Coopers Ipa..

[rumdiary]

OK so pretty new to the home homebrew game, have my first batch of coopers lager brewing atm, and thinking about what my next batch will be.
Looking at the coopers IPA, seems pretty straight forward and planning to follow the instructions on the site and plan to use 1.7kg Thomas Coopers IPA, 1kg Coopers Light Dry Malt and 500g Dextrose.Will this be ok even if i don't dry hop it? Will i need another fermenter if i were to dry hop it? Or can i just drop the hops in the primary FV, then bottle when ready?
Also what is the OG and FG you should be aiming for with this brew, I would also be aiming for a ABV of 6-7% range, is extra yeast needed for that range?

Thanks!

 

[Lord Raja Goomba I]

Will this be ok even if i don't dry hop it?

Thanks!

Ok - yes, but you won't get an IPA or anything resembling it.

Will i need another fermenter if i were to dry hop it?

No - in the tea bag or commando is fine - it'll settle into the yeast cake when that plummets to the bottom.

Or can i just drop the hops in the primary FV, then bottle when ready?
Also what is the OG and FG you should be aiming for with this brew, I would also be aiming for a ABV of 6-7% range, is extra yeast needed for that range?

Get a hold of brew mate - and plug the figures in (www.brewmate.net) - your abv% and OG/FG figures will be calculated for you.

Extra yeast - common opinion (and I share it) is that the packet yeast is 1. Not always in the best of condition by the time it gets to the brewer and 2. Not enough for 20L without straining the yeast (and producing some of the off flavours normally associated with kit brew).

Get hold of 12g packet of yeast from one of the sponsors (or LHBS if they don't overcharge you and keep it in the fridge).

Finally - don't buy hop tea bags. They cost 6 x the amount per gram as buying from a site sponsor. $5 per 12 g isn't cheap, when $8-9 for 90g for most is par for the course. And they're generally fresher and looked after better.

Good luck, welcome to the obsession. This forum is the best resource for a home brewer ever. Got me from kit (after 10 years) to AG in less than 2 months.

Goomba

 

[Fodder]

I was half way through a response when Goomba beat me too it.

Basically...what he said.

 

[Adam Howard]

I turned this kit into a fantastic drop with this recipe:

Tin of Coopers IPA.
1kg of Light Dry Malt.
250g of Crystal malt.
200g of CaraAroma malt.
500g of Dextrose.

I steep the grains in about 1.5L of water, strain the liquid off into a bigger pot, rinse the grains with another 2L or so of boiling water, add 300g of the dry malt and then bring to the boil. 10g of Cascade pellets at the start of the boil, 20g of Cascade pellets after 15 minutes and then another 20g after 10 more minutes. Then I let it boil for another 5. Total boil time of 30 mins.

While doing the boil I dissolve the kit, remaining dry malt and dextrose in a separate pot, pour some cold water into the fermenter, dump the kit mix on top followed by the boiled wort through a strainer (swiss voile) and then top up to 23L with water. I used S04 yeast the first time I made this and then the second time I used 1272 and found the S04 retained more hop flavour.

Great kit.

 

[Lord Raja Goomba I]

I forgot how much effort K&K brewing was!

Don't forget when steeping grains, you want them at around 65-70 degrees C, no more than 78 (tannins) and not less than 62 (hard to get sugaz from grain).

@Adamski29 - you'll find that US05 retains hop flavour much better than S04. Great neutral yeast - has little effect on beer flavour and leaves the hops to shine. Notto ferments well (if OP is looking for higher ABV%) but it too strips hop flavour.

Goomba

 

[rumdiary]

wow thanks for the fast replies! still trying to get my head around things so bear with me, ok well i'll definitey be using the hops then, so far my ingredient list is
-tin of coopers IPA
-500g dextrose
-1k LDME
-12g packet of yeast (throw the one that comes with the tin out? or use that as well?)
-dry hops

at what stage is best to add the dry hops, and at what quantity?
I'm trying to keep this one simple as it'll only be my second HB! brewmate looks great! cheers

 

[Lord Raja Goomba I]

wow thanks for the fast replies! still trying to get my head around things so bear with me, ok well i'll definitey be using the hops then, so far my ingredient list is
-tin of coopers IPA
-500g dextrose
-1k LDME
-12g packet of yeast (throw the one that comes with the tin out? or use that as well?)
-dry hops

at what stage is best to add the dry hops, and at what quantity?
I'm trying to keep this one simple as it'll only be my second HB! brewmate looks great! cheers

Chuck the tin yeast, or use it for a small batch of cider (bottle of apple juice).

Dry hop - add to the fermenter, generally after most of fermentation has been done (though others do it earlier, as I have, or later, as I will in the keg tonight).

Have you settled on a hop variety yet?

Goomba

 

[MarkBastard]

I forgot how much effort K&K brewing was!

Haha funny you mention that. After doing a few all grain brews I did a kits and bits to finish off some stuff I had laying around.

It was definitely harder than all grain.

So much messing around. Argh.

 

[rumdiary]

no haven't decided on a hops, any recommendatios? Have never used hops before

 

[Lord Raja Goomba I]

Haha funny you mention that. After doing a few all grain brews I did a kits and bits to finish off some stuff I had laying around.

It was definitely harder than all grain.

So much messing around. Argh.

I looked at the farfing around - 30 minute boil - for a kit?!? - I did a 40 minute boil for a wheat beer (not normal practice, but in a weiss, not an issue).

Given when I mash in, I usually go and mow the yard or do something else useful, AG isn't taking me any more time than K&K.

