Evenin all!
Tonight's entertainment will be in the form of a Coopers IPA Kit which I plan to dry hop when fermentation is pretty much done. Still need to get my hands on some hops too.
Homebrewwest recommend 500grms Muntons foilpack spraymalt light and 300grms brewing sugar, which is what I have. Before I begin though,would adding 750 grams sugar instead of 300 grams along with the 500 grams spraymalt be a bad idea? I understand that it will increase the ABV but would/should there be anything else I should be aware of?
It's really up to you.
Many people just use kit+1kg table sugar, so 500g malt and 750g sugar will still be better.
Personally, I'd stick with the 500g DME and 300g sugar, and if you want to boost the ABV a bit just brew it to 20L instead.
That will also have the added benefit of boosting the bitterness, flavour and aroma a bit too :)
ps, that's a nice kit
Cheers LordEoin, I went with 500grm DME and 500grm Sugar in the end. It will be interesting to see what the ABV ends up at. Cheers for mentioning in your "how to" post to swirl and not stir the dry ingredients too ;)
The goop in the can smelled a lot different to the previous brews I've done, it had more of a bitter smell - presume it was the hops or the extra hops in it?
500/500 will be fine, it's still better than all sugar, and probably better than a lot of the 'brew enhancers' out there.
Yes, it's a much hoppier style :)
Have you ever watched craigtube on YouTube? This is his favourite beer. Every time he drinks one he goes, 'phwaaaar!'. That's how good it is you see :P
I did one myself last summer. Brewed to 20L with 1kg of dme. Dry hopped with 25g of challenger and magnum. Phwaaaaaar, it didn't last long C:-)
What are you planning for the dry hops?
craigtube, eh? I'll defo look him so, thanks. Everybody seems to think its a good kit alright, looking forward to tasting it and seeing the difference dryhopping makes too.
From what I've read the likes of Fuggles or Goldings would suit to dry hop so I'd like to try them . . . Pity HBW are out of both! http://www.homebrewwest.ie/hops-176-c.asp (http://www.homebrewwest.ie/hops-176-c.asp)
Hold tough! I think hbw mentioned something about updating their hop list. Wait until Monday anyway.
I'm whistling Axel Rose's 'Patience' in my head. Time for bed methinks?
methinks you'd be right . . . am hoping they get their site sorted before the end of january anyway and the free delivery :)
Bubbling away nicely already this morning thank god.
I noticed it was also bubbling between the black rubber washer (that holds the airlock in place) and the lid of the FV. I wiggled it around a bit and it seems to have ceased - probably an idea to replace that washer after this brew?
Think this is defo going to be my next kit - watched the Craigtube video on it - its very good.
If they are out of EKG try target instead. I have dry hopped IPAs with it and it is fantastic.
I love it with willamette&bramling cross.
regarding the washer, try drippinng some water on it ans see if it seals, otherwise vaseline works.
Thanks for the Hop recommendations guys, am gonna check HBW again now to see what they have.
No more bubbles have appeared at the washer since I fiddled with it earlier but will give the vaseline trick a try if anymore re-appear.
Thanks again!!!!
Brew has been in my FV since Friday and started bubbling away on Saturday morning. Anyway, the bubbling has slowed down quite a bit, might have to change that washer on my FV lid.
Anyway, I thought the temp was a bit low so I stuck the brew belt on it.
Those strips are better vertical on your bucket as the measure temp at top and bottom of your brew
I had those black washers and they are not as good as the orange one with the flange.
As LE said a little spary of starsan to seen if they are leaking or a push down on the lid of the bucket to see if the level in the airlock changes.
Any closer to H Street?, will we see you Thurs?
Airlocks are unimportant for brewing the average beer.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xClXKMhcFr0&feature=youtube_gdata_player
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My jacks in an apartment did that once no thanks.
Bigfoot is 9.6% if the brewer fell in that he would melt never mind the poor bacteria.
All that yeast wasted that could have been top cropped :( the co2 level in that room must be mental.
Alltech did a similar thing in more traditional huge wooden fermenters.
Encouraging newbies to brew with lids off I'm not sure is such a good idea tho?
Na, just showing that Airlocks are in no way necessary.
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Quote from: CH on January 21, 2014, 08:30:03 PM
Those strips are better vertical on your bucket as the measure temp at top and bottom of your brew
I had those black washers and they are not as good as the orange one with the flange.
