinkable beers I have brewed, making it pretty easy to put several of them away at a time. With a flavor profile that is true to description, it is extremely smooth and a hit with all beer-drinking guests.

Came out great! Beautiful color. Was fun to make and everything worked perfectly. Light alcohol which for this one is just fine. Will be ordering more!

This Cream Ale turned out great. Very nice head. Wonderful taste.

Happy is was s0000 good. Sad it disappeared so fast.

Smooth , light , and flavorful..Easy to brew.
Unless you are into a full grain kit, I suggest keep it simple.

this isn't complex or mind blowing.... its a good and refreshing easy beer.... i like to use this to throw onto a yeast cake to make good of the yeast from another batch and to make the cost savings of this already cheap beer even better... love this recipe

I was a virgin brewer and was ready for my first time. Being inexperienced, I went with one that was gentle, easy on the eyes, and most importantly looked like she was easy. I tried to warm her up slowly and sensually, but in my inexperienced eagerness took her too hard and too long... changing her golden color to a coppery amber. I figured I blew it... my lady was not like the photos on the internet. I ruined her. The wait to our second date was excruciating, but when she was finally ready for me to taste her... wow. This girl is amazing. Smooth, velvety smooth. I will have to try other ladies, but I’ll never forget my first.

Great, easy to brew kit especially for learning brewers like me,ready to drink quickly, I'm very, very pleased, I work outside a lot and when I get home on these hot days a cream ale is an excellent thirst quencher with a much needed kick

I'll start by saying this isn't my kind of beer. I strongly prefer IPAs but my family wanted something they could drink too. In that respect it's quite good. Nothing special but easy to drink and solid flavor. Looks pretty good as well.

Ive ordered several kits from NB and loved them all. This one was a failure. Fermented for two weeks..looked active, then kegged for two weeks. Very flat and watery tasting. I know its a pale ale and supposed to be light, but did not have full flavor at all.

This was my third batch and by far my best. Good summer beer and will have to make this one again!!!

This is nice light drinking by itself with some subtle citrus flavor. However, I like to use this kit as a base for adding adjuncts to create different styles. I've created pumpkin and berry beers with this kit as my base to start from, and I have not been disappointed!

Turned out great, even though I don't yet have any fermentation control and it got into the low/mid 70's. Very smooth, very drinkable!! I will definitely brew this again.

This is a great kit! That everyone will love, even my mom, who I've literally never seen drink an entire beer to herself in my 30yrs off existence, asked me to pour her one after sampling my dads. Who also voted this his favorite. I'm personally an IPA man but i will drink this stuff all day long.

I'm also using this kit as my 'base' to start experimenting with recipe additions. Just need to do more research so I can understand the effects of when to add hops, or different sugars, etc.

A good beer. Light, clean tasting. Has the taste of a quality brew made with quality ingredients, but isn't particularly striking. Not as lager-like as other NB brews (if that's what you're looking for, I highly recommend the Kolsch ale!), but also lighter in flavor. The beer cleared up nicely after just a week or two in primary and another week or two in bottle and was about the color of NB's picture. Nice foam/head that lingers and clings to the side of the glass. Aroma is pleasing.

The yeast I used (Safale US-05) brought a bitter aftertaste, so I was careful to leave sediment in bottle when pouring. Would like to try again with the liquid yeast to see if that makes a difference.

An ok beer. I use this base recipe to try different hops and different hop combinations.

First time getting the OG on the money. Fg was 1004. Followed directions to a T and made a starter with the omega west coast ale 1 and some fast pitch. Fermented like a champ. Taste is kind of unpleasant. Hoping it improves but not keeping my hopes up...if it improves I'll update my review.

Good light beer. Nice refreshing, good carbonation.

It was a quick and easy brew. It tasted OK but was not my favorite.

This beer is a great base for trying different stuff out on. This was the second time I purchased it. The first batch, I added 3 pounds of frozen blueberries and an ounce of UK Progress hops, and used WY1945 NeoBrittania for a sort of blueberry pale ale. turned out great, and has been my girlfriend's favorite brew of mine. I've since transitioned to BIAB brewing with my own recipes, but I ordered this kit again so she could try her hand at making the blueberry. Good buy!

Delicious and easy. I like to experiment with this recipe. Added 2 lbs of honey last time to bump up the abv and some vanilla beans. Next time we're adding orange zest.

Turned out good, I was a little worried at first due to fermentation starting very slow. It ended up fine and I was happy with the product

It does have a real nice buttery finish, but it just isn't for me. Kind of dull, I guess. Didn't really pop for me.

Always a good go to beer,good starter beer yet can be tweaked

Very tasty beverage. Appreciate the recommendation from the folks at northern brewer

This is a great lawn mower beer that I would take over big commercial pilsners any day. I drank my share of Genny back in college and living in Utah had no way to get a hold of a decent New England cream ale. While the end brew is a little thicker and darker than a Genny the flavor is spot on. I will be making this again and again. Easy to brew, quick to finish and a favorite with the commercial beer crowd - you cant go wrong with this kit.

