Any imperial IPA kits?

[pbfl81]

When buying beer I love a high ABV and IBU beer with a great aroma like an imperial IPA. Has anyone brewed any good extract kits that they recommend?

 

[Jack Lauron]

Hello there,

I would recommend checking out Brew Masons website. I believe they do do an Imperial IPA and their new kits are getting good reviews.

 

[pbfl81]

Thanks Jack, do you know the website address?

I could only find one company called brewmasons and it said permanently closed.

 

[NGD]

I think Brew Masons may be a UK company. IPA's aren't my go-to kind of brew, but a quick search will get you there
https://www.northernbrewer.com/off-the-topper-iipa-homebrew-kit
https://www.morebeer.com/products/topped-hops-double-ipa-extract-beer-brewing-kit-5-gallons.html

Edit: While i haven't had Heady. I live in Pliny country and even for someone that doesn't like IPAs, it's pretty damn good. I"m sure there are a few clones/recipes out there for it as well. Give it a go if you have a chance

 

[chickypad]

All the big online stores have a Pliny extract kit - morebeer, northernbrewer, AIH, midwest, Austin homebrew, etc.

 

[tri_clamp_ninja]

Easiest and quickest way is to purchase a kit you like the flavor of first. Next, add roughly 50% extra hops to all boil additions and double the dry hop. Finally add additional DME at flame out to boost gravity. You can use brewing software to help with calculations or your LHBS rep should be able to help you ball park it on the fly. Keep in mind your yeast selection as well- a highly flocculant strain (like s04 for example) burns quick and clears up easily but part of that high flocculation also scrubs IBU and perceived bitterness. Stick with an American strain as this is the type to have the least impact on your hop profile.

 

[VirginiaHops1]

I'm currently fermenting the Brewers Best DIPA kit. I'll let you know how it turns out.

 

[TGFV]

If you are brewing using the dinky prehopped cans (muntons, rock or coopers) most of them sell an IPA kit that is fragrance low but high ibu (more of a traditional IPA style) in the 60ibu range.

All you would need to do is add enough fermentables to increase the abv to the level you like (and to keep it from getting too barleywine like from unfermentables I would also add some sugar to dry it out), and then do extra late additions and dry hopping with the hops of your choice.

 

[VirginiaHops1]

I'm currently fermenting the Brewers Best DIPA kit. I'll let you know how it turns out.

I thought by end of this week I could report back, but I tried one yesterday and it wasn't even close to carbed yet on day 11 in the bottle. My first beer carbed faster but this one has much higher ABV, so the wait continues. I'm on vacation next week so I'm won't try it again until about day 21.

 

[tri_clamp_ninja]

It's been awhile since I bottle conditioned but I found my sweet spot to be at least 3 weeks for sub 7% abv and at least 4 weeks for 7% abv and above. With that, I just started running 4 weeks across the board and never again found an under carbed bottle.

 

[VirginiaHops1]

I tried mine again at 3 weeks when I got back from vacation and it was a bit more carbed but still way way off. At this point I may wait until the 5 week mark to try again. It has high ABV and I cold crashed it. Maybe should've done without the cold crashing on this one.

 

[davidabcd]

I'm currently fermenting the Brewers Best DIPA kit. I'll let you know how it turns out.

That one is really good.

 

[davidabcd]

When buying beer I love a high ABV and IBU beer with a great aroma like an imperial IPA. Has anyone brewed any good extract kits that they recommend?

With a lot of the kits I've checked into online (including the double IPA), they list all the ingredients and the instructions. You could just buy them from your brew store instead of the kit. I'm doing that right now with a Dragon's Milk clone. The clone is called "Dragon's Silk," I believe.

 

[VirginiaHops1]

With a lot of the kits I've checked into online (including the double IPA), they list all the ingredients and the instructions. You could just buy them from your brew store instead of the kit. I'm doing that right now with a Dragon's Milk clone. The clone is called "Dragon's Silk," I believe.

Well I did buy the DIPA kit from a LHBS. I know I could've tried to buy everything separately but doing kits in the very beginning just simplifies everything when you're trying to learn and everything is a bit overwhelming. I'm pretty sure it's usually cheaper to just buy the kits as well. The guy at my LHBS even told me that when I was shopping there.

I'm getting ready to do my 4th brew though and am going off the reservation this time. I ordered a bunch of hops online and just need to pick up some DME/specialty malts to put together a recipe.

 

[davidabcd]

Yeah, you're right. I need to remember that those first batches can be a lot of moving parts all at once. My nephew, who brews, is pretty much the same in sticking with the kit and the ease it provides.
You are right about the cost. I did forget that point. I think what tipped me into buying ingredients at time instead of just the kit was the concern over fresh product. In all fairness, that concern may have been unwarranted.
I've been brewing recipes from a magazine for some time now except for that Dragon's Milk recipe which I "borrowed" from whatever kit maker it was.
Good luck with number four!

 

[VirginiaHops1]

That one is really good.

I'm glad yours was good but mine didn't turn out that great. It is having a lot of trouble carbing even after a month in bottles. I cold crashed it, and it is high ABV so not sure if that caused an issue. Also the taste is very malty, very light on hop flavor. It turned out very dark. I'm guessing I screwed it up putting all the 9lbs of LME in at the beginning since it was a partial boil. Did you follow the recipe and do that or put a bunch in late like most people do?

 

[davidabcd]

I'm glad yours was good but mine didn't turn out that great. It is having a lot of trouble carbing even after a month in bottles. I cold crashed it, and it is high ABV so not sure if that caused an issue. Also the taste is very malty, very light on hop flavor. It turned out very dark. I'm guessing I screwed it up putting all the 9lbs of LME in at the beginning since it was a partial boil. Did you follow the recipe and do that or put a bunch in late like most people do?

I remember that puppy being over 8%; even so, I used the one packet of dry each time to good results.
I made that kit twice. As, I said, they turned out very well--very hoppy, golden color, etc. The first time, I bought the kit and followed the recipe exactly but no secondary. The second time--this was my version of cutting the apron strings--I bought all of the ingredients listed in the DIPA kit separately. I followed the recipe exactly (again) because I didn't have any other information.
Looking back at my notes, I cooled to the wort to the specified temperature, kept the fermenter around 70 for three weeks and then bottled and kept them at 70 in the dark. They carbonated on time (which really is a loose number) from one to two weeks.
I'd be interested in what the "cold-crashing community" has to say regarding your concern about its effect on carbonating.
Personally, I don't cold-crash. I'm pleased with my beer clarity. It looks really good in the glass.
Three cheers for beers! Hop! Hop! Hooraaay!