Hi all
I’m new to this hobby and after one failed brew (Wilko), due to something I did wrong, rather than the kit itself and following a bit of reading/research I have a few questions for anyone that might care to provide answers based on their experience. As an alternative to an all grain/mash brew, it seems that a popular method is to choose a kit beer and improve it by adding hops about 5 days before the end of the first fermentation (maybe to try to get something similar to the taste of a Brewdog/Punk IPA). So here goes with my queries:
Q1. Hops- just tossed into the fermentation bucket or placed in a hop straining bag then tossed in? What’s the difference? Any tips if doing it via a straining bag?
Q2. To try and replicate something similar to a Punk IPA,-which kit (costing less than say £18) and combination of additional hops? Any recommendations?
Q3. Anyone tried the Young's American Craft Beer IPA? Would this make a good base kit for a Punk/IPA? Any recommended additions to the stuff supplied with the kit?
Q4. Anyone tried the Festival Premium Razorback IPA? Would this make a good base kit for a Punk/IPA? Any recommended additions to the stuff supplied with the kit?
Q5. Anyone tried making a hop tea with bittering hops and adding at the very start of the kit brew? If so which hops and quantity? And did this improve upon the taste of the original kit?
Q6. Anyone tried making a hop tea with flavouring hops, cooled to 21 degs, and adding after say 3 days to the kit brew? If so which hops and quantity? And did this improve upon the taste of the original kit?
Q7. What’s a good pressure (psi) to hold in the barrel so that flow out of the tap is regular.
Sorry for all the questions (no doubt, many of you will have heard them before). Any replies would be gratefully received. The thing is I just don’t want to waste a load of money on trial and error experiments when folks in the homebrewing community could set me right by sharing their successes. Cheers all. Thanks.
I’m new to this hobby and after one failed brew (Wilko), due to something I did wrong, rather than the kit itself and following a bit of reading/research I have a few questions for anyone that might care to provide answers based on their experience. As an alternative to an all grain/mash brew, it seems that a popular method is to choose a kit beer and improve it by adding hops about 5 days before the end of the first fermentation (maybe to try to get something similar to the taste of a Brewdog/Punk IPA). So here goes with my queries:
Q1. Hops- just tossed into the fermentation bucket or placed in a hop straining bag then tossed in? What’s the difference? Any tips if doing it via a straining bag?
Q2. To try and replicate something similar to a Punk IPA,-which kit (costing less than say £18) and combination of additional hops? Any recommendations?
Q3. Anyone tried the Young's American Craft Beer IPA? Would this make a good base kit for a Punk/IPA? Any recommended additions to the stuff supplied with the kit?
Q4. Anyone tried the Festival Premium Razorback IPA? Would this make a good base kit for a Punk/IPA? Any recommended additions to the stuff supplied with the kit?
Q5. Anyone tried making a hop tea with bittering hops and adding at the very start of the kit brew? If so which hops and quantity? And did this improve upon the taste of the original kit?
Q6. Anyone tried making a hop tea with flavouring hops, cooled to 21 degs, and adding after say 3 days to the kit brew? If so which hops and quantity? And did this improve upon the taste of the original kit?
Q7. What’s a good pressure (psi) to hold in the barrel so that flow out of the tap is regular.
Sorry for all the questions (no doubt, many of you will have heard them before). Any replies would be gratefully received. The thing is I just don’t want to waste a load of money on trial and error experiments when folks in the homebrewing community could set me right by sharing their successes. Cheers all. Thanks.