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ClarenceBoddicker

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Hi, long break from hb and this forum. Just about to bottle some Brewferm abdij then get this Coopers recipe on the go. I was at Brouwland today and got a discount battered can of 1.5kg Light LME which I'm going to add to Coopers Brew A IPA rather than 1kg of light dry malt extract recipe suggests. I managed to get motueka hops but only a 100g pack of pellets. Do you reckon it will benefit from 50g in to start with and then 50g dry hopping in fv? Wonder how this will turn out. I don't want to waste 50g but if 100g in total will ruin it maybe best option. Recupe says 50g in fv for aroma but thought 1.5kg of LME migjt reduce the bitterness. Also, will open hop pellets keep for a couple of weeks. Any advice warmly received as always!
 
With regard to bitterness, it all depends on whether or not the ME is "pre-hopped" or not. Most kits are "pre-hopped" but may tins of LME are not. If the LME isn't "pre-hopped" then the hops will need to be boiled to give any bitterness to the brew.

As a general rule, hops added after boiling and/or during fermentation, do not increase the bitterness of a brew but will increase the "hoppiness" of both taste and aroma. (Left too long, "dry hopping" may introduce a taste of "grass".)

It is recommended that vacuum packed hops are best kept in the freezer, but it becomes essential after they have been opened.

Hope this helps.
 
Thanks Dutto. Did a lot of reading on this last night. Will boil the 2 cans with some water and add some pellets for 45 mins for bitterness, freezing the rest and dry hopping in 2nd fv for a few days before bottling. These hops are meant to have a tropical 'mojito' type profile, interesting...
 
From something I found on tinterweb some time back the 'Brew A' one can is one of the most bitter of the Coopers kits at 830 IBU in the can, so I suggest you do not boil your Motueka hops but add them to the kit for flavour and aroma which is what you will achieve by a hop tea and/or a dry hop as @Dutto has said.. Also it is never a good idea nor necessary to boil pre-hopped LME like you get in a kit in fact it might denature the contents.
But if you still want to go ahead and add bitterness to the kit only use only the LME not the kit can. And go carefully with your hop quantity and hop boil length or will end up with something thats very bitter and maybe not to your taste.

I have used Motueka hops as a dry hop and hop tea addition to a Coopers Euro lager lager and it worked well.

So my suggestion is you add 25g-50g of your hops in a hop tea made up with 250ml-500ml water (your choice) at about 85*C and allowed to cool then add everything, hops and liquid, to the brew when the fermentation has all but finished, then leave it for about 5/6 days with the last 2 in a cold place and then package it

Finally having done the Brew A kit myself this is the one I would suggest you change the yeast unlike other Coopers yeasts (and there are several types supplied in their kits). I ended up using a Wilko Ale yeast since the original yeast failed to get going. GV12 or Nottingham are the same perhaps.
 
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........... These hops are meant to have a tropical 'mojito' type profile, interesting...

Interesting?

"Mojito" flavouring is stuck in almost every variety of soft drink over in France and as a result I accidentally bought a "Mojito" flavoured 7-Up; and after tasting it my first thought was "That tastes terrible!"

I've had no reason to change that thought, so I will make sure that I avoid using Motueka Hops in the future. Thanks for the "heads up".
 
I've had no reason to change that thought, so I will make sure that I avoid using Motueka Hops in the future. Thanks for the "heads up".
If you use citrussy American hops like Cascade these are quite similar, but like all different hops have their own characteristics. I thought they were OK, and bought a second packet . So give em a try at least. athumb..
 
TerryM thanks for the bitterness heads-up. I didn't get round to starting this today as bottling my abdij was a chew on, my capper is next to useless. Got some Mangrove Jacks West Coast yeast so will use that. I was going to go with US hops but couldn't get the ones I wanted. I quite like mojito anyway, not in 7up though. Now I know I can freeze hops I will just go with aroma. Looking forward to this one. Thanks for the tips!
 
BTW The Complete Joy of Home Brewing (a useful read) suggests you should always boil kits, which I found opposite of what I have heard or read elsewhere.
 
If you use citrussy American hops like Cascade these are quite similar, but like all different hops have their own characteristics. I thought they were OK, and bought a second packet . So give em a try at least. athumb..

