Hello, New brewer with some questions.

[Kosmik]

Hello everyone.
I intend to start some home brew beers, namely IPAs.
I have experience with mead (and have produced some very nice ones), so know fermentation basics, but I know beer is a completely different realm.
I have read various articles, forum threads, etc. I know there are some who will say “these questions have been addressed before”. I know this also, and those kind of comments are unnecessary and do not contribute to the conversation I seek.
That being said, I’m looking for advice from some experienced IPA brewers. General advice is certainly welcome, as well as techniques, ingredients, yeast strains, etc.
Links to other forum threads are certainly welcome (there are so many and probably some old buried ones that are worthwhile, and harder to find)
I’m also looking for equipment advice (on the lower to mid-range budget).
As far as recipes go, I’d like to see some successful ones. I’m more inclined to experiment with my own (as I have done with my meads), but being new to beer, I’m looking for something to base on, if anyone is willing to share.
I’m a big fan of Mosaic hops and would like to brew a strictly mosaic IPA. A couple of my favorites are Southern Tier’s 2xSmash and Community’s Mosaic IPA, and I’d be most delighted if I could produce something similar.

I know that I have other questions that are slipping my mind at the moment, so with some discussion, I may ask some more.
Thanks in advance,
-Kos

 

[ancientmariner52]

Hello everyone.
I intend to start some home brew beers, namely IPAs.
I have experience with mead (and have produced some very nice ones), so know fermentation basics, but I know beer is a completely different realm.
I have read various articles, forum threads, etc. I know there are some who will say “these questions have been addressed before”. I know this also, and those kind of comments are unnecessary and do not contribute to the conversation I seek.
That being said, I’m looking for advice from some experienced IPA brewers. General advice is certainly welcome, as well as techniques, ingredients, yeast strains, etc.
Links to other forum threads are certainly welcome (there are so many and probably some old buried ones that are worthwhile, and harder to find)
I’m also looking for equipment advice (on the lower to mid-range budget).
As far as recipes go, I’d like to see some successful ones. I’m more inclined to experiment with my own (as I have done with my meads), but being new to beer, I’m looking for something to base on, if anyone is willing to share.
I’m a big fan of Mosaic hops and would like to brew a strictly mosaic IPA. A couple of my favorites are Southern Tier’s 2xSmash and Community’s Mosaic IPA, and I’d be most delighted if I could produce something similar.

I know that I have other questions that are slipping my mind at the moment, so with some discussion, I may ask some more.
Thanks in advance,
-Kos

Hello, Kos, and welcome. This isn't what you want to hear. It's kinda like walking up to a pilot and asking "How do I fly an airplane?" You need some ground school first.

Forums and videos are great, but not sufficient, in my opinion. Get yourself a copy of a basic brewing book, such as John Palmer's "How to Brew". Most of your answers are there, and your remaining questions will be better focused. We'll all be glad to help. Your mead experience is sure to be invaluable.

 

[Kosmik]

No Ancient, that’s exactly what I want to hear.
Recommend reading is certainly within the realm of advice I seek, and thank you.

 

[bovine_OB]

Hello and welcome. HBT is a great source of information, a lot of experience in the hobby to be learned from.

How I started, not saying it is the right way or the wrong way, but I started with a 5 gal pot on my stove doing 3 gal batches all grain (3 gal is all I could mash by the time I got a bag of grain and water in the pot). Fermented in a plastic bucket, and bottled it all using a hand capper and bottles my buddy and I emptied in college but were saving to get the deposit back. Simple, cheap (when you consider the cost of other hobbies, that don't make you beer in the end), and made some pretty good beer. Repetition is the key as with anything, the more you do it, the more you learn about it, and the more you learn about it, the better you can be at it. Get feedback from friends, family, neighbors, etc -anybody who you can. You're going to be biased because it is a product of your labor - you really need an outsider to tell you what they like and don't like. With that being said, everybody's tastes are different. Brew what you like (or you think you will like) and go from there - modify the grains/malt, modify the hop types/additions/amounts, try different yeasts, try different adjuncts.

Pretty basic hop advice though, and you may already know the basics, but with IPAs there are so many things you can do with the hops. The longer hops are boiled, the more the alpha acids are isomerized and the more aromatics are driven off - meaning they get more bitter and less pungent. Whirlpooling hops after the boil is complete adds a different complexity of flavor and aroma, as does dry hopping.

Not sure if that was the info you were looking for, but they are things I wish I would have known as I was getting started.

 

[Kosmik]

Thanks Bovine.
I know exactly what you mean about the bias of my own creations.
I’m always over critical about my meads. I’ve had a few that I didn’t care for at all, that friends and family loved, and vice-versa. Everyone has their own taste.
The grain bill and hop additions are also a big question for me, as they vary for different styles.
I aim to preserve hop flavors and aromas, as they are one of the things I love about beer, and probably why I love IPAs so much.

 

[Tribe Fan]

Here's my two cents:
Pick something you like and find the clone recipe and do it. For me, my first batch was a Sierra Nevada clone. I did an extract recipe kit from a local shop with fresh hops. Was fantastic and pretty close. I did Celebration Ale's and Red's Rye after that using all grain recipes I found on the interwebs. Both of those were also close, and really good.