As LE said a little spary of starsan to seen if they are leaking or a push down on the lid of the bucket to see if the level in the airlock changes.
Any closer to H Street?, will we see you Thurs?
Orange one with the flange? any Irish suppliers like HBW etc carry them? (Bought my original kit from HBW)
If I push down on the lid air appears to get pushed up through the airlock, thats good right?
I did apply vaseline around the seal the other day and it appeared to work until i spotted a small airhole in it today which i quickly sealed back over.
Dunno bout thursday, am really hoping to get down. We were in Holles St last night and the doc reckoned she should be gone by her next baby clinic appointment, which is thursday. Either way she's on total bed rest, doctors orders, until baby arrives. We'll see how it goes, all quiet on the western front here beside me now though.
It's sealing for you which is cool.
Stay where you are on Thurs, and good luck with everything, we have the whole summer to brew.
cheers man, I might try drop a sample of my first brew to Hollands during the day for you guys to sample that night?
Quote from: Eoin on January 21, 2014, 09:10:09 PM
Na, just showing that Airlocks are in no way necessary.
But the lovely bubbling! It's a must ;D
Quote from: LordEoin on January 22, 2014, 09:59:11 AM
Quote from: Eoin on January 21, 2014, 09:10:09 PM
Na, just showing that Airlocks are in no way necessary.
But the lovely bubbling! It's a must ;D
It's a distraction from using a hydrometer is what it is.
i count that as a win, especially if they have no tap. The less poking the better.
Folks chucking hydrometers directly into the FV, drawing off a 'cup full' with a mug from the kitchen, pouring it back in afterwards ???
I have to leave now before i get upset... :'(
I'd love to brew with lid off but am not brave enough, like a heatbeat I like to listen to my beer being alive.
Eoin be honest now how many brews have you done in the last 12 months with your lid off..Naked :o
All of them..
I secretly bathe in virgin IPA and on day 5 I transfer to secondary by enema and add some 'dry-hairing'
It works a treat!
I was asking E not LE :-*
I posted here last year about a protestant bishop local to me from early 1800's who had a bath in merlot once a month because of a skin condition, and 2 or his servants used to sit at the end of the drain collecting the contents and selling it in the village, I wonder if they used finings?
and suddenly the whole village developed the same skin condition. What a coincidence! :D:D
(http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys/smiley-sick029.gif) (http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys.php)
Just wondering if I brewed the kit with Light Premium Liquid Malt Extract 1.5kg https://www.thehomebrewcompany.ie/light-premium-liquid-malt-extract-15kg-p-1748.html , what affect would this have on the taste and ABV
anyway, moving on swiftly . . . I've grown quite attached to my airlock so I think I might keep it.
I did order a replacement washer last nite from HBC along with 100grm Fuggles that I plan to dry hop this with.
My a*rloc* is still bubbling today, a lot slower mind, but I did find a hole in the vaseline aound the washer of my FV lid again.
I got 100 grms, should i use the hole lot or would it be overpowering?
I might be getting my hands on some Cascade soon too (Good man Peter), should i put them in with the Fuggles?
What would you guys do? And When?
I don't have suitable conditions for an open ferment. I clip the lid on the 60l fermenter most of the way around.
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One of these days!
@benji - compared to DME, LME will
Cons: make it a bit darker and a little sweeter.
Pros: It will also give it more body and head.
@ fishjam - i wouln't use all 100g of fuggles. I'd probably dryhop 30g. If you're getting some cascade too, wait and add 20g of that also at the same time. That should make a nice balance.
Cheers LordEoin .... I've got Fuggles leaf and Cascade Pellets (thanks Peter), is it ok to dry hop both of them in the Muslin bag at the same time?
Quote from: fishjam45 on January 24, 2014, 11:23:39 AM
Cheers LordEoin .... I've got Fuggles leaf and Cascade Pellets (thanks Peter), is it ok to dry hop both of them in the Muslin bag at the same time?
Yep.
Dry hopped her this evenin!
Took a reading before adding 36grms of Fuggles leaf and 25grms of Cascade Pellet.
I used a sterilised spoon to weigh the muslin bag down but it didn't make it sink straight away. I'm hoping the brew will seep into all those dry leaves and make it sink eventually? There has been a good lot of airlock activity since I resealed the lid on the FV.
