Brooklyn Brew Shop Everyday IPA Kit Tips

[BlakeL]

I saw this kit online and thought it would be a good fit for me since i have a very small house and this will me my first time brewing. I went to Williams and Sonoma to see if they had it and it was on sale for $20. The kit expires soon so I'll probably be brewing it tomorrow or next week. Does anyone have any tips for me before I start?

 

[frazier]

A link would be helpful.

Do you have equipment? That kit is just the ingredients.

Most kits come with questionable instructions. Do you have a book to help you? Like, How To Brew (available online) or something similar?

Good luck, but my main tip is, don't rush in. Get all your ducks in a row. Cheers!

 

[BlakeL]

Sorry, the kit I bought was their starter 1g kit. I'll check out the instructions and see if I have any questions to fill in the gaps. I'll also check out that book. Is that one the best?

http://brooklynbrewshop.com/beer-making-kits/everyday-ipa-1-gal-kit

 

[Calichusetts]

Use at least a 10 quart pot...3 pots really helps with sparging and lautering. Finally, find a colander that matches the diameter of your pots.

I did about 6 of the kits and this was the wish I knew then tips.

 

[Gunnarubex]

I love my Brooklyn Beer kit. The biggest thing is to make sure you have all your pots ready to go. They say that two 6.5 quart pots are enough, but I found I prefer 10 qt. pots and I end up using 3. The instructions aren't bad. Just be familiar with them before you start. I usually read through them 3 times before I begin sanitizing. Most of all, put on a good movie, crack open a beer, and have fun.

 

[Dotmo]

I started with the Chestnut Brown from Brooklyn Brew Shop. Other than making sure you have all the equipment you are going to need, I suggest...
...read the instructions, read them again, re-read them, then write down the steps for easier reference rather than having to sift through the PDF file for each step. Writing the steps down for batch 2+ saved me a lot of "omgwtf" trying to find the pertinent information in the provided directions.

Best tip of all for a first brew...its fun to watch the airlock burps, but if it stops/isnt doing anything, it doesnt really mean fermentation isnt happening! Save yourself from the razzing of senior members and use a hydrometer

Good luck with the first brew, and welcome to the addiction!

Brew on! :rockin:

 

[Calichusetts]

One more thing...wait far longer than two weeks before you crack your bottles, they will probably not be carbonated and my best batches from those kits were the one I gave 3+ weeks.

 

[BlakeL]

When I put the wort into the carboy to ferment, should I start off using the tubing and bowl of water for the airlock or go straight to using the airlock that came with the kit? I noticed in some videos, specifically the basic brew ones, that they just use the airlock in the beginning.

 

[Dotmo]

When I put the wort into the carboy to ferment, should I start off using the tubing and bowl of water for the airlock or go straight to using the airlock that came with the kit? I noticed in some videos, specifically the basic brew ones, that they just use the airlock in the beginning.

Two weeks ago I brewed a porter and started with the airlock in place. After I saw the fermentation kick up, the krausen started to form like crazy and I got worried about a blowout so I put the blow-off tube in place. Good thing I did as a TON of gunk ended up in the blow-off bowl. Both the blow-off tube and airlock serve the same purpose - let CO2 out and not let O2 and the baddies in - but the blow-off tube reduces the risk of a PITA (pain in the ....you know) clean up if your airlock get clogged with gunk and stuff starts spewing out the top of the fermenter. Typically I use the blow-off tube until the krausen starts to fall, at which point I'll put the airlock back in.

Brew on! :rockin:

 

[BlakeL]

Thanks for the info Dotmo. I'll use the tube for a few days and then switch over to the airlock. I just finished my first batch! Hopefully it turns out good.

Mash:

Wort:

Fermenting:

 

[BlakeL]

There seemed to be a lot of sediment at the bottom of the carboy when I transferred the wort. Is this normal? It looked like it could have been the hops but was hard to tell. It seems to be condensing at the bottom the longer it sits.

 

[frazier]

Gravity works in mysterious ways. All perfectly normal - hop sludge, dormant yeast, and proteins from the grains, are all heavier than water. You want this to happen.

 

[Ply318ci]

That exact kit was my first home brew I ever made I loved it. Not as hoppy as you would expect for a IPA but still delicious. Also if you follow their method of brewing, like making oatmeal, you don't get a high efficiency it is more in the 60% range. I did it that way for most of my brews and recently switched to mash tun and from what I have read should be better. All in all I love my Brooklyn brewshop kit and still use it as I am a small scale brewer as well. Have fun.

 

[Dotmo]

There seemed to be a lot of sediment at the bottom of the carboy when I transferred the wort. Is this normal? It looked like it could have been the hops but was hard to tell. It seems to be condensing at the bottom the longer it sits.

Yup. All normal! Same thing happened when I brewed my first Brooklyn kit. Its hops/fine particulate on the bottom, then the lighter stuff on top of that is some of the yeast that dropped from suspension ("yeast cake"). When I cool my wort, I have the boil pot leaning on a bowl turned upside-down in the ice bath. This puts the pot on an angle and helps a lot of the junk settle into the corner. I then siphon it into my primary being careful to take as little of that gunky stuff as possible. You will still get some, but most of it I can leave behind.

