Youngs American IPA

[terrym]

I've bought this kit and some whole Simcoe hops as well. I'm planning to swap the kit hops for Simcoe.

I was also going to boil 2L water for an hour with approx half the malt and add some of the hops with the boil, then follow rest of the recipe and use the rest of my Simcoe hops for dry hopping?

Does this sound sensible or a disaster waiting to happen?

If you boil the hops you will extract more bitterness. The kit has already been provided with what the manufacturer believes is the right balance of bitterness so more will upset that balance
Also if you boil hopped kit malt you may denature or change the kit malt and hop flavours.
If you must go ahead and use your Simcoe hops, just substitute them for the hops provided with the kit and use in the dry hop.
Personally I cant see the point of swapping out the hops provided. Premium kits are provided with all you need to make up the beer. If you want to change a kit with your simcoe hops, do it to a one-can kit which offer much more scope for change at less cost.

 

[ESB]

Thanks. Think I'll just switch them out for the dry hop this time round and then as you say get a single can kit next time.

 

[GhostShip]

Bottled my American IPA this morning. There was just one hiccup (there’s always at least one) - the muslin bag on the end of the tube fell off when siphoning. I couldn’t fish it out of the barrel, so had to leave it. Not a huge problem - the bag had been sterilised, but it does mean that the bottles will be full of hop remains and general crud.

Does anyone know of a gadget that filters beer from a bottle when you pour it? Could try some muslin over the glass or neck of the bottle I suppose, but it sounds a bit messy.

Maybe I should come up with something and take it on Dragons Den.

 

[terrym]

Bottled my American IPA this morning. There was just one hiccup (there’s always at least one) - the muslin bag on the end of the tube fell off when siphoning. I couldn’t fish it out of the barrel, so had to leave it. Not a huge problem - the bag had been sterilised, but it does mean that the bottles will be full of hop remains and general crud.

Does anyone know of a gadget that filters beer from a bottle when you pour it? Could try some muslin over the glass or neck of the bottle I suppose, but it sounds a bit messy.

Maybe I should come up with something and take it on Dragons Den.

Why not just use a small fine mesh strainer/sieve? It won't filter out yeast but it should work on hop bits. Try Wilko or a Pound shop or even your own kitchen.

 

[GDog]

Why not just use a small fine mesh strainer/sieve? It won't filter out yeast but it should work on hop bits. Try Wilko or a Pound shop or even your own kitchen.

Mine has 'stuck' at 1014 for 4 days now, should I dry hop now and bottle in 2 days still? It's been so cold in the house, so well below recommended.

I'm worried they will explode, but the garage is quire safe if they actually do.

p.s. I dry hop in a muslin bag, less mess, I've done the Youngs APA kit and it was amazing

 

[terrym]

Mine has 'stuck' at 1014 for 4 days now, should I dry hop now and bottle in 2 days still? It's been so cold in the house, so well below recommended.

I'm worried they will explode, but the garage is quire safe if they actually do.

p.s. I dry hop in a muslin bag, less mess, I've done the Youngs APA kit and it was amazing

Some folks have reported this beer ending up at 1.006 so potentially you still have some way to go. So if your brew has given up because its colder than desirable, then there is some chance it will get going again when things warm up. And that means the potential for bottle bombs.
Anyway here's a thread for stuck fermentations
Simple strategies for dealing with stuck fermentations
And another one for creating your own micro climate for your brew to ferment at the right temperature, when all around it is colder than you would like
How to Set up a Water Bath for your FV - The HomeBrew Forum
And if it were me I would dry hop for 5/6 days not 2/3 days.

 

[MagnusTS]

Bottled my American IPA this morning. There was just one hiccup (there’s always at least one) - the muslin bag on the end of the tube fell off when siphoning. I couldn’t fish it out of the barrel, so had to leave it. Not a huge problem - the bag had been sterilised, but it does mean that the bottles will be full of hop remains and general crud.

Does anyone know of a gadget that filters beer from a bottle when you pour it? Could try some muslin over the glass or neck of the bottle I suppose, but it sounds a bit messy.

