Brooklyn Brew Shop Everyday IPA Kit Tips

[Calichusetts]

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?

I wouldn't, probably the only downside of 1 gallon is you really can't taste it without significantly cutting into your final product, wait until you bottle, you'll have some leftover to taste then

 

[Ply318ci]

Yeah don't worry about it you will probably get about a half bottle left over when bottling just drink that to get an idea of the taste. When I made this it turned out more like a APA then a IPA but still good.

 

[SaintBenedict]

Just curious if anyone has ever bothered to take a hydrometer reading on the one gallon BBS Everyday IPA kit. I brewed my first batch a couple weeks ago, and as far as I could tell the reading was 1.048 with the yeast pitched at approximately 82°. According to Dave's Dreaded Homebrew Calculator (http://dd26943.com/davesdreaded/tools/convert.htm), the maximum potential alcohol content is somewhere in the neighborhood of 6.7%. Just curious how this worked out for other brewers so I know what I can expect.

BTW, after approximately two and a half weeks in primary, I stuck the carboy in the fridge but left the airlock in place. Is it necessary or advisable to remove it? Just wasn't certain if primary fermentation was entirely finished. I had a strong initial fermentation with aggressive krausening (is that a verb?), but no airlock activity after that first week. I suppose the thought of an explosion in my fridge was enough to convince me to play it safe and leave it on.

Sorry if I high-jacked your thread, OP. Thought it seemed appropriate to post these questions since we're both in the same boat. Thanks.

 

[Calichusetts]

You could get some suckback from crashing it in your fridge...what did you put in the airlock, water? I usually use a blowoff tube but some people put vodka in the airlock

Your schedule seems fine and depending on your method, you should see around a 5% ABV with these kits

 

[Rdom]

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

I agree that the mini auto siphon is one of the best purchases you can make for small batches.

 

[SaintBenedict]

You could get some suckback from crashing it in your fridge...what did you put in the airlock, water? I usually use a blowoff tube but some people put vodka in the airlock

Your schedule seems fine and depending on your method, you should see around a 5% ABV with these kits

Thanks for your reply. I put a solution of StarSan and water in a three piece airlock. Given the design of this particular airlock, is it possible for the sanitizer and water to get drawn back into the carboy?

Interesting to note that the makers of the kit project the ABV for this IPA at roughly 6.7%, if I recall correctly. Though, perhaps the recipe in their book is slightly different than the grains supplied with the actual kit. At any rate, it's a start.

 

[Calichusetts]

Thanks for your reply. I put a solution of StarSan and water in a three piece airlock. Given the design of this particular airlock, is it possible for the sanitizer and water to get drawn back into the carboy?

Interesting to note that the makers of the kit project the ABV for this IPA at roughly 6.7%, if I recall correctly. Though, perhaps the recipe in their book is slightly different than the grains supplied with the actual kit. At any rate, it's a start.

It is possible to get suckback with the 3-piece...most people who are reporting suckback are refering to a 3-piece. Its much harder or impossible(?) to do it with an S-piece.

I think that the BBS recipes are calculating a 75% efficiency in their recipies. Following their directions (using a collander to be specific) usually won't get you to that, more like mid-60s. I do a variation of their directions still with my own 1-gallon recipies and can get low 70s but not consistently.

I recommend a refractometer as soon as you can afford it...only a few drops of wort and you can calculate your OG to see if you come close to their projected...but don't be suprised if your far lower with their prediction.

 

[Ply318ci]

I found it to be much lower myself the low 60s is about right. You can do a pre boil gravity reading with a hydrometer that is a trick I learned on here. Just take a hydro reading before you boil (letting it cool downs little from the 150-170 degree range by throwing the sample in the freezer while the rest is boiling) then take the reading adjusting for temp then multiple the numbers after the decimal by your pre boil volume then divide by the post boil volume and bam OG.

Example: I did a wheat beer the pre boil reading was 1.036. So 36x1.3=47/1=47. So my OG is 1.047. If I was doing two gallons it would be 1.036 pre boil so 36x2.3=86/2=43 so my OG is 1.043. Hope that helps.

 

[SaintBenedict]

It is possible to get suckback with the 3-piece...most people who are reporting suckback are refering to a 3-piece. Its much harder or impossible(?) to do it with an S-piece.

I think that the BBS recipes are calculating a 75% efficiency in their recipies. Following their directions (using a collander to be specific) usually won't get you to that, more like mid-60s. I do a variation of their directions still with my own 1-gallon recipies and can get low 70s but not consistently.

I recommend a refractometer as soon as you can afford it...only a few drops of wort and you can calculate your OG to see if you come close to their projected...but don't be suprised if your far lower with their prediction.

Thanks for your input and the advice about getting a refractometer; you're the second person to suggest using one. I'm looking to move to 2.5 gallon batches, so hopefully removing the amount of wort to test OG won't be an issue, no matter which way I decide to go.

 

[SaintBenedict]

I found it to be much lower myself the low 60s is about right. You can do a pre boil gravity reading with a hydrometer that is a trick I learned on here. Just take a hydro reading before you boil (letting it cool downs little from the 150-170 degree range by throwing the sample in the freezer while the rest is boiling) then take the reading adjusting for temp then multiple the numbers after the decimal by your pre boil volume then divide by the post boil volume and bam OG.

Example: I did a wheat beer the pre boil reading was 1.036. So 36x1.3=47/1=47. So my OG is 1.047. If I was doing two gallons it would be 1.036 pre boil so 36x2.3=86/2=43 so my OG is 1.043. Hope that helps.

Nifty trick—thanks!

