Lowish Alcohol Hoppy IPA Recommendation

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erzulie

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Hi,

I'm looking for a kit recommendation. I'm trying to find a kit that brews to about 3.5% or certainly under 4%. A hoppy IPA would be perfect.

I've had a look around online but I don't seem to be able to find anything like that.

Does anyone have any suggestions, please?

Thanks!
 
What about taking a single can IPA kit (coopers or John Bull) and adding less other fermentables with it, say 500grams dry malt extract?

I don't know what these kits are like as I have never done them
 
Covrich said:
What about taking a single can IPA kit (coopers or John Bull) and adding less other fermentables with it
Click to expand...

MyQul said:
+1

then dry hopping
Click to expand...

I'm willing to give something like this a go but since I'm only on my second brew now I was hoping to find an idiot-proof kit that already resulted in what I'm looking for. I suppose I'd have to work out exactly how much added fermentables I'd need for a certain strength.

rodabod said:
British style or US?
Click to expand...

I'm after something with the hoppy flavours of the American IPAs but without the alcohol strength.

Thanks!
 
The problem is American IPAs are meant to have quite a high alcohol content so you might struggle to find what you want in a kit without some tweaks. The Youngs American Pale Ale might be a good starting point as it would normally come out at 5.6% and if you increase the amount of water you add (or reduce the amount of the malt from the pack you use) you should be able to bring the alcohol content down without destroying the taste. I'd definitely dry hop if you increase the amount of water as it'll dilute the hop aroma.
 
You could easily convert a pale kit into an IPA with some hops.
 
erzulie said:
I'm willing to give something like this a go but since I'm only on my second brew now I was hoping to find an idiot-proof kit that already resulted in what I'm looking for. I suppose I'd have to work out exactly how much added fermentables I'd need for a certain strength.



I'm after something with the hoppy flavours of the American IPAs but without the alcohol strength.

Thanks!
Click to expand...


Truth be told I don't think you will find a kit (just the tin) which is bursting with hop flavour, even the better kits have a dry hop.

I think the IPA kit from say coopers plus a 500 gram bag of light dry malt extract should get you about right..

I would agree with a dry hop though, I would get something like cascade or centennial or citra hops say 50 grams and bung them in 5 days before you bottle / keg
 
DoctorMick said:
The Youngs American Pale Ale might be a good starting point as it would normally come out at 5.6% and if you increase the amount of water you add ... you should be able to bring the alcohol content down without destroying the taste.
Click to expand...

It's interesting that you mention the Young's American IPA because I'll be shortly bottling some of that. It says on the box that it'll brew to 6.5% and this is where my problem is. My girlfriend has requested something less alcoholic.

If I batch primed the brew and then bottled two thirds of it and then topped up with some(?) water before bottling the remaining amount would that give me the sort of results I'm looking for? Would the weaker brew be less carbonated?

Thanks!
 
erzulie said:
It's interesting that you mention the Young's American IPA because I'll be shortly bottling some of that. It says on the box that it'll brew to 6.5% and this is where my problem is. My girlfriend has requested something less alcoholic.

If I batch primed the brew and then bottled two thirds of it and then topped up with some(?) water before bottling the remaining amount would that give me the sort of results I'm looking for? Would the weaker brew be less carbonated?

Thanks!
Click to expand...

If you water it down you water down everything, flavour maltiness and hop flavours bare that in mind.

Maybe just bottle as it is, if you girlfriend wants something weaker she could add lemonade to it?:wha:

I wouldn't water it down myself and just make a more session albe one next time around
 
The Young's kits come with 3Kg pouches of malt extract. Brew to standard 23L but don't add the brewing sugar which they provide and you'll get around 4%.

Same applies to other kits which have a 3Kg pouch and a separate pouch of sugar.
 
If you get a can of Coopers APA and 1kg DME you could boil some of the DME in some water and add hops at different stages. Very easy and very effective, you will increase the bitterness and the hop flavour.
 
I wouldn't worry too much about diluting it. I did that same American IPA and (probably because I was drinking it a bit too early found the hop taste too much) so tried diluting it with sparkling water. I experimented quite a bit over the course of drinking the batch and found that I could nearly get away with a 60:40 ratio (beer:water). Yes, it was weaker and yes, less strongly flavoured, both of which improved it in my view.

Certainly you could get away with an 80:20 dilution and not suffer too much

Biffo
 
Lot's of interesting advice here - I'll have a good look at what to brew next and I'll also try diluting my current brew (just dry hopping at the moment and it's at 6.3%, still fermenting) for anyone who doesn't want all the alcohol. Nothing to lose!
 
Dilute a litre of it and see what it is like. Add a bit of water at a time, like 50ml. And then decide what was the best dilution rate.
 

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