Bulldog raja's reward IPA

[olivercollings]

Just ordered this kit. These kits have more malt extract than usual kits and also come with hop teabags to make a hop tea that is added to the FV to impart hop aroma to the finished beer. I love a good hoppy IPA and I always think kits need a bit of added oomph on the abv side so I have decided to add some muntons hopped light spray malt. I shall be bottling this beer as my keg is just about to be filled with St Peters Ruby Red Ale.

The kit should be with me on Tuesday so I'll be starting on Wednesday. As there are not many Bulldog reviews here I'll do a step by step description with photo's. Here's hoping this goes well. I have a friend who is going to be starting the Bulldog Pennines Peak Bitter on the same day so I will try to get him to review that kit too.

UPDATE: The kit arrived today. I haven't started it yet but here is a photo of what the kit comprises of.

Once I start it, I may film it if I am not too lazy. I shall be starting this tonight or tomorrow depending how much time I have. :drink:

 

[olivercollings]

Ok, so yesterday I started this kit.

I made the kit using Tesco Ashbeck Spring water. I also added 500grms of Muntons Hopped Light Spraymalt. The reason for this was to boost the abv and also increase the hop aroma/bitterness. I am aiming to make a more traditional IPA from this kit. The smell when the hot water was added to the extract was fantastic. This only improved when I added the spraymalt. The spraymalt did clump together a little but equipped with a drill and stirring tool I made short work of it.

Once all the water was added the wort was a light colour but very cloudy. I am guessing that's down to my spraymalt. I pitched the yeast about 24°c. A little high but I never usually get any issues.

Over night I can see the yeast had started to do its job but there is the smallest kraussen I've had on a beer. I found this strange as my SG was 1052 and you get a shed load of yeast with this kit. Anyway, I shall add the enclosed hop teabag halfway through primary fermentation. The instructions say 8 days will be enough for fermentation but I will be giving it the usual two weeks.

I did film my exploits but I need to edit to make myself less boring and more informative. I'll get this posted sometime during the week and I'll also post more updates.

Cheers

 

[Monte Cristo]

I'll be interested to see this one old chap, as i fancy giving this one a whirl. I was going to try this a couple of months ago but plumped for the festival razorback ipa which very good :hat:

 

[olivercollings]

I was going to do that too. It was only because a certain online retailer was sold out that I went for it. Day two in the fermenter and it's really not that active but then again I'm using the FV that never has airlock action. I'm gonna test with the hydrometer on day 7 and add the hop tea and leave for another 7 days.

 

[olivercollings]

Hi guys. I'm really annoyed. I've got a stuck fermentation for the first time. I've tried stirring a little and it's done nothing. I'm stuck at 1.018. I would love some advice. Should I add more yeast or will this ruin it?

 

[olivercollings]

Well I got the FG down to 1012 eventually with a little stirring and some patience. It's a lovely color, quite light and lighter than some so called pale ales. The hop aroma is good but not over powering. I was worried it may be a touch sweet having not fermented out as much as I has hoped but it tasted great out of the FV. I bottled with a coopers carbonation drop in each bottle and I have them in the house currently. I'll be putting them in the beer shed in two weeks and leaving for 6 weeks before tasting so as to get an authentic IPA matured beer. Well as authentic as you can get from a kit. I shall update once I have tasted.

 

[olivercollings]

This has been in the bottle for 6 days in the warm and has already cleared completely. This is the first beer that I've bottled that has cleared whilst secondary fermenting. Hopefully that's a good omen.

 

[phynes1]

Any update on this? The suspense is killing me.

Ph.

 

[Monte Cristo]

Any update on this? The suspense is killing me.

Ph.

Well Ph, I can give you an update on mine, unfortunately for you it is still in the box as i have just bought it. :lol:

 

[Monte Cristo]

Evening Chaps, I got this kit back in November and finally got around to getting it going on 30/12/13, as after the Christmas hilarities the Monte Cristo beer cellar seemed some what depleted.
All went well, used bottled water, yeast pitched in at 20c, SG 1044, it's now been sitting in my water bath at 20c for 13 days and seems to have stuck at 1014 instructions reckon that it should get down to 1008 so a bit to go yet, although I don't think it will.
The tester for the trial jar seems very promising with a lovely not too strong grapefruity note, anyway will give it a few more days and see if it comes down anymore. :hat:

 

[Monte Cristo]

Evening Chaps,
I bottled this last friday (24th) after about 26 days in the FV it finally got down to fg 1010, I batched primed with 103g of brewing sugar and came out with 39 x500ml bottle + a carbonation bottle. It would have been 40 but the neck collapsed on one of blighters while capping!
It was fairly clear when I bottled but as this pic of my carbonation bottle shows it has cleared really well now after just 4 days in my warming cupboard.

:hat:

 

[howyoubrewin]

Have just polished off the last pint of my batch and have to say this was a lovely beer. Perfect body, good lacing on the glass and the hop profile was spot on. Thoroughly enjoyable beer and would highly recommend. :

 

[Dusty]

Have just polished off the last pint of my batch and have to say this was a lovely beer. Perfect body, good lacing on the glass and the hop profile was spot on. Thoroughly enjoyable beer and would highly recommend. :

How long did you leave it before you started drinking?

 

[howyoubrewin]

Hello folks, I just finished my last pint of this brew at the weekend and oh boy oh boy it's good. Would definately recommend it to others. Beautiful golden colour, good body, holds a decent head with lacing through the glass and the hops are clearly present without knocking your socks off. It is a treat. Happy brewing guys!

 

[howyoubrewin]

I left it to bottle condition for about 10 days. It was very pleasant even at that but it only got better as time went on. 4 weeks in and it was gorgeous.

 

[Joeyriles]

Hey chaps,

Got this as a birthday present back in Feb and have been meaning to get started on it.

One question: recently brewed the festival ale IPA which used dry hops. This has 'teabag technology' which I don't fully understand. Does one put it in boiling water to steep it before adding to the brew or is it a case of 'chuck the bugger in and wait'?

Best,

Joe :

 

[AndyO]

Bottled this yesterday, 42 bottles primed with 1 tsp of table sugar as per instructions
Very pale colour with a lovely smell

Started
23 February OG 1045 brewed at an average 22C which is the normal house temperature
(Summer is coming, need a brew fridge)
Day 6 hop tea added with a thorough stirring but no splashing (my instructions didn’t mention stirring or splashing, I think my kit pre-dates the release of the American craft beer kits and the new instructions)
Day 11, SG 1014 so gave the brew another good stir
Day 14, SG 1012
Day 15, SG still 1012 so bottled it

 

[Monte Cristo]

Hey chaps,

Got this as a birthday present back in Feb and have been meaning to get started on it.

One question: recently brewed the festival ale IPA which used dry hops. This has 'teabag technology' which I don't fully understand. Does one put it in boiling water to steep it before adding to the brew or is it a case of 'chuck the bugger in and wait'?

Best,

Joe :

A bit of both really Joe, soak the teabag in a cup with some boiling water then chuck the soaked teabag and hop tea into the brew, I am sure the instructions are on the packet :hat:

 

[Joeyriles]

Thanking you. I'm sure they are but it's always nice to get an insider's view of what worked for them.

Joe

 

[Joeyriles]

UPDATE: This has been bubbling away in the airing cupboard (ambient temp of 20C) for 4 days now.
It says to add the hop-tea after 5 days but the instructions state that a later addition would give a more bitter aroma.

What worked for you guys, and should I leave it in the FV for 2 weeks as opposed to the 10 days on the packet (my usual time is 2 weeks.)