 

[Ply318ci]

Yeah I got it from a thread I started some one posted it and taught me works pretty good.

 

[BlakeL]

I haven't seen bubbles in the tube or airlock since Monday. Should I be worried?

 

[nulfis]

Nah, looks good, yeast are probably in clean up/settling out mode by now. One piece of advice I would give from my experience with these kits is to move on from honey and use corn sugar. I had terrible trouble getting consistent results with honey and ended up with a lot of flat beers. Arguably it's just because my process for adding the honey was bad though.

 

[wmarkw]

Finally got around to making their IPA. Just cracked open my first one and it is pretty good.

Damn iTouch is taking some crappy pics

 

[SaintBenedict]

I haven't seen bubbles in the tube or airlock since Monday. Should I be worried?

After the first two or three days, I didn't notice any activity in the sanitizer/water solution at the end of the blow off tube, and not a peep when I put on the airlock. Though, I am bottling tonight and intend to test the wort to see how it's coming along.

One difference that I noticed is that the neck of my carboy is crusted with nasty dried krausen. Interesting how it doesn't appear to have happened with your brew.

 

[SaintBenedict]

Your schedule seems fine and depending on your method, you should see around a 5% ABV with these kits

Well, you were right about that. Assuming that I made my measurements (somewhat) correctly, my IPA is weighing in around 4.8%. Here are the numbers:

OG: 1.048
Temperature: 82°
FG: 1.014
Temperature: 68°
ABV: 4.8%

 

[Ply318ci]

I haven't seen bubbles in the tube or airlock since Monday. Should I be worried?


Don't worry bubbles only happen for a few days after that nothing. Wait at least two weeks to bottle.

 

[BlakeL]

After the first two or three days, I didn't notice any activity in the sanitizer/water solution at the end of the blow off tube, and not a peep when I put on the airlock. Though, I am bottling tonight and intend to test the wort to see how it's coming along.

One difference that I noticed is that the neck of my carboy is crusted with nasty dried krausen. Interesting how it doesn't appear to have happened with your brew.

I haven't seen any kind of dried krausen in the jug since pitching.

 

[BlakeL]

I'm thinking about going to Whole Foods and picking up some cider in the 1g jugs so I can have multiple beers fermenting at one time. I will also need some more ingredients for a new recipe. Should I go with another Brooklyn kit? My only issue is it looks like the shipping to Orlando will be around $10.

 

[govner1]

Why not go to your LHBS and try a recipe kit from them?

 

[BlakeL]

Why not go to your LHBS and try a recipe kit from them?

From what I've read, my LHBS isn't the greatest as far as customer service and it's best to just order online and pickup.

 

[BlakeL]

Looks like Brewmasters Warehouse has good shipping prices. I might just go with them and build my own recipe. Any good resources for recipes and how to convert for 1g batches?

 

[divrguy]

Beersmith, it can scale down recipes. Convert from all grain to extract to partial, it will help you understand bittering hop effects, colors of beer, ABV and much more. I am still a rookie after 3 years and when I picked up Beersmith it changed a lot of things for me, plus, if you buy it from Birdman brewing, it's a little over 20 bucks. Pretty cheap for what you get. Good luck brewing

 

[BlakeL]

Beersmith, it can scale down recipes. Convert from all grain to extract to partial, it will help you understand bittering hop effects, colors of beer, ABV and much more. I am still a rookie after 3 years and when I picked up Beersmith it changed a lot of things for me, plus, if you buy it from Birdman brewing, it's a little over 20 bucks. Pretty cheap for what you get. Good luck brewing

Thanks for the tip! I'll check it out.

 

[Ply318ci]

Beersmith is great I have the trial version and really like it. Also you can just take any recipe and divide everything by how many gallons it is designed for. If you go on the recipe data base here and find a good recipe for a 5.5 gallons just divide everything by 5 or 5.5 has worked for me. The only problem is that most online shops only sell by the pound for grains so you may only need an ounce or two for a one gallon batch and have lots of left over grain. Just put them in a ziplock bag and hang on to the extra for another recipe. And if you use dry yeast you only need half a package put that rest in a labeled zip lock baggy and put it in the fridge for next time. Just pull it out at the start of your brew day and rehydrate in 70-80 degree water 15-20 min before pitching I do it all the time works great for me. I had a pound of crystal 60L that lasted for three different one gallon brews.

 

[kc1123]

I cracked open my first bottle of this last night. It was pretty good, but not carbed enough. I'm bringing some to share with my family tomorrow. Pretty psyched. I printed out some bottle hangers that were mentioned in another thread.

Note: I was drinking this mid-evening and suddenly I feel asleep in my work clothes. It knocked me right out. Slept like a baby.

 

[kc1123]

@Ply318ci Midwest Supplies sells a bunch of grains in half pound increments and their prices seem to be pretty good.

 

[Ply318ci]

Nice i have a LHBS so it isn't a big deal for me but good to know of they run out of something.

 

[kc1123]

Shared my Everyday IPA at a family gathering today. I was a bit nervous. One bottle was carbed perfectly and another was too carbed. It tasted pretty good. I brought home all the empties from the party for future use. All in all a good day! Brewed the Coffee & Donut Stout yesterday!

 

[BlakeL]

Shared my Everyday IPA at a family gathering today. I was a bit nervous. One bottle was carbed perfectly and another was too carbed. It tasted pretty good. I brought home all the empties from the party for future use. All in all a good day! Brewed the Coffee & Donut Stout yesterday!

That's good to hear. I hope mine turns out good too. I was thinking of getting another kit from them but shipping is $10.