Brew #2 Ideas

[braziliain]

I have checked the FG on my first ever brew the last three days and we are steady at 1.009, so my first bottling session will be on Sunday (keep your fingers crossed for me).

This means the fermenter will be free for brew #2!

I am a total noob and would like to maximise my chances to learn so I am thinking of splitting my next batch into 2 somehow so I can introduce something different to one half and compare the finished products. I only have very basic equipment.

My plan so far is this:

Knock up 23L of a Wilko 1 tin IPA and let it ferment for two weeks
When it is ready for bottling, syphon 10 litres off into a secondary and dry hop it with something. Bottle the remaining 13L. After 7 days, bottle the dry hopped portion.

I'm hoping this will let me try adding another technique process and I can directly compare the results.

Can anyone see a flaw in this plan? Or are there better alternatives? One other thing I thought of was using two primary fermenters, splitting the wort and using kit yeast versus a different yeast to compare side by side...

Thanks!

 

[braziliain]

Oops, I now realise I have posted this in the wrong forum. I'm thinking it should be in general brewing discussion!

 

[terrym]

As a suggestion you could dry hop with two different hops to compare.
So, split the brew after the primary has finished, then 6 days dry hop of each before bottling. I would try 25g Cascade for one batch and one from Goldings, First Gold or Target for the other at 25g.

 

[DoctorMick]

Sounds like a decent idea. If you're using a 23l for secondary there are risks (probably quite slight) to putting 10l in there are there is a lot of oxygen. If I were you I'd split the batches half way through fermentation (or even at the start) to allow a new C02 blanket to form.

 

[IainM]

Sounds good to me. I'm planning to do something similar for my next brew, but splitting it between five 5L Ashbeck water bottles and dry hopping each with a different hop.

 

[ravey]

You can get cheap plastic demijohns, or those 5l spring water bottles with a handle look a lot like demijohns so the air locks might fit. Failing that you can improvise an airlock with a zip lock bag and a rubber band, or a balloon with a pin prick in it. That way you can split it off into 4 of those and tweak them.

 

[braziliain]

All good suggestions and tips, thanks.

I think I would like to keep at least some of it as the kit intended so I can compare the basic to the modified.

Splitting it 4 ways sounds good, I guess if I ended up going that way then I would split the wort before pitching the yeast.
It will make bottling a little more arduous I guess if I have to get it all off the hops on the same day from 4 containers.

If it comes out ok, I'd like to give it to my brothers for Christmas, so having a mix would be nice.

 

[alikav]

I have checked the FG on my first ever brew the last three days and we are steady at 1.009, so my first bottling session will be on Sunday (keep your fingers crossed for me).

This means the fermenter will be free for brew #2!

I am a total noob and would like to maximise my chances to learn so I am thinking of splitting my next batch into 2 somehow so I can introduce something different to one half and compare the finished products. I only have very basic equipment.

My plan so far is this:

Knock up 23L of a Wilko 1 tin IPA and let it ferment for two weeks
When it is ready for bottling, syphon 10 litres off into a secondary and dry hop it with something. Bottle the remaining 13L. After 7 days, bottle the dry hopped portion.

I'm hoping this will let me try adding another technique process and I can directly compare the results.

Can anyone see a flaw in this plan? Or are there better alternatives? One other thing I thought of was using two primary fermenters, splitting the wort and using kit yeast versus a different yeast to compare side by side...

Thanks!

I used citra simcoe and mosaic in a wilko ipa kit, bloody lovely!