I currently have 3 batches on the go that I put on early in April. A Pilsner & Canadian Ale from Danmar brand concentrate kits that were on sale at the Superstore. Batch 3 is an English Bitter from a Cooper's concentrate kit (Australia) purchased at Save On Foods. I suspect the Danmar kits are from the same Australian producer as the Cooper's, simply rebranded for the Canadian market. The Danmar kits cost less.
Depending on the type of brew, you need to add either corn sugar (potential for GMO there I reckon) or Dry Malt Extract. Both are usually available in the same area as the brew concentrate. The brew concentrate & sugars are mixed with a given amount of water (this is where your RO system comes in handy) in order to arrive at the desired starting specific gravity (somewhere around 1.045-1.050). Generally you need to heat or boil a half gallon of the water to ensure that you have the proper temperature to activate the yeast when everything is mixed in the fermentation vessel. The hot water also helps get the remnants of gooey concentrate out of the can.
I tried something different this time 'round with the Danmar kits (Pils & Can Ale). They were on sale, so I decided to use 2 cans of the brew concentrate with no added dry sugars. I grow hops in my garden & like a hoppy Pils, so usually boil some of those with the water when preparing the batch for some extra bite/bitterness. From personal experience in Germany, pilsners are generally more strongly hopped (bitter) than ales or lagers, so Mindy, I tend to think the flavour you're not liking in the Mill Str. Organic Lager is something other than hops. Having said that, there's been a trend lately to strongly hop India Pale Ales, which to me detracts from the complexity an Ale has over a Pils.
Someone mentioned an unpleasant aftertaste from home brews and/or micro brews. That is most likely from residual yeast which has not been filtered out. Large volume breweries will generally filter the product much finer than a micro brewery, organic brewery or home brewer. The issue with 'over' filtration is that you also remove complexity & flavour. Not everyone minds the yeasty taste, in fact there is a Bavarian Hefe Weizen Bier (Hefe=Yeast) featuring a layer of yeast sediment in the bottom of the bottle. It is customary to give the bottle a good swirl prior to finishing it in order to get all the yeast into the glass for a final sip. Hefe Weizen is not to be confused with Weissbier (Berlin tradition). Although both are brewed using wheat vice barley or other grains, the Berlin version is very clear & usually enjoyed chilled with a wedge of lemon. I've often seen a Hefe Weizen served with a lemon here in Canada. Sacriledge! A true Hefe Weizen needs to be savoured at room temperature & definitely does not benefit from a citrus boost.
Before deciding to make my brew at home, I used to have it made at a local brew on premise business. You go in, pick your brew, the proprietor brews it up for you & you bottle it when it's ready. Until the yeast is pitched, the ingredients are nothing more than groceries, so no liquor licence is required to run such a business. The catch is, the customer must be the one that pitches the yeast & bottles the product.
Ironically it is the salt water hobby that had me start brewing at home. I've been making wine for years, neither process is rocket science, but it was always the carbonation part of beer making that kept me from trying my hand at home. I didn't like the idea of adding sugar to each bottle in order to carbonate. This causes yeast sediment in the bottle and although I enjoy a fine Hefe Weizen, the sediment in the bottom of the home brew is just not the same & detracts from the taste if you don't pour carefully. Having a 10 lb CO2 bottle solves that issue. Once the beer has aged & clarified, I'm able to carbonate using a pop bottle cap with a tire valve in it.
I still have an issue with the odd batch fermenting a bit more in the bottle causing small amounts of sediment, but not near as much as if I were to carbonate by bottle fermentation. This is usually if I store it un-refrigerated. It's good to have a large fridge or cold room to store the beer. Although I have a cold room, it does get into the 15-16 degree C range during the summer, so any yeast still in the brew activates & causes sediment. I have a wine filtration pump & might consider running a batch of beer through the #1 coarse filter pads to see what happens. I'd hate to remove too much flavour along with the yeast though. One of the keys to home brew is patience. Although the fermentation is done in about 10 days & you could carbonate & drink it in 2 weeks, it's always better to age the brew for at least a month or even longer, depending on the type. Bulk storage & several rackings allow more yeast to settle & you get a clear product without need for filtration.
I'd like to have a kegerator at some point and there are many hard core home brewers out there now doing full grain brewing. That's a bit too labour intensive for me though.
http://www.canadianhomebrewers.com/
http://www.ontariobeerkegs.com/