Youngs American IPA

[Meza]

Just took an SG reading and it's holding steady somewhere between 1.006 and 1.007.

The muslin bag with the hop pellets in has swollen up but seems to be doing its job as there's now a pronounced hoppy aroma and taste. Tasted pretty bloody good to be fair.

I'm going to leave it until Saturday to rack to the secondary FV. If I were to cold crash, do I do that before batch adding the priming sugar, or after? What's a good timescale for cold crashing? Seems to be anything from one day to a week!

I wouldn't transfer to secondary. TBH it's rarely done these days.
Every time you open or transfer your beer you're introducing oxygen, which causes oxidation, a killer of good beer! The less the better.

I don't think a cold crash is necessary for you. A cold crash could be beneficial if
1. you're dry hopping loose - as it will help the loose hops to sink before bottling. Or
2. You want a bright beer.

Your hops are bagged, and a hoppy APA style is fine or even preferred with hazy clarity, so neither of those are important to you.

So, when the gravity is stable, I would transfer to bottling bucket and bottle.

Your question about cold crashing time... You'd crash the fermenter before batch priming.
Cold crash duration a day to a week perhaps. A few days probably average. If you've got dry hops in the beer then that will influence your crash time - as you probably don't want them in for too long.

You want to prime only immediately before bottling, as the priming sugar is intended to be used to generate the carbonation - which can only happen once the beer is packaged into sealed container(s). If you added sugar sooner, then it would just ferment a bit more and gas-off the CO2 out the airlock.
Carbonation occurs when the CO2 has nowhere else to go (due to pressure), so it dissolves into the beer.
I'm discounting the fact that cold crashing would hugely inhibit the fermentation rate!

Hope it helps, and not too much information.

 

[nordberg]

I wouldn't transfer to secondary. TBH it's rarely done these days.
Every time you open or transfer your beer you're introducing oxygen, which causes oxidation, a killer of good beer! The less the better.

I don't think a cold crash is necessary for you. A cold crash could be beneficial if
1. you're dry hopping loose - as it will help the loose hops to sink before bottling. Or
2. You want a bright beer.

Your hops are bagged, and a hoppy APA style is fine or even preferred with hazy clarity, so neither of those are important to you.

So, when the gravity is stable, I would transfer to bottling bucket and bottle.

Your question about cold crashing time... You'd crash the fermenter before batch priming.

You want to prime only immediately before bottling, as the priming sugar is intended to be used to generate the carbonation - which can only happen once the beer is packaged into sealed container(s). If you added sugar sooner, then it would just ferment a bit more and gas-off the CO2 out the airlock.
Carbonation occurs when the CO2 has nowhere else to go (due to pressure), so it dissolves into the beer.
I'm discounting the fact that cold crashing would hugely inhibit the fermentation rate!

Hope it helps, and not too much information.

It helps a lot, thanks!

My terminology is off... When I say secondary, I actually mean bottling bucket.

OK - sounds like I'm on the right course then. I'll bottle Saturday morning.

Priming sugar, I presume I toss the whole bag in and gently stir to dissolve? I understand you can boil it up and let it cool, but I don't really see the point in that, surely it will dissolve just fine when added directly to the beer?

 

[Meza]

It helps a lot, thanks!

My terminology is off... When I say secondary, I actually mean bottling bucket.

OK - sounds like I'm on the right course then. I'll bottle Saturday morning.

Priming sugar, I presume I toss the whole bag in and gently stir to dissolve? I understand you can boil it up and let it cool, but I don't really see the point in that, surely it will dissolve just fine when added directly to the beer?

Ah, OK that's good, sorry I should have twigged!

Yes sounds like you're getting on fine, likely be a good beer!

Definitely make a sugar syrup first before mixing to beer. If you try and dissolve granulated sugar into cool-ish beer I think you'll have a terrible time mixing it evenly! If it's not evenly mixed some bottles will be under/over primed.

A popular way is to boil water in a pan and then add sugar (don't put sugar in first, bad times!). Stir like bugger to make syrup.

Cool the pan a bit. Doesn't have to be really cold, but take the heat off out of it.

Pour the syrup into your empty bottling bucket.

Syphon the beer onto the syrup, put the hose into the bottom of the bucket so there's no splashes. Hopefully beer will be mixing well with the syrup on its own.

When it's done give a few big stirs with your paddle or spoon to make sure it's evenly mixed throughout. But again gently, no splashing or sloshing.

Then ready to bottle.

 

[nordberg]

Ah, OK that's good, sorry I should have twigged!

Yes sounds like you're getting on fine, likely be a good beer!

Definitely make a sugar syrup first before mixing to beer. If you try and dissolve granulated sugar into cool-ish beer I think you'll have a terrible time mixing it evenly! If it's not evenly mixed some bottles will be under/over primed.

A popular way is to boil water in a pan and then add sugar (don't put sugar in first, bad times!). Stir like bugger to make syrup.

Cool the pan a bit. Doesn't have to be really cold, but take the heat off out of it.

Pour the syrup into your empty bottling bucket.

Syphon the beer onto the syrup, put the hose into the bottom of the bucket so there's no splashes. Hopefully beer will be mixing well with the syrup on its own.

When it's done give a few big stirs with your paddle or spoon to make sure it's evenly mixed throughout. But again gently, no splashing or sloshing.

Then ready to bottle.

Perfect! I'll follow your guidance and hopefully end up with a good brew..

I've got Youngs American Mocha Porter sat waiting for a free FV!

 

[Tommo 2]

Perfect! I'll follow your guidance and hopefully end up with a good brew..

I've got Youngs American Mocha Porter sat waiting for a free FV!

hi , you definitely won’t be disappointed with the AIPA, and when you get a free fermenter get the mocha porter going as soon as you can, I made one up last September ready for Christmas and trust me it was the best kit beer I’ve ever brewed it tastes amazing , had my last couple of bottles this week, and as usual they were the best of the bunch, this beer is certainly better for some storage , in fact have just ordered another and will get it on this week ready for next Christmas and won’t be touching a bottle till Christmas Eve. Amazing beer would highly recommend to anyone that likes a good dark beer

 

[nordberg]

Done!!

I’ve returned the bottles to my fermentation chamber. Should I heat it as I did during primary fermentation?

 

[nordberg]

Cracked open a 330ml sampler today, exactly 3 weeks since I started the brew. Pretty pleased with it already! Quite a bitter finish which I hope will fade as it matures. Not as hoppy as I’d envisaged it would be given I dry hopped for 5 days, but the carbonation is spot on.