Brews been in the FV a week now, would leaving the hops in there for a week be too long?
Fri 17th Jan: 1.030
Fri 24th Jan: 1.006 (see pic)
They'll probably stay floating.
A week will be fine :)
Cheers LordEoin . . . hope they dont get mouldy so? Read that might happen somewhere . . . .
If you read that on the dailymail, it's true. If you read it here, it's bulls#t. 7 days and 7 nights will be fine. But no more, else it will taste like silage :P
Sound Garry, I aim on bottling during the week anyway, It'll be a week at the very longest.
This was the first time I've used hops. I opened the fuggles first and god did I love the smell. I then opened opened the cascade pellets and jaysis I was blown away, I cant wait to taste what they do to the IPA!!!!
Am already thinking of what to do with the other 70ish grms of Fuggles I out in the freezer . . .
I like it in the irish stout or english bitter kit :)
Am defo going to do a stout next, might try some chocolate grain too ... More research for me to do so
She's ready for bottling I reckon, so will do that tomorrow evening. Had a little sip this evening and I liked what I tasted and smelled. Lovely hop aroma and I can taste the Cascade too.
I'm trying to work out the ABV too.
OG = 1030
FG = 1004
1030-1004/7.46+.5 = 4%
Is that a correct way of working it out?
You can get free apps for the phone or use online calculators, I use beersmith mobile.
Thats pretty low so i just checked your OG pic again and its closer to 1032, you measure the level as per the pic below
So you are at 3.6% it won't get you pissed easily but refreshing enough to wet a babys head, any news?
You can bump you OG with small amounts of brewing sugar, or for fuller mouthfeel LME or DME.
Cheers CH, I thought thats how i was measuring - I'll make sure to look closer the next time or else the laser eye surgery didnt work!
3.6%? I though it would have been a little higher seeing as I added 500grm DME and 500grm Brewing Sugar which was a little more than the recommended by Coopers. Ah well, Im happy with the little taste I had of it earlier and the effect the dry hopping seems to have had.
Next thing I'm going to try is a Stout Kit and use some chocolate grains - must start a thread for that.
Still no news . . . doctors are feckers giving us false hope "oh yeah, she'll go very early" . . . still waiting :)
Sorry should have said you can cut back on the water which is the easiest of all.
LE will tell us how much water goes into those kits, i seem to remember its 23L?
Are you happy about the amount of water thats actually going in, the measures on the sides of the buckets ain't great, a good quality plastic 5 litre measuring jug is a good investment.
I could always do that but then I'd be producing less beer! Ah no seriously, I might just brew a few litres less the next time if thats the case.
Will double check my measurements but as far as I know they are ok.
1.032-1.004 - .028
28/7.46 = 3.75%
+0.5% from priming sugar
= about 4.25%
brewing to 20L would make it a bit stronger (about ~4.6%)
personally, I'd just up the DME to 1kg and lower the sugar to max 250-300g
@23L that'll end up around 5%, that's where I like it.
It's actually 3.67 don't listen to him ;)
(OG-FG) x131
Abv calc debate coming :)
Don't forget that yeast turns priming sugar to alcohol and co2 also.
The coopers recommended quantity of carb drop will give about .4% abv, and some of the residual sugar will still ferment out in the bottle slowly.
rough best guestimate = add 0.5% ABV if bottle conditioning.
+0% if force carbing (no extra sugar added)
Of course this will vary with the amount of priming sugar. but we're homebrewing beer, not making high end pharmaceuticals, so most of what we do is pretty rough guessing anyway. Take hydrometer readings for example...
Quote from: LordEoin on January 29, 2014, 10:36:12 AM
yeast turns priming sugar to alcohol and co2 also
the recommended quantity of carb drop will give about .4% abv, + some of the residual sugar will still ferment out in the bottle slowly.
rough best guestimate = add 0.5% ABV if bottle conditioning.
+0% if force carbing
ofc this will vary with the amount of priming sugar. but we're homebrewing beer, not making high end pharmaceuticals, so most of what we do is pretty rough guessing anyway. Take hydrometer readings for example...
Put you knickers back on I meant 3.67 v's 3.75 :P
I thought it was OG 1.032 - FG 1.004 ?
