Question for first brew

[Machine646]

Im gonna do my first brew Sunday.Its gonna be Coopers IPA kit.I got 2lbs (908g) of DME,the kits calls for 500g of dme and 300g of dextrose,I was told to use the 2lbs and that I dont need to use the dextrose.Does that sound ok? I just dont wanna mess this up.

 

[rodwha]

Without converting it I'd guess you'd be in the ballpark.

 

[rodwha]

Check out this free online brew calculator:

http://brewtoad.com

 

[rodwha]

Guessing this is a 1 gal kit I ran those numbers after conversion through Brewtoad using US-05 yeast, and it showed an OG of 1.077 and FG of 1.015. Dropping the corn sugar for .9 lbs of DME (2 lbs total) gave me an OG of 1.084 and a FG of 1.017.

So this will add quite a bit of alcohol, and drop the IBU's a fair amount.

Are you supposed to use the corn sugar for priming and not for the fermentation? 0.67 lbs of corn sugar would be a LOT for priming (too much), but it makes more sense. Not to mention, as is, it would be more like an imperial IPA.

 

[rodwha]

I tried looking for this and what I saw was a canned kit to make a 5 gal batch that states you'll need 2 lbs of DME as well as corn sugar for priming.

Can you give a link or better explain what you have?

 

[Machine646]

This is the kit I got but had to buy my own DME and small thing of priming sugar .,http://www.amazon.com/dp/B002W7IC1S/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

 

[rodwha]

The first review states this:

"I purchased this kit from Amazon and it gives you everything you need to make a decent English style IPA. I went to the Coopers website and found an alternate recipe which ups the ABV and taste. Compared to American style IPAs this is significantly less hoppy and more malty & fruity tasting. It reminds me of New Castle and Bass Ale with a little more hop bitterness. The hop presence is there but it is very subdued. Out of the Coopers kits I have brewed so far, I liked this one the best and I think it can be a good base for customization. If I had any recommendations to customize it, I would dry hop this kit with 2oz of cascade hops for aroma."

 

[rodwha]

It also states it makes 6 gals. By making it 5 gals instead it will increase the ABV a bit, as well as increase the IBU's a bit.

Are you set up for 6 gals? You'd need something like a 6.5 gal bucket/carboy.

And reducing the volume might negate the need to use so much extract.

I'll look more into it and why you need to add DME and corn sugar.

 

[rodwha]

Straight from Cooper's site:

http://us.diybeer.com/Complete_IPA_India_Pale_Ale_Refill_p/9041.htm

It doesn't give much detail at all. Looking at that one review I'd think just reducing it to 5 gals and following the instructions ought to be good.

To substitute the corn sugar you could use ~.75 lbs of DME.

 

[Machine646]

Everyone thanks a ton for the promp reply's. I think im gonna like it around here.I finally got ahold of my older brother that brewed the same kit a few time,we ended up brewing tonight,cooled it down took a hygo reading,its at 1.038sg.Rodwha I ended up doing what you said with using .75lb of DME,thanks again.Now just gotta wait ,cant wait untill I can drink my first homebrew I made.:rockin:

 

[andy6026]

I've brewed this kit. If you're looking for a nice hop bursting IPA then you'll definitely need to dry hop a significant amount. The description above of it being 'subdued' is quite correct if not an understatement. I'm not a huge "hop head" but the lack of hoppiness of this kit really did dissapoint.

Also, 300 grams of dextrose for priming is a hell of a lot for a 5-6 gallon batch (more than double what you need). I don't know the exact batch size you're going for but, but I plugged into Northern Brewer's priming sugar calculator for a 5.5 gallon batch and it recommends 129 (at 68F). Calculate your priming sugar needs very carefully at bottling stage as many new brewers might simply dump the whole pack in thinking that it's been calculated for them. I don't know how much sugar it takes to make your bottles explode, and I'm sure you don't want to find out.

Just notice someone else above pointed this out too...

 

[rodwha]

The kits come with carbonation drops so the corn sugar is for the fermentation.

The 1.038 OG reading is quite low for an IPA. How many gallons did you make? The reading could be low simply because the top off water wasn't well mixed, which is hard to do.