BrendanS8 Posted July 4, 2011 Share Posted July 4, 2011 G'day all, i made a Coopers IPA a couple of months ago and tried it last week and was happy with it, but me being me i like to try different things. Could the IPA be made better with some caramalt or crystal malt or something like that or maybe another kind of hop or both ? Your thoughts much appreciated![cool] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muddy Waters Posted July 5, 2011 Share Posted July 5, 2011 Brendan - A simple recipe to make a killer beer with the IPA kit is PB2s Motueka Slam Very, very nice [love] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewtownClown Posted July 5, 2011 Share Posted July 5, 2011 Blew dry a keg of IPA last night, was very nice and very popular. 18 litres Cooper's IPA kit 1kg LDM 1kg BE2 200 grams CaraAroma 4 litre/60 min boil with Chinook to add additional 13 IBU (63 IBU total) Safale S04 (2 litre starter 27 grams Amarillo dry hopped in secondary (keg) ABV 7% SG 1073 FG 1020 [love] Very glad I upped the bitterness to balance the extra malts Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrendanS8 Posted July 5, 2011 Author Share Posted July 5, 2011 Thanks Muddy and Thanks clown, both recipes look like they'll be grouse.I'll give em both a go and get back to you both down the track. Just one question Crusty, the '4 litre/60 min boil' bit, does that mean 1 TC IPA, 1 kg LDM, 1kg BE2, cara aroma and the chinook all boiled together? Or should i add the IPA at the end of the boil? Or what ? Still got my 'L' plates on! [lol] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hairy Posted July 5, 2011 Share Posted July 5, 2011 Hops are best utilised in a boil with a gravity of 1.040. A rule of thumb is around 100g of LDM per litre of water. Therefore, add around 400g of LDM to the water for the boil for the hops. The grains will need to be cracked and then steeped for 30 minutes or so in water at around 65-70 degrees. The liquid from this can be added to the fermenter. (There are a few threads on the forum about steeping specialty grains) The rest of the ingredients are added to the fermenter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrendanS8 Posted July 6, 2011 Author Share Posted July 6, 2011 Thanks Hairy[biggrin] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg Posted July 6, 2011 Share Posted July 6, 2011 make sure you boil the liquor you get from steeping the grains otherwise you will likely have incredibly bad beer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hairy Posted July 6, 2011 Share Posted July 6, 2011 You could use that liquor and some additional malt in your boil for the hops. Saves boiling things twice[cool] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeonardC2 Posted July 7, 2011 Share Posted July 7, 2011 Yup. When you use steeping grains,you put them in a strainer over the pot when steep is over. Sparge the grains with 170F water (76.67C). When grain bag is done draining,remove it & boil the resulting wort. You'll get a crazy,foamy hot break for about 3 minutes. Stir it like mad,& don't stop till it starts going down. It'll rise to the top of the kettle very quickly,& foam all over if you don't! Then,add part of your DME,say 1.5-2lbs (.681kg-.908kg) to the boiling wort,then do your hop additions. Once that's done,add your remaining DME & cooper's can,etc. Stir well til no LME can be scrapped off the bottom of the kettle. Let steep 15 minutes,then chill in ice water bath down to pitch temp. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 7, 2011 Share Posted July 7, 2011 Always keep a spray bottle of water near by. When the foam starts to rise, just give it a few squirts to break the surface tension and it will reside. I steep my grain at 65C-70C [rightful] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrendanS8 Posted July 7, 2011 Author Share Posted July 7, 2011 Thanks Greg, Hairy, Leonard and Bill. I thought steeping was boiling/simmering the grains, but my rocket scientist instincts tells me that hot water (65c-70c) is a better way to go. I have simmered grains about three times so far and have been happy with the results. Could the "results" have been a bit better? Cheers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 8, 2011 Share Posted July 8, 2011 For most beer styles, an astringent, dry, or puckering sensation is not wanted in a beer, and there are several potential causes. Some of which are: Grain husks boiled with the wort release tannins into the beer. Overly hot sparge water can extract tannins from the grains. Boiling grain really shouldn't be any higher than 75.6C otherwise you may extract these unwanted tannins into your brew. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrendanS8 Posted July 9, 2011 Author Share Posted July 9, 2011 What's the best way to know what temp you're at and how do i hold that temp for half an hour ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeonardC2 Posted July 10, 2011 Share Posted July 10, 2011 Use a thermometer. Either the floating kind or the clip on probe/dial kind. I have the floating one. I put 3-4 twist ties together. Then tie a hangman's noose to hold the thermometer,then tie the other end to the BK handle. The dial indicator ones are SS,with a foot long probe,& a clip that holds it to the side of the pot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 10, 2011 Share Posted July 10, 2011 I just use one of THESE cheap things. I find it relatively easy. You can then just wrap the pot in something to help retain the temp or do as I do and just keep an eye on it and adjust accordingly... i.e. with the hot plate. 1/2 hour goes pretty quick and you can do other brew stuff in the meantime. A couple degree drop wont hurt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrendanS8 Posted July 12, 2011 Author Share Posted July 12, 2011 Thanks for all your thoughts guys, i'm slowly getting my head around all these things that contribute to making great beer. I'll get there! Cheers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hairy Posted July 12, 2011 Share Posted July 12, 2011 You probably already make great beer. The aim now is to make greater beer. Just keep experimenting and learning. You'll find that even the ones that don't turn out so great are still better than most of what the commercial breweries churn out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrendanS8 Posted July 14, 2011 Author Share Posted July 14, 2011 Thanks for the encouragement Hairy. Most of my beers so far have been better than most commercial breweries, i think, but a couple not so good! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.