Muntons IPA (hopped **gasp**)

Starting my first batch of homebrew here in the next few days- as soon as I get the remainder of the ingredients. I have a few questions:

Pre-hopped IPA Bitter “kit” from Muntons comes with the Muntons standard yeast- From what I have read so far it looks as though I would be better off getting a higher quality yeast- esp. considering I will likely be brewing right around 60F, maybe even slightly cooler as I am planning on using the cool dark spaces of my sub basement to keep my little yeast’s happy. Any recommendations or should I get a aquarium heater and water bath the batch up to closer to 70??

I Have 2 lbs of Spray malt to use instead of sugar- it’s muntons Plain extra light ~7 EBC Good idea?? How much should I use and….

Also as the kit is entirely prehopped (something I regret- but hey, I got a hell of a deal) I was wondering if could finish and cold hop the brew- as it is an IPA and all. Well, I know that I can, but should I? What type of Hops?

Right now all I have is a blowoff hose system (hose into a short stand of really clean h20 in a bottle)- should I get a airlock instead?

Finally, the kit says to make 23L/6 gallons- My play right now is to only have 5 gal in the primary due to the fact it is a 6 gal carboy and I want some headspace so I don’t pepper my face with glass. I’m guessing that you’d just end up with a bit fuller body on the beer and maybe a bit higher ABV, both of with are fine by me.



Well, as you can see, full of questions.

Thanks ahead of time.

Dave

I'm still a newbie too but here are my suggestions.
Use the DME as you would the sugar in the recipe. The DME will give a fuller body and maltier flavor than the white sugar. (DME = Dry Malt Extract = spray malt)
Boil for 10-15min and add some hops at the start and end of the boil, this won't add much bitterness but will add flavor and aroma. Any hops will work, usually it is suggested to use hops labeled as aroma or dual use hops.
Should be no problem going with 5gal vs 6gal. Just a little stronger and hoppier, just what an IPA calls for.
Danstar Nottingham dry yeast claims to work down to 55F and appears to be a pretty good yeast based on responses I have read on this forum. My first two beers used this yeast and are great. Dry yeast is cheap and easy to work with and the packets provide plenty of yeast for brewing bigger beers like an IPA. Most ale yeasts have recommended temps of 65F or more. If you want to use a different variety I would try to warm it to closer to 65F. At 70F and above you start getting more yeast characteristics that are undesirable in pale ales.

Craig

What to dry hop with? The unending question: Amarillo, Cascades, Chinook, Nugget, Mt. Hood ...

What does your favorite IPA use? That's a good start.

I would go 20% or so extra DME to keep the starting gravity about the same. Then throw away the instruction booklet.

Hydrate your yeast with warm water (1/2 cup of 90-100f water). Do a mini-boil (15-20 minutes) to sterilize everything. This will also help get the can malt syrup and DME powder into solution. Throw in 0.5 to 1 oz of flavor hops at the start of the boil. Watch out for boil overs then with 5 minutes add another 0.5oz to 1.0 oz aroma hops. Kill the boil, then gently put your pot in a sink full of icy water to get the temperature down. Once its down in the 80f range, dump it into your fermenter with your water. Toss in your yeast then shake the crap out of the carboy for 5 minutes.