Maybe I should come up with something and take it on Dragons Den.

I've had the same thing happen to me with a load of hop crud getting into the bottles. It all turned out OK though, it all just settled to the bottom of the bottles with the yeast after 2 weeks conditioning. Formed a nice tight layer and poured clean into the glass.

 

[GDog]

@terrym gave it a good stir, warmed it up, 2 days and sure enough 1010. Thank you.

p.s, took your advice and dry hopped for 6 days, bottled today and it smells amazing

 

[terrym]

@terrym gave it a good stir, warmed it up, 2 days and sure enough 1010. Thank you.

p.s, took your advice and dry hopped for 6 days, bottled today and it smells amazing

Good to hear. Enjoy

 

[Clint]

How low did it go? Mine went to 1008 iirc...

 

[GhostShip]

Have just put my bottles of AIPA out in the shed for two weeks cold conditioning. The PET bottles have really carbed up nicely and I cannot believe how clear the beer is - especially since the muslin bag dropped off while siphoning!

I've never had a beer so clear just two weeks after bottling. I'm getting quite excited about trying this one now.

 

[Bashley]

I'm 9 days in. Think I'll do a gravity reading tomorrow and add hops if all is well. Quick question, how would you batch prime this kit if going to a secondary? I'm new to this and have read that some people just pour the priming sugar into the secondary and syphon the beer on top. Others boil water and dissolve it beforehand. What would be the best method?

 

[BeerisGOD]

Batch prime is what you mean. Boil some water 200ml-400ml and take off flame, add the priming sugar, little stir, return to heat for ten mins .let cool and pour into second fv.
Then as you mentioned , syphon in beer and bottle up. Check out craigtube vids. Hope this helps

 

[terrym]

I'm 9 days in. Think I'll do a gravity reading tomorrow and add hops if all is well. Quick question, how would you batch prime this kit if going to a secondary? I'm new to this and have read that some people just pour the priming sugar into the secondary and syphon the beer on top. Others boil water and dissolve it beforehand. What would be the best method?

If you are brewing the AIPA kit be aware it takes longer than 'normal' kits to ferment out, and others seem to have the same experience. I have done this kit and the APA kit which is similar twice each, and it took anywhere between 17 and 20 days before I added the hops. And I left the hops in for six days with two day crash cool at the end. Also my experience of this yeast is that it doesnt flocculate very well and so you should aim for clear or nearly clear beer so that you don't end end with lots of yeast in your bottles, or when you open a bottle you will end up with half a glass of beer with the remaining beer still in the bottle and cloudy with it.
So there's no rush if you are only 9 days in, leave it at least another week before you even think about opening up the FV.

 

[Bashley]

I'm definitely with you when it comes to patience. Despite it being my first brew I can see the benefit and not messing with it until it's ready. It's just that mine's been a quite a high temp during fermentation and I've heard that that has an effect on fermentation times. I've been at 22 or 23 deg. Sometimes hitting 24. Are there any negatives to leaving your beer in primary for a longer period of time?

 

[terrym]

I'm definitely with you when it comes to patience. Despite it being my first brew I can see the benefit and not messing with it until it's ready. It's just that mine's been a quite a high temp during fermentation and I've heard that that has an effect on fermentation times. I've been at 22 or 23 deg. Sometimes hitting 24. Are there any negatives to leaving your beer in primary for a longer period of time?

If its warmer it will ferment quicker. At 24*C you are getting to the point where some yeasts start to give off flavours to the beer as I understand it. Most homebrewers try to keep below that unless they use a Saison yeast. I can't think of any reason why you can't keep your beer in the FV for weeks rather than days, certainly you need to keep the beer in there long enough to ferment out, the yeast to clean up, and the beer to clear ready for packaging. Provided it's all sealed up it should be OK. If you are struggling on temperature control you could make brew fridge (search the forum for ideas) or a water bath
How to Set up a Water Bath for your FV - The HomeBrew Forum

 

[Wouter]