What kind of strainer did you use to remove the spent grain from the wort before the boil? I used a regular stainless steel kitchen strainer which let a lot of the small stuff through. My first batch actually looked exactly like yours does in the fermenting picture you posted, and it turned out great. Was it? Not sure, but I made it, and thats what counts until you get the process down and can really refine your technique!

Brew on! :rockin:

 

[wolfareno]

That exact kit was my first home brew I ever made I loved it. Not as hoppy as you would expect for a IPA but still delicious. Also if you follow their method of brewing, like making oatmeal, you don't get a high efficiency it is more in the 60% range. I did it that way for most of my brews and recently switched to mash tun and from what I have read should be better. All in all I love my Brooklyn brewshop kit and still use it as I am a small scale brewer as well. Have fun.

My sister bought me Brooklyn's recipe book, and I'm going to brew some of their recipes in 4 gal batches when I get home using a BIAB method. My kettle is only 7.5 gal, but I think that will be enough for a no-sparge (hence only 4 gal batch size). I've never done AG, but I'm hoping this method will yield some decent efficiency. I plan on using Beersmith to scale the recipe and plan for about 70% efficiency. I'll keep some DME on hand in case I miss

 

[BlakeL]

Thanks for all the reassuring words guys. I checked the jug this morning and I'm getting a ton of bubbles from the tubbing, which is exciting.

Dotmo, I was using a normal kitchen strainer for the grains and when I transferred the wort to the jug. What would be the best type of strainer to use? My wife said cheese cloth might have been better.

 

[BlakeL]

I have another questions. When I go to bottle is there any special way so I don't get all that sediment?

When I do another batch I'll defiantly make a mash ton out of a cooler since that will make the process much easier.

 

[Ply318ci]

Your going to get some that is what happens in all homebrew the best way I found to get as little as possible is to cold crash it. This means stick it in the fridge for 3-5 days. You might want to remove the airlock since the pressure change from the beer getting that cold will suck in the sanitizer. I just wrap the top in aluminum foil. If you look up gelatin finnings that can help some but I have noticed that cold crashing seems to do the trick. It packs all the trub tightly at the bottom allowing you to siphon with minimum sediment. Then before you drink them out the bottles in the fridge for a few days and the se thing happens on a smaller scale. Here is a picture of my brother doing that with a stout he made to help clear up any confusion.

 

[BlakeL]

You do this at the end of fermentation, before bottling?

 

[Ply318ci]

Yeah wait at least two weeks after you brew then cold crash three weeks is even better.

 

[BlakeL]

I saw in another post that three weeks is better for this kit. Is two weeks for bottle conditioning still alright?

 

[Ply318ci]

I always bottle condition for two weeks but after one week I crack one open to taste and of it is good I will start drinking them. Two to three weeks is a good rule of thumb.

 

[BlakeL]

I checked on the jug this morning and watched it for a few minutes and no c02 was coming out of the tube. Should I be worried? I think I may have pitched the yeast at the wrong temp. It was around 75-80 when I did and I looked at the instructions this morning and it said i should have done it at 70. What issues would this cause?

 

[wmarkw]

You should be fine. I started with their kit too and its an awesome way to get into AG brewing. I did get their book which has some really good recipes so I highle rec that.

 

[Ply318ci]

You are fine they give very vague directions in some areas like pitching at 70 and to always bottle with three tablespoons of honey although that will be close in carbonation for each style of beer it is different. I had all of the same anxiety you have when I first brewed now I have made so many mistakes since then in my short brewing history (3 months) and still made good beer that I don't worry much any more. I pitched yeast at 85 degrees it was fine spit beer back Into my bottling bucket trying to get a suction going with the racking cane they give you with the kit and it was fine. My advice is to find the post about all of the things people here have messed up and still got good beer from and read it you will relax a bunch. But anyways back to your question 80 degrees is fine and bubbles don't mean to much let it sit for two weeks like they recommend more if you want cold crash for three days bottle and let sit for two weeks and enjoy.

 

[Calichusetts]

For what its worth...the IPA kit was my first ever brew and I could not get a siphon going, maybe got 8 oz in before it stopped. I literally ended up pouring the beer into the bottles, turned out fantastic! I find you can hide imperfections and mistakes like that if its IPA and you drink them relatively young.

Main point is....consider an auto-siphon. I got a gravity fed siphon going on my second kit but the anxiety wasn't worth it.

 

[H22W]

That IPA is a nice brew! If you start making larger batches you will find that 1-gallon fermenter is great for making large starters.

 

[BlakeL]

Thanks for the reassurance. I'll be adding the airlock tomorrow and will keep this thread updated with my progress.

 

[Ply318ci]

To repeat what Cali said a mini auto siphon is the best money spent.

 

[BlakeL]

Im going to replace the airlock tubing tonight with the airlock that came with the kit. Should I use the tubing or a baster to draw some of the beer out to try and see how it is coming along?