adding hops to coopers ipa

[sam c]

would this kit benefit from the addition of a few extra hops or is it best left alone? ive read a few different reviews on this kit, they have all been pretty good but was wondering what peoples opinions on here are?i was thining about adding some goldings to it along with some light dme.

[Reg]

would this kit benefit from the addition of a few extra hops or is it best left alone? ive read a few different reviews on this kit, they have all been pretty good but was wondering what peoples opinions on here are?i was thining about adding some goldings to it along with some light dme.

Well assuming that the stats shown on the Coopers website here:-

http://www.coopers.com.au/homebrew/hbre ... d=1&id=124

...have had a stray zero added to them, (rather than providing you with a beer darker than intergalactic space and so bitter it could suck your eyeballs out via the roof of your mouth), I'd suggest that 71 IBU is already quite high on the bittering scale. (IPAs are supposed to be hoppy). So unless you really are a high hop type of person, I'd stick to dry hopping for aroma in this case rather than boiling any extra hops in.

Just make sure you stick to their advice to brew with added spay malt and dextrose rather than being tempted to go for sugar!

Rgds

Reg

[sam c]

Well assuming that the stats shown on the Coopers website here:-

http://www.coopers.com.au/homebrew/hbre ... d=1&id=124

...have had a stray zero added to them, (rather than providing you with a beer darker than intergalactic space and so bitter it could suck your eyeballs out via the roof of your mouth), I'd suggest that 71 IBU is already quite high on the bittering scale. (IPAs are supposed to be hoppy). So unless you really are a high hop type of person, I'd stick to dry hopping for aroma in this case rather than boiling any extra hops in.

Just make sure you stick to their advice to brew with added spay malt and dextrose rather than being tempted to go for sugar!

Rgds

Reg

cheers for that reg. think i will go for dry hopping then in that case. i was palnning on just going for maybe 750-1000g of light dry malt extract for this brew so im guessing that would be better than spray malt and brewing sugar?how many grams of goldings would you suggest for dry hopping and for how long?

[Reg]

The better quality the malt you use the better the result IMO, although i would see no real harm in trying Coopers own recommendation on your first kit in this range, at least to give you a baseline to experiment from.

The received wisdom on the subject of dry hopping would be to tie your hops in a small muslin or inert fibre bag suspended in the barrel during the entire conditioning period. I have in the past tended to be lazy and just chuck 'em in, but many will point out he risk of clogging your tap and having to unsettle you beer to release the clog - so don't get into my bad habits. As to grammes, I honestly don't know: I've never weighed it, just chucked in what feels right. Say half a handful of whole hop heads per 5 gallon plastic barrel. I probably should be far more scientific than that.

[Luther]

I dry hopped my last Coopers IPA with goldings. Can't remember exactly how much - probably 30 or 40g or something. Left them in for about 4-5 days before bottling. And the end result was bloody lovely.

[sam c]

i will be bottling my brew so wont be able to leave the hops in there for the whole conditioning period. would this be ok- when fermentation has finished rack off into another fv and drop in 20g goldings in a hop bag with a marble in the bottom and leave for 1 week and then bottle?

[Reg]

i will be bottling my brew so wont be able to leave the hops in there for the whole conditioning period. would this be ok- when fermentation has finished rack off into another fv and drop in 20g goldings in a hop bag with a marble in the bottom and leave for 1 week and then bottle?

Might be better to chuck a few aroma hops in late in the boil for bottled beers.

[sam c]

Might be better to chuck a few aroma hops in late in the boil for bottled beers. [/quote]

was gonna try doing that with a geordie yorkshire bitter kit but fancyed having a go at dry hopping as well to get an idea of what each method produces.do people not usually dry hop when bottling beer?