Type Of Hops?

[plooky]

Gidday,

I've put down a beer for a bit of a 'summer swill', something to be knocked over at xmas parties and such by mates and the like, but tasting it out of the fermentor it appears to be a little bland. I used a Bi-Lo draught kit (just to see what it was like) and a coopers brewenhancer 2 with 500 grams of dried light malt, for a little more body. While it is, at this early stage, a pleasent enough beer, I'd like it be a little more, well, less bland. I was thinking of adding some hops at the end of the time in the fermentor to give it either a bit more flavour or aroma (not sure which comes with a late add of hops) a couple of days before throwing in some finings. I'm lost as to what type of hops would be best served for a 'draught' style beer. I made a very pleasing batch, almost the same way, but with a coopers can, and i remember it being a little better in terms of aroma and even flavour at this early stage.

So, could anyone offer any suggestions on a hop for this brew? How would I prepare it? How long would it stay in the brew for? Should it be left in until the beer is bottled? I'd just like the beer to have a not blandness to it, I suppose.

Any help or suggestions would be appreciated!

Cheers,

Plook

 

[rough60]

Hi plooky,
I haven't made a k&k for ages, if you were after an American style, I would use Amarillo, Saaz for a german. 70% Saaz/30% Amarillo, comes out pretty nice (well I like). A good all round hop is Northern Brewer as well.
Grab a couple of those hop tea bags, steep in hot water for about 15mins and chuck in fermenter (including tea bags).
You could add the finings at the same time and bottle a few days later.
If you are after a better kit beer I would spend the extra $'s and go for a Morgans or Coopers Premium range.
Hope this is useful, if you have anymore of the cheap cans, I'd keep them to make starters, or use it as a twocan maybe.
Cheers.

 

[braufrau]

Goldings is the traditional English hop for dry hopping. You could chuck in about 25g or 1 plug.
Put them in 1 week into fermentation and then leave them until it has finished; at least another week.
The drawback is you'll end up with hops floating about in the beer, so then you have to syphon the beer into another
fermenter or bucket with a tap for bottling to separate out the hops.
Alternatively you can put them in a really big tea ball like this
and then you can bottle from the fermenter.

If you're going to invest time and effort in brewing it would be good to find a decent HBS and get some better ingredients next time.

 

[iluvbeer]

Hi, i have just started to drink a morgans wheat beer, it is great. Only 10 days from bottling and im very impressed with the taste. I put in 750g of malt as well as the Dextrose.

 

[Uncle Fester]

If you want to persevere with the bilo cans, then use two. Use the first normally, and then boil the second in 3 or so litres of water for half an hour. Add 15g of Amarillo at 20 mins and 25g at 5.

Use the resultant wort to mix the original can and fill as normal. (20 litres instead of 23).

Bastardised APA.

(still less than $20 if price is your driving factor, and a heap more flavour than the standard traditionally bland bilo home brand thingies) :beer:


Fester.

 

[shawnheiderich]

Have just sat down with Brother in law and he tasted my latest larger. Just a can of cheap goo ($6) BE 1 and US 56 yeast, used 12g of Hersbrucker. He liked it and I thought it was OK (prefer ales), give it a go in a lighter style larger beer. Good aroma and flavour.

Shawn

 

[mfdes]

For something to totally blow your head off try dry hopping with 15-20gm of Nelson Sauvin Hops. Ross at Craftbrewer has them. I just finished a brew with them and I can't believe the aroma of grapes and passionfruit!

MFS.

 

[Fatgodzilla]

For something to totally blow your head off try dry hopping with 15-20gm of Nelson Sauvin Hops. Ross at Craftbrewer has them. I just finished a brew with them and I can't believe the aroma of grapes and passionfruit!

MFS.

The aroma. But could it affect the taste .. not likely. What you reckon .. 20g of NS for 20 min then dry hop the same ? Will this make a K&K / extract beer the better for the effort ?

 

[mfdes]

Do remember that out of the fermented taste does not reflect the flavour of the finished, carbonated product. The carbonation lifts up the flavour and aroma heaps. It's too late to add hops to the boil anyway, so dry hopping seems the only option. Either than or fruit beer, but if you want the refreshing summer quaffer, I'd avoid the fruit.

MFS.

 

[RobboMC]

Good beer requires a good plan before starting. I would bottle this as your summer quaffer, and go again next time with a bigger plan. i.e. some added hops, or get 30 more bottles and remake it from scratch with a coopers can and some hops.

I made a 'lawn mower ale' last November with Cooper Pale Ale, a packet of Enhancer 2 and a packet of dry malt,
and added Cascade hops in the boil, 20g @ 45 min, 20g @ 20 min and 10g @ 5 min. While it was a great summer quaffer,
it has mellowed with age into a beautiful pale ale, I am keeping one last bottle to taste on its anniversary, if I can hang out that long.

PS IMHO Bi-lo cans may be cheaper, but as a general rule you get what you pay for. Cans from your HBS should create a better finished product, all other things being equal.