HBC Giveaway: Bruphoria Dead Phony IPA

[AdrianTrace]

Thanks to a last minute drop out from the competition, I was lucky enough to get my grubby mitts on a Bruphoria Dead Phony IPA kit.

Contents:
2x 1.5kg Cans of Liquid Malt Extract
Vial of Hop Oil/Extract
Vacuum pack which should hold hop teabags for dry hopping (Simcoe, Citra and Mosaic)
Pack of Gervin GV12 dry yeast
Instructions

As a veteran of many beer kits over the years, it was good to find ring-pull LME cans to make the opening bit much more straightforward :thumb: Now we just need a rubber strip round the middle to be able to hold the can once it's filled with hot water without faffing with teatowels and it'll be perfect

Cans poured, rinsed and well stirred:

(at which point my dodgy SD card "removed" itself from my phone: no more pictures )

Topped up with water, hop oil added and yeast pitched. OG 1.041. Easy kit, and I'm looking forward to dry hopping with all those hops...

 

[Chippy_Tea]

Thanks to a last minute drop out from the competition, I was lucky enough to get my grubby mitts on a Bruphoria Dead Phony IPA kit.

One man's loss is another man's gain! :thumb:

 

[AdrianTrace]

Indeed :)

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RhvIISDoarU&feature=youtu.be[/ame]

 

[Hoddy]

The pleasure is all mine [emoji106]

 

[AdrianTrace]

Day 8 and down to 1.015, giving 3.4% and 63% attenuation, if my calculations are correct. I've just noticed that the instructions do not give a target OG or FG...

Time to stir and move somewhere warmer... although it's so mild at the moment that the heating isn't coming on and there is anywhere warmer :-?

 

[Lewis88]

I've got this and hip hop IPA ready to brew for Xmas! Looks tasty, let me know how it turns out for you, I'm thinking of adding 'bottle A' when it's clear and goes into the the corny to get more of that hop aroma out.

 

[AdrianTrace]

Day 10 and down to 1.010. 4% and 75% attenuation. Time to add the hop teabags :thumb:

Having read Hopplehammered's report that a mug was a bit tight, I used a pint measuring jug to add the boiling water, but the teabags still puffed right up solid with hops :shock:

My advice would be to add the water with the teabags laid out flat, because I had solid masses of hoppy goodness at the bottom end of each teabag... or possibly larger teabags. This is my first time using pellets/teabags, so this may be normal, or these kits have a generous amount of hops in them :thumb:

The combined smell of Simcoe, Citra and Mosaic is still hanging around :grin:

 

[stevej]

Hmm Citra and Simcoe :thumb::thumb:

 

[AdrianTrace]

10 bottles bottled with 1 small heaped teaspoon of sugar, the remainder into a Cornie to force carbonate :whistle:

Smelt great... I can't wait to try this

 

[AdrianTrace]

For reference, these are my "teaspoon" options :whistle:

 

[Slid]

Day 10 and down to 1.010. 4% and 75% attenuation. Time to add the hop teabags :thumb:

Having read Hopplehammered's report that a mug was a bit tight, I used a pint measuring jug to add the boiling water, but the teabags still puffed right up solid with hops :shock:

My advice would be to add the water with the teabags laid out flat, because I had solid masses of hoppy goodness at the bottom end of each teabag... or possibly larger teabags. This is my first time using pellets/teabags, so this may be normal, or these kits have a generous amount of hops in them :thumb:

The combined smell of Simcoe, Citra and Mosaic is still hanging around :grin:

A coffee plunger or Cafetier-thingy is a good option, at this point to get the hops out and the liquor in. The sort of thingy that SWMBO got to make coffee (LOL) holds its heat so brilliantly that the hop tea option is one good option.

For dry hopping, a fair sized nylon bag is favourite, for me.

 

[lagerfeld]

Cant wait to hear what this tastes like. I have really taken to BrewDog IPA and the Dead Pony so if this is like that, I'll be off to the shop pronto.

Good luck.

 

[Lewis88]

I put this on to brew today along with the hip hop IPA which I suspect is going to be the punk IPA clone. Hope it matures quickly for christmas!

 

[AdrianTrace]

MMmmmmm. Citrussy and hoppy session beer. Still cloudy (first couple out of the cornie) so I'll compare to the real thing (once bought) with one of the bottles.

But initial impression is good :thumb:

 

[AdrianTrace]

Here it is! Fight Night!

The contenders:

Stripped off and ready to go:

First up, the Dead Phony. I've been enjoying this nice session ale with a good US hoppiness. I can drink this all night and I'm so glad I had the opportunity to win this kit :thumb:.

Next, the Dead Pony Club. Ahhmaafrrhgaad! The same hoppy flavour, but turned up to 11.5! I mean, the kit had a good load of dry hops, but this must take something else... SteveJ style hopping :grin:

So yes, the commercial beer beats the phony, but I have to say that the flavour of the kit is right, if not as extreme, and to my taste the real thing is too hoppy for a "session" beer, but I can drink the phony all night :drunk: and have :drunk:

I highly recommend this kit; it's the best kit I've ever made. Although if I were to make it again I would open the dry hop teabags and pour the pellets loose into the FV: there was a good load of hops in those bags; so much so that they were fairly solid once they had liquid added, which may not have allowed the full hop flavour to be extracted.

Buy it. Make it. Drink it. Love it.

 

[Demig]

Nice review as I have this kit 5 days or so into ferment. Love a bit of dead pony. May follow your hop suggestion. I'll report back if in do!

 

[tykesi]

Bottled this last night, completely forgot to do anything different with the hops so they just went in with the teabags.

SG 1.040, FG 1.008 so a decent session ale as has been suggested.

Got 24 bottles and two mini kegs sitting in the warm now, should be nicely ready to give some to my brother for his birthday at the end of March, he like Dead Pony a lot so hopefully this will be a decent brew for him.