Andrew Hodgson
Well-Known Member
I just saw that Northern Brewer added an extract kit for a NE IPA here.
I am interested in giving this kit a try, 53$ is a lot but I'd like to use it as a baseline to understand how limited I am at making the NE IPA style. Can I reproduce a complex style to satisfaction with a pre-made kit? I am skeptical.
A couple things that stood out to me:
The yeast options are Omega Tropical IPA, WLP644, or Imperial Yeast A20 citrus.
My first thought upon looking around at what others use for this style is I would actually use GY054 Vermont IPA yeast or WLP095 Burlington Ale yeast as these seem to be more widely accepted as giving the characteristics of the style.
Also on the NB site it claims (as they always do) that water manipulation is not necessary for this kit if your water "tastes good". Do we think that this is true or is it safe to say that when using a premium kit it is best to protect the investment by using spring water and amending it even if your tap water "tastes good"?
Lastly for a style that is best drank fresh as possible as a bottle-baby am I again setting myself up for failure? For instance if fermentation takes 10 days total, then the beer is bottle conditioned for a week or two is that too much time since brewing for this style?
Due to the delicate flavors of the style is 24 days too long and do I risk losing flavor that way? Are they trying to hook me into an expensive kit for a popular style where in order to reproduce the style there are more complexities than they are instructing?
Bottom line is I like this style and I see this kit as a way for someone who is a new brewer to get into it. And honestly at 53$ considering the price of a good NE IPA (14$ for 4-pack of 16 ozers) it isn't even ridiculous to me. I just am wondering if this is a setup for a let-down.
Any insight is appreciated as always.
I am interested in giving this kit a try, 53$ is a lot but I'd like to use it as a baseline to understand how limited I am at making the NE IPA style. Can I reproduce a complex style to satisfaction with a pre-made kit? I am skeptical.
A couple things that stood out to me:
The yeast options are Omega Tropical IPA, WLP644, or Imperial Yeast A20 citrus.
My first thought upon looking around at what others use for this style is I would actually use GY054 Vermont IPA yeast or WLP095 Burlington Ale yeast as these seem to be more widely accepted as giving the characteristics of the style.
Also on the NB site it claims (as they always do) that water manipulation is not necessary for this kit if your water "tastes good". Do we think that this is true or is it safe to say that when using a premium kit it is best to protect the investment by using spring water and amending it even if your tap water "tastes good"?
Lastly for a style that is best drank fresh as possible as a bottle-baby am I again setting myself up for failure? For instance if fermentation takes 10 days total, then the beer is bottle conditioned for a week or two is that too much time since brewing for this style?
Due to the delicate flavors of the style is 24 days too long and do I risk losing flavor that way? Are they trying to hook me into an expensive kit for a popular style where in order to reproduce the style there are more complexities than they are instructing?
Bottom line is I like this style and I see this kit as a way for someone who is a new brewer to get into it. And honestly at 53$ considering the price of a good NE IPA (14$ for 4-pack of 16 ozers) it isn't even ridiculous to me. I just am wondering if this is a setup for a let-down.
Any insight is appreciated as always.