True Brew IPA Mod

Good ol' buyers remorse. I bought the True Brew IPA kit after the finding out it had oak chips. Oak chips sounded very intriguing. After reading a few reviews about this kit, I decided I would like to make this a bit more beefy IPA. I feel I go beyond the description "hop-head" to the next rank of "hop-fiend". Please help me!

This kit includes:
2 Cans of Muntons 3.3lb LME
1 Bag of Muntons 1lb Crystal 2 Row Barley
1 Oz UK Pilgrim Pellet Hops ( AA 11%)
1 Oz UK First Gold Pellet Hops (AA 7.3%)
1/2 Oz bag of Heavy Toasted Oak Chips
1 Muntons dry yeast packet

I am willing to purchase the following to make this a better beer:
More (much more) pellet hops for bittering and dryhopping
More LME or some DME
Better Yeast

I have only made 2 kits before, though I feel confident with this goal. I do not know where to start to make this feel more like an American IPA vs an English IPA. I am assuming scrapping the British Hops would be a good start?

Other #s"
Beginning Gravity: 1.050-1.052
Final Gravity: 1.012-1.014
Hop Bittering Units: 17.5 <----- not sure if this is IBU if so I would love to see the final IBUs around 50-65

As always, thanks in advance for all your help(s)!

I bought a brewer's best IPA kit and the guy at the LHBS told me it would be more of an English IPA which I wanted more of a hoppier IPA. He informed to dryhop with 2-3 oz of Citra hops which I'm in the process of doing right now. Won't be able to tell you how it turned out for about another 2-3 weeks though unfortunately.

You don't say what the hop schedule is, but I'll assume you are adding some at the start, and some at maybe 15 minutes. Go to Hopville, or something like that, enter the ingredients and start playing around.

I would (probably) leave the hops you have in the recipe, and add some good ol' American hops late in the boil. Amarillo, Cascade, Simcoe, Centennial, take your pick. Maybe an ounce each at 10 minutes, flameout, and dryhop. Or something like that. Sounds like fun!

Or, browse the IPA recipes, and steal the hopping schedule from something you like.

m_c_zero said:

I bought a brewer's best IPA kit and the guy at the LHBS told me it would be more of an English IPA which I wanted more of a hoppier IPA. He informed to dryhop with 2-3 oz of Citra hops which I'm in the process of doing right now. Won't be able to tell you how it turned out for about another 2-3 weeks though unfortunately.

Click to expand...

Best of luck with that! I bet that will smell pretty tastey, unfortunately from what I read, the process of dry hopping is suppose to only effect the nose mostly. Dry hopping shouldn't add any bitterness (at least that is what I have been told and have read).

I will be dry hopping a Pale Ale with 2oz of Centennial.. I will be able to confirm the flavor effect of dry hopping.

scotchguy said:

This kit includes:
2 Cans of Muntons 3.3lb LME
1 Bag of Muntons 1lb Crystal 2 Row Barley
1 Oz UK Pilgrim Pellet Hops ( AA 11%)
1 Oz UK First Gold Pellet Hops (AA 7.3%)
1/2 Oz bag of Heavy Toasted Oak Chips
1 Muntons dry yeast packet

I do not know where to start to make this feel more like an American IPA vs an English IPA. I am assuming scrapping the British Hops would be a good start?

Other #s"
Beginning Gravity: 1.050-1.052
Final Gravity: 1.012-1.014
Hop Bittering Units: 17.5 <----- not sure if this is IBU if so I would love to see the final IBUs around 50-65

As always, thanks in advance for all your help(s)!

Click to expand...

I assume the Pilgrim is bittering and added at the start. Leave that alone.

Store the First Gold in your freezer; some day you will want them.

Buy 2 to 3 ozs of an American hop (Cascade is the classic - aka, SNPA). Add 1 ozs at 15 minutes to go, and 1 at flame-out, and add the other as dry-hop.

m_c_zero said:

He informed to dryhop with 2-3 oz of Citra hops which I'm in the process of doing right now.

Click to expand...

I just dry-hopped with 1 ozs of Citra in 6 gallons and there is plenty of flavor. Any more would be too much. Be careful!