The Toucan Brew
by Brewtus on 02-13-2007 at 12:04 pm

The 'toucan brew' is done by using 2 kit brew cans, about 20l of water, yeast and nothing else. The combination needs to be thoughtfully done as the hops effect is doubled and the malt flavor is much stronger than a normal kit brew. Often two mild beers are used to give a stronger but not overwhelming flavor, while giving a much better mouth feel.

Toucan brewing can take advantage of supermarket specials or make cheap kits like 'Farmland' and 'Wander' be something a bit different. It can also be an adventure into very bitter beers.

The following thread is helpful for determining which kits will have the bitterness required:
Kit IBU Levels

Take care with the yeast on a toucan as many of the kit yeasts won't manage to fully ferment out. Either use a good quality yeast or put both of the kit yeasts in. Be careful though because you will get froth blowing out of the airlock so make sure your fermenter is somewhere that's easily cleanable or use a glad-wrap (cling film) lid. It's also worth gently rocking the fermenter and raising the temperature slightly towards the end of the fermentation to make sure that the yeast has eaten everything. You may even consider racking to a secondary.