If its warmer it will ferment quicker. At 24*C you are getting to the point where some yeasts start to give off flavours to the beer as I understand it. Most homebrewers try to keep below that unless they use a Saison yeast. I can't think of any reason why you can't keep your beer in the FV for weeks rather than days, certainly you need to keep the beer in there long enough to ferment out, the yeast to clean up, and the beer to clear ready for packaging. Provided it's all sealed up it should be OK. If you are struggling on temperature control you could make brew fridge (search the forum for ideas) or a water bath
How to Set up a Water Bath for your FV - The HomeBrew Forum

There are some reasons to bottle asap once the yeast is done with the sugary goodies. Personally I feel that regardless of how well you seal it up, once the bear has reached the final gravity that bottling sooner is better. Not many people have a perfect set up.
Oxygen finds its way into the FV through the material, especially if it is made of plastic. Not to mention that airflow can reverse through the airlock if the pressure or temperature isn't constant and you don't have a check valve on it.
And if the FV is a 100% airtight, you might also have autolysis of the yeast giving off-flavours.

 

[terrym]

There are some reasons to bottle asap once the yeast is done with the sugary goodies. Personally I feel that regardless of how well you seal it up, once the bear has reached the final gravity that bottling sooner is better. Not many people have a perfect set up.
Oxygen finds its way into the FV through the material, especially if it is made of plastic. Not to mention that airflow can reverse through the airlock if the pressure or temperature isn't constant and you don't have a check valve on it.
And if the FV is a 100% airtight, you might also have autolysis of the yeast giving off-flavours.

Perhaps what I said I gave you the wrong impression, and I didn't make my views clear enough. I'm not advocating that people keep their beers in the FV for many weeks, although some on our forum apparently do actually do that from what I have read. What I am saying is that folks should be relaxed about keeping their beer in the FV after its fully fermented out, the yeast has cleaned up, and the beer has cleared, provided the FV is sealed up, especially if they are under a time pressure, rather than the other extreme and package it too early.
As for oxygen migration into the finished beer through a plastic FV wall, if it happens at all, I personally find it difficult to believe it would have a significant effect within a short few weeks, although after many months or years perhaps it might be a consideration. I also find it difficult to understand how an airlock can backflow provided it's topped up, and even if does the likelihood is extremely low in a few week period.
And although I understand that autolysis is a consideration, I would have thought it unlikely to produce any significant impact within a short few weeks, although after months or years that might be different.

 

[Wouter]

Perhaps what I said I gave you the wrong impression, and I didn't make my views clear enough. I'm not advocating that people keep their beers in the FV for many weeks, although some on our forum apparently do actually do that from what I have read. What I am saying is that folks should be relaxed about keeping their beer in the FV after its fully fermented out, the yeast has cleaned up, and the beer has cleared, provided the FV is sealed up, especially if they are under a time pressure, rather than the other extreme and package it too early.
As for oxygen migration into the finished beer through a plastic FV wall, if it happens at all, I personally find it difficult to believe it would have a significant effect within a short few weeks, although after many months or years perhaps it might be a consideration. I also find it difficult to understand how an airlock can backflow provided it's topped up, and even if does the likelihood is extremely low in a few week period.
And although I understand that autolysis is a consideration, I would have thought it unlikely to produce any significant impact within a short few weeks, although after months or years that might be different.

I wholeheartedly agree with you! People seem to overreact sometimes. The primary concern is most definitely fermenting out.
What I meant was that after you're a 200% sure it is fermented out and you have finished dry hopping and/or cold conditioning steps that it is always better to bottle sooner than later.

The airlock especially gives backflow when your doing a cold conditioning step or have other significant changes in temperature.

When the beer cools a lot more CO2 is dissolved in it. Lets say from 22 to 4 degrees C, then the amount of CO2 dissolved about doubles. This creates under pressure and air gets sucked in from outside through the airlock. Personally my concern about this is is less than my willingness to fiddle around installing a valve on it. But I do notice that the air lock can start bubbling again when I cold crash the beer.

 

[Bashley]

I bought 3 of these for dry hopping. Think they'll be ok?