28/7.46 = 3.75%
Either way, 0.08% difference won't break the bank ;)
I'm goin with 4.25% seeing as I went and made a few labels after reading LordEoins post ....only checked back now and read the rest of your posts
CH - the clear bottle is the only one in this batch,it's for observation purposes only ;)
that'll clear up nicely. it's looking good
Loving the labels, you have far too much time in your hands!
I am guessing no news since you are still on here!
Looks great.
Love the labels Where or how'd you do them
thanks lads!!!!
LordEoin - I'll keep the clear bottle in the house to keep an eye on it.
CH - far too much time? haha whatever little time i did have will surely be gone by monday, no stir yet.
IrishBeerSnob - have a look at www.beerlabelcreator.com . . . its a free website and you can customize the labels to suit yourself which is pretty cool. I normally only print off a few, because labelling a full batch of bottles would be very very time consuming. Its nice to present a visitor/mate with a personalised bottle I think. (Use pritt stick, easy to use and comes off when bottles are cleaned)
I'd hate to be paying for your printer ink...
So would I ;)
If only they'd a colour laser printer in the office! :)
I used those address labels you can get - need to spruce it up but does the job
If only I had one there too ;)
Quote from: Garry on January 17, 2014, 10:58:54 PM
Have you ever watched craigtube on YouTube? This is his favourite beer. Every time he drinks one he goes, 'phwaaaar!'. That's how good it is you see :P
PHWAAAAAR is right!!!!!
cracked open my first bottle of it tonite and I'm delighted with it, really really impressed!
Will this get better with age or is it better enjoyed young?Its been in the bottle just over 2 weeks at room temp, just put that one bottle in the fridge this morning. Will move the rest of them out to the shed in the morning.
Pics to follow
Here's 2 pics
Looks lovely, it will get better if left for a few more weeks (4 weeks from bottling).
It's hard to leave it when you're starting off, but those couple of weeks really will make a big difference. Keep a few for a couple of months and you'll kick yourself for not keeping them all until then.
My rule with the Coopers kits was 2 weeks fermenting (keep temp as stable as possible), then leave it for 4 weeks in bottle, before touching it.
'Good things, come to those who wait' ...
Only solution is to put another brew on ;-)
agreed. Try not to touch it until about a month, by then it will have settled down a bit more and should be crystal clear.
It'll be at its best at about 3 months - 6 months.
After that, the fresh aroma hoppiness will start to mellow.
Quote from: fishjam45 on February 12, 2014, 08:04:39 PM
Here's 2 pics
We really are going to have to buy you a "Rotate the digital image thingy by about a quarter of circle ish (the right way))"
@ pob - yeah, ive been learning to bemore patient, especially since my first brew. Wont be puttin on another til i get paid. :(
@ LE - thats what i was thinking of, when the hops etc began to fade. I can guarantee it wont last any longer than 6 months.
@ Will - feckin iPhone! I take them upright and it keeps publishing them sideways. I suppose you have to look properly at the pictures when they are sideways ;)
Looks lovely man
this is gonna be my next kit
Did you dry hop? I'm looking to dry hop with Amarillo and Cascade probably.
Make a hop tea also with Amarillo and Cascade, and maybe a tiny bit of summit
Quote from: IrishBeerSnob on February 13, 2014, 12:16:58 PM
Did you dry hop? I'm looking to dry hop with Amarillo and Cascade probably.
Make a hop tea also with Amarillo and Cascade, and maybe a tiny bit of summit
Its savage! I defo recommend it!
I dry hopped with 36grms of Fuggles leaf and 25grms of Cascade Pellet, for less than a week.
Will be doing this kit again in the future
First post - woohoo!
This was what I did with my last Cooper's IPA kit - finished at about 5% before carbonation.
1.7kg Cooper's IPA
1.5kg Homebrewwest LME
500g of sugar (roughly 150g Tesco Dark Brown sugar and 350g of white)
Dry hopped with 50g of Cascade pellets.
OG of 1.051 and FG of 1.013 before carbonation.
How did it turn out?
Very well now in fairness.
I did a previous batch using the same methods and same ingredients except for the 500g of sugar.
I couldn't get a discernible difference between the 2 apart from the alcohol boost to the second batch.
Both batches passed the girlfriend test which I can tell you is not easy! ;D
HomeBrewWest are doing great deals on the IPA with LME for €17.75, hard to beat.
Second sample bottle opened tonite, and after tasting we get an even louder PHWAAARRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Its been bottled for 3 weeks now and seems to be getting better. Delighted.