Chinook IPA instructions differ greatly

[5SonsBrewing]

This will be my first homebrew. I'm already getting the wife asking me questions about my fermentation chest freezer, my inkbird and other purchases. I want this to be fun, but I'm also open to figuring out which Chinook IPA recipe is best. Brewers Best or Northern Brewer?

Friends purchased a BrewersBestKit from a local Brewing supply shop.

My inventory shows
7 lbs Golden Light malt Extract
4 oz Caramunich II
8 oz Carashell
I'm assuming the Caramunich II and Carashell grains is in 1 bag (it's not labeled, no name brand but weighs 12 oz)
1 oz of Chinook Hops at 60, 15, 1 min and dry (total 4 oz)

On Brew day it tells me to boil 3.5 gallons of water, when wort is cooled, add it the wort to the primary fermenter and then top it off with sterile water to 5 gallons before fermenting.

-------------------------
The Chinook IPA from Northern Brewer (and all the videos I can find) have the following inventory:
Maillard Malts
6lbs of Pilsen malt syrup
1 lb Pilsen dry malt extract

Maillard Malts
.75 lbs Belgian Cara 8
.25 lbs Briess Caramel 120

Hoptimus Rex
1 oz Chinook Hops at 60
.5 oz Chinook Hops at 10 min and 1 min
1 oz of Chinook Hops dry (total 3 oz)

On Brew day it says to boil 2.5 gallons of water and when wort is cooled, fill primary fermenter with 2 gallons of water, pour in the cooled wort and then top it off to 5 gallons.
------------------------

So my questions, the obvious answer seems like I should follow what came with my kit. I love Hoppy beers and IPAs in general and I'm going to assume that by putting 4 oz of HOPS into my recipe, it will be a little more bitter/flavorful than 3?

Has anyone had experience with both? Which recipe did you prefer?
Why would one call for 2.5 gallons of water to start the wort and another call for 3.5 gallons?
I keep hearing about cold crashing, should I attempt that with this beer?

 

[BrewingAroundtheRrealm]

Follow the directions that came with the kit. That is going to be your best chance at success.

You can debate over how much water to use in a partial boil extract batch. You'll hear arguments over hop utilization vs. the the amount of water used. The real answer is: Boil as much as will fit in your kettle. just top off to 5 gallons in the fermenter. If you have good tap water you don't have to buy bottled water. Just use the tap water to top off.

Put 25% of the extract in at the start of the boil. Put the rest in with 10 minutes left. A lot of recipies leave that part out. Make sure you turn the flame off to prevent the extract from scorching when you are putting it in.

Follow the hop schedule that came with the kit. You can experiment with future batches. If you find 3 Oz. isn't enough go for 4 or 5 next time. Add 1.5 Oz. at the start if you want it to be more bitter. If you want more flavor add .5 Oz at 10, 5 and 1 minutes next time.

Don't try to cold crash your first ever batch. You can add more tricks as you learn more.

Let it sit 2 weeks in the fermenter after you pitch the yeast. Even if it seems like it's done. Once you bottle let those sit 2 weeks. The waiting is the hard part the first time out.

I hope that helps.

Welcome to the hobby.

 

[IslandLizard]

Excellent instructions! ^

If I may add, Many kits, especially NB/Midwest Supply kits are notorious for being skimpy on hops. But when they go on sale, NB used to do from time to time, like pick 3 for $xx, with free shipping that's hard to beat.

From what I've read Brewer's Best kits are very good. People are generally happy with them, and many (local) brew stores carry them. But they can be pricey.

You can always buy some extra hops (LHBS, online, etc.) to supplement a kit, making it hoppier.

Hops early in the boil make it more bitter, late in boil give some bitterness more flavor, some aroma, and dry hops mostly aroma and flavor, no bitterness.
If you like hoppy flavor/aroma, use more dry hops. Most kits are fairly conservative on bitterness, to appeal to a larger clientele.

There's nothing wrong with changing recipes or kit ingredients and hop timings around, but you need a solid point of reference first.

On late (boil) hop additions:
The time it takes to chill is a large part of the equation. The longer the hops are exposed to high temps (>140F) the more bitterness they give off, and less flavor and aroma are retained.

==> How are you going to chill your 2-2.5 gallon of wort* after the boil is over? How long do you think that will take?

* If you start with 2.5-3 gallons you probably will boil off (evaporate) 1/2 a gallon or more during the hour boil.

 

[5SonsBrewing]

I have a Jaded wort chiller (Hydra) on the way... I'm starting with 3.5 gallons of water for my wort that's what my brewersbest recipe calls for. Thanks for the replies!

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

After you have brewed a couple of traditional extract+steep batches to get comfortable with the fundamentals (sanitation, fermentation temperature control, ...), there are a couple of newer processes for brewing with extract that should help you brew extract+steep based recipes quicker ("no-boil" approaches, BBRs, Hop Sampler, @steverush 's Zymurgy article, @dmtaylor 's "Tips and Tricks for Excellent Extract ..." ).

But for now, follow the kit instructions "to a T" (transfer to secondary is optional, so skip the extra work), and perhaps pay attention to fermentation temperature (most people prefer US-05 when it ferments at 65* F rather than in the 70s).

Most of all, have fun!

 

[dmtaylor]

After you have brewed a couple of traditional extract+steep batches to get comfortable with the fundamentals (sanitation, fermentation temperature control, ...), there are a couple of newer processes for brewing with extract that should help you brew extract+steep based recipes quicker ("no-boil" approaches, BBRs, Hop Sampler, @steverush 's Zymurgy article, @dmtaylor 's "Tips and Tricks for Excellent Extract ..." ).

But for now, follow the kit instructions "to a T" (transfer to secondary is optional, so skip the extra work), and perhaps pay attention to fermentation temperature (most people prefer US-05 when it ferments at 65* F rather than in the 70s).

Most of all, have fun!

Thanks for the @. Here is what he's talking about:

 

[Immocles]

Excellent instructions! ^

If I may add, Many kits, especially NB/Midwest Supply kits are notorious for being skimpy on hops. But when they go on sale, NB used to do from time to time, like pick 3 for $xx, with free shipping that's hard to beat.

coincidentally, NB just started running a deal on select extract kits. Buy 3, get them for $22.xx each. If I didn’t have a mountain of grain and my next five brews planned, I’d have placed an order.

 

[IslandLizard]

coincidentally, NB just started running a deal on select extract kits. Buy 3, get them for $22.xx each. If I didn’t have a mountain of grain and my next five brews planned, I’d have placed an order.

Yup, those deals are hard to beat. A few of my brew friends stock up on all grain kits like those (~$20/per). Then supplement with extra hops and grain where wanted/needed. The free shipping makes it extra lucrative.

Add any 3 of the following kits to your cart, and enter TRIPLEPLAY at checkout:

• Irish Red Ale (SKU 1010)
• Chinook IPA (SKU 1480)
• Spiced Winter Ale (SKU 1580)
• Czech Pilsner (SKU 1330)
• Scottish Wee Heavy (SKU 1160)
• Private Rye Undercover Brown Ale (SKU B10060)
• German Alt (SKU 1060)

Offer valid till Tuesday, Oct. 8.

Don't forget, you do have to buy or supply your own yeast. Craziest thing is, the liquid yeast from NB cost about half of what the kit runs...
So you may want to get that locally or from the stockpile in your fridge.