I am a big fan of craft beer but have never been a big fan of getting clubbed over the head with hops with all the IPAs, double IPAs, and triple IPAs that are so in vogue right now. This was perfect. Quite drinkable, but still complex enough not to be boring. My wife really loved it and she is not much of a beer drinker. A big hit at social events as well.

Just started drinking the 2nd batch of this I've made so far. This time I added an extra pound of light DME, a pound of crystal malt 20L, and a few extra ounces of hops (nugget, I think) at various times during the boil. Did 2 weeks in primary followed by 2 weeks in the secondary, and it took 2 weeks to develop carbonation. Very good, but I'd probably cut the crystal malt back to a half-pound if I did it again. Will continue to experiment with this kit.

This is a good easy drinking beer

Very good beer! Easily approachable by “non-homebrew” drinkers or craft beer drinkers too! Light refreshing and flat out yummy. Mine came out a little bit darker in color but no worries. Ordering a second batch.

This has been the best brew I've made so far. Added a pound of orange honey and it's great after a month in the keg.

Nothing but experiences with NB.

Really good kit. Beer tastes great, easy boil. Only reason I didn't go 5 stars is because the seam in the cheese cloth broke after a couple light bounces to shake off some of the loose grain, and I lost a pretty good amount of grain. Still turned out great, though.

Having drank my fair share of Genesee in college i was more than a little nostalgic for a bit of Cream Ale when i was planning out my summer brews. This was my second brew and it came out fantastic. Even the Mrs is all over this stuff when her usual fair is Guinness. I will be doing this one again when supplies gets low, this is a winner. The color is a bit darker but the taste is spot on New England Cream Ale. Easy to brew and a 4 week turn around add to the appeal.

I just bottled this but had nice ale smell. Really easy brew

Great beer easy to brew and Fun to drink.

Bottled last week and had to give it a try. Taste great and I'm sure it will only get better in another week.

Tast is great I like this beer easy to make

This is one beer that I will have a keg of in my fridge year round!

Turned out really well. I didnt follow directions exactly. I only added about a third of the extract at beginning of boil and the remaining two thirds with 15 min left to try to keep color lighter and reduce caramelization of wort. I also added 8oz of honey at flameout. OG was 1.061. I used US 05 yeast and pitched at 68 degrees. I placed fermenter in basement with ambient temperature of 64-65. Temp of wort was measured with probe taped to side of bucket and covered probe with bubble wrap. Fermentation temperature stayed steady at 65-66 with a slight jump to 67 during most active part of fermentation. I fermented in primary for 4 weeks (no secondary). FG was 1.010. Bottle conditioned for 3 weeks in a room with ambient temp of 67. Results were great. Beer is very clear and clean tasting. Goes down way too smooth and fast. Poors with a nice foamy head. Very happy with this choice of kit.

Turned out really well. I didnt follow directions exactly. I only added about a third of the extract at beginning of boil and the remaining two thirds with 15 min left to try to keep color lighter and reduce caramelization of wort. I also added 8oz of honey at flameout. OG was 1.061. I used US 05 yeast and pitched at 68 degrees. I placed fermenter in basement with ambient temperature of 64-65. Temp of wort was measured with probe taped to side of bucket and covered probe with bubble wrap. Fermentation temperature stayed steady at 65-66 with a slight jump to 67 during most active part of fermentation. I fermented in primary for 4 weeks (no secondary). FG was 1.010. Bottle conditioned for 3 weeks in a room with ambient temp of 67. Results were great. Beer is very clear and clean tasting. Goes down way too smooth and fast. Poors with a nice foamy head. Very happy with this choice of kit. Correction: My OG was 1.051 not 1.061

This kit is one of the best kits sold here at northern brewer. Easy to brew and very good in taste. Will brew this again in the near future!! Good Job on this kit NB

I chose this as my first 5 gallon batch, second batch ever. It turned out great. I kegged it and I drink a little almost every day. My wife loves it, too.I added 1.9 oz of grocery store orange peel to the boil at 10 minutes. The orange is not noticeable as orange, but rather as a citrusy hop-like flavor on the finish. I would definitely recommend the addition and this kit. This and the Bavarian Hefeweizen will be our 'beach beers' this summer.

Love this beer. Bought it once before so this is round 2. First time we used the dry wyeast pack, this time I bought the liquid wyeast. Wanna see how much of a change it makes to the beer. Again I loved this beer, definitely my go to grill out beer

Awesome service!

don't know yet ,it needs to age for a couple of more weeks

This is my favorite brew kit thus far! it has really smooth texture and flavor and it's an easy Ale to just sit back and sip on from a glass you just pulled from the freezer. I will definitely be buying this extract kit again and again