Brupaks Brewers Choice IPA Review

[Baz Chaz]

I brewed this for my first brew when I returned to home brewing :!:

I remember being rather impressed by how easy it was to make being a 'dry' kit :idea: especially the 'hop tea bag', remember this was my first brew for many years, so from 'ease of use' I would recommend it, it was very user friendly :thumb:

The resultant brew was very acceptable indeed as well, notes made in my 'brew book'...

'If this is how kits have improved over the years this is going to be brilliant'
'After 3 weeks in the bottle really quite clear and very tasty'

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[Dave1970]

I wasn't impressed with this
Did it as a 'complicated' last kit before crossing to the dark side

You have 3 options to add to the DME supplied
1. 1kg sugar
2. 1kg DME
3. 1.5kg Malt Extract

I went for #3 which was the most expensive. It was fun to make, a bit more involved than a standard kit. I found it slow to ferment and very slow to condition. After 10 weeks in the bottle it is improving but it still very definitely has that home brew tang that I thought I'd left behind in the early 90's. I also thought there was very little hop flavour for an IPA (although the hop bag smelt great when brewing) even though I dry hopped with a good handful of EKG. Maybe this will eventually be an OK pint but it's never going to be great.

I guess it could be that my can of malt extract might have been a bit elderly, or stored in the wrong conditions, it was well in date though.

If I did another kit I'd go for a straight 2 can kit over this any time

 

[Dave1970]

Slow to condition is right! I didn't like this much so the last dozen or so bottles have sat in the garage. Tonight I decided to allow myself one decent beer and one of these...bottled 30/11/11...on 28/08/12 it's.........really quite good!

 

[mattrickl06]

Just chucked this one in the FV with an extra hop tea with 1kg of muntons BKE and 500g light spray malt - starting gravity 1.066 so if finishes at 1.010 will give a rather potent 6.8% ABV

 

[Rolfster]

Just put one of these on. I followed the desructions for a change!
Added 1kg of light spray malt and split one of the hop tea bags, so the foam around the FV was a little green as I put it to bed in the fermenting tub....
Finished hydrometer reading was 1.052, so should finish a little over 5%.
Will let you know how it ferments and conditions.
R

 

[Rolfster]

Hi.

This has been fermenting for 9 days and is down to 1.013. Been in a water bath kept at 19 degrees. seems to still be going slowly so I have pushed up the temp to 20.

Having tasted it I think I will be dry hopping this as it seems ok, but a bit unremarkable.