Better Brew, IPA

[Rivvo]

Hey all, I got this as I like IPA beer and the recommendations on here were good.
I haven't started it yet as I'm waiting to use my second FV to decant my pilsner into, I have bought some hopped light spray malt (500g) to use with this as I like quite hoppy, fizzy IPAs, I also have some brew enhancer (1kg) and some dextrose (1kg), I was thinking of using the spray malt and the enhancer together, I know the malt is weight for weight replacing sugar but how much enhancer should I use?
I would also like some advice as whether to dry hop/hop tea this as well or whether the hopped malt would be sufficient, any help appreciated, cheers.

 

[simcoe soup]

I did this with 500g and 1kg of enhancer and it turned out about 6.5% and very very good. I also dry hopped with Cenntenial and Citra - about 40g of each after 4 days. I can recommend something similar.
Ive also done it with just 1kg of enhancer and Amarillo and Simcoe hops same quantity as above. Came out 5% and also very good but not as good. Not as much body.

 

[Rivvo]

Thanks Sim, but 500g of what?
Also I've not dry hopped before, did you use a 'teabag' and drop it into the primary vat 4 days after you'd started it off? thanks.

 

[simcoe soup]

Sorry, 500g of light spraymalt. I use a muslin type bag weighed down with stainless steel spoons and a chunky shot glass

 

[Rivvo]

spoons and shot glasses to drink it with?
The hops you use do you buy them in bulk or do they sell them in small ammounts (I quite fancy cascade as they use them in 'Hopping Hare')?
and do you need to weigh them down?
or could I brew it under and then add a litre of hop tea a few days in?
forgive the questions I am very much a newbie in general and particularly with hops!

 

[simcoe soup]

Cascade will be great in this. I buy vacuum packed hops in 100g packs from here http://www.the-home-brew-shop.co.uk . They always have a good selection. If I do a hop tea I add it from the off and dry hop as well. Dry hopping in the bag gives more aroma of hops I find. If you don't weigh the bag with something it just floats on top. This is no good, you want them submerged as much as possible to get the most out of them. I like really happy beer !

 

[Markdon]

I used 40g Cascade in mine, in for a week after fermentation had finished. Been in bottle 3 weeks and tried one to check carbonation, bit too fizzy for me, not much of a head, but wow, what a drink!

 

[Markdon]

Been in bottle for a little over 4 weeks now. No head tastes bitter, not unpleasant, but bitter. Chilling in the loft until the temps pick up again then will have to rehome everything.

 

[willyhorton]

Brew #14 for me, I'd done a Coopers IPA a while ago and while it was really good I brewed it to the instructions and since have produced much better beer through the use of spraymalts rather than sugar.

It's also worth noting that IPA is by far and away my favourite style of beer, I'm a hop head. I was determined to make something that made my pallette sit up and take notice. Having brewed and tasted the Better Brew Czech Pilsner I figured that this would be a really good base from which to start...

...how right I was!

Instructions safely in the bin (not physically as they're printed straigh onto the squidgy bag), and the requested sugar was replaced with a 1.5kg can of Coopers Light Malt Extract for maximum body and mouth feel - having had some great recent results with two can kits I figured this was a good way to go.






this sounds right up my streetttttttttttttttt.
im looming to start out making my homebrew as ive never done it b4, but my mouth is watering with the way you have described youe brew, soooooo jel, pls tel more,, bear in mind im new to this, ppl keep saying coopers and Wheery , what do you recommend
many thanks
simon

To that was added a generous handful (in a muslin bag with a weight... well a teaspoon...) of Chinook whole hops, probably around 40g in total.

It brewed out perfectly reaching 1.008 giving an ABV over 6%. I tried it as I bottled it and it was simply incredible.

It has now been in the bottle just over two weeks and it is nothing short of brilliant. The head is tight and clings to the glass all the way down the pint, the chinook dry hop goes right up your nose and gives a big grapefruit *ping* on the tongue, the mouthfeel of the beer is better than most I've bought in the shops, I can only imagine that it will keep getting better with time - if I can stop myself from just guzzling it!!! This is now (until I go AG at least) my staple IPA.

