First Time IPA Homebrew...brown?

Williams 728
Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
A

abrewer12345

Well-Known Member
Joined
Nov 30, 2015
Messages
121
Reaction score
18
hi all-
first post here and just started homebrewing. this is my first time doing an IPA and we used a Brewer's Best Kit. I added a little extra hop to it towards the end of the color is truly what had me questioning it. It was very brown. Will the yeast lighten this up in fermentation or is this just the usual with the types of malts used (caramel was one of them)?

Anyone else ever use this kit and had moderate success?

Thanks!
 
how long should i leave in primary to ferment? I want to dry hop in secondary but should i leave in primary for 2 weeks then transfer and dry hop for a couple days before bottling?
 
Unless you are going to reuse the yeast, I would just dry hop in primary. Less chance of getting it infected and it will not hurt the beer having it on the yeast a couple of extra days.
 
ronniescouten said:
how long should i leave in primary to ferment? I want to dry hop in secondary but should i leave in primary for 2 weeks then transfer and dry hop for a couple days before bottling?
Click to expand...

Usually 10 days to 2 weeks in primary is sufficient. However (and you may have already heard this), don't go by kit instructions or airlock activity. Check specific gravity with hydrometer @ 10 days, check again in a couple days. If they are the same, then you're good to bottle.

You can rack to a second vessel to dry hop, but it is not necessary unless you're creating a true second fermentation by the addition of fruit, etc.. The effect of dry-hopping, whether in primary or secondary, is the same, which is to impart more hop aroma. In primary, wait until initial ferm is done (5-7 days), otherwise escaping CO2 will also carry off dry hop aroma. After dry-hopping for 2-3 days, I cold-crash and bottle directly from primary. Racking to a second vessel will help the beer clear better, but may also increase the likelihood of oxidation and/or contamination.

And congrats and welcome to the obsession!
 
Oh and the color is more than likely tricking you like the person above said. I just brewed an IPA Saturday and it looks pretty dark too but if I hold an LED light up to the edge of my glass carboy then you can see that it's not really that dark.
 
GHBWNY said:
Usually 10 days to 2 weeks in primary is sufficient. However (and you may have already heard this), don't go by kit instructions or airlock activity. Check specific gravity with hydrometer @ 10 days, check again in a couple days. If they are the same, then you're good to bottle.

You can rack to a second vessel to dry hop, but it is not necessary unless you're creating a true second fermentation by the addition of fruit, etc.. The effect of dry-hopping, whether in primary or secondary, is the same, which is to impart more hop aroma. In primary, wait until initial ferm is done (5-7 days), otherwise escaping CO2 will also carry off dry hop aroma. After dry-hopping for 2-3 days, I cold-crash and bottle directly from primary. Racking to a second vessel will help the beer clear better, but may also increase the likelihood of oxidation and/or contamination.

And congrats and welcome to the obsession!
Click to expand...

Thanks for the help- super informative. because there is no spigot on the primary bucket, what is the best way to bottle from there?

and cold crashing is basically just putting the bucket in icy water, correct? and how long would you cold crash before bottling?

thanks everyone, this is a huge help
 
thanks for all of your help all-

if i dry hop in the primary but it has no spigot on the bucket, what is the best way to bottle from there?

I also added some dry orange peel to the boil and left a very little bit out to add with the dry hops (it's MAYBE a tablespoon), should i add more yeast in this situation or just throw it in?

last question, so if i check the gravity at day 10, but fermentation should be done day 5-7, should i wait until fermentation is complete to add dry hops?

thanks again everyone
 
thanks for all of your help all-

if i dry hop in the primary but it has no spigot on the bucket, what is the best way to bottle from there?

I also added some dry orange peel to the boil and left a very little bit out to add with the dry hops (it's MAYBE a tablespoon), should i add more yeast in this situation or just throw it in?

last question, so if i check the gravity at day 10, but fermentation should be done day 5-7, should i wait until fermentation is complete to add dry hops?

thanks again everyone
 

Similar threads

sixstring
Hello, lurker with a first post - Just bottled my first brew
Replies
17
Views
394
mac_1103
mac_1103
_Keven
First time brewing how do I prime with belgian candi sugar?
Replies
4
Views
746
Jeroen79
J
Hoochin'Fool
made my first lousy beer
Replies
22
Views
2K
lumbergh
L
SipalayBrew
Coopers DIY Beer Stout: Need your help, guys!
Replies
7
Views
998
BreweyMcHops
B
bjhbrew
Re-pitching a yeast that had produced excess sulfur
Replies
6
Views
367
bjhbrew
bjhbrew

Latest posts

Back
Top