shelden816
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- Jan 14, 2018
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Hello, I am getting ready to purchase a home brew starter kit and I was wondering if IPA’s are harder to brew as a first brew than other beers?
They are no more complicated than anything else. The only extra step is that you have to watch your timer to know what your additions are. You might make sure your additions are all during the boil or at flameout. I wouldn’t do hop stands or whirlpools for your first brew.
Thank you both, I do have one more question. What room would be the best room for fermentation? Closet? Garage? Or does it not matter?
It's relative to your house. Best situation would be a room that stays in the mid 50's and control you temps with a temp controller and a heat wrap. In my house in the winter is around 68 deg, I'd put the bucket in a tub of water with a wet towel around it for the first 3 days then let it go.
Really? I'm doing an IPA right now and I've been worried because this recent cold spell been keeping the part of my house where my fermenter is in the low-mid 60s. Glad to hear I'm good.Temperature control is essential to fermentation...so you will want to find a place that keeps cool temperatures....your wort should stay in the 60-70° depending on what type of beer you brew. This may take some trial and error but you want to keep the wort cool during fermentation.
Really? I'm doing an IPA right now and I've been worried because this recent cold spell been keeping the part of my house where my fermenter is in the low-mid 60s. Glad to hear I'm good.
Hello, I am getting ready to purchase a home brew starter kit and I was wondering if IPA’s are harder to brew as a first brew than other beers?
If you don't start off with a high gravity DIPA you'll be fine brewing a IPA. Dry hopping is really the only extra step you'll take and it's easy peasy.
I'd recommend a kit from Northern Brewer. It really comes with everything you'll need to make your first batch. I bought a wort chiller and hydrometer right off the bat which I'd recommend adding to your purchase if you can afford them. Then use the 20% off coupon they'll give you to buy a yeast starter kit, oxygen wand, stir plate, whatever. I personally have had nothing but superior customer service from them.
The kits are on sale right now for $100 and you can get their Chinook IPA kit included. That's what I brewed my first time and I can tell you how to tweak it depending on your taste for IPAs.
As far as where to ferment in your house it depends on the temperature each room is and the type of beer you're making (along with the type of yeast you're using). I ferment between 65-75 degrees generally speaking. My IPA fermented at about 68-70 and it came out just fine.
The brewing instructions should also tell you what temp to ferment at. The more you brew the more you'll get into different styles and yeasts and the more you'll pay closer attention to that stuff.
I wouldn't over think too much b/c you'll suffer from analysis paralysis. Follow good cleaning and sanitation procedures, read the instructions multiple times so you understand what you're doing and when and lay out all your ingredients and have fun most of all. Oh and don't get too liquored up until AFTER you're done brewing including cleaning up!
Thanks for the info! Like shelden816, I'm new to brewing and just purchased the Chinook IPA deluxe starter kit from Northern Brewer, spoon, hydrometer and a 10 gal MegaPot 1.2. It set me back a few bucks, but I'm hoping that I will become addicted to this new hobby and wanted to start out with some better quality supplies. Looking forward to it arriving and getting started with the brewing process!
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