John Bull Master Class IPA ????

[GIusedtoBe]

Hey guys I just got back into this and tried an easy kit to start with but I had a few questions:

I e-mailed the company and asked for the typical gravities and they said SG 1.042
and FG about 1.010 for an ABV of 4.1%. This ABV seemed awfully low for a legit IPA so I added 1# of Muntons DME to see if that would do it. Unfortunately it was a zoo when I brewed it and I did'nt have a hydrometer test glass so I did'nt get an unfermented SG.

I fermented it for 7 days and tested the Gravity and it was 1.014 I racked it into a secondary yesterday.

How long should I keep it in the secondary? Do you think it will continue to ferment to a lower gravity? (It had really slowed to about one bubble per 2-3 minutes before racking)

What predictions for ABV would you guys predict given the lack of an initial SG?

Has anyone brewed this kit? How was it?

Thanks
Alan W

 

[Evan!]

I've never used kits, but, yeah, that sounds pretty low for an IPA---especially the way I like my IPA's. BJCP Min OG for American IPA is 1.056 and 1.050 for an English IPA.

Okay, so, if the original kit should have given you 1.042 OG, then adding a pound of DME to that should give you about 1.052 OG. With an SG of 1.014, that's 72% attenuation, and 5.01% ABV. A little low for IPA in my book, but that's okay.

It might lose another few points. I'd leave it in secondary for at least 2 weeks---and dryhop it if you can. All my best IPA's have been dryhopped.

 

[Orfy]

The kit has been designed to taste good at the standard ABV.
There are more important things to making a good beer than ABV.

 

[GIusedtoBe]

Evan, I've got some cascade and some hallertau (US) on hand. Should I throw some of that in. How much can dry hopping effect the taste? Does it matter if its plugs, pellets etc.? How long does it need to stew w/ the dry hopping?


Also since I'm very impatient to drink some of my first batch (I'll be much more patient on the next) will it make much difference if I bottle now? (provided SG stays the same) Since this is a kit beer I'm not overly worried about waiting several weeks if its going to make only a minute difference. My next batch is going to be a good one (Honey Wheat w/ fresh honey collected by my bee keeping nephew) so I can wait on that one while drinking this one.

BTW Thanks much for the tips.

Prosst
Alan W

 

[Orfy]

Unless you are strapped for the cash it woold be much better to drink some store bought and leave the HB for a decent time.

You'll be disappointed if you drink it green.

 

[GIusedtoBe]

The kit has been designed to taste good at the standard ABV.
There are more important things to making a good beer than ABV.

Thanks for the info. I still think that IPA's should have higher ABV. Do you think that the 1# additional DME would alter the tast that much?

BTW I tasted the beer from the hydrometer flask and it was pretty good even while flat and yeasty.

Thanks again for the reply and info.

Prosst

Alan W

 

[GIusedtoBe]

Unless you are strapped for the cash it woold be much better to drink some store bought and leave the HB for a decent time.

You'll be disappointed if you drink it green.

Good point. I was'nt strapped for cash until I started this hobby!

Are you a proponent of the 1 week ferment, 2 week secondary, 3 week bottle condition?

I'm just a confused because i've read so many differing opinions.

Thanks again,
Alan W

 

[Orfy]

If you go to http://hbd.org/cgi-bin/recipator/recipator you can plug in your recipe and it will give you full details.
1lb of LME (dependant on manufacturer) will give a gravity of around 1035 in one gallon of water. So if it was a 5 gallon batch then it'll increase the gravity by around 5.1 which will give around 0.5% ABV increase dependant on attenuation.

Good point. I wasn't strapped for cash until I started this hobby!

Are you a proponent of the 1 week ferment, 2 week secondary, 3 week bottle condition?
I'm just a confused because I've read so many differing opinions.
Thanks again,
Alan W

Like you say they are all opinions. Do as you wish but if you want good beer its worth taking a little more time.

123 is a good rule of thumb untill you have the experience to decide what is best.
A lower ABV beer will generally be ready quicker than an higher ABV beer.
If I brew a 4% beer I'm happy to do a 2 week primary then keg and drink 5 days later.
If I do a 6% beer I'll look at drinking it 6 weeks from brewing.

 

[Yooper]

Also, if you're dryhopping, you're not ready to bottle until after that! I'd dry hop with some cascade (an ounce or so) and taste it after a week. It should be great by then! Then you can rack it into your bottling bucket and bottle.

Pellets or whole, it doesn't really matter. Some people like to put the hops in hops bags. (I don't- I think it's hard to get them in the carboy and even harder to get out!)

If your flat beer tasted good but yeasty, it'll greatly benefit from the secondary.

 

[DAAB]

Modern IPAs have evolved into lower abv beers than those of the Victorian era, one reason being that life expectancy and medical knowledge has increased and we like our livers to last longer

 

[GIusedtoBe]

Modern IPAs have evolved into lower abv beers than those of the Victorian era, one reason being that life expectancy and medical knowledge has increased and we like our livers to last longer

That may be but most of the commercial IPA's I see are in the 5.5 to 6.0 ABV not 4.1 to 4.5 . BTW I'm not trying to brew something to just get plowed with, I just wanted it to be closer to what I'm used to.

Thanks for the reply
Alan W

 

[Orfy]

Well true IPA's used to get watered down for the troops once the reached the destination.

 

[DAAB]

That may be but most of the commercial IPA's I see are in the 5.5 to 6.0 ABV not 4.1 to 4.5 . BTW I'm not trying to brew something to just get plowed with, I just wanted it to be closer to what I'm used to.

Thanks for the reply
Alan W

CAMRA tend to agree that IPAs start at 4%

India Pale Ale changed the face of brewing early in the 19th century. The new technologies of the Industrial Revolution enabled brewers to use pale malts to fashion beers that were genuinely golden or pale bronze in colour. First brewed in London and Burton-on-Trent for the colonial market, IPAs were strong in alcohol and high in hops: the preservative character of the hops helped keep the beers in good condition during long sea journeys. Beers with less alcohol and hops were developed for the domestic market and were known as Pale Ale. Today Pale Ale is usually a bottled version of Bitter, though historically the styles are different. Marston’s Pedigree is an example of Burton Pale Ale, not Bitter, while the same brewery’s Old Empire is a fascinating interpretation of a Victorian IPA. So-called IPAs with strengths of around 3.5% are not true to style. Look for juicy malt, citrus fruit and a big spicy, peppery bitter hop character, with strengths of 4% upwards.

If you want something stronger then dont dilute it down so much, that way you will keep the hop balance and keep it true to the style of the kit. If you want to keep it true to the style of a traditional IPA then you'll either have to find a merchant shipping vessel willing to carrry it in the hold for 3 months while it matures or stick it it the trunk of your car and go on a very long road trip

 

[GIusedtoBe]

CAMRA tend to agree that IPAs start at 4%



If you want something stronger then dont dilute it down so much, that way you will keep the hop balance and keep it true to the style of the kit. If you want to keep it true to the style of a traditional IPA then you'll either have to find a merchant shipping vessel willing to carrry it in the hold for 3 months while it matures or stick it it the trunk of your car and go on a very long road trip

Thanks for the info. I'm not a beer expert by any stretch so I guess what I'm talking about is not a true IPA more like an American Pale Ale like Sierra Nevada. Anyway it tasted great flat so I'm looking forward to the finished product.

Thanks again,
Alan W