Citra, Cascade, Chinook I love em all ...

... and none of them taste like the "Mojito" flavouring that they add to the soft drinks in France!

"Traditionally, a mojito is a Cuban cocktail that consists of five ingredients: white rum, sugar, lime juice, soda water, and mint. Its combination of sweetness, citrus, and mint flavors is intended to complement the rum, and has made the mojito a popular summer drink."

I loved the sound of that and the one I made from this recipe ...
  • 50ml Bacardi.
  • Dash of Tessier Menthe (I didn't have any mint leaves)
  • 200ml of Soda Water
  • Juice from one lime
  • 2 teaspoonful of sugar
... tasted absolutely "moorish", but nothing like the "Mojito" flavoured 7-Up I bought by mistake; thank God!
 
BTW The Complete Joy of Home Brewing (a useful read) suggests you should always boil kits, which I found opposite of what I have heard or read elsewhere.
If the kit is DME based you might need to boil to get it to dissolve, or if grain is used the wort from that must be boiled to sterilise, or if hops are needed for bitterness then a boil is required, otherwise if its pre-hopped LME you are using there is no need to boil it. Why would it be necessary?
 
I'm sure it's not necessary but that book recommends it. Says 'Many beer kits do not instruct the homebrewer to book their ingredients; however, your beer will always be much better if your ingredients are boiled for at least 45 minutes'. Tells you to add the hop flavoured extract to 5.7l of water, add LME, dissolve and boil. Anyway, I still don't know why but there you go.
 
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Be interested to hear how this goes, I've got a brew-a IPA in the FV now, used 12g NBS west coast yeast and it's been going pretty well.

I did a partial mash (Maris Otter with some centennial aroma additions near the end of the boil), and will probably put about 50g centennial pellets in for a 4 day dry hop before bottling.
This is my first attempt at a kit (not counting some disastrous boots kits I tried about 20 years ago) after some BIAB brews so will be interesting to see how it turns out! :cheers3:
 
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I will let you know when I get it started and get a taste of those montueka hops. Let us know how yours tastes sounds good.
 
I will let you know when I get it started and get a taste of those montueka hops. Let us know how yours tastes sounds good.

Tried a couple of pints last night and it's turned out pretty well - more malty than I was expecting, but the IPA bitterness is there.

Only been in the keg for 2 weeks so probably will improve, but overall I'm pretty happy :cheers3:

When I first tasted it last week I was worried the Centennial clashed with the maltier-than-I-expected profile, but that seems to have mellowed out now and it's a pretty drinkable brew :)

Be interested to see how the motueka works out - if I do this again I might try a more english style hop instead and see how that goes.
 
Malty profile quite interesting and maybe a bit unexpected. Am definitely starting mine this weekend so will post updates. My hydrometer snapped so have been waiting for a shiny new refractometer which has now arrived.
 
So definitely doing this on Sunday. But the Coopers recipe says
  • Add the Motueka Hops (we recommend wrapping them in a mesh cleaning cloth, pulled straight from the wrapper).
But this is straight after pitching the yeast. Unusual before fermentation? I could do a hop tea at the start with half, then dry hop in secondary too. Don't know, will see how I feel on Sunday...
 
So definitely doing this on Sunday. But the Coopers recipe says
  • Add the Motueka Hops (we recommend wrapping them in a mesh cleaning cloth, pulled straight from the wrapper).
But this is straight after pitching the yeast. Unusual before fermentation? I could do a hop tea at the start with half, then dry hop in secondary too. Don't know, will see how I feel on Sunday...
I would make up a hop tea with 50g of the hops and 500ml very hot water but only when the fermentation has died down to almost nothing i.e. not after pitching, allow it to steep and cool , then add both tea and hop bits and then leave it alone for 4 days with another 2 days in a cold place. EDIT (not 100-200ml as earlier)
 
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Well it's on the go, brewed to 20l with the Brew A and a Tin of Muntons light LME. Added the American yeast and it's sitting at about 22 degrees. Will add the Motueka hop tea towards the end of fermentation. O.G. 1.047 so lucky if I get 5%.
 
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