Can you turn a lager into an IPA?

[crofty83]

Probably a strange question but if you bought a lager kit could you turn it into an IPA by just adding less sugar at the secondary fermentation or would it have to be a specific IPA kit? I would think it would just be a very lightly carbonated lager!

I'm guessing the answer is no but this is what a friend of mine is trying to do and before I tell him not to bother I thought I would get some expert advice.

Cheers folks

 

[calumscott]

Not like that, certainly...

You are correct in that you would get a not very fizzy lager.

You could change it into something IPAesque by boiling up a hop tea for bitterness and to give those deeper pale ale flavours, using a darker malt extract for the additional fermentibles then dry hopping with a traditional IPA style hop.

There are better things you could do with the lager kit... like adding lager or pilsner suitable hops, using an extra-light DME instead of sugar and fermenting cooler.

There are better ways to make a decent IPA from a kit... like starting with an IPA kit...

 

[puravida]

I brew American Pale Ales using lager malt so I think flavour wise it would work.
The main thing is getting the hoppiness in there. As suggested either add a hop tea or else if possible, boil the extract for a while and add hops as you would if you were making an all grain beer.

You'd want to upgrade the yeast to an ale yeast - I use Safale US-05 or S0-4

I wouldn't reduce the sugar added before fermentation or he'll just end up with weak beer. You could scale the priming sugar back for less carbonation though.

 

[crofty83]

Thanks for the replies guys.

I think those ideas are a bit beyond him at the moment. He bought a kit and pressure barrel from Wilkinsons and just put the kit straight into the barrel. I didn't know until he had already done it this way so trying to get him along the right lines now

 

[fbsf]

He could always dry-hop it. All he would need is a muslin bag and some hops - a few days in there and it would have far more aroma. If it's already fermented out, then it's probably a bit late as you don't want to get any air in there, but if not...

 

[crofty83]

He started it last Saturday and did his primary in the pressure barrel. I'd guess it's nearly finished fermenting now so probably is too late. I've told him if he wants an IPA to buy an IPA kit next time.

You wouldn't buy a ford and try and change it into a BMW now would you lol

 

[calumscott]

I brew American Pale Ales using lager malt so I think flavour wise it would work.
The main thing is getting the hoppiness in there. As suggested either add a hop tea or else if possible, boil the extract for a while and add hops as you would if you were making an all grain beer.

The chaps at Williams Bros. do a lager/IPA hybrid (in fact, I *may* have drunk one last night and damn tasty it might have been too...) called Caesar Augustus. I think they use lager malts, yeast and fermentation temperature and IPA hoppage...

You'd want to upgrade the yeast to an ale yeast - I use Safale US-05 or S0-4

I wouldn't reduce the sugar added before fermentation or he'll just end up with weak beer. You could scale the priming sugar back for less carbonation though.

Indeed, if anything you'll want to increase the fermentibles in there to get up to 5.5-6% for the IPA kick, but if you don't do that with malt it's going to get reedy thin.

 

[cutnrun]

He started it last Saturday and did his primary in the pressure barrel.

sounds like he reads instructions as well as my firend... bought a cider kit, left it 2 weeks, bottled it and complained it didnt get him drunk and tasted a lot like apple juice

he didnt add the yeast!!!

 

[alanywiseman.]

He started it last Saturday and did his primary in the pressure barrel.

sounds like he reads instructions as well as my firend... bought a cider kit, left it 2 weeks, bottled it and complained it didnt get him drunk and tasted a lot like apple juice

he didnt add the yeast!!!

Nice :lol: :lol: