Using Much Less Water In Coopers Kit?

[icarussound]

Hello! Using the Kit & Extract calculator http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum//ind...showtopic=29655 (thanks Ian!) I figured I could get a beer I liked by using my Coopers IPA kit and much less water. 16.5 L vs 23. This would be the Coopers IPA can + 500 g DME and 300 g dextrose -- their exact recipe but with significantly less water. OG would be 1050 and IBU around 53. Aside from less beer are there any gottchas associated with this do you think?

Steve

 

[Pennywise]

I make all the kits I do less than 23 litres, never gone down to 16.5 though (I do 21L). I reckon with an IPA kit especially it would work, would have thought that the OG would be a bit higher than that though. How come you only want 16 litres?

 

[manticle]

It's quite common to make kit and extract beers more concentrated by either adding less water or adding more malt.

It will be fuller bodied, higher abv and higher IBU which seems like what you're after.

Even though the IBU will be higher, your perception of bitterness will also depend on the sweetness in the brew and the extra malt may change that a little. Have a read on bitterness and gravity ratios (BU:GU). I suggest this mainly out of interest - have a crack and see how you go. Alternatively read up on toucans.

 

[icarussound]

OK I'll report back. 16.5 L is the target amount for the following: OG 1050, FG 1011, % alcohol 5.4%, and IBU 53.7. Actually what I am planning on doing is this kit + 500 g of dme and 300 g of dextrose, 16.5 L total in the fermenter and I'll dry hop it after 7 days in the primary fermenter with Cascade hops for some extra aroma - I have whole hops for this.

 

[bum]

Personally, I'd be thinking about upping the malt and hops and doing full volume. This tin is the only brew I've ever managed shake the kit twang from and that was by going up to OG 1060 with all LDME and hopping with Fuggles (35g@60, 35g@15, 20g@5). I'd be thinking that by reducing the volume to reach your targets would accentuate the twang (however it is becoming apparent to me that perhaps I am a bit more of a princess about that taste than most people and you may not have the same problem with it that I do).

Going to try this one again some time soonish but with styrian goldings and EKG instead.