It's a full :thumb: :thumb: two thumbs up from me!!! This is *nothing* like old-school kit homebrewing, this is *proper* beer!

 

[Wilfy]

If anyone lives in the north east, the home brew shop at Houghton is selling these kits for £6.50. Also have a few other better brew kits for the same price. Don't know the dates on them yet.

 

[hong]

Wilfy, I picked a one up from Durham market, as its the same owner as Houghton. I also got some liquid malt extract & some hops. Can't wait!

 

[hong]

When adding a hop tea to the brew, when is the best time to add it? At the start when you add the yeast or a bit later on?

 

[Wilfy]

Wilfy, I picked a one up from Durham market, as its the same owner as Houghton. I also got some liquid malt extract & some hops. Can't wait!

I have to visit Durham on Wednesday. Hope they have some left!

 

[Rivvo]

Well I finally put this on yesterday with 500g extra light, hopped spray malt and 1kg of enhancer, not much action until about 5pm today and it's now going ballistic. First one of my kits to be so active must be the nice fermentambles rather than just dextrose!
I have a cascade hop tea bag which I was going to add with transfer to a second fv, I have brewed half a litre short intending to do a tea or can you dry hop with these?
Og adjusted for temperature was 1058.

 

[Rivvo]

Well nearly a week in the fv and the airlock is still bubbling every second or so, think this brew may need at least a couple of weeks in there :shock:

 

[jphil123]

Well nearly a week in the fv and the airlock is still bubbling every second or so, think this brew may need at least a couple of weeks in there :shock:

Mine is also still happily fermenting, a gentle flow of bubbles, after 18 days......To be fair, this kit at least writes something sensible in the instructions (as opposed to all other kits I have tried thusfar). Seems this kit comes with very civilised yeasties. Slowly munching away the sugars without the violent binge during the first days I have seen on other kits and then knocking themselves out after about a week. Wonder if that means I have to sip this beer slowly too :)

 

[Wilfy]

Well mine has been bottled for about 6 weeks now and it's not clearing. Think I will leave it for a couple more months and if it still doesn't clear, I'll be cleaning the drains with it.

 

[jphil123]

A quick update on this brew:
- Brewed on 20/04 with 1kg of Amber DME
- Dry hopped on 02/05 with 50g East Kent Goldings and 20g of Willamette
- Transferred to secondary on 09/05, and
- Bottled on 13/05 with 5g/l of dextrose

Taste test after about 2 weeks in the bottle (more than a month since brewed): nice fresh bitter note that carries though, pretty clean taste with mild maltiness. Some residual sugar on the palette, but not disturbing. Might drink this one early as the dry hop addition is very nice. Not clear, by any means, but I don't care that much about that.

 

[jphil123]

A quick update on this brew:
- Brewed on 20/04 with 1kg of Amber DME
- Dry hopped on 02/05 with 50g East Kent Goldings and 20g of Willamette
- Transferred to secondary on 09/05, and
- Bottled on 13/05 with 5g/l of dextrose

Taste test after about 2 weeks in the bottle (more than a month since brewed): nice fresh bitter note that carries though, pretty clean taste with mild maltiness. Some residual sugar on the palette, but not disturbing. Might drink this one early as the dry hop addition is very nice. Not clear, by any means, but I don't care that much about that.

 

[jphil123]

A quick update on this brew:
- Brewed on 20/04 with 1kg of Amber DME
- Dry hopped on 02/05 with 50g East Kent Goldings and 20g of Willamette
- Transferred to secondary on 09/05, and
- Bottled on 13/05 with 5g/l of dextrose

Taste test after about 2 weeks in the bottle (more than a month since brewed): nice fresh bitter note that carries though, pretty clean taste with mild maltiness. Some residual sugar on the palette, but not disturbing. Might drink this one early as the dry hop addition is very nice. Not clear, by any means, but I don't care that much about that.

Quick update: 1 month in the bottle.
Residual sweetness has disappeared, resulting in a nice dry, crisp IPA. A little less full-bodied compared to the St Peter's IPA that I brewed, but probably more refreshing/easier to drink. Verdict for now: good, but not great.