I went from 5 gallon extract to large 10 gallon all grain batches using an igloo cooler to mash. If I had to do it all over again, I would have done Brew In A Bag (BIAB) at 3 gallon then 5 gallons. I don't have reason to do 10 gallon batches anymore and it would have saved my the trouble of buying everything to modify coolers and kegs and sparge equipment etc... and managing that much hot liquid can be a challenge.

BIAB 5 gal setup is a turkey fryer on a propane burner and I can do everything by hand. The only two person task is emptying the finished wort into a fermenter. If I spent a few bucks on a kettle with a valve, that would be taken care of as well.

The key utensils for me are good instruments, esp hydrometer and thermometers, and an immersion chiller. Everything else is up to your imagination and you can always buy on the cheap at a big box store / Amazon / craigslist. Highly recommend craigslist, I've bought really good stuff there from folks like me that were moving on to something new.

Lastly, just do it. Start simple and build from there. After you get a few batches under your belt, you'll know what you want to try next. Extract brewing for your first batch is not to be frowned upon. A lot to learn from that process and the beers will be fantastic.

 

[Amadeo38]

I also recommend starting with Palmer’s How to Brew. I wish I had started there. Like the stubborn a$$ I am, I just got the starter brew kit and an extract recipe from the local shop, and winged it with their instructions sheet. Worked out well...for a couple brews. Everything I was doing wrong was explained simply in How to Brew when I read it some time later.

Also, we’ve made allusions to it, but “extract” means the majority of your grains have been essentially distilled down into a thick (relatively expensive) syrup that makes your brew day faster, simpler, and requires less equipment. As a Maizer, this will seem familiar to you. The alternative to that is All Grain, and the in-between is Brew in a Bag (BIAB). Most start with extract, then move to BIAB or all-grain once they’re comfortable and sure they enjoy the hobby for the long term.

Another thing I wish I had done is to buy a full set of equipment on Craigslist from someone getting out of the hobby rather than piecing it together over time. Would have been way cheaper. Now, with that said, some things are better brand new because it will give you the peace of mind that if something goes wrong, it wasn’t your equipments fault. The best example of that is plastic fermentation vessels, such as buckets, which can get scratched and harbor bacteria. Buy those new and treat them carefully with cleaning only via soft cloth and powdered brewery wash of some sort. Glass carboys are common and last forever, until you drop it and shatter it while severing your femoral artery at the same time. But again, you probably know this from your mead experience.

 

[AkTom]

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/forum/threads/coconut-ipa.586566/
If you like coconut, this is a favorite.
Cheers

 

[davidabcd]

Hello everyone.
I intend to start some home brew beers, namely IPAs.
I have experience with mead (and have produced some very nice ones), so know fermentation basics, but I know beer is a completely different realm.
I have read various articles, forum threads, etc. I know there are some who will say “these questions have been addressed before”. I know this also, and those kind of comments are unnecessary and do not contribute to the conversation I seek.
That being said, I’m looking for advice from some experienced IPA brewers. General advice is certainly welcome, as well as techniques, ingredients, yeast strains, etc.
Links to other forum threads are certainly welcome (there are so many and probably some old buried ones that are worthwhile, and harder to find)
I’m also looking for equipment advice (on the lower to mid-range budget).
As far as recipes go, I’d like to see some successful ones. I’m more inclined to experiment with my own (as I have done with my meads), but being new to beer, I’m looking for something to base on, if anyone is willing to share.
I’m a big fan of Mosaic hops and would like to brew a strictly mosaic IPA. A couple of my favorites are Southern Tier’s 2xSmash and Community’s Mosaic IPA, and I’d be most delighted if I could produce something similar.

I know that I have other questions that are slipping my mind at the moment, so with some discussion, I may ask some more.
Thanks in advance,
-Kos

Hello there!
Since you've already fermented mead, you get the idea.
I've found that kits with instructions are a good starting point. I was able to make fine beer on my first attempt with one. However, do NOT ask me what happened when I followed a twenty-year-old, dog-eared, yellow recipe sheet to make Bass Ale though!
I would start by going to the Northern Brewer website or Brewer's Best--only because I am familiar with them. I'm sure there are other kit places to buy from. They'll have IPA clone kits and maybe one you like. The instructions and ingredients are also on these websites. I know BB even tells you what equipment you'll need so no surprises for you on brew day (hooray!)
To get grooved in, my advice, and it is only advice, is to use just a primary fermenter for your first batch (one of those big, white, plastic, 6.5 gallon buckets). Here's why: too much experience is needed to judge the timing of when to transfer to a secondary container (in my opinion).
Second piece: don't pick a kit that dry hops on your first go. Reason: you want that fermenter opened as little as possible in the beginning. Among other things, which you'll read about in the instructions, your goal is to hit that starting gravity and that final gravity.
You're going to have a lot of, "Oooh, I get it," moments once you apply what you've read.
What I do, and I've never had it go awry, is leave the beer alone after brew day for three weeks, meaning, I don't take the lid off (assuming there is fermentation occurring).
Take more than one final gravity reading (per the instructions) after two or three weeks to make sure it's finished. I only take the one after three weeks but many others will tell you why you should do more than one.
So, basically, follow the kit instructions closely.

And yes, eventually, read and buy stuff.

Good luck!