Making brew #2 better than brew #1

[Luther]

Hello,

I've just started my second attempt at homebrew from a kit. My first go was Coopers bitter, brewed as per instructions using granulated sugar and then caster sugar for priming. And it's come out alright to be honest - I'm perfectly happy with it as a first attempt.

So... number 2 underway is Milestone IPA and, as I'm new to this, I'm just looking for a few ways to gradually improve on my beer quality from one kit to the next.

Obviously this is a two-tin pack, so I'm not adding bog standard household sugar, which I guess will make a difference? I also left the water out overnight before getting started, which I understand helps see off some of the chemicals in tap water, and I rehydrated the yeast for half an hour before pitching.

There's an inch of foam on top of my beer this morning - so it's not going mad but I assume is sort of doing alright so far.

The other suggestions I've had to improve on my first beer are to use proper brewers sugar in secondary rather than castor sugar - will that make a big difference?

Also had a suggestion to throw a muslin bag of hops in for a day or two before I bottle it. Is that a sound plan? If so, can anyone recommend which hops might be good, and how much to use?

Obviously any other suggestions gratefully received, too.

Thanks!

[MightyMouth]

I dont think you will notice a difference using brewers sugar for priming instead of Table sugar but it won't hurt. I would suggest treating the water the night before with a campden tablet, which will do much more than just leaving the water to stand.