is this a crazy idea? (combining two kits)

**FreeLordBrewing** · 02-07-2012, 06:12 PM

using 2 pre-assembled extract kits to hit a higher gravity??

What If i took 2 IPA kits (say from brewers best) following the steps lined out in the directions but just doubling the contents. Would this yield too high of a gravity?? and would you adjust any of the time lengths for the steep or boiling process?? I will be doing a 5 gallon batch.

I would also be getting a IPA style yeast from Wyeast and performing a starter for sure!! and making sure to aerate the wort very well!!

2 weeks in primary 2 weeks in secondary (also dry hopping).

and then into the keg. any advice, input, or criticism is welcomed thanks in advance - Shawn

**Brewnoob1** · 02-07-2012, 06:19 PM

5 gallon batch with 2 kits worth of stuff in it? Hmm, that sounds pretty extreme if you ask me....

Reading that instantly put a song into my head.....He's going the distance......He's going for SPEEEEEEEEEED.....

**mcarb** · 02-07-2012, 06:31 PM

Why don't you just play with the numbers a bit on Beersmith or elsewhere to get what you want, then go with that?

**ajm163** · 02-07-2012, 06:53 PM

i think 2 full kits would get your gravity too high.... if you wanted to beef it up a bit maybe 2 kits and 7.5 gallons

**unionrdr** · 02-07-2012, 08:02 PM

Unless maybe make it 6 gallons? I used 10.5lbs of malt in my Buckeye Burton ale,& got OG1.065 from 6 gallons. So 5 gallons would be around 1.075 or so,just as an example.

Hernando · 02-08-2012, 05:41 PM

Instead of buying two kits and getting double everything. I would say purchase 1 kit, some more extract and maybe a bit more hops. Unless you plan on doing a bigger batch like AJM, Uniondr stated.

**unionrdr** · 02-08-2012, 05:50 PM

Two can kits are fairly common in Austrailia. 2 cans of cooper's,etc,with hops,sometimes a little DME as well. I used two different cooper's cans with a 3lb bag of plain light DME with hops 28g of ale yeast.
Got that 1.065 down to 1.018. Still have 2 or 3 bottles in the fridge.

**homebeerbrewer** · 02-08-2012, 05:59 PM

Brewers Best makes an Imperial IPA, you could just buy that instead. It'll give you 8-8.5% ABV.

**FreeLordBrewing** · 02-08-2012, 11:22 PM

hmmm homebeerbrewer seems like an easy route might just do that....all of my batches have always fell below my target F.G. (and my target percent best was a wimpy 4.5%) but might have figured out why with my last batch, as a newbie I havent been areating my wort

or making starters for the yeast....things I will do FOR SURE with my next batch!! I just might might create my best batch yet!! I have even purchased some yeast nutrient to help out, and read about the pitching rate from Mr.malty working on obtaining/creating a kegerator and then a corny keg/co2 set up then its on to my bests batch yet thanks all for the great advice!!

beninan · 02-08-2012, 11:38 PM

I do like the idea of two kits but I also think the gravity might be a bit too high. Lets say that one kit gets you an OG of 1.065, doubling that would make it 1.130. My highest wine barely even started that high. If you want to do the two kit idea, maybe scale it up to 7 or 8 gallons. Maybe even do one kit at only 4 gallons or so. That should concentrate the sugars a bit.

Lets throw some numbers out there:
Lets say the OG of a 5 gallon batch of a certain recipe is 1.065
Scaling the water down to 4 gallons would be 1.082
Scaling down to 3.5 gallons would be 1.093 (That's a pretty good number if you ask me, and 3.5 gallons is much easier to deal with than 8 gallons, even 5)

Now lets say you do double that batch of 1.065 OG.
10 gallons would equal 1.065
To make it equal 1.093, you would have to scale it down to 7 gallons.
So you would either need a 10 gallon fermenter, or ferment it in 2 separate fermenters.

Disclaimer: I'm heavily drunk and I may have lost track of what I was thinking about. These numbers were punched into a recipe calculator with only 2-row base malt as the fermentable, so don't blame me if they are way off.