And it's more expensive to K&K, if you get a decent kit and the mandatory kilo of powdered whatever.

Sorry OP, just an interesting side point.

Your beer will be better than anything else you've brewed.

Goomba

 

[rumdiary]

heh, no problem, one day i will be AG'n. and 30 min boil? what am i meant to be boiling? From what i've read it's all mixed in the FV, with hot and cold water. or am i missing something here. I'm guessing it's better to use freshly boiled water rather than hot tap water too..

 

[Adam Howard]

I forgot how much effort K&K brewing was!

Don't forget when steeping grains, you want them at around 65-70 degrees C, no more than 78 (tannins) and not less than 62 (hard to get sugaz from grain).

@Adamski29 - you'll find that US05 retains hop flavour much better than S04. Great neutral yeast - has little effect on beer flavour and leaves the hops to shine. Notto ferments well (if OP is looking for higher ABV%) but it too strips hop flavour.

Goomba

I've done the beer with both S04 and US05. Much more hop character with the S04 surprisingly enough!

I'm saving for a Braumeister at the moment. I'm over the effort of K&K after 28 brews.

 

[Nick JD]

heh, no problem, one day i will be AG'n. and 30 min boil? what am i meant to be boiling? From what i've read it's all mixed in the FV, with hot and cold water. or am i missing something here. I'm guessing it's better to use freshly boiled water rather than hot tap water too..

If you steep some spec malts (to add colour and maltiness) you need to boil the resulting sweet malty juice to kill the bugs and drive off a chemical that smells like boiling cabbage (anyone who boils cabbage should be clipped about the ears).

Since the spec malt juice (after the cracked grain has been removed) has to be boiled, it's cool to put hops in there and get flavour + bitterness out of them.

If you're not using spec malts, you've no need to boil. All good. Guys on here get carried away - they're super-hyped on brewing and forget how much they know.

For your IPA, check out one of the site sponsors up above. Grab a 90g packet of hops (for about $10) and use that to dry hop.

Grab a Sierra Nevada Torpedo from Dan Murphys - that's an American IPA, and well worth copying. The dry hops are Citra.

EDIT cold tap water is fine, so long as it isn't out of a tank with a dead possum in it.

 

[Pennywise]

If you're up for a black IPA, this is one I made that was pretty damn tasty

IPA kit
500g dme
300g sugar
150g dark crystal malt
100g special roast malt
30g pale choc (only added this because it was a bit left over)
100g carafa 3 special
100g roast barley
20g cascade & 10g galaxy@ 20 mins
10g cascade & 5g galaxy hot steeped for 10 mins

Boil the hops in 6L water with the dme and grain liquor, adding the sugar with a few mins to go. I used 2 kit yeasts, besides what people say, there's nothing wrong with Coopers ale kit yeast, you just need to pitch more than 7 pissweak grams. If you want more alcohol, as this was kinda lowish on the ABV, just up the dme and add that when you add the sugar. Only thing I may change next time is a little more galaxy for the hot steep, 5g is SWA and was barely noticeable. Hot steeping is just throwing the hot in the boil pot and steeping for x mins before you chill.

 

[AlwayzLoozeCount]

The last kit I made was the Coopers IPA kit and it had two packets of yeast under the lid, I'm not sure if it was a mistake on the production line or if they normally come with two packets.
The IPA kit makes a nice beer.

 

[rumdiary]

arghhhh so much to learn! What's the best hops to use for an IPA and how many grams?, also is it worth putting the pellets/flowers in one of those tea bag things, or just drop them in as they are.

 

[enuun]

My favourite IPA recipe is as follows:

1 x Coopers IPA
1kg DME
500g Dex
200g Maltodextrin
Nottingham
12g POR Hops 60 mins - boil 5litre with the DME (5L cos it was my biggest as of making the beer)
10g Cascade 10mins
10g Cascade 0min 1st to 3rd day
10g Cascade 0min 3rd day to 7days
10g Cascade dry hopped in secondary for 2 weeks

Turned up pretty much in the taste range of Anderson Valley's Hop Ottin IPA

*Edit with Yeast

 

[Lord Raja Goomba I]

@Nick, agree about the cabbage. All those people who hate brussels sprouts do so because of it. I'd never had them as a kid, but my missus does them fantastically (Hungarian style - she's Hungarian descent or sauteed (her mother's French)) - fantastic vegetable when treated right.

On topic - I'd seriously be looking at Citra, Nelson Sauvin (alright I'm biased) or Stella - given the kit's been bittered, I'd reckon Cascade wouldn't add as much character as a good fruity hop.

Goomba

 

[Pennywise]

I've also done this kit with chinook late and it's pretty good, about 1.5g/L

 

[Fodder]

For what you are looking to do I would stick with the IPA tin, the 1kg Coopers Light Dry Malt and 500g Dextrose.

Mix it all up as per usual. eg: in the fermentor with your hot/cold water, dissolve it all and stir it up.

When mixing your hot/cold water, try to get your temp to around 20 degrees. Pitch yeast. Keep temp at 20 degrees for a week.

After a few days, say day 3 or 4, add you hops straight into your fermentor. I would recommend 20-30 grams of pellets to start with...

Also, given this is kinda a British style IPA (aren't all IPA's British you say...?) I would go with East Kent Goldings as your hop choice.

The hop pellets may leave little bits of floaties in your brew. Its no biggy. Just bottle as usual and leave to carb up for as long as you can possibly wait. Preferably 6 weeks (although a few testers along the way wont hurt )

See what you think and then you can tweak from there...